I jumped in my van after service today, and when I turned the key, there was a very brief noise, almost like a small backfire. I'm talking like split second.
It started, stumbled and died.

When I tried to restart, the van acted like a carbed motor with no fire to the plugs. just turned over without firing.

I popped the hood to look things over, and everything look OK. A couple of folks asked if I need a jump, but when they heard it turn over, they were a bit puzzled as well.

I tried giving it a little pump on the accelerator pedal, even though I've always believed that was bad for a fuel injected motor. I tried to start it then and it almost sounded like it wanted to start for a brief moment.

I took another look under the hood and nothing seemed out of place or missing. No smell of gas, nothing.

I tried once more, held the pedal to the floor and it acted like a carbed motor again, hesitated a moment and fired up like the bowls were filled and it was getting gas...ran fine all the way home.

I shut it down, and tried to start it and it fired right up like normal...

Anyway, does anybody have thoughta as to what may have caused this?

Thanks

 

Knowing the year, model and engine sometimes helps.

I have three vans, all fuel injected. '89,'90 & 2006. I spend lots of time working on them doing maintenance.

Your problem sounds fuel supply related to a rookie like me.

 

I'm kinda leaning to the fuel system as well...just not sure where in it though.
When it was colder this winter, i would hear a metallic clank on start up from time to time, that seemed to come from down around the fuel pump.

I'm gong to consult my Chilton manual and see if there's a relay down there associated with it.

 

Oh, and I see your van info in your sig. Sorry.

I have found easyautodiagnostics.com super helpful for step by step testing until some of the knowledgeable guys here step in with their experience.

 

Thanks.
My book shows a Fuel Pump Driver Module that helps control the speed of the pump.
There's also a temperature switch, up by the engine.

 

check your impact fuel turn off reset behind the passenger's kick panel.

 

I will.
I pulled the FPDM and it doesn't seem to be in to bad a shape.
I need to get someone over here to cycle the ingnition switch for me while I'm under the van.
I can hear the pump run and build pressure, but it almost makes a "Thud" noise when it's turned on.

 

this would not cause an intermittent issue. Once it activates it is done until a person manually resets it.

 

When it did this the first time, did you start it then immediately hit the go pedal when it fired off ? If you did, that caused the problem. You cannot do this with the newer EFI Fords, you have to let the computer go through it's cycles before giving it the gas. I learned this the hard way with my 06 Mustang GT. I did it then sat there trying to restart it repeatedly. After running the battery down, then jumping it, the only way it did start was by holding the gas pedal down on the floor. Cranking it over and over again loads the cylinders up with fuel, flooding it. Holding the pedal down allowed the fuel air mix to be corrected to allow it to start.

 

How many miles? Sounds like it could be timing chair skipped a few teeth.

 

It only has 76k or so on it.
It eventually started up and ran fine...
Received my new furl pump and demand module in the mail, so this weekend i hope to cut an access in the floor and change those out.

 

Just saw you post tonite BADDAD.
I didn't have my foor on the pedal when I initially started it.
But when it died I ended up starting it like I would a carbed motor with a sticky choke...
It was strange...I hope to have the new parts in it tomorrow...then will wait an see it they were the culprit.
I do think it was/is the fuel pump.

 

Not saying you had your foot on the pedal when you started it, but rather did you hit the gas immediately after it started, before the computer went through it's cycles for a few seconds after it fired up.

 

Oh, got it.
No. I just turn the key and let it do warm up a few minutes.
This time it was almost instant that it shut down.

I tried it a couple more times with out it firing.
Then I gave it a pump on the peddle and tried it and it acted like it want to go.
Thants when I put the pedal to the floore and cranked a few moments and it started up.

 

yea,OK. Anytime you sit there cranking it without it firing off, the injectors are squirting fuel, this leads to a flooded condition which requires the gas pedal too be held down to fix. Not sure why it didn't start though. The coil if its got a single one could be going bad.