2002 Limited wont start.

[Noslo351]

The Explorer is a 2002 Limited V8 with 92k. This morning she would not start.

Over the last two weeks it has been starting hard and I have been searching for an answer and finally whatever was going bad went bad. Below are a few things I have checked over the last couple of weeks.

The first place I looked was the IAC. It checked out ok but I cleaned it with throttle body cleaner anyways. Problem was still there.

The second place I checked was spark plugs. They were worn so I replaced them and the problem was still there.

The third place I checked was the fuel pressure and the bleed down time after the pump was shut off. The running engine pressure was 65 PSI but when shut off dropped to almost zero in 15 seconds. Turning the "key on-engine off" got me up to 10-15 psi. I dropped the tank to find the 4" long piece of hose connecting the pump to the fuel line connection bracket had a pin hole worn through it. I replaced the hose with 5/16 fuel injection hose and reassembled the fuel tank. That made things better but not 100%.

The wife called me this morning and told me it would not start. Any ideas of other causes? Maybe a crank trigger sensor or something? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Connect a scanner to it to see if there are any stored codes in the PCM.

 

[Cobraguy]

You fail to mention what is going on when it's hard to start...or won't start. Is it cranking a lot? If so, I would suspect you are on the right track with a fuel delivery issue.

When you lose pressure that fast, it's usually an internal check valve that's bad and you must replace the fuel pump assembly to rectify the problem. Since you have other problems there, don't just replace the pump itself with an aftermarket pump, buy the complete assembly. That should fix your problem of losing pressure like you are.

One other thing to check. With the fuel pressure gauge hooked up, cycle the key a few times. Does the pressure finally rise significantly? If so, does it then start?

Where you get a no start condition, you may have other problems to look at that may all be related to fuel delivery. A little more diagnosis may be in order to see what's going on with your fuel pressures when it won't start. The actual pump may be failing.

 

[Noslo351]

The motor cranks just fine, it just won't start. I got the call from my wife this morning while at work so I have not checked it out yet.

I guess what I am asking is if there are any common parts that fail that cause a no start condition with the 4.6L motors besides a fuel pump?
And thanks a lot for the replies!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you see if there is a high voltage going to the spark plugs? I know that you replaced them.

 

[Cobraguy]

I've seen crank sensors fail. But since you have a history of fuel pump problems, that's where I would start.