escorter

i recently bought myself a fiesta and the guy i got it off had done a 1600 xr2i conversion. This just included the engine, gear box and front suspension. all went well untill a couple of days ago when she just wouldnt start! i thought it was the ignition because in order to start it i have to put the key in and turn on the ignition and then on the dash theres some sort of home made switch that i switch and as soon as the car is starts i have to turn the switch back! i then thought it might be the fuel pump but everything is functional in that field. i now have a nitch that it might be the ECU because earlier it wouldnt start and i tried everything posible and then finally i just tapped the ECU a couple of time with the back of my hand and like magic it started first time! the ECU is located in the car,right next to the excelerator pedal...i have never kicked or tampered with it in any way so i cant see what is wrong. its and old car 'h' reg but is really tidy but i dont have a clue about the engine or the computer. Maybe it needs replacing, but the actuall xr2 ones are hard to come by so i was wondering if theres an alternative ecu that i could fit? maybe and escort 1600 zetec ecu or something else? please could anyone advise me as to how i could go about fixing this problem. In the long run i was hoping to do a proper engine conversion, have it profesionally done...maybe a 2.0 mondeo engine or even a 1600 escort engine. is there anyone that knows someone who has and could do it for me? i can supply the engine, just how much to fit? please help, any comments are welcome.

thanks.

escorter

anyone out there that can help?

Dave Henshall

start with the masics....

does it crank when its not starting?

do you get a spark when its cranking?

can you hear the fuel pump running when you go to II on the ignition just befor eyou crank it? could be the fuel pump relay - a big pink one under the dash on the drivers side.