love my 96' 4x4 but it developed a problem where it will crank but not fire up for 3 or 4 tries most early mornings. If i wait till 10 am or later it starts. it will occassionally do this during the day, but rarely and mostly after it has been sitting. Fuel pumps, dist. cap and rotor were replaced with no luck and ford has not been able to duplicate it enough at their sdhop to diagnose it after having it for weeks. I pulled a plug once when it wasn't starting and saw no spark when i had someone turn it over. Any suggestions besides leaving the key in it on the shady side of town?

 

Take it to a parts store that pulls codes free and see what the computer thinks.

 

ford ran its computer check and came up with nothing. that has always been when it would start though. if i drove it to a parts store, i'm afraid it would just show normal. I think i'll buy one at walmart and the first time it won't start, i'll stop cranking and run the test.

 

Wal-Mart doesn't sell an OBD-II scantool, and the cheap ones are over $130 anyway. If you want to buy tools, get a multimeter and a fuel pressure gauge, and start testing each sensor according to the Haynes manual.

 

Are the mornings damp??? Do you park in an area by water where the air is humid?? I had the same problem, and have seen others with the same problem, and the fix was new plug wires. Seen this repeatedly, and I have had the same problem.

Hope this helps.

Tim in Detroit
95 F150 SCSB 2WD 5.8 E4OD

 

i live next to a mangrove swamp and its very damp. The shop i took it to had trouble getting it to duplicate the problem, but it is in town away from the water. i'll try testing them the next time it happens.

 

I have replaced the plug wires and it still won't start in the morning. I put a volt meter on the wire from the coil to the dist, cap when it wasn't starting and it was sending spark to the distributor. Then I checked the plug wires and and the meter showed no current, so the problem must be in the distributor. The cap and rotor were replaced. Does anyonyone have any ideas about what could be the problem?

 

Are the cap and rotor brand new? When it acts up, try checking the inside of the cap for moisture. Even a new cap could have a little crack, which can cause the symptoms you describe. There aren't many issues within the distributor that fix themselves with the passage of a few hours. I would procure a spare cap to swap out when the symptom occurs.

 

the cap and rotor are new, but i had the same problem before and after replacement. i'll check that.

 

Ohh man, what about a new coil ?

 

Call the ford dealer in the morning, have them come get the truck and tow it back to the shop, or work on it where its parked,
if they won't tow it for free, your insurance will pay the towing, (provided you have the coverage). Do it very early most of the service departments open ~ 8am.

Bring them to the problem instead of the problem to them.

The service manager should understand this concept.

 

Ford had it another week and tried to give it back to me saying they couldn't reproduce the problem at their shop. i told the mechanic to drive it home and he got it to fail to start but still can't find the problem. Since good charge goes into the distributor, but not to the plug wires, they agreed to change the ignition control module and stator and if that doesn't work, they''ll replace my old parts. got it back today. tommorow morning will be the test!

 

I have a 1987 chevy camaro that would sometimes start and sometimes it would not.
It ended up being bad electrical connections.
Chevy had a bolted terminal near the battery where they had about 7 lugs bolted together. That terminal connector was corroded and green.
I usually clean connections with sand paper and then use a light layer of vaseline on the connection area.
These intermittent problems are hard to find, but it usually is something corroded and sometimes it makes contact and sometimes it does not.
My 1996 F150 had a corroded connection on the starter a while back. the little wire on the starter that just pulls off was corroded.
Good luck,
Gene


1996 F150 xlt 4x4 ext cab 195000 miles

 

i think the problem is finally solved (knock on wood). replaced the stator and ignition control module and haven't had a problem for a week.

 

checking this fix out for my kids truck, with 5.0 V8. hope it works. She is having the same problem.