1991 Ford Mustang 4-cylinder

[TravisH31]

Hello Everybody,

Thank you for your help. I have owned this car all of about 5 months, it is my first car, and now it won't start.
I was driving at a steady pace and everything just stopped, the accelerator wouldn't respond, as well as the brake. I shut it off, and it hasn't started since. I have changed the fuel pump, battery, and spark plugs/wires. I am positive the engine is getting fuel. It is trying to turn over but doesn't actually start. And the check engine and battery lights are on.

I have 5 days to figure out the problem. Thank you for any help or advice you could give me.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Check to see the timing belt hasn't failed.

If it's ok, it's spark, fuel, air and compression. So you need to confirm the plugs are sparking and the fuel injectors are delivering fuel to the cylinders

CHeck engine and batt light should be lit until engine actually starts

 

[junkyardwarrior]

Likely timing belt. Thankfully, they're not expensive nor are they hard to replace, but you'll need to get it timed correctly, and there are videos online to show you how. Rangers had the same engine and the same timing belt system, so you may find a Ranger 2.3 timing belt video to be of more help.

The 2.3 and 2.5 4 cylinder engines were pretty close to unbreakable, until folks went to throwing turbo's on them-and even then, as long as the tune was ok and the driver wasn't an idiot, they did well. When the timing belt breaks, it doesn't do any harm. It's a non-interference engine meaning when the engine's turning and the cam isn't, the valves don't get bent....unlike a lot of other vehicles and engines. Toyota comes to mind. Friend of mine just had the belt breaks on his, 3400 V6, $5200 to fix it. A timing belt break on a 2.3 Ford is under $150 if you pay someone, or if you do it yourself and shop around for the belt kit, maybe $40.

Reminds me I need to check the belt on my '93.