Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting was running fine, now wont start at all

i am having a very strange problem with my 99 contour, with the duratech engine and a 5 speed trans. i just purchased the car a few weeks ago, so i dont know the history of it too well. but anyways. its been working fine this past week, and was running fine all day today. then i parked it and was just looking around under the hood, i was checking the vacuum lines because i had a check engine light. i got it scanned and it has the insufficient egr flow code. so i was checking the egr to make sure nothing was broken. also i was playing around with the two vacuum lines on top of the intake manifold, i pulled them out and put them back in to make sure everything was clear. the hose closer to the front of the car had a plastic bushing around it, and when i pulled it out, the bushing was cracked and i believe a small part of it might have fallen into the intake. anyways, i pulled the rest of the bushing out as it was all cracked, and put the hose back in. it still fit tight because of an o-ring below the bushing, so i assumed it was okay. i didnt unplug anything electrical.

so after inspecting the vacuum lines, i went to start the car. it started, but was running really rough. very odd, since it had been starting fine all day and i didnt really do anything to it besides touch a couple vacuum lines. i gave it some gas and it wouldnt rev, it just died. tried again, and same thing. kept trying, then it wouldnt even start at all. the starter turned the engine over but it seemed like there was no gas getting to the engine. i pushed in on the little valve on the gas lines and gas squirted out, so i knew i was getting gas pressure. i took the intake off and played around with it, to see if there was anything blocking it.. it was fine. put it back on, and checked to see that everything was hooked up properly. i had the battery disconnected while i did this. then i reconnected it and tried starting it again, and it did the same thing.. the starter worked but the engine wouldnt catch.

i disconnected the battery again, then reconnected it, and then the starter wouldnt even engage! so now when i turn the key nothing happens at all, not even a click. i tried holding down the clutch and that didnt do anything. maybe there is a loose clutch safety thing going on that i dont know about? is there a safety switch on these cars? i never had an issue with it starting before.. but ive only had the car a week. and i would always start it without holding the clutch in.

what the heck is going on with this car?? first the odd starting issue... running rough.. then wouldnt start at all... now not even a click when i turn the key.

i know the battery is fine, its getting 12.5 volts. and no corrosion on the battery. any common issues with this car i should know about? or would a tiny piece of plastic in the intake (from me taking off the vacuum line on the intake) cause the engine to not start at all?

P0401!

You need to pull off the intake all the way to the manifold(this includes throttle body). There is a 98% percent chance that the passages from the EGR into the manifold are blocked with black gunk.

I'll try to find the picture from when I did cleaned mine.

Edit: here is picture

yep, thats the code i had. i had read posts about the passages being clogged, thats why i was playin around with the vacuum lines. anyways. i unbolted everything and took a look at the passages, they were nice and clean! i was quite suprised, as i thought for sure they would be dirty. i dont really suspect its the little electronic valve, because if it was im assuming i would have a high egr code too. maybe there is carbon buildup somewhere else?? but that still doesnt solve the other problem of my car now not even turning over or ticking when i turn the key to run. im so lost!!

ok.. update. today i hooked up the battery and tapped the starter with a wrench, and it turned over!! but now its still not starting.. it will turn the engine over, but it seems as though its not getting any gas at all, since the rpms arent moving at all while i attempt to start it. maybe the coil died? and its not getting any spark? i dont know what to do

When you turn the key to "On" listen for the fuel pump, you should here it run for 2-3 seconds. You can put a timing light inline one of the wires to check for spark. Or a calibrated spark plug tester (never try holding the wire next to ground) it will damage the coil and maybe you.

My friends SE was wouldn't start one day out of the blue. I pushed on connectors shook wire harnesses and then it started right up. Might be worth a try for S&Gs. Either something was loose or I have the touch

I had the same darn problem. Originally fuel pump and started fine, then next day, not start. Now three days later the car started. Whats up? I am going to try and clean out the trottle body again and check fuses.

well i did a little more digging today.. trying to figure out why i was getting the p0401 with clean intake passages... i noticed that one of the tubes coming off the DPFE sensor wasnt hooked up to anything. it looks like whatever it was hooked up to broke off. and the clearances are so tight that i cant tell what it was hooked up to. does anyone have a diagram or know of what those two lines are supposed to be hooked into? also i still havent got any luck in getting it started.. when i turn the key to on i dont hear any fuel pump priming, but i dont recall it ever making a noise. i know there is pressure, because i pressed on the valve on the fuel line and gas squirted out. any other ideas? what is the maf sensor? and how do i clean it?

Well I am on the same boat. The car will crank, but not catch. It didn't start for about a few days then sat & sun it worked fine. Until last night is won't start again. I changed my DFPE last year, might need to check hoses again? Could the coil pack be bad? or wires?