94 ford escort fuel cutoff indicator light came on???

[gdet3]

My girlfriend had diven her car (manual trans) near completely empty before refueling, when "fuel cutoff" indicator light came on. She fully refueled the vehicle and when she tried to restart it the vehicle would not turn over nor did the fuel pump sound as if pumping. Checked fuses under hood and under dash everything seems to be in order. Checked fuel cutoff switch at rear rt of vehicle and red button is pushed in. Tried to pop the clutch and the car studdered twice but would not turn over. Seems that fuel is not being sent through lines. I am completely stumped please HELP!!!! Is it possible that the ignition switch have anything to do with it? I am open to any suggestion.
the vehicle is a 94 Ford Escort manual trans 4cy 156,000mi eng rebuilt at 110,000mi alt and starter replaced at same time

[A. Souphound]

You need to supply information on the car such as:
year, model engine size, mileage etc.

[B REAL]

the fuel cutoof swtich is in the trunk behind that plastic crap on the right.. make sure its not pushed down, if it is, stick a pen or needle in the hole and it will pop up. problem solved.

[A. Souphound]

Originally Posted by gdet3

My girlfriend had diven her car (manual trans) near completely empty before refueling, when "fuel cutoff" indicator light came on. She fully refueled the vehicle and when she tried to restart it the vehicle would not turn over nor did the fuel pump sound as if pumping. Checked fuses under hood and under dash everything seems to be in order. Checked fuel cutoff switch at rear rt of vehicle and red button is pushed in. Tried to pop the clutch and the car studdered twice but would not turn over. Seems that fuel is not being sent through lines. I am completely stumped please HELP!!!! Is it possible that the ignition switch have anything to do with it? I am open to any suggestion.
the vehicle is a 94 Ford Escort manual trans 4cy 156,000mi eng rebuilt at 110,000mi alt and starter replaced at same time

Sorry about my previous request for information I didn't see your last sentence.
When you say 'turn-over' do you mean the starter did not work? Does anything work lights, etc.
Have you checked the clutch switch?

Alvin

[gdet3]

[quote=A. Souphound]Sorry about my previous request for information I didn't see your last sentence.
When you say 'turn-over' do you mean the starter did not work? Does anything work lights, etc.
Have you checked the clutch switch?


The electrical system is hot: lights work, radio works, signals, etc. When I attempt to turn the vehicle on I am not hearing the usual sounds of the fuel system pumping gas in the rear of the car at the gas tank or at the front in the fuel pump. You know the sort of light motor winding sound letting one know the fuel is moving through the system.

No, I have not checked the clutch switch. How do I do that exactly?

What I did do is removed the fuel cutoff (red/orange)switch at the rt rear of the hatchback. Since I was unable to pop it back up into place (deactivate it). Then put it back after deactivating it and reattempted to start the car after turning the key forward a few times just before complete turn over to listen and see if the fuel system would send gas through the lines. Nothing happened the test lights came on and radio etc. worked still. Though I did not hear any fuel being pumped. The starter didnt make a sound. Not a crank, just battery power.

[A. Souphound]

[quote=gdet3]

Originally Posted by A. Souphound

Sorry about my previous request for information I didn't see your last sentence.
When you say 'turn-over' do you mean the starter did not work? Does anything work lights, etc.
Have you checked the clutch switch?


The electrical system is hot: lights work, radio works, signals, etc. When I attempt to turn the vehicle on I am not hearing the usual sounds of the fuel system pumping gas in the rear of the car at the gas tank or at the front in the fuel pump. You know the sort of light motor winding sound letting one know the fuel is moving through the system.

What I did do is removed the fuel cutoff (red/orange)switch at the rt rear of the hatchback. Since I was unable to pop it back up into place (deactivate it). Then put it back after deactivating it and reattempted to start the car after turning the key forward a few times just before complete turn over to listen and see if the fuel system would send gas through the lines. Nothing happened the test lights came on and radio etc. worked still. Though I did not hear any fuel being pumped. The starter didnt make a sound. Not a crank, just battery power.

Components you describe as working are considered accessories. Those not working are 'engine related', and we must isolate the circuit to identify the problem.

FIRST OF ALL: The fuel pump switch or "inertia switch" shuts off the fuel pump in the event of an accident.....the switch pops "UP" do deactivate.
I saw the earlier response to you, and I disagree with the instructions. To double check myself I checked the manual and it says: "On fuel-injected models, the fuel pump switch assembly is located in the luggage compartment - the reset button must be pushed in to reactivate the switch/pump."
1. Re-install the fuel switch and connector.
2. Turn the ignition key ON.
3. Push the fuel switch reset button DOWN.....if you are getting power to the pump you should be able to hear it run. LET ME KNOW WHAT HAPPENS and we will move on to the next step.
If you do not hear the pump run, and since the starter does not work, the problem is probably in the ignition switch circuit.
Next step: When you try to start the car, do you hear a 'click' from the starter solonoid on the driver's side inner fender?

Alvin

[Jim@HiTek]

We just had this problem and fixed it by disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes to reset the EEC. Our problem was the 'inertia switch' was popped but we don't know why. That had caused the EEC to shut things down. And then the EEC remembered so we had to reset it because it wouldn't come to life with just the 'inertia switch' reset. Once we did that the 'Fuel Cutoff' lite went off and it started ok.

Perhaps running out of fuel triggers some kind of EEC shutdown as well?

One thing to consider, you could have a bad fuel pump now from sucking up bad stuff from the bottom of the tank. But you can get an external pump from NAPA auto parts for $50. Lots cheaper and easier then replacing the one in the tank. Some newer pumps don't allow sucking fuel through them but most older (and new) pumps do. You have to ask.

Good luck!

[j64ellis]

Sounds like what happened when our '93 Escort stopped. It turned out to be the timing belt broke. Don't try to start as it may damage the motor. I think ours cost about $300 to fix. Good Luck.

[Jay Heffelbower]

I have the same problem with a 91 GT. Just replaced the head gasket. Engine cranks, but no spark or fuel pump sound. I tried to reset the ECU by removing battery cable but this did not help. I have to assume something is telling it the fuel cut off switch has been activated. Checked the button but this is in the down position. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jay

[BKFT_HOTRODER]

Does the engine crank?

[FAAJFK]

I am having the same problem. Fuel cutoff light is lit, when key is turned, a "click" is heard under the hood. Pop started the car in first gear, ran like a champ. Checked inertia switch, it's depressed (as am I at this point). I even went so far as to unplug the switch and jumper the black to blue wire in the event that there was something wrong with the switch.

The fuel cutoff light only lights up when the clutch is pressed in. Any help would be appreciated.

[tturnpaw]

I have a 94' Escort 1.9L SEFI with the fuel cut out light on when the ignition is turned to start. This all started when i took the head off to replace the headgasket and first start after i got it back together it started fine and ran for a minute or 2 and then after i just turned it off it would not start again(ran out of gas). I have now added more gas to the tank, replaced the fuel filter, and replaced the fuel pump. Still not starting, i hear the pump prime when i turn the key to "on" and it sputters occasionally but does not start. I tried the bleed off valve and it has pressure more than enough i believe (i do not have an actual gauge).

[johndoe24]

I own a 1991 Ford Escort LX 1.9L, and a couple of days ago, the engine just quit. When I tried to re-start, the "check engine" light came on first and the "fuel cut out" light came on next. I went through the checks mentioned in this thread, including: disconnect battery, operate inertia cut out switch a few times, reconnect battery and try to start - no luck, same problem. I decided to replace the fuel pump assembly and fuel filter, still no luck. I decided to check the timing belt based on the post in this thread by j64ellis and guess what - it WAS the timing belt all along! I haven't replaced it yet - just wanted to put this post out for others to read.

[mightymoose_22]

Any time the engine "just quits", the timing belt should be the first thing you check. Hope you didn't spend too much before you found the answer.

[johndoe24]

Thanks for the info Moose. I only wasted about $100+ on a fuel pump before I discovered the "real" problem. Since the car is not worth much anyway, my son and I are going to replace the timing belt ourselves. I've done that job before on previous cars I've owned, so I think I can accomplish the task. Does anyone know how to check the engine for damage BEFORE I spend time replacing the belt? I will be starting the job in couple of hours and would appreciate any help I can get.