I am currently working on this 1998 Ford escort 4 cylinder 1.6 liter. The vehicle has never had any problems ever prior to this, it has always been serviced regularly and has never been mistreated.

The owner was driving regularly down the Road and the vehicle suddenly stalled, the battery is only about a year old as are the spark plugs as well. I tried jumping the vehicle and the battery will hold the change but as soon as the battery is connected to the vehicle it is drained rapidly. I then connected the jumper cables to the battery terminal clamps themselves and then begun turning the engine over. The engine Turns smoothly and easily as it tries to turn over but doesn't have any combustion what so ever. There are a few sputters every once in a while but very rarely.

I then realized that when I connect the battery all the lights are dim and then when I connect the jumper cables all the lights go up and brighten up. At first this made me think that the battery was bad but then I tested the battery or several other vehicles and it preformed effortlessly. So then I ventured into the fuse box and there wasn't a single fuse out of place or popped. Im stumped I cannot find the problem anywhere the only problem I can imagine to be wrong is that there is a ground problem somewhere.

When I try to turn it over I have to have it connected to a second car that's running and when I turn the ignition to on the dash board shows the battery light then the check engine light comes on with the deployed airbag warning at the same time them the oil pressure lights comes on. In that order. The oil like I said in the beginning is changed regularly and is topped off.

Dose anyone know anything about any ground problems that prevent the engine from creating combustion but still allows the starter to run? And on top of that makes the system think that the airbags were deployed?

. Ensure the timing belt did not break.

. Check all under hood and under dash fuses with a test light or multimeter.

. Clean all grounds, including where the negative battery cable attaches to the body, and have the alternator checked. Clean both ends of the cable running from the alternator to the battery. Clean battery terminals and cable connections; check cables for corrosion and hidden breaks.

. Check for codes.

. Check for spark and fuel.

If you turn the ignition switch to ON and the CEL comes on and stays on, the ECM may have failed. If the ECM works normally (CEL comes on and goes out), and you can hear the fuel pump run, the problem may be a bad Ignition Control Module.