• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Car is dead - electrical

H

Honkeytonk Monkey

CEG'er
Joined
Feb 8, 2001
Messages
471
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Here's the story, I bought my gay purple Contour off my brother for $250 in hopes of selling it for significantly more than that. Brand new CD4E in it, paint is like new, new rubber, new wheels, interior is like new... it's in better shape than my last Contour was the day I bought it.

Right after I bought it the water pump ate it. No big deal, I bought a new metal impellar pump to replace it with and was going to do it this month now that the snow is gone and I can move the car.

If only things were that simple, I guess my buddy decided to move the car from beside his garage and since it had sat too long the battery was dead (original battery) and he tried to boost it and tells me there was alot of sparks when he hooked up the negative terminal to his truck's ground.

I put a new battery in the car, and nothing happens, it's totally dead, the hood light comes on and the stereo will play, but I get nothing when I turn the key, not even a ding-ding-ding sound.

I checked all the fuses, and they are all fine, I pulled all the modules to see if anything was burnt out, they all look fine as well, both under the dash and under the hood, everything looks to be in order, yet I get nothing. ECU fried somehow? I would imagine a fuse would go before the ECU went, I cant see it happening but then I always hear horror stories about that.

Suggestions? :shrug:
 
Bad ECU could cause a car to not run, but it most definitely is not a factor in your case because the starter doesnt even crank the engine. Check for voltage at the starter, and check for ground. There are wires going to the starter (not the heavy guage power cable, but the one to the ignition switch). Using a volt meter, check for power to this when the key is turned to "start".

Assuming there is power, replace the starter. If there is not, you have an ignition switch/wiring problem.
 
I'd say your buddy hooked a pos (+) to a neg (-).
Oops, now something is fried.
May be a fusible link, check your wiring and / or an electrical diagram.
 
Try checking all fuses in the power distribution box next to the battery (you might have done this). Also, the battery voltage should drop a lot when you try to start. If it doesn't, points toward starter circuit.
 
I'll look at the starter/ circuit in themorning.

I doubt my friend hooked up the cables improperly, he drove a tow truck for a couple years and teaches auto shop in a high school right now. I guess I'll check into the wiring tomorrow, and if that doesn't do it start looking at a new ECU.

I can get another ECU at a junkyard, there are about 30 duratec contours there. Can I just pull one and replace it with another?
 
Forget the ECU! Did you read my post? The starter doesn't even turn, this is a simple electrical problem somewhere. The ECU has nothing, I repeat, NOTHING to do with this. Now get yourself a volt/ohm meter and get to work checking the wires. The starter circuit is simple: There's a battery, a wire to the starter, a relay, and an ignition switch. The problem lies somewhere in those components.
 
check all the wires (the relevant ones) to see if they are cracked and shorting. Had my car die on me at least once because of that (96 gl v6 atx sport) but a little electrical tape fixed it well enough. Also I've seen a few more bare or nearly bare wires around that needed taping (but hadn't shorted out yet.)

other than that I suppose its possible your starter is fried, but that seems rather unlikely.
 
mcgarvey said:
Forget the ECU! Did you read my post? The starter doesn't even turn, this is a simple electrical problem somewhere. The ECU has nothing, I repeat, NOTHING to do with this. Now get yourself a volt/ohm meter and get to work checking the wires. The starter circuit is simple: There's a battery, a wire to the starter, a relay, and an ignition switch. The problem lies somewhere in those components.
Click to expand...

LOL yes I read your post and that will be the first thing I look at today, just wanted to get any other possibilities up before I drive across the city since I won't have access to this site once i leave. Thanks for your help :)
 
Honkeytonk Monkey said:
....he tried to boost it and tells me there was alot of sparks when he hooked up the negative terminal to his truck's ground.

...
Click to expand...
This is done incorrectly. Good battery negative to bad battery vehicle ground. Check the megafuse. It is probably burnt out.
 
So I pulled the coil and all the wiring out of the way to get at the megafuse... dear god I hate Ford and thier stupid megafuse location. I don't believe I've ever had that much of a problem just changing a damned fuse.

Anyways megafuse replaced, car started up just fine. Now I just need to inform my friend he is boosting cars ass backwards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top