my 1997 ford escort Lx sedan

and the battery went dead

get a new battery...clean the 1/0 connection to the chassis/ground with a coarse wirebrush and the motor block as well~this way the ECU can see good ground that does not vary in available amperages and varying voltages~

I answered this more eloquently a minute ago, but this computer just said "DUMP" and lost everything that I was typing....anyways you gotta put the ground connections in order...what most people do not realize is that every time the car is started the connections are seeing WELD amperages....dis-similar metals will always create a layer of corrosion...over time this corrosion makes for "iffy" connections to your brain....the ECU...well varying voltages and varying amps can cause mistakes such as CEL lights appear when they should not be there etc...

...not to mention tin/antimony alloy batteries do not behave the way that LEAD ones do...they stop accepting a charge ten percent per year...after ten years you cannot charge them...playin' hell with the alternator...best buy a new one after five years~ cannot stress the importance of the GREAT ground connection from the 1/0 (american wire gauge) designation basically three fatty compound wires in a cable so that it can take all the amps...this connection we may call it point 0-0 is where it all begins...be sure that it's right and can take the amperages involved~

that's why it "went weird"~