Fuel pump or something else?

[Sitcoms]

So I've been having issues with my explorer. I've been having a problem where I'll try to turn it over, and it tries to start up but doesn't hold anything. Occasionally if I pump the gas a few times, it kicks over and idles. This is what originally had me thinking fuel pump was the problem.

Now more recently, it wouldn't kick over for anything. Try to start it, could rev it as high as I could want, and it would not go to idle. So I had it towed to the shop, and tested the fuel pressure - 19PSI. I take a look at the fuel filter (hadn't been replaced since before I bought the car) and it was extremely rusted, so i figure try switching it out with a new one.

The old fuel filter made a clunk sound if you shook it, so you can assume the shape it was in. Put the new one on, and tested the pressure - it was up in the 65ish range. Took it for a test drive, ran just as it used to, no hesitations, anything.

So, assumign all was good I drove it back here to Vermont (4 hours drive, around 250-300 miles) and it ran perfectly fine all the way up here.

Now I go out to go into town, and it won;t even turn over again. Fuel pump or something else?

 

[koda2000]

If by wont turn over you mean the engine will not spin with the starter, then it's something else (battery, cables, starter).

If you mean the engine spins but wont start, then it could be the fuel pump. A clogged fuel filter can kill an old fuel pump. In my experience they last around 175K-200k before the fail and they tend to fail when it's cold out. Do you hear the pump hum when you first turn the key on?

You can also try spraying some starting fluid into the throttle body, for 2-3 seconds, and then see of it start and run for a few seconds. If it does, you fuel pump isn't running.

FYI, Ford recommends you replace your fuel filter every 30,000 miles.

 

[Sitcoms]

If by wont turn over you mean the engine will not spin with the starter, then it's something else (battery, cables, starter).

If you mean the engine spins but wont start, then it could be the fuel pump. A clogged fuel filter can kill an old fuel pump. In my experience they last around 175K-200k before the fail and they tend to fail when it's cold out. Do you hear the pump hum when you first turn the key on?

You can also try spraying some starting fluid into the throttle body, for 2-3 seconds, and then see of it start and run for a few seconds. If it does, you fuel pump isn't running.

FYI, Ford recommends you replace your fuel filter every 30,000 miles.

It spins perfectly fine, just will not hold onto it once you let off the gas. I have no idea when the fuel filter was last changed - i've had the car for around 8,000 miles now (currently at around 154k), and when we took the old one off it was fairly rusted and had a clanging sound if you shook it. We sprayed starter fluid into the throttle bottle, and it was more of the same - it would stay on and spin enough that if you two-footed (foot on both the gas and brake) you could drive it (used that to get it into the shop itself), but it soon died after that as well.

 

[koda2000]

Best place to start is by checking the fuel pressure again. If it's still around 65 PSI you can rule out the fuel pump. I'm assuming you have the SOHC V6 engine? This engine often has problems when the weather turns cold because the intake manifold O-rings dry out and shrink and/or crack. This can made the engine hard to start, but may improve once the engine heats up and parts expand. Is your check engine light on? Does your engine have the timing chain death rattle? If so it's possible it's jumped time and the valves aren't opening/closing at the correct time, this can kill the engine on the spot, or make it run like crap. Either way, that's a big deal.

 

[Sitcoms]

Best place to start is by checking the fuel pressure again. If it's still around 65 PSI you can rule out the fuel pump. I'm assuming you have the SOHC V6 engine? This engine often has problems when the weather turns cold because the intake manifold O-rings dry out and shrink and/or crack. This can made the engine hard to start, but may improve once the engine heats up and parts expand. Is your check engine light on? Does your engine have the timing chain death rattle? If so it's possible it's jumped time and the valves aren't opening/closing at the correct time, this can kill the engine on the spot, or make it run like crap. Either way, that's a big deal.

It has been chilly here lately - mid to low 20s at night, 30-40 during the day. We redid the seal on the IAC when we were checking things, at it sounded like there was a slightly leak. seemed to shore it right up.
Check engine light pops up when I attempt to start it and it doesn't want to turn over/hold idle.

 

[Mike65]

I would check the fuel pressure again.

 

[imp]

If you get running until the engine warms up, does it then start/run/idle OK? If so, spend a couple bucks and replace the Engine Coolant Sensor (ECT). If the ECT quits working properly, the computer does not know that the engine needs richer fuel mix for cold start-up and run. imp

 

[ranger7ltr]

Sounds like my Sport when I first got it...

So I've been having issues with my explorer. I've been having a problem where I'll try to turn it over, and it tries to start up but doesn't hold anything. Occasionally if I pump the gas a few times, it kicks over and idles. This is what originally had me thinking fuel pump was the problem.

Now more recently, it wouldn't kick over for anything. Try to start it, could rev it as high as I could want, and it would not go to idle. So I had it towed to the shop, and tested the fuel pressure - 19PSI. I take a look at the fuel filter (hadn't been replaced since before I bought the car) and it was extremely rusted, so i figure try switching it out with a new one.

The old fuel filter made a clunk sound if you shook it, so you can assume the shape it was in. Put the new one on, and tested the pressure - it was up in the 65ish range. Took it for a test drive, ran just as it used to, no hesitations, anything.

So, assumign all was good I drove it back here to Vermont (4 hours drive, around 250-300 miles) and it ran perfectly fine all the way up here.

Now I go out to go into town, and it won;t even turn over again. Fuel pump or something else?

When I first started driving my 99 Sport the fuel filter lasted about 300-500 miles before it was clogged up again...When I watched my fuel pressure start to drop[Yes I have added an electric fuel pressure gauge and mounted it on the A-pillar]I knew it was time to change the filter if I planned on driving any distance...Once the fuel pressure dropped below 40-50 psi acceleration was lousy and starting difficult...When I would change the fuel filter the fuel that came out the inlet side was rusty and dark like it have dirt or mud in it...

What it was is dissolved rust from inside the metal tank...I drained the tank when I first bought the truck since it had 1/2 tank of varnish in it that was gasoline that sat for over 2 years...I cleaned the tank out and started driving it and eventually drained it again, cleaned it out with acetone and then a boil out at a radiator shop and lined it with POR-15 liner and the tank STILL would produce rusty fuel after 300- 500 miles...My final solution was to replace the tank with a new tank... Tried a JY tank and should have just thrown that $75 bucks away... No difference is performance... That tank was rusty too...

As others have said... Check your fuel pressure again...Then change the fuel filter again and see what you pour out of it...Bet it will look like liquid rust or dirt...

 

[koda2000]

dirt/rust in the fuel tank would certainly cause a problem with filter clogging repeatedly. I've never found any rust in my fuel tanks (and I've had a bunch of them out lately) but I know it can happen. If this is the case, bite the bullet and buy a new tank.

 

[Sitcoms]

When I first started driving my 99 Sport the fuel filter lasted about 300-500 miles before it was clogged up again...When I watched my fuel pressure start to drop[Yes I have added an electric fuel pressure gauge and mounted it on the A-pillar]I knew it was time to change the filter if I planned on driving any distance...Once the fuel pressure dropped below 40-50 psi acceleration was lousy and starting difficult...When I would change the fuel filter the fuel that came out the inlet side was rusty and dark like it have dirt or mud in it...

What it was is dissolved rust from inside the metal tank...I drained the tank when I first bought the truck since it had 1/2 tank of varnish in it that was gasoline that sat for over 2 years...I cleaned the tank out and started driving it and eventually drained it again, cleaned it out with acetone and then a boil out at a radiator shop and lined it with POR-15 liner and the tank STILL would produce rusty fuel after 300- 500 miles...My final solution was to replace the tank with a new tank... Tried a JY tank and should have just thrown that $75 bucks away... No difference is performance... That tank was rusty too...

As others have said... Check your fuel pressure again...Then change the fuel filter again and see what you pour out of it...Bet it will look like liquid rust or dirt...

As I had said, we changed out the fuel filter instead of the pump, hoping that was the problem so we wouldn't have to drop the fuel tank and replace the pump. When we took the fuel filter off, the outside was rusty and if you shook it, it made a large clinking noise, and what fuel was in it was surprisingly rather clear, with only a small amount of rust.

I just went out and tried again.. still only will crank, not start. Took off the little fuel line in the front part of the engine to see if there was any pressure in the lines (because I have no other way to check if there's pressure in them) and it just bubbled, not squirted out.

However, when you put the car in the "on" position (electronics only), you can hear the fuel pump engaging back behind you. This is making me think maybe it's the filter INSIDE of the pump as well? Because if you can get it started (im going to go grab starting fluid tomorrow, and move my car to the back of our parking lot) it runs perfectly fine.

 

[lorraine1]

wont turn over

another thing that causes rust in the tank or filter is a rotten filler neck,these rot away and some of it goes into the filter,tank.

 

[koda2000]

If you leave you fuel tank near empty you can get condensation in the tank, which causes rust. This is especially true if you leave your vehicle sitting outside for long periods of time. I would assume this is made even worse with ethanol blended fuels. As most of us are not the original owners of our vehicles, there's no telling how they might have been treated by their previous owner's. Over the winter I always stored my classic cars with full fuel tanks using non-ethanol blended fuel for this reason.

 

[wcjeep]

Agree with earlier comment. Extended use on a bad filter can kill the pump. What is your current fuel pressure?

 

[ccm2001]

Have you tried checking your Inertia switch. Check the power lines could be burnt. I had a similier issue.
Also you dont need to drop the tank to change the Fuel pump. There are many guides on here on how to.

 

[Sitcoms]

Agree with earlier comment. Extended use on a bad filter can kill the pump. What is your current fuel pressure?

Don't know the exact numbers, as up here at my college i dont have a pressure gauge. All I know is that it's pretty low.

 

[wcjeep]

Some Parts houses like Autozone have tools for rent.

 

[ranger7ltr]

No fuel pressure??? No problem...

Don't know the exact numbers, as up here at my college i dont have a pressure gauge. All I know is that it's pretty low.

You can use a tire pressure gauge in a pinch...As long as the tire gauge doesn't leak you can still get a close enough pressure reading...And I would start with changing the filter before anything else...

 

[Sitcoms]

You can use a tire pressure gauge in a pinch...As long as the tire gauge doesn't leak you can still get a close enough pressure reading...And I would start with changing the filter before anything else...

I'll have to get one when I get a ride into town to get starter fluid.
The fuel filter has already been changed - and provided relief at that moment, but it has since stopped providing any pressure.

 

[ranger7ltr]

While you in there...

I would recommend changing the fuel filter again and see if the inlet side is full of junk...If it is, you should see proper fuel pressure if the fuel pump didn't die yet...

When my filter was that clogged it would not pass enough fuel to run; after changing the filter the pump ran the engine just fine...

Hope that is the case on your truck...

 

[Sitcoms]

I would recommend changing the fuel filter again and see if the inlet side is full of junk...If it is, you should see proper fuel pressure if the fuel pump didn't die yet...

When my filter was that clogged it would not pass enough fuel to run; after changing the filter the pump ran the engine just fine...

Hope that is the case on your truck...

That's what was what seemed to be the problem when we changed it the first time - Took it off and if was filled with all kinds of gunk. Once the new one was put in, the fuel pressure had shot back up and was able to start without a problem. If I take it off again and there's tons of gunk in the new one, it makes me think that either the filter that is WITHIN the pump itself is junk, or that there is a large amount of gunk inside of the tank itself.