Escort :: 1990 - Random No Start Condition When Cold Outside
Jan 24, 2012
A friend of a friend has a 1990 Escort 1.9L automatic with a TBI setup. It has a random no-start condition that only seems to act up when its cold outside (below 20 F). I've only seen it act up once with minimal testing equipment, so I'm digging for answers.
The injector fires normally and flooring the pedal goes into clear-flood mode as it should. It has spark, but sounds out of time. It will attempt to fire unless the pedal is floored long enough to take fuel away. Starting fluid in addition to the fuel makes minimal difference, but results in intake backfires when you stop cranking. After a random amount of cranking, it will eventually fire and then the issue goes away completely.
Once it fired, I was able to shut it down and restart it indefinitely with no hesitation. While running, it shown no signs of being out of time, vacuum leaks, etc. I have very little experience with the EEC system, but friends suggest a TFI module. A weak or mistimed spark seems to be the cause, but I'd like a second opinion. I shook and moved every wire I could find and checked the TFI pins for corrosion - no change.
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I am having a random hard start condition. it will happen once a week or with no rhyme or reason. It turns over real nice but does not start until the second or third trythe last time on third try i push accel pedal to floor and it started. This hasn't happen in a few day so I cant tell you if the accel pedal will always work.
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My Sierra has the 5.7 Vortec engine with 230,000 miles. Ever since I bought the truck at 208k I've been having a random No-Start condition... It can be cold, warm, or not ran for weeks. I've replaced the Fuel pump (just the pump, not the sender too), MAP sensor, ICM, TPS, and Camshaft position sensor. I'm still thinking its a fuel issue. I get 61 PSI at the test port when ignition is on, 55 when cranking, and 54 while running.
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A friends car broke down. He has a 1990 ford escort. It would turn over, but would not crank. I took a look at it and the timing belt was off. Replaced it today, and the car is still turning over but not cranking. The timing is set right, its getting gas, and its getting fire. What else could be causing it to turn over but not crank?
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My 2002 Ford escort won't start when the engine is cold, and by cold I mean less than about 80 degrees F. I have to crank it multiple times to get it to start, and then it usually runs for a little while and dies. When I first start it, if I press the gas it dies immediately. Once the engine is warmed up, it runs perfectly and you would never know there is a problem. It also starts fine if the engine hasn't been off for very long, and is still warm. I have already replaced spark plugs, spark plug wires, battery, and fuel pump. I have also run fuel system cleaner through it, and changed the oil/filter.
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2006 f-150 with a 4.6L. Its got 175k on the clock and ran like a sewing machine despite little maintenance other than oil changes. Recently it started running like crap; no power and missing so he borrowed a scanner and it was giving multiple codes. Here's what we have done so far, not necessarily in this order :
1.Checked for vac leaks with carb cleaner (this can be tough as engine runs crappy and hard to detect minor changes in rpms while your under the hood) no leaks detected yet
2. Changed the plugs, all looked good except for one which was heavily fouled and the electrode ate away mostly, I wasnt there and he doesnt remember which one but have a suspicion, more on that in a min
3. Changed most of the COPs and checked them all with a spark tester, all are firing.
4.Cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF cleaner
5. Checked back pressure on the exhaust by removing an upstream o2 sensor and holding a plastic fitting hooked to a pressure gage long enough to get a reading, about 1 lb idling to maybe 2 max when engine is reved, gage is not the best and fluctuates a 1/2 lb or so. Exhaust does not smell of rotten eggs.
6. Changed the fuel filter, it was terrible
7. Ran a bottle of Seafoam in the tank
8. Took the throttle body and egr valve off and checked for carbon stoppage, the holes in the egr were not blocked
9. checked the PVC valve and line and both elbows
7. checked the injector connectors with a noid light for signal, they all flash, checked the injectors them selves with a multimeter set for ohms, all about from 13.5-14.5. This should mean they arent fried but could they still be stopped up? They all sound like they are pumping when you listen with a mechanics stethoscope
9. Changed all 4 o2 sensors as this had never been done anyway
10. Compression check on cylinders, all within 10% of each other at about 180 lbs. When we pulled the plugs they all looked good except for # 7 which was heavily fouled ( I suspect the same on the original plugs) and again with a bad electrode, the part coming out of the porcelin. Intrestingly, this was an autolite plug, the rest were motorcraft, I hoped this was somehow just a bad plug but no change with a new MC plug
11. Changed the injector on #7
The scanner reads lean condition on banks 1 and 2 and random misfires on #4 and # 7 still. Per a troubleshooting tip online, we sprayed some carb cleaner in a small vac line coming off the manifold to induce a rich condition and the scanner showed the o2 sensors go to .900 which is what they are supposed to do per the guide. This means they are functioning correctly and a bonafide lean condition exists. I am leaning towards a vacuum leak around the plastic manifold under the aluminum one, maybe the gaskets but would like to rule out the egr valve, could it be the culprit?
I have even considered the possibility that the PCM is bad, though not likely. I have read to detect a vac leak you can hook the scanner up and spray the carb cleaner around on the manifold and lines with the scanner hooked up watching the scanner PID for the o2 sensors and when they detect the cleaner, they will hit that .800-1.0 meaning the engine sucked the cleaner in and you have found your leak. The exhaust smells rich. If it is a vac leak, you would think it should be a massive leak and not hard to detect, as crappy as the truck runs. I have searched the forums for days and exhausted about all I know to do.
Most important note: early on I suspected low fuel pressure as a possibility; with no schrader valve on the fuel rail and no easy spot to T into the system, we were scratching our heads how were gonna measure psi but the scanner reads absolute fuel rail pressure, gives about 40-43 psi. I hope the scanner is telling us what we need to know there, would prefer a mechanical gauge on the rail!
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My 1990 4.0 refuses to start when the air temperature outside is at approx 40 degrees or below. It will crank until the battery runs dead if I let it. At approx 50 degrees farenheit the truck takes forever to start and always backfires out of the tailpipe and intake manifold (blowing off a hose on the vacuum tree) before it starts. If I can get it to backfire, it will start eventually. If it does not backfire, then I can run the battery dead and the truck still refuses to start. This condition has grown from a little problem to a huge problem over the past 6 months. Here is what I have done so far, including regular maintenance items.......
KOEO test checked OK
KOER test returned code 77 multiple times (TPS).
Replaced Throttle pos. sensor
Replace Idle air bypass valve
Subsequent KOER test came back with no more codes except 11 - OK
Load tested battery
Made new heavy gauge battery cables for + and -
New plugs, wires
newer starter
Changed coil pack for known good one off my explorer
Visually inspected hoses for vacuum leaks, replaced 1 cracked hose
1990 Ranger ext cab 4X2 4.0L, K&N air filter in stock airbox, Pacesetter headers, single 2 1/2" exhaust, stock cat no muffler, 260K on truck, 104K on good used engine from my 1994 Explorer. Purchased Ranger brand new in 1990. A4LD w/ shift kit.
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First: 2007 GX470 with 63k miles
On some 'cold' starts (and I use that term very loosely, because it never really drops below 40 degrees here), when the engine has sat overnight, and when I shift into reverse (never Drive, just Reverse) and stand on the brake I get a knock. I don't hear it in Park. Not valve clatter like on my german cars while the oil gets routed to the lifters, but instead a loud, startling deep-down knock that sounds like BAMBAMBAMBAMBAM. Then it goes away. Put it in neutral and the revs rise and it's gone. Put it in Drive and nothing there. Just lasts for maybe 5-10 seconds, but is it loud. BAMBAMBAMBAM! Like someone hitting a 2x4 on the block or tranny housing.
Once I'm past that 5-10 seconds it won't do it again all day. Just after a "cold soak". And perhaps 5-10% of the time.
There is a lot of examples with this motor of what some call "piston slap". Don't know if I have it - and I suppose it might get worse (to the point where I hear it) when the engine is cold and under load (in gear), but I don't get it in Drive. Just Reverse.
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I have been having this odd issue where my car will back fire after a cold start. It only happens when getting out of first gear and going into second while driving (it happens as soon as I press the clutch pedal all the way in, and stops as soon as the clutch pedal is back out). It doesn't happen all the time, just every now and then. My only explanation of this would be that I live a mile above sea level (I looked at the FAQs and know that the car will act like its about to die on a cold start, yet it doesn't). So with my only "explanation" of this phenomenon being that I live a mile above sea level and the engine running rich for a few minutes after start up. My car is stock with the exception of the flapper mod.
Pics for Clicks ......
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I've got a 2009 Tiguan with 65k miles on it. A few weeks ago I noticed some issues with running rough during a cold start. I only noticed because the engine would vibrate considerably more than usually for the first few minutes of operation, and would idle at around 1050-1100rpm instead of the usual 750rpm. After warm up, things were fine. Suddenly the issue got bad real fast - wife was out and the MIL light came on, EPC light came on, and the car was running extremely rough. We managed to drive it home (2 miles) doing under 20 the whole time on side streets. Once I hooked it up to my OBD reader, I was seeing cylinder misfire codes on all four cylinders.. P0300, P0301..P0304, all five codes simultaneously.
Since the car was due for an oil change and hit 65k miles recently, I decided to throw new plugs in there to see if that would work. It did, at first.. A day or two it ran completely fine, no rough starts, no misfires, I thought I had solved the problem. The old plugs had some deposits on them and were original, so I thought I was in the clear. Two days later, same thing happened again.. EPC light, barely running and misfires on all four cylinders..
I read up some online and decided to order new ignition coils. Took a few days, but I got four new coils and threw them in. Again, problem solved it seemed. No more EPC light, misfire codes didn't come back and no more rough starts. I drove a good 40 miles with no problems at various speeds, but started noticing some misfires during acceleration (slightly rough acceleration, almost feels like a back and forth rocking motion, very slight). Sure enough, after a cold start I'm seeing the engine run a bit rough again with misfires. This time, only P0304 (misfire on cylinder 4) is thrown, and it only shows up as a "pending code" (engine light flashes for a few moments during start, but does not stay on).
I checked my connections, swapped the plugs and coils in what I thought were cylinders 3 and 4 (closer to the driver side), nothing. I swapped what I think are cylinder 1 and 2 (passenger side) just to be sure, but still nothing. At this point I'm pretty lost. I know enough to be dangerous with a carbureted engine, but am lacking in knowledge when it comes to a fuel injected turbo charged VW engine. It seems to be cylinder 4 misfiring consistently at this point according to the OBD reader.
Also of note.. I had some misfire problems last year, and had my intake manifold replaced as part of a recall (also had carbon deposits removed at the same time). Can a carbon build up occur this fast? Can it be the injectors?
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Not all the time, but I've noticed it after the truck has been driven - shut off - then started again within a few min period. When truck is cold or has been sitting for an extended it starts no problem. By "delayed" I mean once I try to start the truck it takes a sec or two longer than normal before it cranks. Then when it does start it will idle very low for a sec or two then pick up and act normal.
So far I've done this to remedy it:
- new fuel filter
- new air filter
- cleaned MAF sensor
- cleaned throttle body
- seafoam thru vac hose
Only thing else I suspect is weak fuel pump but looks like it was act up all the time not just when the truck is started back to back. Truck has good power when running, I did a couple short blasts up to 80mph and everything was fine.
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My truck is having a problem lately where it will suddenly die while driving. It feels like it loses either spark or fuel and happens about 20-30 minutes after I drive it. Once it dies you can turn the key off and restart it and it will fire up and run again, for how long I'm not sure because I'm almost home about that time. It has a fairly new fuel pump, 2 years old, a fuel filter the same age, new cap and rotor, new air filter, probably could use some new plugs. I replaced the TPS with an older one that I had laying around and had no change in performance. I get a 34 and 43 code (MAP and knock sensor) when I do a diagnostic on it.My question is do you think a MAP sensor or knock sensor would cause this kind of failure before I go out and buy them? I'm leaning towards the MAP sensor but not sure that it would have this kind of an effect on the engine.
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I have a 2005 VOLVO TRACTOR, Autoshift, Cummins ISX. Recently the Dashboard only works at "cold" condition, after 5~20 minutes of starting the engine, the information Display shows up: check lights control module, check vehicle ECU, check air bag, check climate module, finally show "check datalink". Speedmetre, RPM, oil pressure, water temperature gauges and gear position are all dead, only Fuel, Air, Pressure and Turbo gauges work. We have replaced new dashboard, but nothing changed. And we checked J1939 communication wire OHMS is 60 at either back of dashboard plugs and data link. All modules are working good except information module. When dash was out, we did connect the laptop via datalink. We could communicate with ECU normally. The problem looks like the dashboard is so sensitive and easily quits working. We had checked batteries and main ground cables and all fuses. We did the test, after removing all lights control module fuses, ABS module fuse, climate fuse etc., the dashboard sometimes works
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I have a mk4 gli and the a/c is not blowing cold, or remotely cool. When I turn on the a/c the engine drops rpm's like it is engaging, or whatever, but doesn't get cold. I checked under the hook and it sounds like something is trying to come on every 10 seconds or so...it's like the engine jumps or something. The fan on the passenger side is coming on if that means anything but the driver side doesn't when a/c is turned on.
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We have a problem with my daughter's 2000 Ford Escort air conditioner. It has cold air but the blower doesn't put out any volume. We had a 1998 and it had the same problem but not this bad. Is this a problem for this car and worse for this year? How to increase the air flow?
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I own a 2006 Azera Limited. I've been experiencing intermittent problems starting it. It cranks fine but will not start? The battery is new.
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95 1.9L 5 speed. 142K Runs like a champ but over the last few colder mornings, low 40's high 30's, the starter is slow to get turning. This morning it was really slow, as I held the switch to the crank position for a good 10-15 seconds before it started. To the point that the dash lights dimmed, like a larger load was on the battery. Once it starts its fine. Later in the day it starts just like it should. Just wondering if I may have a starter about to go south on me.
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Wants to crank. I notice when I turn the key switch on (not start) the gas gauge pegs out as if a super full tank and no fuel pump noise. At times, leading up to the crank but no start condition, I would turn the key on, hear the fuel pump and the gas gauge would indicate proper fuel level. When this happened, the vehicle ALWAYS started.
Here what I know now;
1. Fuel pump works. As indicated by the red auxellery jumper lead inside the engine well.
2. Good fuel pressure.
3. Starter checks good.
4. Battery hot and leads are cleaned.
5. Grounds in engine compartment and at fuel tank are cleaned.
6. Vehicle does have gas.
7. Air bag light stays on, even after pulling battery leads, letting set, and reinstalling.
This ABS light would come on and go off independently before the "crank but no start condition". So I'm assuming that the ABS might be its own problem; but not contributing to the crank but no start condition? There were problems leading up to the no start condition. Vehicle began to become hard to start (but would start). After starting (at idle) if the gas pedal was pressed aggressively, the "service engine" light would flash on and off rapidly and the "ABS" light would come on. At this point the vehicle wanted to die. No apparent codes were given.
Now the "crank but no start condition". Before this problem, the vehicle was sending the code for 3 o2 sensors. But a new fuel filter corrected this problem completely with no further apparent problems. Then (about 4 weeks later) the "crank but no start". I do not think the fuel filter and the "crank but no start" problems are related.? No other maintenance has been done to this vehicle that might cause this problem. At this point the manual I am using is useless...
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2008 Chrysler Sebring V6 hardtop convertible ... Intermittent no crank / no start condition – when turning key to start position, either you get nothing as if there is no battery connected and or a slight click as if the solenoid was trying to engage. The pattern can be nothing, nothing, nothing, click, click, nothing, startup or any combination of clicks or nothing, always resulting with a startup. Sometimes it will only be 3-4 attempts, other times 15-20. This occurs anywhere from every 15-20 starts to driving 2,000 miles from NH to FL without one failure.Completely random occurrence – no pattern can be seen – has been ongoing since September 2015 to now March 2016.
I have tried moving the shift lever and the steering wheel while it occurs, no change.Facts – battery was replaced 2-3 years agoAfter the first occurrence I yanked the battery, cleaned the terminals as well as the terminals under the hood. Over the next couple of months brought it to the dealer who could find no codes and of course it did not fail while they had it so they did nothing. In December I appealed to the service manager to replace the starter as I thought is sounded like a bad spot on the armature. He did so and also had the WIN module replaced. No issues until I was in FL weeks later. Here the dealer has replaced the PTC and TIPM modules and installed a redundant ground wire. The problem is still occurring. I’m down to under 400 miles on my 100k bumper to bumper warranty?
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The Truck...
1999 F-150 Supercab
170K miles
4.6 Litre
Automatic Trans
The Problem... About every other day, I try to start the truck, and it doesn't fire at all. It cranks fine, everything seems right, but no start.
What I've done...
Replaced Fuel Pump Relay.. (no luck)
Sprayed Starting Fluid In and Cranked... It Fires On Fluid.
Other info...
This problem never lasts long, and the problem mysteriously fixes itself after no more than an hour.
This problem has occurred both when the truck was warm and completely cold.
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I have a 2000 f150 4wd 4.6. It wouldn't start this morning. A few years ago I had to change the inertia switch so my first move was to bypass that, which didn't work.
After that I gave it a shot of ether to see if it would hiccup and tell me if I had spark or not. It started up, ran rough while the air cleaner was off, then cleared up and ran fine, and is now starting/running fine again.
The problem is that I have to take the truck on a trip Saturday, and I can't figure out what the problem was if the truck is starting. What it could have been? No check engine light or anything either.
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