2000 escort van turns over wont start.have fitted new heat plugs van wont start with leads but starts straight away off a tow

The dearly beloved ford van ,love them or hate them ,i love a ford ,right now will not start off the battery ?? Now a few causes here come to mind ,have you hit it with a hammer yet and swore at it ,because if not then thats the problem.Next step is put a test light on the glow plugs feed to make sure the relay is working,this is what i suspect Check this out and if it doesnt work get back with another posting as er indoors that has to be obeyed wants to go out

Sounds text book of a common fault.

The Escort 18D uses a Lucas CAV primer system, they are prone to fail. This lets the fuel drain back to the tank making it almost impossible to start. When tow starting the main pump can generate a suction which pulls the fuel through but normal cranking just isn't quite good enough.

Change the primer head and a new fuel filter, should be about £20 / $38

If UK, the part number is D12-6234 from most motor stores

Regards

Lloyd