I have a 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 and in the past day the car wouldn’t start on the 1st attempt. I turn the key to start the car and there is a single click without a start and the car loses all electrical power. There are only 2 idiot lights on, the check gas cap and check engine light, with the check engine light lasting longer and going dimmer. When I try to start again, there is no sound, only the check engine light comes back on. The headlights, and dome light won’t come on. After a couple more attempts to start the car, the car will finally start, with no hesitation or codes. All accessories have electrical power. The clock has reset and the radio presets are gone indicating that the car had lost power. When the car is running, everything runs normal, blinkers, headlights and everything is running normal. I do not believe that it is the battery, alternator, or starter. Any help would be appreciated.


Has anyone had a similar problem?

Looked at some wiring schematics it appears that power goes to the starter and the junction fuse box (under the hood). The junction fuse box supplies power to everything else. Could I have a bad ground? Is there a common ground for the junction box that is intermittent?

Thanks

 

A good place to start checking would be right at the battery cable connections at the battery. Something to keep in mind,,,,, checking the connections requires that the cable be removed from each post of the battery , cleaned and then reinstalled. Just looking at them does absolutely nothing. Also when you remove any battery cable the computer loses its Keep Alive Memory. Some weird things take place sometimes until the vehicle is driven some and the computer will adapt to your driving habits, no big deal.
Yes, you could have a poor ground or hot supply connection and they should be checked also. Keep in mind that connections may look OK , but still could require cleaning and checking.
Once the vehicle is started and running, the alternator supplies all the electrical needs for the vehicle and that's why it runs OK after it starts.
This should be a pretty easy few things to check. Let us know if these suggestions helped the starting problem, they usually do.