2001 explorer 4.0 wont start in the cold

[travis8352]

i have had my 2001 explorer since june and my grandpa owned it before i did. its very rusty but surprisingly trusty. its got about 158k miles. it ran great all summer and fall right up until about december first when it was like 0 degrees. went outside started it up and it died right away. started it up again and the same thing happened. then i started it up again holding my foot to the floor and had to keep it reved up to stay running. after it stayed running it ran great all day. one day it was about 35 degrees and i started it up backed it up and starting driving down the driveway and it died. started it again and it ran fine. early january when it was -5 it took about 30 min to get running. after running it ran fine all day. but then it dropped to -10 and it wouldnt barely turn over and it just never fired. left it sit for 3 days in -25 temps and then tried yesterday at 18 degrees and nothing. now its only turning over. any ideas on why it wont start?

 

[travis8352]

well i went outside shortly after posting this thread and tried to start it and it was still only turning over, popped the hood and fiddled with the coils and tried again and it fired right up. still would like reasons as to why my explorer doesnt like starting at anything below 0.

 

[Bobmbx]

Nothing likes to start when its that cold. Fords have always been slow starters in the cold, in my experience anyway.

First thing to check is the battery. Batteries are rated by Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). The larger the number, the more current it will deliver over a battery with a smaller CCA. Over time, all batteries lose CCAs. Hot weather is what degrades a battery, but you won't find it until its cold. As it gets colder, the battery will produce less current. How old is your battery?

Find out if the plug wires have ever been changed. At 158k, you're due for new wires if they are factory. Change the plugs too. Make sure you replace with the right plug for your engine. A lot of times used cars or hand-me-downs come with non-spec plugs. Oh...stay away from Bosch plugs. They don't perform well in Fords.

Another quick and cheap trick is to put some gas dryer in the tank. You never know.

 

[travis8352]

well its been running better after the last cold snap. but now that its -11 wehre im at today im not so sure it will start today.

 

[travis8352]

Nothing likes to start when its that cold. Fords have always been slow starters in the cold, in my experience anyway.

First thing to check is the battery. Batteries are rated by Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). The larger the number, the more current it will deliver over a battery with a smaller CCA. Over time, all batteries lose CCAs. Hot weather is what degrades a battery, but you won't find it until its cold. As it gets colder, the battery will produce less current. How old is your battery?

Find out if the plug wires have ever been changed. At 158k, you're due for new wires if they are factory. Change the plugs too. Make sure you replace with the right plug for your engine. A lot of times used cars or hand-me-downs come with non-spec plugs. Oh...stay away from Bosch plugs. They don't perform well in Fords.

Another quick and cheap trick is to put some gas dryer in the tank. You never know.

im fairly certain i need a new coil pack right now. today it was -10 when i tried starting it and it was onl yturning over. a soon as i starting twisting and moving the coils around it started getting spark again. it started today but barely