Erratic starts, sometimes takes a couple tries...?

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

For the last couple weeks, the Ranger hits a lick or two and
then nothing. Same thing for a couple tries, and then it catches and continues to run fine until the next startup.

There's no CEL, no codes, just the erratic startup. It's an
04 Ranger 3.0 w/5r44e. Has only 61K miles.

What are the chances this is a faulty FP relay, and not the
fuel pump?

Thanks,
ROE

 

[1992fordgreen]

This isn't the ranger forum, it's the Explorer forum.

Check for crispy spark plug wires, tune up. Glug a tube of injector and gasoline cleaner through the system cant hurt

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Thanks for the tips, 1992Green. I figured the responses
would be better on this forum, since the fuel systems are
the same.

I'm going to swap the relay, since that's easiest. Don't
have a lot of time to spend on it right now, hope it's not
the pump itself...

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

OK, this morning I swapped out the fuel pump relay with
the washer pump relay. So far it's started with one turn of
the key, but it's only been one day. Time will tell if it's fixed.

I tested the resistance on the relay coil circuits, both relays
showed equally very low resistance. If the relay was indeed
the culprit, it was sticking rather than having a shorted coil.