What does it mean when "Check Engine" and "Battery" light come on, your brakes lock and you can't step on gas???

[Thegonagle]

Good. Just get it fixed, and the car should be fine. personally, I'd get the oil changed too, since any overheating can shorten the effective life of the oil. If it's an automatic, get the tranny fluid done too.

 

[Evadman]

Get a flashlight. Real easy to tell. Go out ot your car and open the hood. the entire front of the engine has pullies. (5 to 8 of them ) They are about an inch and a 1/2 wide with groves on them. There should be a belt connecting them all in some way. The belt looks just like one that you would use to hold up your pants.

If there is no belt you found your problem. If you can push on it, and it "gives" then you have a bad tensioner. ( keeps the belt tight. )

Let us know what you find.

 

[Evadman]

I had a minute to think about it, and i figured out your "no gas" and restart problem.

The fuel pump in your car is electrical. If you have no belt, then it is going to get less voltage to the pump. That will lower your fuel pressure enough on a margonal pump to kill the engine. when the engine ties, the pump still runs to build the pressure back up. Then after it is built back up, it will start again, but only till the pressure drops again. Have your fuel system pressure and volume tested.

Garfang: If a vacuum line gets cut by a flying belt ( like the one to the charcol canister on the passenger front fender ) then the booster will only have enough vacuum for 1 or at most 2 pedal presses. then that assist will be gone. I assume that the brakes are just not working and the pedal seems to be locked up with the brakes in a unapplied position by what he is saying. They should still work, but they take a few hundred pounds of pressure instead of 10 to apply, leading to his thought of locked brakes.

If it's an automatic, get the tranny fluid done too.

NO NO NO!! If the car is from 91' and still has the original fluid, chainging the fluid will make sure his trans needs a rebuild real fast. Do NOT change it if you are unsure as to its lifecycle.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Evadman
I had a minute to think about it, and i figured out your "no gas" and restart problem.

The fuel pump in your car is electrical. If you have no belt, then it is going to get less voltage to the pump. That will lower your fuel pressure enough on a margonal pump to kill the engine. when the engine ties, the pump still runs to build the pressure back up. Then after it is built back up, it will start again, but only till the pressure drops again. Have your fuel system pressure and volume tested.

Garfang: If a vacuum line gets cut by a flying belt ( like the one to the charcol canister on the passenger front fender ) then the booster will only have enough vacuum for 1 or at most 2 pedal presses. then that assist will be gone. I assume that the brakes are just not working and the pedal seems to be locked up with the brakes in a unapplied position by what he is saying. They should still work, but they take a few hundred pounds of pressure instead of 10 to apply, leading to his thought of locked brakes.

Your theories make sense. I already figured a hard pedal is what he meant by "locked brakes," not the brakes applying themselves.

If it's an automatic, get the tranny fluid done too.

NO NO NO!! If the car is from 91' and still has the original fluid, chainging the fluid will make sure his trans needs a rebuild real fast. Do NOT change it if you are unsure as to its lifecycle.

Oh yeah, that's a Ford thing! I've heard the same thing.

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

It sounds like your car stalled. Those are the lights that probably normally come one when you turn the car on, right? Put some gas in (you said it was low) then see if it happens again, and check if the belt is still there

 

[timmyG]

FUBAR

 

Your alternator or alternator belt is toast.
When you have a drop off of voltage to the ECM,the engine will not run/run very poorly.
The check engine light/battery light will illuminate when your electrical system sees low voltage.
The brakes will not function correctly under these conditions because of brake booster vacuum loss,the power steering will not function correctly if the engine is not running.
No response to the accelerator pedal is another sign of ECM malfunction.(From power loss)

 

[LukFilm]

Or maybe you are all wrong and it's because... I was low on gas

 

[NogginBoink]

Originally posted by: LukFilm
This is the first time something is going wrong with my 1991 Ford Escort LX and I don't know what it is. I let the car cool off for five minutes, then it started up and then it died after 30s, then I let it cool off and it started again and I finally got home. What's up with it?

Sounds to me like your engine just stalled. The check engine light comes on, the brakes don't "lock" but since the engine isn't generating a vacuum the power assisted brakes don't work and you need lots of force to apply the brakes, (same with power steering) and while you CAN "step on" the gas, nothing happens because the engine isn't running.

Sounds to me like your engine just stalled. Of course, you need to get a mechanic to find out why. (Or put gas in the tank.)

I can't believe that no one else (well, one other person) diagnosed a stalled engine! I hope none of you ever become my mechanic! Shame on all of you!