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Contour won't start! Please help

C

crocker_dave

CEG'er
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
37
Location
Beaumont, TX
Hi!

2000 'tour, 2.5 V6, 92k miles, and it just plain won't start. The engine will "crank" but not turn over. I had a friend try to jump start it from his F150 and still no start. I then took the battery out of the car and took it to Orielly's to have them test it; they said the battery is 90% good (he showed me the screen on the battery tester machine).

I don't think its the starter b/c the engine will crank but never turn over and actually start. I bought the car with 66k miles and do not know the previous maint history. I change my own oil and keep track of any and all maint. One thing that came to mind is perhaps the spark plugs need changing? I was planning on changing plugs & wires at 100k miles, but i suppose i'm close enough. Also, i've never replaced the fuel filter, which I plan on doing this week just as preventative maint.

My neighbor came over and listened to the engine while I was trying to start it and he thinks that one of my pullies is stuck or siezed up and the engine can't overcome this friction. He suggested removing the serpentine belt and seeing if it would then start...What do ya'll think?

Also, a few months back I hit a narrow (but deep) ditch in a friends apt complex and cracked the rear exhaust manifold (the 1 next to the firewall)...the noise had been getting progressively worse over time. Is it possible that the exhaust leak being that close to the engine melted a plug wire or something? Just a guess...
:help:
Thanks in advance for any help you may have!
 
I'd def. look over anything that could have been damage in the small accident. Do the basis test check for fuel, spark, air, and what not. Do you hear the fuel pump prime when you turn the yet into the "on" position? Make sure you have good clean grounds in the engine bay also. Sometimes it's the little things that'll give you grief.
 
is it a normal crank or does it crank slowly? and if your plugs were bad the car would slowly be losing its ability to idle, was it idling fine before? and a plugged fuel filter could definitively cause a no start situation, check and see if there's pressure to the fuel rail, to check this just simply depress the valve on the fuel line that looks like a tire valve stem, there should be a black cap on it, if it sprays fuel then you have pressure. also listen to see if the fuel pump is priming if there is no pressure.
 
thanks for the quick replies guys! jrichardson: Its a normal crank, and yes the idle seemed fine before, so prob not the plugs. I'll check for fuel tonight as you have described above and also listen to see if the fuel pump is priming. Also, is it hard to remove/replace the serpentine belt? Maybe there's a how-to somewhere on here...
 
not that difficult to remove the serpentine belt, just a pain to get it back on sometimes, especially if you haven't done it before. if you do remove the belt do yourself a favor and rent the removal took from your local parts store, it will save alot a headache. and it can't hurt to pull a spark plug and see how badly worn they are.
 
OK, update! When i turn the key i can hear the fuel pump priming. I saw the place on the fuel rail with valve that looks like a tire valve stem, which did have a black cap on it. I unscrewed the black cap but then I couldn't get fuel to squirt out. I used the back side of a tire pressure gauge (like the little nub that you use to let air out of tires), but like I said; couldn't get fuel to come out. Is there another tool I should be using to push in that valve on the fuel rail?
Didn't get a chance to change the fuel filter yet though...Hopefully i can get to that this week and that'll fix the problem.

Also, now when I try to start it, it cranks slowly
 
I went and tried to start it last night and just got the clicking noise. Battery has been tested and is good. Also, the car won't start even when I tried to jump start it off of a F150. I'm starting to think the starter has died...Any thoughts?
 
Well i figured i would post the resolution if anyone else runs into this. The problem was due to the cracked exhaust manifold. It had melted the power wire that goes from the battery to the starter, so I just had to replace that wire. I went ahead and changed the plugs for good measure (not all that difficult, but I did have to remove the intake manifold to get to the 3 plugs next to the firewall). I also changed the fuel filter which was super easy. On my 2000, it was just inside of the rear passenger side tire. Fuel pump was fine.
 
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