Got fuel and spark 1996 ford escort

Do you have any codes relating to the Crankshaft position sensor or the camshaft position sensor? If you do in fact have fuel (32-40 psi at the rail) an spark, I would check those two connections first.

There is only a check engine light.lol but has been on for years. Ive checked fuel spark timing n im completely stumped. Sprayed starter fluid and just cranks doesnt start. ...thank you for answering so fast too. Ur my only hope . part stores are clueless too.

No worries, but it is an odd problem. First thing, I would get the PCM read to be sure there are not any other codes present.there could be 4 present for all we know :-)

I thought that could be it from other related problems. But i have bo clue where its located in the car. It saus on one that its under the radio , and on left sude under the hood on wall. Im not sure what im looking for. Autozone says they can test it. Where do i find it on 96escort?

Electronic... Have a alarm on it? Crank sensor sounds likely. What's been changed recently

Timing belt wires fuel pump. I never changed crank sensor. N no no alarm still not starting. Very confusing.

Could plugs be wet or something.? Its a stick so i tried everything i could think of

Dray, Do you or any of your friends have access to a code reader? (ODB2). They range from $15 to 100 depending on the features. since you are just looking for the code, I would invest in the cheaper version. Checking the codes is a great first start since its cheaper than just throwing parts at it, which I have been guilty of as well. The code can potentially tell you if its a PATS issue, crank sensor issue, cam sensor...etc.

Also, hate to ask, but how have you verified that the fuel, timing, and spark are all ok? This info could potentially help steer you in the right direction.

Ur right. I went back to double check with mechanic neighbor. Said fuel fine n spark but when he cheched timing the belt is loose it slid back so i was wrong bout belt. He said everything turns but likely belt sliped. Timing belt is something i dout know much about assumed it wAS OK cuz it was done in september. Is there a way to check if thats problem ? He said tention could be broken. All i have is cheap socket set n my hands.

If the timing belt is loose, then like your neighbor said, it could be a broken tensioner. To get to it, you'll need some extensions for access on some bolts, like the upper motor mount bolt and many others. You don't need to have a fancy toolset to get this done but I'd recommend finding a good video or resource online so that you can see exactly what is involved. You can rent a crank pulley installer and remover at auto zone if needed. Just a word of caution, if the timing belt did skip a tooth or break, try to limit the times you turn over the motor. Since it could be an "interference" type of engine, if it's out of time, the valves could smash into the pistons, which would involve a rebuilt head at a minimum. I do not want to alarm you, but just trying to be informative. Just take it one step at a time and approach each problem individually (if there's even more than one!)