Friends 2000 Explorer.. no start.. coil OK

[Fozzy]

Greetings! I have a buddy with an Explorer. He drove it to work, when it was time to go home.. it would not start.. it cranks like the dickens.. but wont start. I thought that it may be the fuel pump.. nope! I had a real mechanic come take a quick look and tried to hook up a test computer. there was no power at the data port. So we tinkered around and found a blown 25 amp fuse in the dash fuse board.. got power to the data port, but it still wont start. took off the coil pack (and the real mechanic advised) and had it tested, it tested ok.. I'm at a loss for what to check next? Someone at the parts place suggested the cam sensor and crank sensor.. any help would be greatly appreciated. :roll:

 

[budwich]

the fuse number that blew may help as it might indicate other affected areas. How do you know it isn't a fuel delivery problem as your "nope" doesn't indicate how you eliminated that area... fuel pressure maybe???? check for spark. Lastly, does your check engine light come on at the start of cranking and then go off???

 

[Fozzy]

the fuse number that blew may help as it might indicate other affected areas. How do you know it isn't a fuel delivery problem as your "nope" doesn't indicate how you eliminated that area... fuel pressure maybe???? check for spark. Lastly, does your check engine light come on at the start of cranking and then go off???

Well It was getting a bit dark when I wound down today and its in a parking lot under a head eating tree. I will have to get a breakdown of what fuse is what when I get back there tomorrow. The 25 amp fuse was in the first row 9 closest to the door pillar and about half way down.. right now that is as best I can do. is there a fuse diagram on the site? I do not have the manual for the car so finding these schematics can be a pain. There is no spark according to the mechanic who was there with me. He of course was under the hood so I could not see a darned thing.

 

[saewoody]

I had a similar problem several weeks ago. I haven't totally solved it yet, but I came across several threads on this typed of problem when I searched for it. Some culprits that came up were the crank sensor, a relay, someone even found a loose ground wire near the gas tank. Many people, myself included, have had this problem intermittently. With mine, I turned the key to the on position (not cranking) just to be sure that the fuel pump was kicking on, then checked the fuel pressure. I did this a couple times to be sure the pressure stayed consistent. Then just for the hell of it I decided to crank the engine. It turned over like nothing was wrong with it. I changed the fuel filter after that; it was disgusting. It started up fine several times after that, but that evening it wouldn't start. I turned the key to the on position several times and then tried to crank it and it turned over after several attempts. It has happened several times since, but each time it takes longer before it happens the next time. It hasn't given me trouble in 2.5 weeks. I don't know if there is a short somewhere or the fuel line was getting garbage in it. I might be worth trying this, though, just to see if you can get it to turn over. Just don't waste your time cranking the engine, just try again. You should also do a search, you'll get some good results and things to try.

 

[Lizard]

Saewoody. Did you monitor your fuel line pressure AFTER you turned the key off to see if it was leaking down? If not, check the pressure again, and watch the gauge after you turn the key off. If it loses pressure quickly, see my post "hard restart when engine warm, solved!"

--Lizard

 

[vinny64a]

Fixed?

I am having same issue with my 98 explorer. So far have replaced the fule filter and crank sensor, but issue still occurs sometimes. Shop has checked battery, starter, and fuel pump. Also tried swapping the fuel pump relays. I did read about a wire under the fuel tank. Does anyone have more information on this?

 

[ZBlackBeast]

I know on the SHO's when the water pump leaks on the crank sensor, it shuts it down till it cools off... i know you probably dont have a coolant leak, but if your crank sensor is bad, the computer doesnt really know where the cylinders are, so there for, no spark.. Cam sensors also have a similar effect. If your fuel pressure is ok and your coil checks out, the next place i would look are those sensors.

 

[saewoody]

Saewoody. Did you monitor your fuel line pressure AFTER you turned the key off to see if it was leaking down? If not, check the pressure again, and watch the gauge after you turn the key off. If it loses pressure quickly, see my post "hard restart when engine warm, solved!"

--Lizard

Lizard, thanks for the tip. It did seem to hold pressure without issue, but I think I'll check out your post.

Also, Murphy's law. The problem hasn't happened in about three weeks, but it happened tonight when I went to the store!

 

[saewoody]

There is another active post right now with some good information titled "Explorer Won't Start, Fuel Problem?"

It is worth taking a look at. Also, do a search if you have not yet, there are many posts on this topic.

 

[vinny64a]

Researching

Thanks for information. The crank sensor has been replaced along with the fuel filter. There is something intermittent which is a pain to troubleshoot.