Contour Won't Start After Replacing Lower Hose

[Lavell]

I'm really stumped here. Yesterday, I got a coolant leak while driving. I was able to drive home with no damage done. I allowed the car to cool down overnight. So today, I traced the leak and found that it came from the lower hose. In order to replace the lower hose, I have to remove the exhaust manifold. Since I will have the exhaust manifold removed, I'm thinking that I should replace the PCV since I never cleaned or replaced it before. Here are the steps I took to make the repairs:

Drained the cooling system.
Removed catalytic converter.
Removed exhaust manifold.
Removed oil separator.
Removed PCV.
Removed lower hose.
Replaced and installed PCV.
Replaced and installed oil separator (gasket was broken and pieces were stuck on old oil separator).
Replaced and installed lower hose.
Installed exhaust manifold with new gasket.
Installed catalytic converter.
Refill cooling system.

I tried to start the car, but it won't start. I decided to check for any issues I'm not aware of.

The starter turns.
The battery is fully charged.
The alternator is good.

Something told me to check spark plugs. So I removed spark plug #1 and found that it was drenched with oil from the engine. What is this telling me? Am I missing something? How do I get the car to start so that I can check the cooling system? Please help!

[Y2KSVT]

Did you smell the plug you pulled to see if there was any coolant smell? Blown headgaskets aren't a common problem with these cars, but it's a thought.

You more than likely have some bad o-ring gaskets, causing a lot of oil to seap onto your plugs and foul them out. You'll have to pull the intake manifold and the valve covers to replace them. This is a good time to replace the valve cover gaskets themselves, as well, and to clean the upper and lower intake manifolds, too. Depending on the age of the plugs, they're probably in need of replacement as well.

Mark

[BrApple]

zetecs do not have the o-ring gasket around the spark plug as the duratecs do. the valve cover gasket is all one peice and does seal the plug valley off ceom the cams.

[zorrex]

Was only the electrode end drenched in oil (the end in the engine) or was the top side also wet with oil from buildup in the spark plug valley? If you have oil gathering in the spark plug valley, it means you have a valve cover gasket leak.

[Aussie Ford]

OK so you have a 96 Tour...... shall we presume that you know about the wiring harness issues and that you have checked and are either one of the lucky people or have replaced them? I pose this since it was running fine then you did something which sounds like you did it all correctly but in the process of doing the work you most likely moved wiring around that hadn't been previously disturbed.

Even if you don't have wiring harness issues, check that any connectors you disconnected are seated well.

Just a thought,
AF

[Lavell]

Zorrex, only the electrode end was drenched in oil. Come to find out that the other 3 spark plugs were drenched as well.

Aussie Ford, are you speaking of the recall of the wire harness issue? If so, I had the car checked out at the dealer when the recall was first released sometime in the late '90s. The dealer said that my car wasn't affected by the recall. If you're not speaking of the recall, then I'm not sure as to what you're talking about.

Just so you all know, I've conducted some tests on my ignition coil and found that even though the primary resistance test was okay, the secondary resistance test was not (if I read the multimeter right). This might be the problem as to why my car won't start. I'm going to take it to Pep Boys for further testing just to make sure I've conducted the test properly. Until now, I've never knew how to use a digital multimeter. So now, I'm learning how to via online. In the meantime, if you have more ideas and suggestions, keep them coming. Thank you very much.

[Aussie Ford]

Yes that is what I was referring to. Glad to you didn't have an issue with it. I had somewhat a similar issue (oil on the plugs not running well) with my 95 and it turned out to be the coil pack. I replaced it and no more issues. Contour rule* unrelated issues will always pop up at the same time!

AF

[Lavell]

I found the cause of the car not able to start. The crankshaft position sensor's electrical connector broke off! Who would have ever thought to check that?! Typically, one would check to ensure the car is getting fuel and spark. Anyways, I crimped on a new connector and the car starts up like a champ!

Lesson learned: If your Contour or Mystique turns but won't start,
1) check the charging system (battery, alternator, starter);
2) check to make sure the engine is getting fuel and spark;
3) check to make sure the engine has good compression;
Finally, don't forget to check the crankshaft position sensor and the electrical connector to make sure that they're good as well! Be aware that after years of exposure to the elements, the electrical connector breaks off very easily.