# 1997 ford escort lx **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** escort, ford\ **Created:** [November 11, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312 "2009-11-11T00:12:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ksterling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@ksterling](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ksterling)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/1 "2009-11-11T00:12:09Z")
I had got this car from an old lady and it has sat for about a year.now when i went to start it… it started to turn over and stop now when i turn the key i get nothing…I put in a new battery and have been trying to get this car to start…does anyone have a glue… ---
**Author:** ![hd72mm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9fc29f/32.png) [@hd72mm](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hd72mm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/2 "2009-11-11T00:32:04Z")
Clean battery clamps and connections and peel back red cable coating 3 inches and look for green crud and if so replace or if it is long enough cut and put battery clamp back on. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/3 "2009-11-11T00:36:50Z")
You’re going to have to get at the crankshaft damper bolt with a socket and breaker bar and see if the engine will turn over by hand. If you can’t turn the 4 cylinder engine over by hand the engine is siezed. Tester ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/4 "2009-11-11T00:47:27Z")
“Does anyone have a glue…” I haven’t a “glue,” but maybe you’re looking for a “clue.” When you put the new battery in the car, did the starter spin the engine? You didn’t specify what “doesn’t start” means. If the car sat for a year it’s likely the gasoline has gone bad (I’m NOT kidding). I suggest draining as much of the old gas as possible, and replacing it with fresh gasoline. Then cross your fingers and hope it starts. Seriously, gasoline goes bad over time, and once the gasoline goes bad the engine won’t start or run, no matter what you try. The fact that you’ve been repeatedly trying to start this car is not good. You’ve just been drawing more and more of the old, no good, gasoline through the fuel system. Stop it. Get rid of the old gasoline, refill the tank with fresh gas, and hope for the best. If the fuel system is contaminated with old gasoline, which has now become varnish, you have a major problem on your hands. I hope that’s not the case. ---
**Author:** ![ksterling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@ksterling](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ksterling)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/5 "2009-11-11T03:22:48Z")
Thanks for your reply back but as i stated the car will not turn over it did when i frist try to start it and now it will not turn over…someone had told me that maybe i should try to tap on the starter…what do you think… ---
**Author:** ![ksterling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@ksterling](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ksterling)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/6 "2009-11-11T03:23:34Z")
Thanks i will try that… ---
**Author:** ![ksterling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@ksterling](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ksterling)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/7 "2009-11-11T03:24:15Z")
Thanks i will try that… ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/8 "2009-11-11T03:31:49Z")
You can try it - better to crawl down there and pull the wiring from the starter - clean that all up as you will for the battery connections - and hook it all back up. Just out of curiosity, after putting in the new battery, how long did you try to crank it before it wouldn’t crank again? A battery off the shelf will often not be fully charged. You may have simply run down the new battery trying to start it - put a voltmeter on it and see what its got. If you’ve got a charger, charge it. As Mcparadise said, you have to so something about the gasoline. If the tank didn’t have a lot of gas in it, you might just dump fresh on top along with a bottle of injector cleaner or seafoam. I recently got a sitting car (3 years?) going that way without any trouble. Others may disagree. ---
**Author:** ![jafo88fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@jafo88fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jafo88fan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/9 "2009-11-11T03:32:31Z")
When you turn the key does it make any noises and do any of the dash lights come on? That will go a long way in helping know where the problem lies. ---
**Author:** ![ksterling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@ksterling](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ksterling)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-ford-escort-lx/39312/10 "2009-11-12T00:58:47Z")
no it does not make any noises and the dash lights do come on…