chris Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Well last night i drove to a nearby town to go to a house party, i pick up a few friends and we set off, around 45 minutes later we get close to the party but decide to stop off for a McDonalds on the way. I park the car and off we go for a quick munch before we arrive at the apartment. I come back to my car and turn the key, the electricity comes on but the engine doesnt make any noise, so i fiddle around a bit with the ignition and yet nothing, it doesnt even make a single sound. After speaking to my dad to see what we can do i tried the things he suggested but no luck atall, 30 minutes passed and i gave up, locked my car and we decided to hike the rest of the way. Had fun at the party had some wine, some bacardi and some other sh*t and ended up staying awake all night and playing a bit of toad in the hole. I ran out of cigs by about 7 oclock (AM) and decided to go for a bit of fresh air for a break from the now trashed apartment. Asked a girl called Becky to come with me so we walked all the way back to the car to see if it wanted to work, after a further 15 minutes of f*ckign around and staring blankly at the engine not knowing what i was looking at i thought f*ck it and rang my dad. Got towed back to my mechanic but he isnt in untill tomorow and thought you guys might know whats happening. As far as my limited car knowledge goes i think its the starter motor or possibly a loose wire somewhere? Anybody have any info to share? TL;DR Car wont spark up atall, im a dumbass and dont know whats wrong, can you help? If it helps its a 1998 Ford Escort, 1.4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayC Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Sounds like the starter. You probably could have bump started it. Cant see a starter for an Escort costing more than £120 fitted unless you have a sh*tty rip off mechanic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illousion Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Sounds like the starter. You probably could have bump started it. Cant see a starter for an Escort costing more than £120 fitted unless you have a sh*tty rip off mechanic. Sure about that? Cause he writes that the dang thing doesnt spark, that doesnt have anything to do with the starter i think. Are the sparks okay? Check the coil or the ignition module. Don't know the Escorts too well, so information can be unreliable. Dreaming of California, where the sun never sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. O Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 If it is manual try to roll start it. Then check your alternator by removing the positive cable from the battery, if the car dies its the alternator. The battery may have enough power for some interior stuff but not enough to roll the motor over. Also check battery and starter, plugs are an unlikely culprit, you would have to have two or more fail for it to not start which in unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pico Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Sounds like the starter. You probably could have bump started it. Cant see a starter for an Escort costing more than £120 fitted unless you have a sh*tty rip off mechanic. Sure about that? Cause he writes that the dang thing doesnt spark, that doesnt have anything to do with the starter i think. Are the sparks okay? Check the coil or the ignition module. Don't know the Escorts too well, so information can be unreliable. I think he means it's not even turning over, he said there's no sound at all. Is there not even a click? Sometimes a failing starter clicks because the solenoid is f*cked. But if the starter completely dies then yeah, no sound at all. If it's a manual you totally should have tried push starting it. Would have saved you tow costs at least. If it's the starter and not a complicated job (depending on what car + engine), I'd expect it to cost $200-250 USD. I'm a little worried about my car. I usually need to crank it over a good 3 times to get it to finally fire up. Hope it doesn't wear out my starter prematurely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted September 27, 2009 Author Share Posted September 27, 2009 We did try to push start it and tow start it, still didnt have any luck. Im sick to death of cars at the moment, my luck is running low recently. Crash Golf Buy Civic Cant get insurance on Civic due to age Sell Civic Buy Escort Escort dies 6 days later. I think its a sign that i should be driving haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pico Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Wait, you couldn't get insured on a Civic? Man, it's worse over there than I thought. I was just telling my brother who's 16, about to be 17, that if I give him my Trans Am when I leave his insurance will be pretty high. We popped up Geico to get an idea... they wouldn't give a quote! Hahahah... he couldn't get covered. Makes sense though. If it was under my parents insurance and he was insured under their vehicles I'm sure he'd be fine. But as for the push start... I haven't done it before but I believe it involves putting the car into first with the ignition on and pushing it and hope it fires up. Sure you did it right? If it wouldn't fire while cranking over (due to the wheels spinning, causing the engine to spin) then you might have a problem more than the starter. Could be an ignition problem like Illusion was talking about. And don't get too pissed about sh*tty cars, you're not the only one. My Trans Am seemed great until I drove away from the guy after paying him... then noticed the trans was all but f*cked. At least I've got the extra cash to replace it and the cost is still a decent deal on a 95 T/A. But I also want/need to do an oil change, replace the plugs and wires, etc. And since the trans needs to be replaced so soon those things are going to have to wait a bit. Cars cost money, no matter how much they initially cost. If it's old, repairs. If it's new, high payments and some maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) But as for the push start... I haven't done it before but I believe it involves putting the car into first with the ignition on and pushing it and hope it fires up. Sure you did it right? If it wouldn't fire while cranking over (due to the wheels spinning, causing the engine to spin) then you might have a problem more than the starter. Could be an ignition problem like Illusion was talking about. And don't get too pissed about sh*tty cars, you're not the only one. My Trans Am seemed great until I drove away from the guy after paying him... then noticed the trans was all but f*cked. At least I've got the extra cash to replace it and the cost is still a decent deal on a 95 T/A. But I also want/need to do an oil change, replace the plugs and wires, etc. And since the trans needs to be replaced so soon those things are going to have to wait a bit. Cars cost money, no matter how much they initially cost. If it's old, repairs. If it's new, high payments and some maintenance. I'm about to headbutt my keyboard/monitor after reading these last two paragraphs. Mainly Pico not knowing how to push start a car and not knowing how to change his own oil and plugs/plug wires. Jesus f*ck bro. sh*t aint hard. And cheap it's too. Rolling a car off is as easy as turing the car on, putting it in 2nd (1st is usually too low to be starting the car out in these little low geared 4 cylinders), pushing it to a decent speed, letting off the clutch and hitting the gas. Shiet doodz. Edited September 27, 2009 by Lurch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted September 27, 2009 Author Share Posted September 27, 2009 Wait, you couldn't get insured on a Civic? Man, it's worse over there than I thought. I was just telling my brother who's 16, about to be 17, that if I give him my Trans Am when I leave his insurance will be pretty high. We popped up Geico to get an idea... they wouldn't give a quote! Hahahah... he couldn't get covered. Makes sense though. If it was under my parents insurance and he was insured under their vehicles I'm sure he'd be fine. Haha yeah i didnt realise but i ended up buying the most powerfull Civic from the 1.6 line, i thought i had about the same BHP as my golf turns out it has an extra 65 on top of that. I was trying to insure it under my parents name aswell but they would give us a quote since i was still too young to apparently be quoted. @Lurch, i also cant change my own oil and plugs, i suck hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pico Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I didn't say I don't know how to change my oil and plugs/wires. I said that I can't afford to do it. The parts aren't that expensive, but I've got a lot of bills. The $30 for oil and a filter, and $75 for plugs and wires are more than I can afford the next couple weeks. And hey, I pretty much had it down on how to push start a car. Starting in 2nd makes sense though. I'm not completely retarded man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. O Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Off topic but what would it cost for me to have my car insured over there? can you quote me I'm 27. I pay around $210 a month for it. Total a year is around $2200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield 2 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. Fords are crap. You should get a Passat B5 considering they're like £1000. In Ireland they're like EUR1200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. Fords are crap. You should get a Passat B5 considering they're like £1000. In Ireland they're like EUR1200. and considering insurance would be about £5k its an unrealistic goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketkiller Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. You sure it's the starter? Every time I've experienced a dead starter the solenoid clicked constantly, and you should've been able to push start it. Not making any sound at all makes me thing something went screwy with your immobilizer, assuming your car has one because it's a '98. This happened to my friend's 540i, we tried push starting it and everything and no luck, he tried another key (he had 2 for some reason) and it started right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pico Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'll agree if it's just the the starter it should push start. But I've had starters go out where it wouldn't click at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield 2 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. Fords are crap. You should get a Passat B5 considering they're like £1000. In Ireland they're like EUR1200. and considering insurance would be about £5k its an unrealistic goal. For a 1.6 Petrol / 1.9TDi ? Quotes from AXA Ireland: 1.6 - 3480EUR 1.9TDi - 3500EUR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog_day_sunrise Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 If you want cheap, easy to maintain, reliable car, get a Mk3 Golf TDi. They're crap to drive but bulletproof, and with some crap rear tyres on they're very tail-happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 I will do it for you sometime soon. Turns out im not so much of an idiot, got it to my dads mates garage and it was infact the starter motor, ordered the part today and it should be here tomorow to be fitted. I guess my dad was right when he said buy a ford or vauxhall, simply cause the parts are cheap and maintenance is straight forwards. Fords are crap. You should get a Passat B5 considering they're like £1000. In Ireland they're like EUR1200. and considering insurance would be about £5k its an unrealistic goal. For a 1.6 Petrol / 1.9TDi ? Quotes from AXA Ireland: 1.6 - 3480EUR 1.9TDi - 3500EUR I'm still at college mate so i only get 5k a year so its still out of my budget. My Escort is £1400 to insure per year and with the engine capacity being so low it runs on hardly any petrol even when you floor it. I finish college sometime next year and i already have a job lined up for afterwards with a family member who happens to get a sh*tload of work despite the reccesion and everything else thats going on so hopefully i will be able to get myself something a bit nicer to run in the future. Those new passats are damn sexy though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT&T Hell Labs Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Fords are crap. That's not even half of it. Hell, I'd be surprised if any American ford owners would even recognize them. Passat lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Passat lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT&T Hell Labs Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Nice skoda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield 2 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Skoda's are made for 3rd world. Volkswagens are for europeans and Audi more less are too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Nice skoda. Better then what you drive thats for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog_day_sunrise Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Nice skoda. Better then what you drive thats for sure! Ignore BT&T, he's only here as a wind-up, and not a very good one at that. Escort RS Turbos and Mondeo ST24/200's are pap, anyway. The former is exclusively owned by people with hairy knuckles and backwards caps, and the latter is much of the same. The only good think about the Mondeo ST200/24 is the engine, with two turbos strapped to it, in the boot of a Noble. As for the Skoda reference, for the last 2, perhaps 3 generations of Passat, it's actually been based on a slightly earlier Audi A4 chassis. Also, more on Ford: A mottley collection of some of the worst cars ever made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketkiller Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I'm sorry but you cannot in your right mind say that the probe is a bad car. It's essentially a mazda mx6 with a different body, and the v6 model can still keep up with many new cars stock. IMO that series of engines are some of the greatest production v6's ever made, 165 bhp from a 2.5L v6 with plenty of low-end torque in 1993 was pretty much unheard of, and they can handle of 300 whp boosted with no internal mods. Sorry about the rant, I just wanted to inform you. And I don't like where this thread is going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT&T Hell Labs Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) Escort RS Turbos and Mondeo ST24/200's are pap, anyway. The former is exclusively owned by people with hairy knuckles and backwards caps, and the latter is much of the same. The only good think about the Mondeo ST200/24 is the engine, with two turbos strapped to it, in the boot of a Noble. You don't know a f*cking thing about cars. The 80's escorts are generally in the hands of middle aged classic car mag reading people, and the mondeos pretty much owned by the same kind of people. Hairy Knuckles? oh, you mustn't have seen a man before. Backwards caps? Err, You live in nintendo power magazine circa 1991? The scorpio kicked seven kinds of ass at once, and only had that retarded looking front end to catch you by surprise. sh*t, every over company out there saw it, and now every car there has it! Fiestas have always kicked ass, there isn't a single bad one in existence. You are dumb. Escort Mk5 has the parts availability of a lightbulb holder, you don't like it? change it. Ford Ka, pretty much a good car all round if a bit girly. who gives a sh*t? It does it's job well. Dunno what that is, probably American therefore doesn't deserve to be called a ford. Probe/cougar nothing wrong with them, heard nothing bad at all, and they look pretty good. A mottley collection of some of the worst cars ever made. Your mum. some of the worst cars ever made are from the vw group. As for the Skoda reference, for the last 2, perhaps 3 generations of Passat, it's actually been based on a slightly earlier Audi A4 chassis. Except that the passat is sold as a skoda. Skoda's are made for 3rd world. Volkswagens are for europeans and Audi more less are too. Haha, what? Skoda is aimed at the third world? Are you f*cking dumb or something? Have you even heard of them? Better then what you drive thats for sure! Anyone who'd take a Skoda over the pimpness that is a Zodiac III executive with a front bench and fuzzy dice is Legally incapable of taking care of themselves. I dunno how you slipped through the cracks when you were at school or whatever, but you should cancel your internet subsciption, then sell all your belongings and kill yourself as not to burden those around you any longer. Edited October 29, 2009 by BT&T Hell Labs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TokyoRoad. Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I'm sure all good points about VWs could be put forward just as you have done for Fords here, a pointless argument of different opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT&T Hell Labs Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I'm sure all good points about VWs could be put forward just as you have done for Fords here, a pointless argument of different opinions. Apart from the fact they break down every five minutes and look like ass. Seriously after the beetle got legislated out of existence they should have just closed down. And, more specifically for audi, the Quattro 4wd system is dumb. Those cars are so nose heavy, it's stupid. They should just make it easy on themselves and copy the Jag x type/ mitsubishi layout. It's just easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield 2 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 My uncle drives a 96' Ford Escort Sedan... Totally gay. Chris, I found a car for you: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Volkswagen-Golf-1-6-...=item2a0200b7ca It only needs a drop of paint, that's all. £1295 for a nice golf. That would cost you the same as your black golf i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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