Cranks, but will not start

07FORDFOCUS

MEMBER
2007 FORD FOCUS
4 CYL
AUTOMATIC
180,000 MILES

Hi! I bought this car a while ago, but due to power steering pump issues, it hasn't been drivable. I recently had my father-in-law fix this and the car worked fine. About thirty minutes later, while I was getting new tires, the car just shut off. My father-in-law says that the engine cranks, but won't turn over. The A/C and radio turn on still. There is also a 'check fuel cap' light that turns on when trying to start. I need this car to get back and forth to school, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 1:29 PM

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Hi,

Unfortunately, we will need to limit this down a little bit. An engine needs compression, ignition at the right time, and fuel in order to run. Since it was running and just shut off we can assume safely that you have compression, that leave fuel and spark.

Try spraying some starting fluid in the intake and see if it fires for a couple seconds. If not, pull a plug and confirm you don't have spark.

Also, it may be worth while to pull codes. You could just be locked out by the security system. I don't think the fuel cap light is related. However, you hopefully have some codes that can point us in the better direction. If you can't pull codes, any parts store should be able to get them for you.

Based on what you find we can go further.

Was this

answer

helpful?

Yes

No

Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 6:59 PM