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I stumbled across Eric’s awesome videos which led me here. I’m a complete noob when it comes to this stuff so bare with me.
My 2002 Ford Escape V6 has been running smoothly and suddenly decided not to start this morning. I tried to jump start the truck, but it still would not crank. This led me to think Escape’s battery was likely not the problem. I tried all three keys and still no joy. I even tried wiggling and pushing the key to see if there was a loose connection in the ignition switch.
When I turn the key to the start/ON position, I get the normal dashboard lights, etc. The THEFT light goes out after 3 seconds, as expected, to show the vehicle’s anti-theft system has be disarmed.
Headlights are bright and don’t dim when turning the key to the ON position. There’s no real audible click except for the faint one the starter relay makes. While the key sits in the RUN position, there’s a faint buzz which appears to be coming from the radiator fan area.
The battery reads 12.47V; I checked the terminals for corrosion, loose cables, etc. and it’s all good. I swapped a relay with the starter relay to make sure the starter relay isn’t the issue.
I can’t shift out of Park either. It won’t budge. Holding the brake pedal down, turning the key to the ON position, will not allow me to bring it out of Park. When I let the e-brake down, the truck advanced at least a foot, and would have kept going; considering it is in Park, the truck should have stopped.
Perhaps this points to a busted shift cable? But, before I look any further, I’d like to ask if someone here has experienced something like this and how it was resolved.
I have a multi-meter which allows me to check things, but I’m not sure where to go from here. If anyone can offer some insight, I would appreciate it. I’m willing to learn!
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Check the to see if there is a sensor that checks if your brake pedal is depressed.
Check it if you find oneI would check the battory and see if when you try starting the car.. if the battory voltage drops very low when you are trying to turn the engine on(starting it)
if you read the battory voltage like 4v when your trying to start the car… the battory is dead and will need to chage it… battory might be bad but you wil have to charge it and see if it takes a charge first and then take it to an auto parts place to have it tested and/or charged… eather way you might still want to have it tested because the next steps you will have to diag it… so if the battory is bad you have to fix that first…
next you would want to check the voltage to the starter… many that uselly it is starter sezed or bad
but what it sounds like to me your saying the engine is not turning at all when you turn the key… and your hearing a buzzing noise chich uselly is the starter not moving… there is a worm gear that has to move to ingage the flywheel and they get stuck… sometime you can take a melt or small hammer and loosen them up by tapping the starter…
how many miles are on it?… has the starter ever been replaced?[quote=”bernz” post=171553]I stumbled across Eric’s awesome videos which led me here. I’m a complete noob when it comes to this stuff so bare with me.
My 2002 Ford Escape V6 has been running smoothly and suddenly decided not to start this morning. I tried to jump start the truck, but it still would not crank. This led me to think Escape’s battery was likely not the problem. I tried all three keys and still no joy. I even tried wiggling and pushing the key to see if there was a loose connection in the ignition switch.
When I turn the key to the start/ON position, I get the normal dashboard lights, etc. The THEFT light goes out after 3 seconds, as expected, to show the vehicle’s anti-theft system has be disarmed.
Headlights are bright and don’t dim when turning the key to the ON position. There’s no real audible click except for the faint one the starter relay makes. While the key sits in the RUN position, there’s a faint buzz which appears to be coming from the radiator fan area.
The battery reads 12.47V; I checked the terminals for corrosion, loose cables, etc. and it’s all good. I swapped a relay with the starter relay to make sure the starter relay isn’t the issue.
I can’t shift out of Park either. It won’t budge. Holding the brake pedal down, turning the key to the ON position, will not allow me to bring it out of Park. When I let the e-brake down, the truck advanced at least a foot, and would have kept going; considering it is in Park, the truck should have stopped.
Perhaps this points to a busted shift cable? But, before I look any further, I’d like to ask if someone here has experienced something like this and how it was resolved.
I have a multi-meter which allows me to check things, but I’m not sure where to go from here. If anyone can offer some insight, I would appreciate it. I’m willing to learn![/quote]
Check your fuses underhood and in the cabin. You may find that one blew. There is a relay that activates when you depress the brake to release the shifter. This is called the brake-shift interlock. A blown brake light bulb can also sometimes cause this condition. If you cannot move the gearshift lever out of P (Park) with ignition in the ON position and the brake pedal depressed:
1. Apply the parking brake, turn ignition key to LOCK, then remove the key.
2. Locate the access cover plate to the brake-shift interlock override. It is located on the top of the steering column.
3. Insert a tool (or a screwdriver) into the right-hand side of the brake-shift interlock access cover and remove the cover.
4.Insert a tool (or screw driver) into the access hole to override the brake-shift interlock. Apply the brake and shift into Neutral while holding down the override tab.Also, your battery voltage is dipping into the low side. It should be above 12.5v. You might consider putting a charger on it. 🙂
Thanks for your suggestion, CrazedAssassin. I’m not aware if there’s a sensor that checks if my brake pedals is depressed. I checked online and couldn’t find a specific sensor for this. My brake lights do come on when pressing the brake though. Would the brake lights work if the sensor/switch didn’t?
[quote=”Rob781″ post=171556]I would check the battory and see if when you try starting the car.. if the battory voltage drops very low when you are trying to turn the engine on(starting it)
if you read the battory voltage like 4v when your trying to start the car… the battory is dead and will need to chage it… battory might be bad but you wil have to charge it and see if it takes a charge first and then take it to an auto parts place to have it tested and/or charged… eather way you might still want to have it tested because the next steps you will have to diag it… so if the battory is bad you have to fix that first…
next you would want to check the voltage to the starter… many that uselly it is starter sezed or bad
but what it sounds like to me your saying the engine is not turning at all when you turn the key… and your hearing a buzzing noise chich uselly is the starter not moving… there is a worm gear that has to move to ingage the flywheel and they get stuck… sometime you can take a melt or small hammer and loosen them up by tapping the starter…
how many miles are on it?… has the starter ever been replaced?[/quote]Thanks Rob781. I’ve seen the videos you included. If the battery was the issue, wouldn’t the truck have started when I tried to jump it? The battery’s voltage is starting to go down, probably with all my attempts to start it while checking various things. The voltage stayed above 12V when I last attempted to start it just moments ago.
As far as the starter, I don’t know if it has been replaced since I’m not the original owner. The truck has 165,000 miles on it. I wanted to try tapping the starter, but I looked under the hood and couldn’t figure out where the starter is located. I couldn’t find anything online to show me either. I only have a general sense of what it looks like from the video. If you’re able to guide me, I’d appreciate it. I could send some top-down photos from under the hood if that helps? I looked underneath the truck’s body, but unless I start taking things apart, I’m not going to get a decent view of anything. Also, the truck is sitting on a bit of a slope, so I’m not overly comfortable with jacking it up just yet until I’ve exhausted other possibilities.
I also checked the “how to fix a key stuck in the ignition” video, but the gearshift is on the steering column. I’m not sure how this would apply to my situation. Let me know if I’m missing something.
[quote=”cap269″ post=171561][quote=”bernz” post=171553]I stumbled across Eric’s awesome videos which led me here. I’m a complete noob when it comes to this stuff so bare with me.
My 2002 Ford Escape V6 has been running smoothly and suddenly decided not to start this morning. I tried to jump start the truck, but it still would not crank. This led me to think Escape’s battery was likely not the problem. I tried all three keys and still no joy. I even tried wiggling and pushing the key to see if there was a loose connection in the ignition switch.
When I turn the key to the start/ON position, I get the normal dashboard lights, etc. The THEFT light goes out after 3 seconds, as expected, to show the vehicle’s anti-theft system has be disarmed.
Headlights are bright and don’t dim when turning the key to the ON position. There’s no real audible click except for the faint one the starter relay makes. While the key sits in the RUN position, there’s a faint buzz which appears to be coming from the radiator fan area.
The battery reads 12.47V; I checked the terminals for corrosion, loose cables, etc. and it’s all good. I swapped a relay with the starter relay to make sure the starter relay isn’t the issue.
I can’t shift out of Park either. It won’t budge. Holding the brake pedal down, turning the key to the ON position, will not allow me to bring it out of Park. When I let the e-brake down, the truck advanced at least a foot, and would have kept going; considering it is in Park, the truck should have stopped.
Perhaps this points to a busted shift cable? But, before I look any further, I’d like to ask if someone here has experienced something like this and how it was resolved.
I have a multi-meter which allows me to check things, but I’m not sure where to go from here. If anyone can offer some insight, I would appreciate it. I’m willing to learn![/quote]
Check your fuses underhood and in the cabin. You may find that one blew. There is a relay that activates when you depress the brake to release the shifter. This is called the brake-shift interlock. A blown brake light bulb can also sometimes cause this condition. If you cannot move the gearshift lever out of P (Park) with ignition in the ON position and the brake pedal depressed:
1. Apply the parking brake, turn ignition key to LOCK, then remove the key.
2. Locate the access cover plate to the brake-shift interlock override. It is located on the top of the steering column.
3. Insert a tool (or a screwdriver) into the right-hand side of the brake-shift interlock access cover and remove the cover.
4.Insert a tool (or screw driver) into the access hole to override the brake-shift interlock. Apply the brake and shift into Neutral while holding down the override tab.Also, your battery voltage is dipping into the low side. It should be above 12.5v. You might consider putting a charger on it. :)[/quote]
cap269, thanks for your tips. I’ll check continuity of my fuses with my multi-meter. I saw a video on this which shows zero Ohms for a good fuse. I’ll report back. I’ll have a look at the brake-shift interlock as well and let you know. The manual shows the override procedure as well and warns to check that the brakelamps are working before driving the vehicle. I checked, and the brakelamps are indeed working.
And yes, I agree. The voltage is dipping lower with everything I’ve been trying. I have a friend with a charger, but he’s away for a couple days. Would you recommend I charge it the jumper method with another running vehicle for now?
[quote=”cap269″ post=171561][quote=”bernz” post=171553]I stumbled across Eric’s awesome videos which led me here. I’m a complete noob when it comes to this stuff so bare with me.
My 2002 Ford Escape V6 has been running smoothly and suddenly decided not to start this morning. I tried to jump start the truck, but it still would not crank. This led me to think Escape’s battery was likely not the problem. I tried all three keys and still no joy. I even tried wiggling and pushing the key to see if there was a loose connection in the ignition switch.
When I turn the key to the start/ON position, I get the normal dashboard lights, etc. The THEFT light goes out after 3 seconds, as expected, to show the vehicle’s anti-theft system has be disarmed.
Headlights are bright and don’t dim when turning the key to the ON position. There’s no real audible click except for the faint one the starter relay makes. While the key sits in the RUN position, there’s a faint buzz which appears to be coming from the radiator fan area.
The battery reads 12.47V; I checked the terminals for corrosion, loose cables, etc. and it’s all good. I swapped a relay with the starter relay to make sure the starter relay isn’t the issue.
I can’t shift out of Park either. It won’t budge. Holding the brake pedal down, turning the key to the ON position, will not allow me to bring it out of Park. When I let the e-brake down, the truck advanced at least a foot, and would have kept going; considering it is in Park, the truck should have stopped.
Perhaps this points to a busted shift cable? But, before I look any further, I’d like to ask if someone here has experienced something like this and how it was resolved.
I have a multi-meter which allows me to check things, but I’m not sure where to go from here. If anyone can offer some insight, I would appreciate it. I’m willing to learn![/quote]
Check your fuses underhood and in the cabin. You may find that one blew. There is a relay that activates when you depress the brake to release the shifter. This is called the brake-shift interlock. A blown brake light bulb can also sometimes cause this condition. If you cannot move the gearshift lever out of P (Park) with ignition in the ON position and the brake pedal depressed:
1. Apply the parking brake, turn ignition key to LOCK, then remove the key.
2. Locate the access cover plate to the brake-shift interlock override. It is located on the top of the steering column.
3. Insert a tool (or a screwdriver) into the right-hand side of the brake-shift interlock access cover and remove the cover.
4.Insert a tool (or screw driver) into the access hole to override the brake-shift interlock. Apply the brake and shift into Neutral while holding down the override tab.Also, your battery voltage is dipping into the low side. It should be above 12.5v. You might consider putting a charger on it. :)[/quote]
Hi again cap269. All fuses are good except for a 20A fuse, slot #14: the cigar lighter. But that shouldn’t affect anything I’m doing right?
Also, I was able to override the brake-shift interlock, but it felt very easy to move the gearshift up and down…like it isn’t attached to anything. Here’s a quick YouTube Video I just posted to show what the override does. Is this normal?
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-PSsRgErc&feature=youtu.be[/video]
The other thing I noticed is that square outline that normally appears around one of the letters/numbers (PRND21) no longer shows up. Does that indicate an issue?
My first hunch was correctamundo! It was the shifter cable. The cable must have become disconnected just as the shifter was moving towards Park. There were a few things, in my case, that pointed to this. First, I didn’t get the square outline around the P, which would normally tell me that the vehicle is in Park. The vehicle didn’t start/crank, which is also the case when the vehicle isn’t truly “Parked”. My Escape (which was on a slight slope) would move ahead more than a foot when I released the e-brake; this wouldn’t normally happen in Park. Then, using the brake-shift lock override (thanks again cap269), the shifter seemed to move too freely. That’s when I thought it was either broken or disconnected somewhere along the cable. There are two places to check first, under the steering column and under the hood. You’ll need to remove the steering column covers to check under the steering column; if everything checks out below the steering column, you’ll want to follow the cable from the under the steering column to the firewall which will give you a good idea where it comes out from below the hood. From there, you can follow the cable (and cable housing) to the next connection. That’s where mine was; the cable became disconnected under the hood. It looks like I’ll need to order the entire cable assembly. Hope this helps someone.
Replacing the cable was a simple fix once you give yourself a bit more wiggle room by removing a portion of the air filter housing + tube. I really only needed a bushing kit, but considering the age and mileage, I decided to replace the entire cable.
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