Like the title says I am having problems getting my 2008Ford Escape 3.0 V6 to run. From the beginning: My wife and I took a 300 miletrip about a month ago. Weather was great on the way there, on the way back aswe were half way home it started snowing. It was s super wet snow, basicallyslush falling from the sky, creating tons of slop and water on the roads. Thenext day we went to start it, would not start. Would crank over just fine butwould not fire. After trying over and over we finally gave up. Later that daywe tried again, started right up like nothing was wrong. This happened for thenext few days until it left us stranded and would not start at all since then.First thing we replaced was the fuel filter, which was not the problem. Here iswhat else we changed since then, in order: 2 Different Complete Fuel PumpAssemblies, Spark Plugs, Ignition Switch, Camshaft Sensor, Fuel PressureSensor, cleaned the IAC Valve and MAF sensor, replaced the crankshaft sensor,replaced the fuel pump drive module, replaced the coolant temperature sensor,and then tested ohms and/or volts for basically every sensor that the vehiclehas related to starting/running. The PCMhas also been reset after the replacements have been done. When replacing thefuel pressure sensor, I made an adapter to fit on my gauge to check the fuelpressure where the fuel pressure sensor attaches. I tested the pressure and itwas great, read basically what it is supposed to. The car starts fine, likenothing is wrong, when the fuel pressure sensor is hooked up but set aside,while the fuel pressure gage is in its spot. Here is the very strange part. Ican put the new sensor in place (not plugged in) and connect the old sensor tothe plugin and it will start right up. I can swap them around and it will startalso. As soon as it is installed and hooked up to the installed sensor, it willnot start. I have basically came to the conclusion that it is not a fuelproblem with all my tests. Also, I removed a few different coils and plugs andchecked for spark. Vehicle has great spark also. Here is another bit ofinformation that might be useful in the struggle with my Escape. Every wintersince I have owned this vehicle, I have had the slow fuel fill issue, where itwill not let me fill the gas tank unless I do it painfully slow. Mechanics havelooked into it before and they told me that it was a ridiculous price to fixthis issue, although that was around the time where it was still fairly new, probably much cheaper by now. It never is a problem as soon as the weather gets warmer. Couldsomething with that issue finally quit for good and is not letting the fuelsystem/tank get air? Just a shot in the dark idea. There has been no headway at all with anything I havedone. Have brought it to a local dealership also (after putting in the firstfuel pump), they scanned for codes and nothing showed up bad. They said to replacethe fuel pump (bought and replaced with another one) but I find it hard tobelieve that a 3rd fuel pump would do the trick, especially when it has greatfuel pressure.I am at my wits end as ithas been about two months since the problem started. Please, any help at allwould be much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

I answered this on another site. Was the fuel pump driver module bypassed to test its functionality?
tom

 

No it was not. Any research I did or even the Chiltons manual did not even list this module so I had no idea how to test it. All I did was inspect the wiring and swap it out. Any input on how to check it?

 

The driver module supplies 'chopped' DC voltage to regulate power to the fuel pump under instruction from the computer, based in pressure sensor input. You removed the sensor, telling the computer the pump was not running or at least not producing enough pressure. The computer in turn should tell the driver to bump up the volts to the pump motor.
I'd check the voltage fed from the driver to the pump with the pressure sensor re-installed in the fuel line. The volts should pop up when the key is first turned to ON, and then go away until the engine start is detected by the computer, and then the driver should pulse DC to the motor based in computer 'signal'. Observe voltage under those conditions to see if it is functional. I do not know the 'factory' test procedure.
tom

 

Just a couple thoughts...
Testing coils/COP -
Creating a spark in open air is very different than within the cylinder under great pressure and with fuel. If you haven't, pull one of the COP's and very carefully inspect the entire coil area for any cracks in the housing. Any crack will allow moisture into the coil and will degrade the COP's ability to deliver a strong spark when required.
I bring this up because my '02 had a serious issue with high humidity days and I ended up finding cracks in the housings. Ran great when dry.
Failing COP's can cause a multitude of issues. Damage to the computer (mainly the components that trigger the COP to create the spark), the air/fuel mixture will likely be off and the Catalytic Converter(s) can plug due to carbon build up. No exhaust flow will create an immediate build up of back pressure and the engine won't run. If it does start up, it will not run well. Eventually the plugged front CAT will fail blowing chunks of CAT medium into the main catalytic converter and cause that to fail as well.
Water leak -
Not saying this applies to yours, but I recall on my '02 finding a water leak from the windshield that dripped onto the connector for the computer (passengers side foot well under the right side kick panel). The water eventually caused the connections to fail and while the engine would run, the guages would constantly go wonky with lights and alarms triggering. Sealing the water leak and cleaning up the connector fixed it, but ther had been a substantial amount of corrosion and a couple of the contacts required a coating of solder to establish a connection. Not a job for the faint of heart and not an easy task due to lack of ability to move the connector to an easily reachable area without removing much of the harness.

So- I would look at the COP's very carefully first. I used rubbing alcohol and a rag to wipe them down. Naked eye inspection should suffice assuming your vision is OK.
Also remove the kick panel (if that's where your computer is) and carefully look for signs of water or evidence of a leak anywhere that might allow water to drip onto the harness or connector.