2000 Ford Explorer Sport not starting!

[That1GuyWV]

Hey guys, first off... I'm no stranger to these forums, but the only difference now is, I'm now a member. I've been directing friends here for a while that own Fords, and I personally, always wanted to own one and now I do.
I'm no mechanic by far, I'm just learning, and I must say...even though my SUV is a pain, I sure do love er!

With that being said, I'm going to dive into the problem that I'm having, and hopefully...someone will come to the rescue.

I own a 2000 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr V6 4.0 SOHC, and as of recently I've encountered problem after problem, or just not fixing the right problem... but the way I see it is, even if the real problem is the last thing I fix, at least my SUV will have a bunch of new parts, and eliminates short term problems.. for the time being.

As of lately, my uncle had moved back and he's a certified Mechanic through the US Army, and is very knowledgable, but there's even some problems going on that is boggling him.

So, let's dive in.

My Explorer started this weird, bogging down stuff. But it would start EVERY SINGLE INITIAL START OF THE DAY, never stalled on the road or anything. But after parking for even 5 minutes, or 5 hours....I would have to start it 5 to 10 times before it would roll over. So... We changed the spark plugs, and the wires, that made it a little better, but didn't fix... So next, I took apart the carb/throttle body and cleaned it... it looked like it had never been cleaned before, so after that... it fixed the RPMS and ran better for a day or two... and then downhill again. We got under the SUV and checked the fuel filter....and it was absolutely horrifying.... the fuel filter had NEVER been changed before, and my Explorer has 121k miles. We attempted to remove the filter, but it was ceased in every way possible...so we cut it, and replaced it with High Pressured Hose/Fittings and clamps, it fixed it for a couple days, but the bogging down was still there...not as BAD...but still there. I might add, when removing the filter....I cut the bottom of a soda bottle out to catch the gas, to make sure it didn't pour into my uncles eyes, and what I saw was disturbing.... it looked like chocolate syrup... So, after the fix, running the rest of the gas out... we filled up the tank, and used a can Seafoam from the local auto parts store. Seemed fine again....but the bogging got worse, and worse.... Yesterday, I drove to my grandmas to help her out, only to get a surprise.. When it was time for me to head back to my house, I tried starting the SUV......cranking....cranking.......and more cranking....but no start... after several attempts, I thought, well...maybe my gas hand is wrong and my tank is empty... so, I put in at least 7 gallons....nothing. Battery dies from me being frusterated and cranking 20+ times... got a jump, didn't work... Fuel Pump is working fine, but it's acting like it's not getting ANY FUEL at all... My only guess is the fuel injectors, but as I said.. I'm no mechanic by far, my uncle is a busy man, so I can't have him come running to my every beck and call.

So basically, I need REAL opinions on what you think the problem may be. The days are growing shorter, and colder here on the central East Coast (West Virginia) and I have no access to a garage, limited on money, and I got 2 kids and a wife that depends on this vehicle more than me.

So in short, here are the problems, and what I've done so far, and my exact SUV specs.

2000 Ford Explorer Sport 2door 4x4. V6 4.0ltr SOHC. 121k miles

Cranking, but not starting, has been bogging and stalling on start, but no problems on the road, now...not starting at all other than cranking.

Changed Fuel Filter, Spark Plugs/Wires, ran Seafoam on close to, or full tank.
Cleaned the carb/throttle body, and used the specified cleaner.
Carefully and precisely cleaned the MAS.
Replaced the fuel filter and surrounding line with High Pressure Hose/filter fittings/clamps.

Most parts on this are factory...and doesn't look like she was takin very well care of. I'm thinking it may be the fuel injectors...but I have no idea on how to clean them...test them....or even get them off the engine...

I just need help...and any information that doesn't involve massive amounts of money, and time.
Thank you in advance, and if there is a post somewhere else exactly like this, I'm sorry.. .please redirect me into the right direction. Thanks for your time!

 

[david4451]

Whilst your fuel pump may be working, you may have a split hose inside the fuel tank, resulting in lack of fuel pressure.
Check your fuel pressure should be 65 to 70 psi.
Also if your filter was so bad, I'd expect there is a lot of rust inside your fuel tank which should be cleaned out.

 

[That1GuyWV]

Whilst your fuel pump may be working, you may have a split hose inside the fuel tank, resulting in lack of fuel pressure.
Check your fuel pressure should be 65 to 70 psi.
Also if your filter was so bad, I'd expect there is a lot of rust inside your fuel tank which should be cleaned out.

I'll check that first thing.... I mean, when we had to cut the fuel line, the gas was so bad that it looked like chocolate syrup.. and was thinking that if that crap was bypassing the filter...it's hard to tell the condition of the pump, and injectors.

 

[Macgiobuin]

1. Had similar problem; changed pump but got only 17 psi. Should be 60-65 psi. Took down the tank and put a fuel pressure gauge directly on the output pipe. Still only 17 psi. I extracted all the bolts holding the pump assembly and fed 12 V to the black and red wires in the harness. With a flashlight peering in, I lifted the assembly just enough to see the top of the actual pump and I saw that the regulator was spewing fuel from fatigue cracks all over the black plastic housing. (This can be very dangerous especially if you're a smoker, duh) Voila I found the problem. If you're lucky your problem is with the rubber hoses that they are attached to. They are easy to replace. But I wanted a regulator without buying the whole assembly for $250. I don't need a pump, it's new. I went to a pull-it yard, and it had a few explorers but all that still had a tank had tanks that were inaccessible--no wheels, laying on mud, and no they ain't gonna topple the car for a regulator. So I went home, took out the fuel pump assembly and looked at the stainless steel regulator and saw that the regulator itself will last forever, it's just that cheap plastic housing that's bad. So I made a housing out of copper pipe, o-rings and brass fittings and a propane soldering job. 62 psi! Now, it'll last forever.

 

[239]

Hey guys, first off... I'm no stranger to these forums, but the only difference now is, I'm now a member. I've been directing friends here for a while that own Fords, and I personally, always wanted to own one and now I do.
I'm no mechanic by far, I'm just learning, and I must say...even though my SUV is a pain, I sure do love er!

With that being said, I'm going to dive into the problem that I'm having, and hopefully...someone will come to the rescue.

I own a 2000 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr V6 4.0 SOHC, and as of recently I've encountered problem after problem, or just not fixing the right problem... but the way I see it is, even if the real problem is the last thing I fix, at least my SUV will have a bunch of new parts, and eliminates short term problems.. for the time being.

As of lately, my uncle had moved back and he's a certified Mechanic through the US Army, and is very knowledgable, but there's even some problems going on that is boggling him.

So, let's dive in.

My Explorer started this weird, bogging down stuff. But it would start EVERY SINGLE INITIAL START OF THE DAY, never stalled on the road or anything. But after parking for even 5 minutes, or 5 hours....I would have to start it 5 to 10 times before it would roll over. So... We changed the spark plugs, and the wires, that made it a little better, but didn't fix... So next, I took apart the carb/throttle body and cleaned it... it looked like it had never been cleaned before, so after that... it fixed the RPMS and ran better for a day or two... and then downhill again. We got under the SUV and checked the fuel filter....and it was absolutely horrifying.... the fuel filter had NEVER been changed before, and my Explorer has 121k miles. We attempted to remove the filter, but it was ceased in every way possible...so we cut it, and replaced it with High Pressured Hose/Fittings and clamps, it fixed it for a couple days, but the bogging down was still there...not as BAD...but still there. I might add, when removing the filter....I cut the bottom of a soda bottle out to catch the gas, to make sure it didn't pour into my uncles eyes, and what I saw was disturbing.... it looked like chocolate syrup... So, after the fix, running the rest of the gas out... we filled up the tank, and used a can Seafoam from the local auto parts store. Seemed fine again....but the bogging got worse, and worse.... Yesterday, I drove to my grandmas to help her out, only to get a surprise.. When it was time for me to head back to my house, I tried starting the SUV......cranking....cranking.......and more cranking....but no start... after several attempts, I thought, well...maybe my gas hand is wrong and my tank is empty... so, I put in at least 7 gallons....nothing. Battery dies from me being frusterated and cranking 20+ times... got a jump, didn't work... Fuel Pump is working fine, but it's acting like it's not getting ANY FUEL at all... My only guess is the fuel injectors, but as I said.. I'm no mechanic by far, my uncle is a busy man, so I can't have him come running to my every beck and call.

So basically, I need REAL opinions on what you think the problem may be. The days are growing shorter, and colder here on the central East Coast (West Virginia) and I have no access to a garage, limited on money, and I got 2 kids and a wife that depends on this vehicle more than me.

So in short, here are the problems, and what I've done so far, and my exact SUV specs.

2000 Ford Explorer Sport 2door 4x4. V6 4.0ltr SOHC. 121k miles

Cranking, but not starting, has been bogging and stalling on start, but no problems on the road, now...not starting at all other than cranking.

Changed Fuel Filter, Spark Plugs/Wires, ran Seafoam on close to, or full tank.
Cleaned the carb/throttle body, and used the specified cleaner.
Carefully and precisely cleaned the MAS.
Replaced the fuel filter and surrounding line with High Pressure Hose/filter fittings/clamps.

Most parts on this are factory...and doesn't look like she was takin very well care of. I'm thinking it may be the fuel injectors...but I have no idea on how to clean them...test them....or even get them off the engine...

I just need help...and any information that doesn't involve massive amounts of money, and time.
Thank you in advance, and if there is a post somewhere else exactly like this, I'm sorry.. .please redirect me into the right direction. Thanks for your time!

Have you crawled under the truck and given the crankshaft sensor a tug? The connector likes to get corroded and it'll crank but won't start. It took me forever to identify that as the source of my no start problem. It's worth a try.