Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Car won't start, found prob, still wont start

My friend hit something on the road last night with her 2000 Cougar and the car died. There was no obvious damage, so I was at a loss. However, upon further inspection,I did find the problem, one of the vacuum hoses for the vapor canister under the trunk had pulled loose, which explained why it wouldn't start. I reconnected it, reset the computer and it still won't start.

I disconnected the battery for 20 minutes, shouldn't that be sufficient to reset the computer? I feel 90% confident that that was the problem, but it's acting as if the computer isn't starting from a "clean boot" for a lack of a better description.

I'm not sure where the fuses are hidden otherwise I'd try that route (which # is for the computer?)

Please help, it would be greatly appreciated!

You may have tripped the fuel shut off switch. It can happen from a jolt if it is stiff enough. Find the button to push and reset the switch. It is located in the driver's side kick panel in front of the hood release lever.

Yeah, I tried that. It's acting like something is off or disconnected, I'd expect at least a sputter.

Vac hose for the vapor canister is not likely to cause a no start condition.

If the engine ran normally up to the point of impact, then won't fire, you still need to go back to the inertial switch.

A decent jolt will trip it and the car will crank but not fire since there is no fuel pressure.

If the switch has been positively reset, you will need to start troubleshooting to determine if the problem is due to no spark or no fuel. Use an engine timing light for the first and a fuel pressure guage for the second.

If you're not comfortable performing these tests, consult a qualified shop.


Steve

Well it's running again. It ended up being the fuel pump. Fortunately, got it put through without mentioning hitting something, so it's covered under warranty.

So, how did the fuel pump go? It really seems like too much of a coincidence for it to go after the impact, but I wouldn't think that it would burn up if part of the emissions system just got disconnected.

Thanks for the input, it was driving me nuts.