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1999 Explorer Won't Start After Battery Replaced

Bill Carroll

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January 14, 2018
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City, State
Charlotte, NC
Year, Model & Trim Level
1999 Explorer Eddie Bauer
Hello everyone. My 1999 Explorer Eddie Bauer (6 cyl) sat in the garage for the last two months. It had been running fine. When I went to start it up the other day, it would not crank but fired right up when I jumped it. I drove it the next day for a while and all was fine.

Today I went to start it and it would not turn over. I tried jumping it again but it would not start. I took out the battery (it was about due to be replaced) and took it to AutoZone (they tested the battery and said it was bad) and bought a direct replacement. When I installed the new battery, it cranks great but will not start. Lights and everything all work normally.

I have done some research and found out (?) that this MAY be the result of the antitheft system needing to be reset?? The battery was out of the car for about two hours.

The car has also been parked on a slight incline in my driveway (about 15 degrees, so the front end is higher than the back end) and has about a 1/4 tank of gas. Could this have anything to do with it?

Thanks.
 



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With the weather we've been having, I'm thinking bad fuel pump. They act up when it's cold out, and boy it's been super cold out. Can you hear the pump prime when to turn the key to ON?

Having the battery disconnected does nothing to the anti-theft system. Having the front end higher than the rear allows a lower fuel level to move toward the fuel pump, not away from it.

I've had to replace the fuel pumps in all 6 of my family's Explorers/Mountaineers and all of them stopped working when it has gotten really cold out. They seem to begin by demonstrating intermittent starting in cold weather, with between 170,000-200,000 miles.

If it's warmer out, you can limp along with a worn out fuel pump for years, but eventually it will get you.
 






Thanks for the input Koda. The cold has been brutal here (down in the teens at night, which is like Antarctica here in the South).

Do you think it's just coincidence then that the fuel pump when out at the same time the battery died?
 






Thanks for the input Koda. The cold has been brutal here (down in the teens at night, which is like Antarctica here in the South).

Do you think it's just coincidence then that the fuel pump when out at the same time the battery died?

You don't have to tell me about the brutal cold in the South this winter. I live in North GA. Tues night they're predicting a low of 12-14 degrees.

Cold also kills batteries too, so while the failures are not related the cause may be.

For a quick/easy test, try spraying some staring fluid into the throttle body for 2-3 seconds and see if that allows your engine to stumble to life for a few seconds. If it does, you know your not getting fuel. if you need to move your vehicle in order to get it fixed, you can try flipping the ignition key between OFF and ON multiple times. When my '01 decided it didn't want to run its fuel pump I had to be able to move it from my lower driveway to my garage in order to work on it. I must have flipped the key back and forth 40-50 times before I finally heard the pump prime. Once they start running they seem to keep running for the rest of the day if you need to take it somewhere.
 






if you need to move your vehicle in order to get it fixed, you can try flipping the ignition key between OFF and ON multiple times. When my '01 decided it didn't want to run its fuel pump I had to be able to move it from my lower driveway to my garage in order to work on it. I must have flipped the key back and forth 40-50 times before I finally heard the pump prime. Once they start running they seem to keep running for the rest of the day if you need to take it somewhere.

That's a handy piece of information to have right there.
 






Well, get this. After much consultation, I decided it must be the fuel pump so I found a reputable garage and called for a tow. The tow truck guy arrived and was figuring out how to get the Explorer off my inclined driveway (about 15 degrees) when he said, "I used to have one of these. Let me try something."

He put it in neutral and rolled it out onto the flat street and guess what? It started right up. He figured with less than 1/4 tank of gas and the cold weather, etc. et al, somehow the gas wasn't getting to the fuel pump. I drove it around for a while, restarted it, all good. It needs a good tune up and the steering wheel shimmies when turning (which I discovered is caused by air in the power steering fluid).

The only thing that bothers me is that the Explorer has been parked on this same incline (nose up) a million times and never had trouble starting. I'm hoping that the two months it sat in the garage and the extreme cold we had for a while were the cause of the problem.

Thank you all for your help and patience.
 






Might check the accuracy of the fuel gauge. I know mine is FAR from accurate. I watch the fuel gauge, odometer, and the center console and the are all just a guess in my book.

After I swapped fuel pumps mine fluctuates 1/4 tank backing out of my driveway into the street.
 






Might check the accuracy of the fuel gauge. I know mine is FAR from accurate. I watch the fuel gauge, odometer, and the center console and the are all just a guess in my book.

After I swapped fuel pumps mine fluctuates 1/4 tank backing out of my driveway into the street.

Typically I ignore the fuel gauge and rely on the "miles to empty" readout on the console, which also acts funny since I've owned the car. It will read (for example) "50 miles to empty," and I'll go put 10 bucks in or whatever and the reading won't change until the car has been restarted. Other times I'll be driving along and it will just bump up on its own after I've put gas in it. The actual fuel gauge will go up 1/4 tank if I'm on a hill, and down 1/4 if I'm going down a hill.
 






OP - You had said your truck was parked on an incline with the front higher than the rear. As I told you, the fuel pickup is at the extreme rear of the tank. This would mean that any fuel remaining on the tank would flow toward the fuel pump. I have found that it is difficult to remove/use the last 2 gallons of fuel from the tank, even on level ground, so I doubt you being parked on the incline of your driveway could have been enough to prevent fuel from reaching the pickup. If you had parked nose down on your 15 degree incline, with less tan a 1/4 tank this could certainly happen.

It has warmed up in the southeast quite a bit since you started this thread. I'm still thinking your fuel pump is on the way out. It's working now because it's warmer out. As I said, you can limp along for years with a worn pump, but during extremely cold weather starting can be intermittent.

As far as your fuel gauge, as the float is attached to the fuel pump assembly and the assembly and pump are located at the rear of the fuel tank, parking nose up will typically make the gauge read 1/4 tank higher than it actually is. Parking nose down a 1/4 lower than it actually is. This phenomenon is not unique to the Ford Explorer. It's like you trying to check your oil while parked on a hill. The computer display in the driver's message center may be more accurate because it doesn't depend on the float in the tank to calculate how much fuel is left. In any event, how much fuel remains in the tank and how much further you can drive before you run out of fuel are rough estimates. I never go much more than slightly below 1/4 tank before refueling. Running down to the last drop of fuel is also rough on the fuel pump, because being submersed in fuel keeps it cool.

Don't be surprised if during our next cold-snap your truck refuses to start again.
 






It has warmed up in the southeast quite a bit since you started this thread. I'm still thinking your fuel pump is on the way out. It's working now because it's warmer out. As I said, you can limp along for years with a worn pump, but during extremely cold weather starting can be intermittent.

I considered that, but here's the thing. While it was parked on the incline, the tow driver tried to start it. Cranked fine, but no start. Less than two minutes later, we put it in neutral and rolled it out to the flat street and tried it again. It fired right up.

I'm pretty sure you're right, though -- the fuel pump is on its way out.
 






The fuel gauge not being accurate isn’t an explorer trait, it’s something wrong with your trucks. All three of mine have been dead accurate. I drive until the light comes on frequently, and put a consistent 19.xx gallons in every time I do.
 






The fuel gauge not being accurate isn’t an explorer trait, it’s something wrong with your trucks. All three of mine have been dead accurate. I drive until the light comes on frequently, and put a consistent 19.xx gallons in every time I do.

I have to disagree with you. I've had 6 of these trucks and all 6 of them will display about 1/4 tank plus or minus if I park them on the steep section of my driveway. Look at your tank. The number of gals should be stamped into it (eg: 24 GAL). All mine 4 doors have 24 gals tanks. I think the 2-door Sports had smaller fuel tanks. If I run them down to the point where the CHECK GAGE light comes on they'll take about 22 gals. If you think about it, how could the float for the fuel gauge measure accurately when your parked on a hill? Even if the fuel gauge is dead accurate you have to be on level ground for it to read correctly.
 






I don’t make a habit of trying to check my fuel level when my truck is started on a hill. By the nature of the design NO vehicle would show an accurate measurement in that scenario. It’s not a shortcoming of the Explorer. The only way they could show and accurate level like that is with a differential pressure sensor, or an ultrasonic wide range sensor. No manufacture is going to add 250+ in electronics so you can know exactly how much fuel you have parked on a steep incline.
 






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