Q: My car overheated, and I let it cool, added water, and drove home. Now it turns over but won't start - 2003 Ford Escape
It started knocking and lost power coming home one day, let it cool, added water, jumped it to start it, and drove it the last 3 miles home, was hot but ran fine, no knocking. found the leak, had to replace a hose that split coming out under the water pump, now it won't start. bought a new battery charger to recharge it changed out the camshaft position sensor (didn't make a difference) because it was showing no RPMs when cranked, but it turns over great changed the fuel filter Water pump looks good, had everything off to get to the hose that split. reset the computer... plugs are getting spark reset the fuel pump inertia switch (i assume he did it correctly) cleaned the egr valve reset the computer checked for spark in plugs... has spark
My car has 170000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello. A no start condition can be caused by many things. If your plugs are getting spark, then the issue may be with the fuel or engine management system. The first thing I would is check to see if the vehicle is getting fuel, as it will not start without it.
A few things to look at would be are the fuel pressure, fuel pump, and fuel pump relay. If those check out, then the next thing I would look at is the engine management system, particularly the crank position sensor and MAF sensor, as these components are critical to the vehicle’s operation.
Also, if you are unsure, I would verify that the inertia switch is reset and functioning, as this can cut off fuel to the vehicle. You also mention that the engine was "knocking." If it was knocking due to excessive temperature or oil starvation, then it may be possible that the engine is no longer starting due to mechanical issues, though that is the least likely of the possibilities.
I recommend having a certified mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, perform an inspection to determine why the car is not starting and what should be done to restore it to proper working order.
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