Crank, but no start...

[DMA]

1999 Ford Explorer XLT, 4-Door, 4 Wheel Drive, 6 Cylinder, 4.0 Liter SOHC

This vehicle has been a champ since day one! There has never been a problem with it until yesterday. The vehicle returned home, parked, and everything was good until this morning. The vehicle will not start. The engine cranks, but will not actually fire up. I've verified spark, checked all the fuses and relays, replaced the fuel filter, and can hear the fuel pump engage for a couple of seconds when the key is turned to the on position, but when attempting to start it, it just cranks and cranks. I even checked the Schrader valve with a screwdriver and it sprayed a stream of gas about a foot or so long, so I figured the pressure was good. Is that incorrect? In the end, I'm thinking it's the fuel pump and I'm just not looking forward to replacing that...on the street...in 19 degree weather. Any suggestions? Thanx in advance.

 

[koda2000]

Being you have the SOHC V6, has it been making rattling noises during cold startup, or while running?

Have you tried spraying starting fluid into the throttle body?

Is your THEFT light flashing quickly when you crank it over?

How have you verified that you have spark?

I believe a '99 should have about 65 PSI of fuel pressure at the rail. Check it with a fuel pressure gauge.

If you have fuel pressure and spark something should be happening. If not your engine may have jumped time. With the SOHC engine this is most likely to happen during a cold start. If this is the case your engine is toast. This can be verified by doing a compression test. If no compression on one bank you've jumped time and bend valves, in which case you might want to start looking for a new vehicle, or at least a replacement engine.

 

[DMA]

No rattle from the engine whether the weather is cold or hot. Yes, I just tested with spraying starting fluid directly into the throttle body, then trying to start it again and it actually turned over and tried to start momentarily, so I guess that actually means it's the fuel pump, eh? Theft light flashes normally. Verified spark by holding end of plug to ground and can see the spark. I don't remember how much pressure I saw right off hand. I want to say it was somewhere between that and 40...I tested it at the schrader valve. I went ahead and picked up the fuel pump and I'm going to drop the tank and swap that out on Sunday, so I'll let you know what happens. If it does end up being the engine, the pump was only $80, so no big deal. Thanx for the response!

 

[koda2000]

If it kicked on starting fluid that's a good sign. Hopefully the fuel pump solves the problem. What brand of pump did you buy? Airtex pumps are terrible. Personally I only use Bosch pumps these days. Did you get a new strainer sock for the pump? You'll need one.

Tip: Don't even try to remove the fuel line from the FP assembly to change the pump. You can remove the assembly from the tank w/out trying to get the line loose, then just swing the assembly over the leaf spring to swap the pump. Trying to get the line to release is usually a major PITA and you can damage it in the process. I've changed many Explorer fuel pumps and only bothered to release the fuel line once. I've got the job down to about 90 mins.

Tip: Inspect the submersible fuel lines used for the pump. They sometimes split and bleed off pressure. I always replace them.

I have other tips to make the job easier if you need them.

 

[DMA]

Yes, I was fortunate enough to pick up the Bosch pump for a very low price. Yes, it came with the strainer as well. Thank you so much for the advice, it is GREATLY appreciated! My main concern is dropping the tank as it is still half full. I have to try to siphon as much of the gas as I can before I drop it. As relates to other tips, I'm open to anything you care to share. Thanx again!

 

[koda2000]

I buy my Bosch pumps as kits off eBay. They usually run around $50 but include enough submersible fuel line to replace both sections in the fuel tank. They also come with new hose clamps and a jumper wire to convert the Ford thin electrical connector to the wide terminals w/o having to splice wires.

Some of my other tips are:

1. I use a 1/4" ID clear plastic tubing to siphon the fuel out. I cut the tip at a steep angle and fold the tip over before sticking it into the filler neck. I also use a funnel in the filler hole to hold the little metal flap out of the way w/o ruining it when you extract the siphon hose. The reason for cutting/folding the tip of the siphon hose is so you can get it past the lip of the metal nipple on the tank. You'll probably have to play with/rotate the siphon hose a bit to get it past the lip. The 1/4" hose takes a while to siphon the fuel out, but it works and makes the job much easier.

2. There are 2 bolts that secure the front of the tank to it's support bracket. Remove these bolts and the front of the tank will drop to the lower part of the bracket. I use H/D tie-wraps (or wire) to create a hinge for the front of the tank to help lower it once the tank strap is removed. It is not necessary to lower the front of the tank to get the FP assembly out.

3. There are hose clamps that hold the filler and vent hoses to the fuel tank. Sometimes the screws are rusted and will not allow the clamps to be loosened. I've used my Dremel with a cutting wheel to carefully cut through the clamps and later replace them with new radiator worm-style clamps. Wear rubber gloves whenever you have to touch the fill and vent hoses as they will get you hands extremely dirty and that stuff is very hard to wash off. Also wear protective googles if laying under the tank.

4. Use a floor jack with a small piece of plywood on top to support the rear of the fuel tank before removing the tank strap, then remove the single bolt the secures the tank strap, slide the tank closer to the driveshaft and you can unhook the strap from its key-slot in the frame and get it out of your way.

5. Lower the floor jack slowly just enough to be able to access the electrical connectors and evap hose on top of the tank. The electrical connectors are typical to remove, requiring a small screw driver blade to release them. The evap hose is retained to its nipple by a grey colored plastic squeeze-lock clamp. This may be difficult to release as the plastic may be stiff in winter and/or brittle with age. Sometimes I've managed to release the hose by pushing it in before squeezing the grey plastic, I've also broke a few on the grey locks, but the hose will still stay in place w/out it as it has an o-ring inside of it, so not critical. Once the fill and vent hoses are off the tank can be lowered a bit more to get at the electrical connections and evap hose.

6. The wire for the FP assembly has an electrical connector inside the frame rail, It's held in place by a push-in nylon clip. Release the clip from the frame rail to get more play in the wire and to access the plug.

7. Once everything is free, you can lower rear of the tank almost to the ground to remove the little bolts that secure the FP assembly to the tank. I recommend you clean the top of the tank off with compressed air or a hose before removing the bolts to avoid getting dirt in the tank. Once the FP assembly is unbolted, place the rear of the tank on the ground and you can finagle the FP assembly out of the tank to replace the pump. Be careful not to bend the float rod. The assembly only goes in one way (bolts are staggered) so you don't need to worry about that.

I've got to go feed my dogs. More tips as I think of them. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

[J_C]

IIRC you can just take the fuel filler hose off where it connects to the tank first, to siphon the fuel, since you're taking it off anyway and then you won't have to get the fuel up as high to siphon it off nor use anything to hold the filler flap open.

 

[fast_dave]

DMA -

You can go any route you wish - just saying.

With that said, I don't know where you live, but it sounds like snow country.

I'd probably get my battery tested first on a load tester at an auto parts store. Yeah, it's a pain in the butt, but you can clean your cable connectors at the same time, ruling out those two possible issues..

The first cold winter weather back east usually brings out battery problems, crankshaft position sensor problems, and relay problems.

The CPS is located on what is essentially the lowest part of the engine, closest to the road. A lot of crap gets kicked up on it.

The reason I'm suggesting this route is because if you are "in tune" with your Ex, fuel pump problems usually give some sort of warning a week or more before ultimate catastrophic failure. You write that your Ex's failure was instant, overnight... That's the clue I'd work from. But that's me.

With that in mind, have you tried looking at the wire loom connection to your crankshaft position sensor, and if that's good, disconnecting the two bolts holding on the crankshaft position sensor and cleaning off the magnet?
Look at the body of the sensor with a flashlight and see if there's any visible cracks. That will let water into the sensor and screw it up.

CPS's for our Ex's are around $10 When I recently replaced my FORD cps with a Standard Motor Products one, I couldn't believe how much stronger the magnet was on the aftermarket part.

If you feel the CPS is OK, try switching around the fuel pump relax with another relay in the black box under the hood. I think the wiper relay is the same. Relays can click and connect, BUT cold weather can make it so that they're not 100% contacting - thus making it appear (sound) LIKE everything is working - when in reality the subsystems are not working 100% to capacity because of a weak relay. A replacement relays is $6-$10.

Hope that helps and report back.

 

[koda2000]

IIRC you can just take the fuel filler hose off where it connects to the tank first, to siphon the fuel, since you're taking it off anyway and then you won't have to get the fuel up as high to siphon it off nor use anything to hold the filler flap open.

True, I've done this on my ST because there is no way you can get a siphon hose down it's neck, however I prefer to siphon the fuel out through the filler hole as the first step. The higher the siphon hose the faster the fuel will flow.

 

[DMA]

Thanx for all the replies and advice! The Explorer is running again. I went through 2 cans of liquid wrench to get some of those bolts removed and nearly a whole can of starter fluid when testing whether or not it was going to work just to replace the fuel pump. In the end, I replaced the fuel pump (with a new strainer) and the fuel filter. It took way longer than I had anticipated, but it's all over now and all is well. Thanx again for all the help!

 

[koda2000]

Congrats! After changing another 4 or 5 fuel pumps it'll be a piece of cake.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Good job getting it fixed!

Just an FYI starting fluid is hard on motors, and I’d only use it very sparingly.