engine cranks, but no start
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engine cranks, but no start
every once in a while, seems when i leave the vehicle sitting for 10-20 minutes after running, it will crank but not start. if i let it sit for about another 30 mins it will eventually start. and run fine, some times a little bit of hesitation but nothing horrible. its a 1990 2.9 supercab, new fuel pump, fuel filter, plugs, wires, dist cap, rotor button, pickup (hall sensor) , ignition module.
i was leaning towards a leaking fuel injector, is there an easy way to chk to see if one is leaking? therefore flooding out the cylinder and not starting until it evaporated?
i was leaning towards a leaking fuel injector, is there an easy way to chk to see if one is leaking? therefore flooding out the cylinder and not starting until it evaporated?
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plugs looked fine, gap was good still, little brownish but barely, honestly the cleanest plugs ive ever taken out of an engine. although i was thingink if i had a leaking fuel injector one should be wet, but i forgot she was sitting all night and all day when i did change em, so it had plenty of time to evaporate.
i also forgot to mention i got a bad batch of fuel (lots of water in it) a while back, and it seems its been the root of all these problems i was having. so i figure it could have buggered up one injector. it was so bad before that the thing barely ran, started fine all the time, but ran like crap, now it runs great, so long as it starts. got a brand new battery as well a while back, and all the terminals are clean and greased accordingly. starter sounds fine, and the alternator is new. just in case someone was going to ask :P
hopefully ill have time this week to pull the injectors out, how are they seated in there? just pushed in? do i need to take the fuel rail off to pull them or can i with it on? they seem kinda loose, i dont know how tightly they should be in there.
thanks for any more info guys
i also forgot to mention i got a bad batch of fuel (lots of water in it) a while back, and it seems its been the root of all these problems i was having. so i figure it could have buggered up one injector. it was so bad before that the thing barely ran, started fine all the time, but ran like crap, now it runs great, so long as it starts. got a brand new battery as well a while back, and all the terminals are clean and greased accordingly. starter sounds fine, and the alternator is new. just in case someone was going to ask :P
hopefully ill have time this week to pull the injectors out, how are they seated in there? just pushed in? do i need to take the fuel rail off to pull them or can i with it on? they seem kinda loose, i dont know how tightly they should be in there.
thanks for any more info guys
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it turns over perfectly, but just keeps turning over but not firing, it only does it once in a while, sometimes in the morning itll fire right up but then die right away , itll die faster if i give it gas and i can hear it sucking air through my intake like crazy, but then she'll usually fire right up after that. its when i drive it for a bit, then stop somewhere for about 20 mins that it wont start, ill wait like 30 mins - 45 mins after which it doesnt start and itll start again, i still think its a bad injector, cuz to me it sounds like its flooding it. and there was pissloads of water that got ran through the system. once im not working nights this week im going to pull the injectors and see if i find a wet one.
dunno where else to look , the interia switch looks fine, and it was all the way down. i know my fuel pump is a1,
dunno where else to look , the interia switch looks fine, and it was all the way down. i know my fuel pump is a1,
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: poughkeepsie ny
If you say it's not firing, wouldnt you think it's an ignition issue and not an injector?
If you want to explore the possibilty youre not getting spark, you might want to try using an ignition tester during those times it's giving you problems. Have a buddy crank while you look to see if it jumps the gap. You might want to check the connector going into the coil pack (& related) as well. Could just be a loose connection.
If you want to explore the possibilty youre not getting spark, you might want to try using an ignition tester during those times it's giving you problems. Have a buddy crank while you look to see if it jumps the gap. You might want to check the connector going into the coil pack (& related) as well. Could just be a loose connection.
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From: KIMBERLY,WI
I had a similar problem with my 86 2.9 ranger. Turned out to be that stupid inertia switch was intermittantly cutting in and out, even though it was pushed all the way down. I removed it and plugged the 2 wires into each other and problem solved! It is worth testing out maybe.
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the reason i thought it could be the injectors is because it seems to work fine once started. to get it started i have to hold the gas pedal down about half way. which makes no sense. all connections are good. everything has been replaced except for the distributor. a friend told me if theres a little bit of play in the rotor (which there is) that would cause whats happening.
guess ill order a distributor but i dotn think it makes sense that i have to hold the pedal down half way for it to cough and sputter and finally start. also sounds like its sucking a mad amount of air when its starting.
guess ill order a distributor but i dotn think it makes sense that i have to hold the pedal down half way for it to cough and sputter and finally start. also sounds like its sucking a mad amount of air when its starting.
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From: St. Peter
Anyone else smell leaky fuel pressure regulator?
Look on your fuel rail (I think 1990 is new enough to have them), it should be at the end of the rail and will have a vacuum line on it. Have the truck running, unhook the vacuum line, and if gas comes out, then it needs to be replaced. If you unhook it and its dry, leave it unhooked, and shut off the truck, you might need to let it set for a few min, and then look for gas coming out of the vaccum nipple.
Look on your fuel rail (I think 1990 is new enough to have them), it should be at the end of the rail and will have a vacuum line on it. Have the truck running, unhook the vacuum line, and if gas comes out, then it needs to be replaced. If you unhook it and its dry, leave it unhooked, and shut off the truck, you might need to let it set for a few min, and then look for gas coming out of the vaccum nipple.
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i have checked the vacum line to it and its always been dry, ill do the shutting off routine you mentioned. im just sick of throwing parts at it. im either thinking its the regulator, the distributor, or the fuel injectors. but what i cant come to a conclusion about is how it will only start if i hold the gas pedal halfway, and when runing it runs "ok" little hicups and hesitation once in a while but nothing major...
the acual rotor on the distributor has a little play in it, could this cause it? i also heard someone say crank or camshaft position sensor??
the acual rotor on the distributor has a little play in it, could this cause it? i also heard someone say crank or camshaft position sensor??
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From: St. Peter
being a 1990 It wont have a cam sensor, and I dont think it even has a crank sensor, being the ignition is triggered by the distributor itself.
Exactly how much play is in the rotor? We talking like 1/16 of an inch? or we talking like 1/2 inch?
I think it is time to regroup on the situation:
We know:
It is a speed density air system with batch fire injector system. The vehicle starts hard after it has been driven /warm.
A few things I have in mind are:
Do the FPR test,
Hook up a fuel pressure gauge, and see if the pressure bleeds out over time
We also need to confirm that there has not been coolant entering the cylinders. The 2.9's are notorious for cracking cylinder heads. So maybe a compression test would be in order.
Have you lost any coolant recently?
Exactly how much play is in the rotor? We talking like 1/16 of an inch? or we talking like 1/2 inch?
I think it is time to regroup on the situation:
We know:
It is a speed density air system with batch fire injector system. The vehicle starts hard after it has been driven /warm.
A few things I have in mind are:
Do the FPR test,
Hook up a fuel pressure gauge, and see if the pressure bleeds out over time
We also need to confirm that there has not been coolant entering the cylinders. The 2.9's are notorious for cracking cylinder heads. So maybe a compression test would be in order.
Have you lost any coolant recently?
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id say about 1/16th, def not 1/2 an inch. thanks for clearing up the crank/cam sensor. as for coolant, i flushed and changed it 6000kms ago, and lost none, still looks brand new. same with the oil, nice and clean even after 6000kms. after installing a diff fuel pump ( its actually out of a cadillac, i dont think thats the prob tho because its running better since i put it in. and it is hard to start wether it is cold or warm now. i still have a feeling the water i got from the gas station is to blame. but i could be wrong. the play in the distributor has me wondering, as there is not much room for error when that thing is spinning by the hall sensor. i can see that being a serious issue. changed the plugs again for the hell of it and none of them looked like they were burning lean, so maybe its not a leaky injector?? ill check the fpr for sure tomorro, but in regards to that if its bad i should see the gas leaking out of the fpr where the vac hose was correct?
i may order a new distributor just to eliminate that...
i may order a new distributor just to eliminate that...