2003 Sport Trac. Does not start when it's hot.

[Felix C]

It was the fuel pump. All good now.

 

[dixie don]

I had this problem with another vehicle. it was the fuel injector. the small solenoid would heat up--short out and not feed fuel--cool off and feed and start!!! Replaced injector and NO more trouble------took me two months to find it and I replaced several things that did nothing to help------but the final diagnosis(fuel injector) was the problem.
If you let the vehicle set and cool off, the solenoid cools of, the short separates and the car starts.

 

[mlcscott]

I've got the same problem. My 2003 Explorer Sport Trac will not start when the outside temp is over 90º. What floors me is that there is obviously a serious heat related problem with all our Sport Trac's, yet Ford has not done due diligence and solved this issue.

How is it possible that no one at Ford recognizes or acknowledges this serious problem?

 

[darrell milgrim]

After my 2001 sport trac sets 15 mins when motor is warm it is hard to start. Starts great when motor is cold or within 5 mins when motor is warm. No codes and good fuel pressure. Gas turning to vapor in fuel rail after running motor. How to fix problem. Please.

 

[koda2000]

Could the problem be a leaking fuel injector flooding the engine?

I had a similar problem in my '01 EB 5.0L. Always started fine when cold, but after sitting warm for 30-45 mins it often be hard to start. It did this for 4 years until the fuel pump finally died last winter. Since I've replaced the fuel pump it always starts immediately when warm.

 

[darrell milgrim]

I tried to fuel pumps and regulater from auto zone and got one from oreilys that maintains good fuel pressure.It will start in 1 sec in morning with cold motor. Let it set 30mins when warm and get vapor out of shrader valve.

 

[koda2000]

Did you replace just the fuel pump or the complete FP assembly? If you replaced just the pump, did you replace the piece of fuel line between the pump and pressure regulator and the regulator and the metal line of the assembly? Unless there's a fuel leak somewhere there's no way there should be vapor in the fuel line. With the return-less fuel system on the '01 the system should prime itself as soon as the key is turned to ON and maintain pressure for multiple hours.

My '01 ST I has the weird 3-port fuel filter. Does your's have the correct fuel filter (2-port or 3-port). I have no idea what the 3-port filter is supposed to do for you, but the extra port seems return fuel to the tank. My build date was 8/15/2001, so very late '01 production.

 

[darrell milgrim]

Did you replace just the fuel pump or the complete FP assembly? If you replaced just the pump, did you replace the piece of fuel line between the pump and pressure regulator and the regulator and the metal line of the assembly? Unless there's a fuel leak somewhere there's no way there should be vapor in the fuel line. With the return-less fuel system on the '01 the system should prime itself as soon as the key is turned to ON and maintain pressure for multiple hours.

My '01 ST I has the weird 3-port fuel filter. Does your's have the correct fuel filter (2-port or 3-port). I have no idea what the 3-port filter is supposed to do for you, but the extra port seems return fuel to the tank. My build date was 8/15/2001, so very late '01 production.

My build date 04/20.and it has a two port fuel filture on it. If it was fuel line I would have the same problem when motor is cold. I am on my third fuel pump and my second regulator that is in the tank with pump.

 

[koda2000]

My build date 04/20.and it has a two port fuel filture on it. If it was fuel line I would have the same problem when motor is cold. I am on my third fuel pump and my second regulator that is in the tank with pump.

That's why I was wondering about a leaking/sticking fuel injector. How's you MPG's? If an injector is leaking it could flood the engine and drain fuel out of the rail. If you've been through multiple fuel pumps and FPR's, that's not your problem.

 

[darrell milgrim]

That's why I was wondering about a leaking/sticking fuel injector. How's you MPG's? If an injector is leaking it could flood the engine and drain fuel out of the rail. If you've been through multiple fuel pumps and FPR's, that's not your problem.

It runs good and fuel mileage is good. Only problem now is it hard to start after it sets 15 to 30 mins when motor is warm. This is a new jasper motor with 6k miles on it. Did the fuel rail have any insulation on or under it they left off when they changed motors. Replaced cats and all 02 sensors maf.iac.fuel vent solenoid. My local ford place has no clue what causing problems.

 

[Blind Dog]

My '04 ST has been problem free since I bought it a couple of years ago, but it shut down suddenly on a recent road trip. I'd been driving non-stop for a couple of hours at 120km/h in 35degC. That's not a summer temp we've seen around here for a long time, and not a speed I usually travel at (most of my local highways are 90km/h). There was no smoke, steam, or unusual engine noise before it happened, and all my gauges were reading fine. Electrics were also good, and I knew the fuel tank was at least half full. So I turned on my hazards, and drifted off to the shoulder with no power steering or brakes. Took me about 30secs to guess that the unusual heat, long distance, and high speed combo had triggered the fuel shutoff switch. The reset button is in the footwell on the passenger side. One quick press, and she was good to go again.

If you ever mysteriously lose power after a long period of hot, hard driving, that button is probably the first place to look.

 

[koda2000]

The only thing that trips the fuel pump reset switch (AKA the inertia switch) is a jolt or impact. It's purpose is to turn off the fuel pump in the event of an accident as a protection against fire. If your switch was tripped and you were able to reset it and restore the function of your vehicle I don't understand how it was tripped. Did you have someone in the passenger seat? Is it possible they may have kicked the switch? Did you turn the inertia switch off before turning it on again? Driving at high speed for long distances on the hottest outside temps imaginable will not cause the inertial switch to trip. The inertial switch has been known to become corroded and not make good electrical contact.

 

[Blind Dog]

No, there was no impact or jolt. In fact I was on the smoothest and newest highway around here. I appreciate the pump switch is an anti-fire device, but my understanding was that it activates when there's a major drop in fuel pressure, such as might happen with ruptured fuel lines in a crash. I assumed the extreme (for us) summer heat and extra engine exertion had somehow triggered a pressure drop in the line. Could have been a coincidence, or maybe the heat just caused a bad connection.

Whatever happened, that switch is always worth a check when your engine shuts down without warning. Faulty/overly-sensitive fuel switches seem to be a common theme when it comes to vehicle manufacturer recalls. Pressing it might just save you a few hundred dollars of towing and mechanical investigation...

 

[Blind Dog]

Old thread this, but I wanted to post an update. After a couple of more repeat events, it turns out that this was happening when the passenger kicked the connector to the fuel switch (as suggested by koda2000 earlier). The switch is mounted in a pretty silly place right in the footwell.

If anyone experiences this problem and wants a simple solution, do what I did. I tucked in two tennis balls behind the plastic fascia on the right-side of the passenger footwell. This arcs out the fascia just enough that it prevents anyone's foot accidentally touching the switch or connector. You'd never know the tennis balls were there, and I haven't had an issue with the fuel switch since!