Lightning Wont start!
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 105
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From: San Antonio, Texas
Lightning Wont start!
2000 Lightning, Superchips programmer. Other than that stock. No codes, fuel pump replaced and filter, It acts like it wants to go but it doesnt happen. What do yall think?
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 1997
Posts: 23,165
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From: Enjoying the real world.
This is going to be a process of elimination.
First, check for spark.
Disconnect plug wire, put a spare plug on it and ground it against the engine block. Get someone to crank it while you look at it (don't touch it unless you want to get the bejeevers shocked out of you). You should see a fat blue spark.
First, check for spark.
Disconnect plug wire, put a spare plug on it and ground it against the engine block. Get someone to crank it while you look at it (don't touch it unless you want to get the bejeevers shocked out of you). You should see a fat blue spark.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,005
Likes: 2
From: Santa Clarita
My first guess would be no fuel. you stated you have a new fuel pump and filter installed, maybe the fuel pump is not good. With the engine off, turn the key to "on" position, you should hear the fuel pump click on in the back. I'd also check to see if you getting fuel to the engine. Of course, it sounds like your truck is doing it constantly. Your fuel pump will start but then cut out when it's warm. Could possibly be a coil or ignition. Might be worth have someone with a diagnostic machine tell you exactly what it is. May also be time for a new computer.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
Start simple, check for spark... these are pretty reliable motors and electronics... but if it has a lot of miles (some people actually drive these) it might have a broken or slipped timing chain, which happens to be about 6 feet long. It could be a broken or loose wire on the crank position sensor, a common problem. As this is individual Coil on plug, check ALL the plugs for spark, not just one.
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
You'll probably be time and money ahead to have it towed to a pro. As a "pro" I see stuff like this all the time. People will spend hundreds, if not thousands, trying to save a buck when $80 in diagnostic time and a $100 repair would had them back on the road in a fraction of the time.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 1997
Posts: 23,165
Likes: 18
From: Enjoying the real world.
I recently had a "pro" install the wrong plugs in a supercharged F-150 and I had to go back and fix his mistake before I scored a cylinder or holed a piston. I'm not saying you'd do something like that, but it makes sense to do all the things that are free first before turning it over to someone else. Simple spark, fuel and OBD-II code tests should take no more than 30 minutes. If you can't track it down easily, then take it to someone else and remember that they may or may not know what they are doing and it could end up being costly for them to go on a wild goose chase.
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Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
I doesn't sound like you had a pro install your plugs. That sounds like a hack.
A casual observation I have made is that most wild goose chases in a situation like this are caused by the owner screwing something up while they were trying to fix something else or failing to tell the whole story when they drop the car off. Little things like forgetting to plug the fuel pump in before they put the tank back in the vehicle or saying that such and such part is new when what they really mean is that it's from the junkyard.
A casual observation I have made is that most wild goose chases in a situation like this are caused by the owner screwing something up while they were trying to fix something else or failing to tell the whole story when they drop the car off. Little things like forgetting to plug the fuel pump in before they put the tank back in the vehicle or saying that such and such part is new when what they really mean is that it's from the junkyard.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 1997
Posts: 23,165
Likes: 18
From: Enjoying the real world.
It was a Ford certified tech at a Roush dealership. Last time I take my Roush there. I'm sticking with Gwinnett Place Ford, but only if I can't handle it myself. I can change 5.4 3V plugs in under 2 hours so its no big deal from this point forward. Easier to do it myself than to let some clown "fix" it under warranty and end up throwing the wrong parts at it. Not every time there's a problem can you blame it on the customer. I've seen experienced pros sometimes miss things... they are human afterall, just as the customers are. This forum is all about "do it yourself" when possible.
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
Everyone is due a mistake now and then, but most would take extra care to make sure everything was right on a truck like yours. And certified doesn't mean anything. I know certified master techs that are useless and I know guy with no certification at all that can fix anything.
I didn't say you could blame all problems on the customer. I'm just saying that on a modern vehicle there isn't much a DIY'er can do efficiently when it comes to driveability problems. Without a scanner or lab scope about all you can do is stare at it with your buddies while drinking beer and saying things like "I used to be able to work on these things".
I'm all for do it yourself, but when someone does more harm than good or has the potential to do so it is more responsible to tell them they need help than to encourage them to get in over their head.
I didn't say you could blame all problems on the customer. I'm just saying that on a modern vehicle there isn't much a DIY'er can do efficiently when it comes to driveability problems. Without a scanner or lab scope about all you can do is stare at it with your buddies while drinking beer and saying things like "I used to be able to work on these things".
I'm all for do it yourself, but when someone does more harm than good or has the potential to do so it is more responsible to tell them they need help than to encourage them to get in over their head.
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