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no start after overheat

dlb

New CEG'er
Joined
Jan 8, 2018
Messages
9
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OREGON
96 contour sport 4cyl 5spd mileage unknown, had been overheating for 2 days, it got hot and died while stopped at offramp. wouldnt restart. pushed to parking lot, let cool for an hour in 35 degree weather,filled up reservoir with water. started right up drove a mile home. next day got in no start. have spark, timing correct, good even compession all cylinders,tried starting fluid no start.pending code for temp sensor,oil level went up, getting something in it, doesnt "appear" to be water, not milky any ideas? searched forums saw nothing quite like this.
 
after overheating the engine several times .... I would get the cylinders' compression tested

I would also check out the fuel system, as running lean will cause overheating and difficulty in starting ....G
 
I will compression test cylinders again. Shouldn't it have started up when i used the starting fluid? that baffles me.
 
... until you prove you have the basics.... trying to second guess the issue can be confusing.

Prove you have compression
establish you have a spark at each plug.and fuel pressure at the rail.

Turn the engine over to see if the plugs get wet ... all of them.

post up the figures so the guys can see them .... G.
 
If you overheated deep enough then engine damage.

If the oil level truly went up then water in oil, the oil only gets milky when they mix, under odd circumstances the water can simply sink to the bottom of pan and not show. Maybe you should drain a bit of the oil to check.

Need at least 120 psi each cylinder to run correctly.

Many have trouble with starting fluid on MPFI cars with 'dry' intakes, the volume is quite a bit more than on old school carbed engines and the amount of starting fluid has to be increased but that leads to another danger, the possibility of a misfire then having enough fuel to shrapnelize (is that a word? never mind I just made it one) the intake into a million pieces to then kill somebody with a backfire that lights off the ether in the intake. Meaning if spraying the normal 2 second max shot for safety the engine will likely not start, not enough fuel.
 
Has water in the oil, taking head off currently, will post with results after that. I really like this car, hope a used or rebuilt head is all it needs. :rolleyes: Thanks for the replies!
 
I finally got the head off, what a hassle that is. I need to take it to a shop and get it tested it appears. No obvious problem I can see. Im not sure i will remember how to reassemble it. Not even sure it will start if I fix the water in oil problem. I'm ever so sorry i didnt fix the coolant guage problem right when i noticed it..... I guess I may never learn to keep up on things.It would probably be cheaper to put a used engine in rather than fix this one i'm guessing.
 
'I'm ever so sorry i didnt fix the coolant guage problem right when i noticed it...'

LEARN. The only dumb-ss is the one that chooses to stay that way when evidence of it is shoved right under his nose.

Thousands of dollars over the course of your life depend on changing there, it applies to a million other things than just cars. Life is always easier to fix early on, it's the waiting for bad things to 'go away' that kills you.

No insult intended or implied at all but it is what it is.............luck..............but luck is cultivated by behavior.
 
8 months later and now I got a used head and its on there and running, but wont idle and real noisy around intake. Its leaking at intake so gonna fix that and see if it idles and that noise goes away. I'm getting close to having my favorite car back. :wink:
 
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