Car won't start

My wife has a Ford Taurus wagon that is maybe 10 to 12 years old. She
bought a Toyota Camry last spring and I started driving the Taurus a
few
times each month. It always started easily. Around Christmas I
didn't
drive the car for around a month and on a cold winter day I tried to
start it. The battery was charged and the engine turned over but it
wouldn't start. The gas tank is full. I tried again a few more times
over the next few weeks and finally the battery went dead.

Last week, I filled the battery with water (it was low) and charged
the
battery. The car still won't start. I've tried tapping the pas
pedal,
I've tried NOT tapping the pedal, it just won't start.

It's like it's not getting gas. Maybe the fuel pump froze during the
winter. I'd like to pour a little gas in the carburetor and see if it
would start but this car has fuel injection.

Before I tow it to a garage, anyone have any suggestions? No I can't
trash the car, my wife's 15 year-old son wants to drive it.

--
David Swanger
swangdb (AT) auburn (DOT) edu

swangdb wrote:

Last week, I filled the battery with water (it was low) and charged
the
battery. The car still won't start. I've tried tapping the pas
pedal,
I've tried NOT tapping the pedal, it just won't start.

Don't tap the gas; it's not necessary. When you turn the key ON, but not all
the way to START, do you hear a little whoosh sound for a second or so? The
fuel pump makes a little sound when you first turn on the key that indicates
it's pressurizing the line. It only lasts a second or so.

If you don't, the first place I'd look is to see if the inertia switch got
triggered somehow. It's located on the right hand rear lower corner pillar
reinforcement behind an access door. That's where I'd start.

And by "not starting", I assume the engine is turning over normally with the
starter engaged; it's just not catching.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com