hard start when cold
 

when my truck sits for a few hours, sometimes it has a hard time starting. it will crank for about 10 seconds and then start. it usually runs fine after this. this morning, however, it almost didn't start at all. i spent about 15 minutes of cranking it and running around to the hood trying to look for something wrong. i realized that if i cycled the fuel pump by turning the key on and off, it would allow the truck to fire a few times. i kept doing this and it finally started. what could this be? im assuming its a fuel issue. the rear tank and pump are new, and both tanks do the same thing, so i don't think its one of the tank pumps. fpr is new. the truck died again while i was driving it shortly after i left my house, but luckily i was right in front of my mechanic, so i coasted into his shop and left it there for him. sorry for the long post. truck is in sig.

Maybe one of the temperature sensors at fault...computer tries to start motor lean instead of being rich. This is only a guess:D...what town you in out here?

i actually thought about this, possibly an ect sensor confusing the computer. im in bellmore btw. southern nassau county.

Ford Fuel Injection » Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECT) here`s how to check it.

okay thanks alot, that clears it up. keep the suggestions coming, ill report back with what the mechanic says (some of you guys probably know this truck better than the mechanic)

I just talked to the mech, he said the truck is randomly spark and he's trying to diagnose why. I guess its not a fuel issue like I thought.

i went to pick up my truck earlier today. the mechanic said it had a bad ignition module and he replaced it. i got in the truck, and it wouldn't start. i gave the keys back to him and he said he would take care of it. i talked to him an hour later and he said it now had good spark, but it smelled terribly of fuel. ill have to wait and talk to him tomorrow to find out whats going on.

Pointing towards an ignition heating up problem hey, I went through that. Bad PIP circuit or computer possibly...and I'm out on the east end...as a side note, I had 3 bad distributors in a row, settled on a new heat tested one, from Carquest.

he actually mentioned a possible bad computer, but hes gonna continue diagnosing it before we jump to something like that. as for an ignition problem, is it possible that my ect sensor was sending in too much fuel when cold, thus wetting the plugs and causing weak or no spark? what exactly is the PIP circuit? il keep the distributor fun fact in mind.

I don't think so

The PIP is a pickup inside the distributor, that is prone to heat failure

today he told me he replaced the ect sensor and the distributor, got it running, but then the starter burnt out :-banghead if he replaced the distributor, does that mean the pip must have gotten replaced as well? you've been predicting everything my mechanic does!

Thats funny in a sad way...Yes PIP was replaced, but must still remain suspect in any future non start condition. Very few are heat tested by the various re-manufacturers.

my mech put the new starter in, but the truck still wont start. he says that now it has WEAK spark as opposed to NO spark that we started with. according to him, there seems to be improvement, however the truck still isnt running. did your bad distributors cause no spark or weak spark? im beginning to think that this is being caused by a bad ground somewhere. every ignition component has been tested or replaced.

I installed three 3 Cardone brand, re-manufactured distributors in a row. All started the truck, but would fail within 8 or 10 miles of driving (heat). Stuck on the side of the road is no fun. Finally I bought a new, not re-manufactured distributor from Carquest, printed right on the side of the box "HEAT TESTED", $130.00. Mind you, all these failures occurred in a few day period, not years. Read through here Part 1 -Ford Ignition Module Test. Fender Mounted Module (ICM). for spark checking/testing...about the ground, make sure the engine block is shinned up at the distributor base contact area.

the mech says the truck has good ground and today he replaced the wiring harness that plugs into the top of the coil. he says now the truck is running and that the old harness was making a bad connection and creating weak spark. hes keeping it until tomorow morning to make sure it starts when its dead cold. i really hope this problem is fixed