1997 Ford Escort want start/turn over

peform a compression test. check fuel delivery.
check for air leaks. assuming all is ok, it should go. failing that gonna need more info. does it have alarm/immobilizer fault? does the stop solenoid work? the list goes on... give the above a go first, see how you get on.. hope this helps!!!

if you had loss of coolant then loss of power then most likely to be head gasket problem. does the vehicle turn over but not fire

do a cylider leakage test this fills the cylinders with air so you can check for leakage if gasket has blown acros a water jacket you will see bubbling in the eapansion tank or you will hear a hissing noise comming from around the inlet manifold .