1997 Mercury Mystique Car will not start

APEREZ82

MEMBER
1997 MERCURY MYSTIQUE
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
180,000 MILES

Ok, Here is my whole story and hopefully someone can help. I bought this car with 180000 miles already on it and it seemed to run pretty well for about 4 months now all of a sudden it decided to die on me while driving on the highway in the rain and I was going about 60mph. Pulled the car over to the side of the road waited and tried to crank up but the car just makes a noise as if it wants to start but does not actually fire up. Best way to describe the noise would be something like ching. Ching. Ching. Ching. Ching over and over but will not start. I towed the car to my house and had several people look at t where we have ruled out the fuel filter and fuel pump. We have ruled out the ignition coil plugs and plug wires and opened the housing for the timing belt and it's there. Checked the fuel inertia switch and it's ok too. So now I'm out of places to check and people are saying that it could be something way worse internally in the engine but not sure. Any help would be appreciated since I have decided to tow this thing to a service shop but I'd like to know what the issue may be and not get ripped off. Thanks!

Oh I also have a new battery in it and checked compression and that checked out also.

Angel

5 Replies

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

Welcome to the forum, I can't tell about the noise, is it normal cranking sound? If it isn't normal cranking noise, there might be internal engine damage? I can't tell?

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Sunday, November 1st, 2009 AT 8:57 AM

APEREZ82

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Yeah it's definetly a normal cranking sound and all the belts seem to turn alternator timing etc. The service shop guy did mention a bent valve possibly and my friend said maybe a cracked head inside the engine. The starnge thing is when we checked the plugs there was oil inside 2 of them almost covering them about half way and we also found oil in the air filter so I'm at a complete loss to what would casue this.

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Sunday, November 1st, 2009 AT 9:05 AM

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

Hi, can't tell from here. If too much pressure in the crankcase, it will force oil out everywhere. I blew a hole in a piston once, going down the highway, different make and model, blew the pcv out of the valve cover, sprayed oil all over the engine compartment, engine siezed. I was three miles from home, let the engine cool, filled it full of oil, fired it up, made it home, barely. I realized you said there good compression everywhere. Goodluck

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Sunday, November 1st, 2009 AT 10:14 AM

APEREZ82

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Thank you for your advice. I'm no mechanic but in the past week I have learend a lot about how the whole process works for starting a car lol. I really hope it's something minor and nothing to horrible but I will find out tomorrow when I tow my car to the shop. I'll post what was wrong and who knows maybe it will help some other mystique owner. As for me I'm getting this thing fixed and putting it back on Craigslist! Ttyl

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Sunday, November 1st, 2009 AT 10:28 AM

APEREZ82

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Thank you for your advice. I'm no mechanic but in the past week I have learend a lot about how the whole process works for starting a car lol. I really hope it's something minor and nothing to horrible but I will find out tomorrow when I tow my car to the shop. I'll post what was wrong and who knows maybe it will help some other mystique owner. As for me I'm getting this thing fixed and putting it back on Craigslist! Ttyl[/quote:8af22c442d]

Well for anyone who cares my problem was with a tensioner that cause my car to jump timing and put my car out of commission. Apparantly it was loose which cause d the car to jump and that is why I could not re-start it. Total cost for the repair $820 with the water pump also being replaced. So one thing I learned from my experience was if ya got fire compression and fuel it just may be the timing. Hope this helps someone down the road!

Now I need help with a broken temperature guage. Just sits at cold.