Severely annoying starting problem..need opinions

Y2K 281 · Oct 28, 2008

Ok so about 3 months back my car began to have a hard time starting. The car would crank really strong but it just would not start up. After about 5 minutes it would start out of nowhere. Recently the problem happens more often and takes longer to start up. Once the car starts it runs perfect like there is no problem. Some things I think i can check off. When the car cranks I think i can smell gas, the plugs and boots were replaced not long ago, it happens whether the engine is cold or hot. The car throws no codes whatsoever and scanning it for hidden stuff shows nothing either. The car has 69k miles 2000 GT with just a JLT cai and a high flow x. Any ideas would be appreciated. BTW the fuel filter was replaced around the same time as the spark plug replacement. I know the problem is getting worse, I just don't know where to start with this.

Thanks for the help

R.J. · Oct 28, 2008

You need to check your fuel pressure.

Y2K 281 · Oct 28, 2008

I assume you mean during start up since it gets good fuel when it runs.

Stark77 · Oct 28, 2008

Mine did this for about 2 weeks. The engine would crank and turn over but no ignition. Car would run fine. Then, was driving through the parking lot to go to lunch and the car wouldn't go above 2k RPM. Shut off car and it wouldn't start back up. It was the fuel pump. If you're still running the stock fuel pump and have a good number of miles on the car there's a good chance that's what it is.

Y2K 281 · Oct 28, 2008

Is there any way to test to make sure it the pump? If its something that involves such an extensive amout of time and money to replace I'd like to narrow it down to something like that. Thanks for the help so far everyone.

Stark77 · Oct 28, 2008

when mine was on the way out I got a few error codes thrown for low fuel pressure/bad fuel rail pressure sensor. Got these for about a month before the starting issues occured. Happened maybe twice. I, unforunately, don't know what the best way is to determine if a fuel pump is operating at optimal capacity other than hooking up a pressure gauge to the shraeder valve on your fuel rail. Should be on the passenger side, front of the rail.

Big Show 96 · Oct 28, 2008

You might also want to check your injector o-rings. I had 2 leaking causing the same problem.

fastfive_ogt · Oct 29, 2008

Hey if you had an ids you could look at the fuelpres pid and determine if the fuel pressure was enough on start up. You can rule out a crank sensor by determining if the tach moves up some when you are cranking on it. If it doesn't you should check your connection on the crank sensor if its good you need a new ckp sensor. If the tach moves thats not your problem. To me it sounds like a bad fuel pump or......... A leaking injector. You can tell if you have a leak by puting a gauge on the fuel rail and turn the key to the on position. The fuel pump should prime and then pay close attention to the gauge it shouldn't lose more than 20 percent of the original reading in 5 minutes. This is fords spec. If it goes down fast you probably have a leaking fuel injector or the valve in the pump is bad. Then you are going to have to have ids so you can do an injector flow test. This will narrow down which injector is bad if any. Hope this helps.

wilsonc2222 · Oct 30, 2008

fuel pump

Y2K 281 said:
Ok so about 3 months back my car began to have a hard time starting. The car would crank really strong but it just would not start up. After about 5 minutes it would start out of nowhere. Recently the problem happens more often and takes longer to start up. Once the car starts it runs perfect like there is no problem. Some things I think i can check off. When the car cranks I think i can smell gas, the plugs and boots were replaced not long ago, it happens whether the engine is cold or hot. The car throws no codes whatsoever and scanning it for hidden stuff shows nothing either. The car has 69k miles 2000 GT with just a JLT cai and a high flow x. Any ideas would be appreciated. BTW the fuel filter was replaced around the same time as the spark plug replacement. I know the problem is getting worse, I just don't know where to start with this.

Thanks for the help

Try checking the fuel pressure at the fuel rail in the morning before you try to start it. Mine was doing that and it was the fuel pump. The pressure was bleeding off overnight and it wouldn't start the next day. Also try turning the key on and off 3 or 4 times and then try to start it. If it is losing pressure this will build up the pressure and it should start. If it's the fuel pump the hardest thing for me was getting the gas out of the tank. Sooner or later the pump will go out if thats what it is.Mine went out on the way home from the service station. Yep, i had a full tank. Hope this helps.

COramprat · Oct 31, 2008

Wow, 2000 GT with only 69K miles. Pretty impressive.

You are losing prime in the fuel system. Almost like running out of gas and it take a little bit to get the juice flowing again. If you have to replace the fuel pump isn't too hard but you HAVE to empty the fuel tank to make it easier. Best way to do that is to allow it to run to empty. Simple hand tools and a floor jack are all you need to do it yourself.

blubullett · Oct 31, 2008

If you buy a supercharger it comes with a new fuel pump

Y2K 281 · Jul 1, 2009

So just an update. I ended up taking the car to a shop to have them work on my gauges and i figured have them do a diagnosis while they are there. Thye looked over every possible thing and found nothing wrong with the car. Its been almost a year now since the problem started and it still does it every 10 or 15 startups. Have yet to have power loss of any kind and I can hear the pump prime when i turn to the ON yet still nothing. It will literally crank and crank and then out of nowhere it either starts right up or you can hear it almost catch then it goes on. I'm replacing the motor soon and will be doing a pump swap but is there anything else I can test to see if it may be the driver or possible the ccrm?

squeak93 · Jul 1, 2009

Have you checked your cam or cranks sensors? Both could cause a starting issue... Maybe a loose wire that randomly touches/grounds out.

GT Tommy · Jul 1, 2009

Fuel pump pressure?

The best thing to do is install a fuel pressure gauge on your fuel rail to see what your fuel pressure is. It should be between 35 psi and 40 psi at idle. After you turn off your engine, you are suppose to maintain a certain amount of fuel pressure for 1 minute. I will have to check my notes on what that fuel pressure is. I think COramprat is right, you are losing your fuel pressure somewhere. It could be with your fuel pressure regulator, or your injector 0 rings, etc. I'll get back to you with the spec's on this. Good luck, Tommy.

GT Tommy · Jul 1, 2009

If you want to once and for all find your fuel pressure related problem, you should do the test listed below. No guess work as to what your fuel pressure actually is. Here's what I found concerning the Fuel Pressure Leak Down Values. For EXAMPLE: If you had a fuel pressure gauge installed on your fuel rail, and you start your engine and you note that the fuel pressure reading at idle is a steady 40 psi, which is normal, that is good. However, when you turn off your engine, if you lose 5 psi of that 40 psi in one minute after you turned off your engine, that indicates a fuel pressure leak somewhere. Your fuel system cannot lose more than 5 psi of that 40 psi within one minute after you turn off your engine. If it does, that would indicate a leak somewhere in the system. The leak could be anywhere. Area's that come to mind right away, would be your Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor, your Fuel Pressure Regulator, or your Fuel Injector 0 rings could be leaking. So, for those who experience hard starting when your engine is hot or cold, this could be your problem. If you want to know for sure, you will have to purchase a fuel pressure gauge tester. To avoid running into fuel pressure gauge installation problems, I would recommend getting the correct fuel pressure gauge kit made for Ford vehicles. The one shown below in the diagram is made for Ford vehicles. I would think it would be available from your local Ford Parts Dept, or any Auto Parts Store. Perhaps you already have one that will work for your Ford system. Hope this helps. Good luck, Tommy.

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hotcobra03 · Jul 1, 2009

ok tell us more on what it does on the times it wont start,,,

you have said it cranks and you smell gas?

when in the no start mode do you have spark at the spark plug end,, have you tested with a noid lite to see if injectors are getting a signal

dumb question how many keys do you have to start the car,,,,if more than 1,,

are the tps and iac still stock? does it start with other keys

Severely annoying starting problem..need opinions

Y2K 281

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GT Tommy

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