If a 1997 Ford Escort P reg and was driving when the engine just stoped running and had all battery power just will not start could it be a fuel pump problem?

Answer 1

You say it had full battery power. If it stopped dead, instantly, I would suspect electrics, if it chugged and missed as though running out of petrol then fue.l Do you mean it had full spark to all plugs? Remember a car needs fuel, spark and compression to run. If you disconnect your fuel feed at the engine and turn the ignition on if it is an electric pump it will pump petrol out, if it is a manual pump you will have to turn the engine over a couple of times. If a carburretor, take the air filter off and make sure that you are getting fuel, the float may have stuck. You can buy for less than a fiver a small device that measures the spark, plug it into a plug lead and touch the other end on the plug top, when cranking the engine you can see the spark. The device pivots open and closed you keep opening it so the spark has a longer distance to jump it has a scale on it saying how good or bad the spark is. The same is used on the lead from coil to distributor. This will tell you whether your electrics are ok. If not getting a spark need to make sure you are getting 12v to the coil from your ignition, again a voltmeter is less than a fiver. Would be unusual for compression to be down. a compression tester can be bought quite cheaply from motor accessory shops and pushes into spark plug holes.