99 Sport no start.

[Mike65]

Thursday when my wife & I got back from shopping she parked her 99 Sport for the night, Friday morning I go out to start the truck to warm it up & it just cranks & will not start. I try it when I get home from work & it again cranks & no start, so I start doing research on what could cause this. When my wife gets home from work I go out & try it again going by a check list I found on this forum & it starts up, shut it off & try it again & it starts up. This morning we are going to the mall & it just cranks & no start. To darn cold & snowy to check it so it will have to wait for a warmer day I want to check the fuel pressure, maybe Sunday. The truck is a 99 Sport w/97K miles 4.0 SOHC, & it never before gave any indication of any starting problems in the 2 years we have owned it. Any ideas?.

 

[david4451]

I've experienced similar problems in the past and it turned out to be the fuel pump plus a split in one of the hoses connecting fuel pump to pressure relief valve. All inside tank.

 

[Mike65]

Today after I got home from work I tried it again & crank, no start. I cycle the key on listen for the fuel pump, then shut off the key. I did that 4 times, then on the 5th time I try to start it & it fires up & idles fine. It still is to darn cold to check the fuel pressure,but it sure sounds to me like a bad fuel pump. What do you all think?. As soon as it warms up a little I will check the fuel pressure & report back.

 

[koda2000]

Fuel pump. This is what they start to do when it gets cold. Typically they have failed for me between at between 175-200k. You don't have that many miles, but the symptoms are there. If it wasn't so cold out it would start fine very try. I've had multiple Explorers & Mountaineers have this intermittent starting issue after running perfectly all summer. A new fuel pump was the answer.

Turning the key from OFF to ON multiple times will often get the pump to run. Once it does it may work fine for the rest of the day, but the next cold morning - crank no start.

 

[Mike65]

Would it be better to purchase the whole assembly or just the pump? What would be the best fuel pump brand to buy?. For the pumps Rock Auto has Denso, Airtex, Carter, Delphi, & Spectra Premium. For the complete assembly they have Bosch, Motorcraft, Delphi, Airtex, Carter, & Spectra Premium. They also list some of the pumps & assemblies 2dr or 4 dr, does it make a difference?.

 

[koda2000]

Would it be better to purchase the whole assembly or just the pump? What would be the best fuel pump brand to buy?. For the pumps Rock Auto has Denso, Airtex, Carter, Delphi, & Spectra Premium. For the complete assembly they have Bosch, Motorcraft, Delphi, Airtex, Carter, & Spectra Premium. They also list some of the pumps & assemblies 2dr or 4 dr, does it make a difference?.

I've had excellent results using Bosch fuel pumps. They come with most everything needed (except a new strainer sock and fuel filter) to do the job easily. I see no reason to replace the FP assembly if your only issue is a worn out pump. I've installed 5 Bosch pumps in my Explorers/Mountaineers and my ST. All have worked perfectly.

Tip: Stay away from AirTex pumps. The first pump I changed I bought/installed an AixTex pump and it crapped out in less than 10K. Replaced it with my first Bosch pump. I do not believe that 2dr or 4dr would make any difference if you just dealing with replacing the pump. Contact Bosch automotive tech support if you have any questions.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

I believe the shape of the tank is different in the 2 dr vs 4 dr, and that's why the pump assembly is different. As Koda says, it may not make a difference in the pump. There are 2 types of pump connectors, but the Bosch pump kit comes with a pigtail to adapt the wiring if needed.

 

[Mike65]

UPDATE: Today when we got home from work I wanted to test the fuel pressure. Hooked my FPT gauge & my wife turned on the key & the pressure went up to 25 lbs, she cranked the engine & it fired up & had 65 lbs pressure at idle. After she shut the truck off the pressure dropped all the way down to 20 lbs.

 

[koda2000]

Yeah, when your pump decides to run the pressure numbers sound about normal. The problem is that your pump doesn't always run. When it doesn't want to run (like when it's cold out) your fuel pressure is zero.

You need to install a new pump. My daughter's 2000 Mountaineer limped along with intermittent starting problems for almost 2 years (always started when it was warm out). After replacing the FP she never had another problem with it. Same thing happened with my 2001 EB and 2000 XLT.