Ford Tarus Starting Problems

[Exterous]

I was hoping some of you guys might be able to point me in the right direction

I have a 98 Tarus with 247,000 miles on it

When I try to start the car it tries to start, but the engine does not turn over. It does not appear to be a battery issue. I am guessing that either the spark is not there (therefore being a distributor cap issue right? I am thinking this as I have not had problems starting it before and it seemed to be running fine. I am guessing if there were spark plug issues I would have noticed some starting problems prior to this) or a fuel issue.

Does anyone have some insight? Is it easy to check the distributor cap? (Keeping in mind that we just got 7" of snow and I have no garage)

The engine was replaced at 147,000 miles due to a cracked engine block
The fuel filter was replaced 7,000 miles ago
The alternator was replaced 27,000 miles ago
I do not know about the fuel pump
There is at least half a tank of gas in it. I filled up 3 days prior to this issue

Thank you for any replies!

 

[Pacfanweb]

Okay, let's get your terms straight first:
Cranking, or turning over, is what the engine does when you turn the key and the starter is doing its job. That's the sound you hear before the engine actually starts up and runs.
That would be a "No crank" concern, if the car didn't do that, such as is the battery was dead.

No START, is what you have if the engine won't fire up and run.

So is that your condition? Is the engine spinning over when you turn the key, but not starting?

If so, you need to check the basics: Fire (spark) and Fuel. Gotta have both to run. Don't need either to crank.
Fuel filter...unlikely, but remotely possible
Alternator...not a chance, unless you have a no-crank condition.
Fuel pump, yep, it's a possibility.
Distributor cap....you don't have one.
Gas...not your problem, you wouldn't have gone a mile if you got gas with water in it.

So you can pull a plug wire and check spark. Use an old plug, ground it, and crank the engine...you should see it spark. (don't hold it with your hand)
Fuel...not so easy to check on these newer models, but a quickie would be to take some carb clean, squirt it down the throttle body, and see if that makes it at least attempt to start. If so, it doesn't tell you exactly what's wrong, but does tell you you have a fuel problem.

 

[Exterous]

It is a no start situation then as the engine cranks but doesn't start

What is the thing called where all the spark plugs plug into then if its not a distributor cap (pardon my ignorance)

I don't have an extra spark plug laying around. Will it damage the plug to use one of the existing ones?

Thanks again

 

[Pacfanweb]

That's the coil pack. No, it won't damage the plug.

You could also just lift the wire slightly off the coil pack and see if the arcs from the pack to the wire.

 

[Exterous]

Alright, so I did that and there was a spark.

I don't have any carb clean here so I will have to see if I can get a ride to get some. Stupid weekend breakdowns

 

[Pacfanweb]

Do this one thing first: Crack the gas open just a bit and try starting it. Don't pump it...that doesn't do anything on an EFI car. Just hold it open a very little bit and crank it and see what happens.

 

[alpineranger]

you have a 98, so you have odb2. many problems will be detectable by the computer and throw codes. Makes sure you retrieve any that come up. If there are no codes it is likely a fuel issue as the computer doesn't always monitor whether there is fuel going to the injectors. Might be the fuel pump/fuel filter or pressure regulator.