hard to start when ever truck sits.

[pcsullivan91]

hey everyone i just bought a 2001 trac and have been having problems with it starting whenever it sits for more than 30 minutes or so. It always starts but the engine has to turn over for like 5 seconds before catching. any ideas?
also i've noticed that a few times the "check gage" light will come on when this happens but gpes away shortly after the truck warms up.
thanks for any help

 

[03OhioSportTrac]

I just had a very similar thing happen to my 03 (122,750 miles on it) and took it to the dealership...The fuel pump was going bad, so had it replaced now it starts great, hot and cold...

 

[03_Sport_Trac]

It could be a clogged fuel filter too. Those are pretty easy to replace if ya want to try the cheaper route first.

 

[pcsullivan91]

ok i'm going to do the fuel filter right now it hasn't been changed in a while. ill let you guys know

 

[ncranchero]

Make sure you have the fuel line release tools or you'll be making another trip to the parts house.

 

[pcsullivan91]

i got the fuel filter done today. didn't help my problem much at all but definitely needed a change. had black gas in it.... ( just bought truck a week ago)

any other suggestions for my starting problem?

 

[bdmaash]

hey everyone i just bought a 2001 trac and have been having problems with it starting whenever it sits for more than 30 minutes or so. It always starts but the engine has to turn over for like 5 seconds before catching. any ideas?
also i've noticed that a few times the "check gage" light will come on when this happens but gpes away shortly after the truck warms up.
thanks for any help

which gauge is not displaying right? battery/oil/fuel/temp , one of these will indicate (low battery/low oil/ low gas), I guess low oil, change oil pressure sender, that will probably fix that.

I had an issue with leaky injectors, let it sit for an hour/ 2 hours, see if the start up time increases.
have post about it here somewhere.

 

[pcsullivan91]

no surprisingly the oil gage is fine. it is the temp gage that seems to be off? thanks for suggestion though.

 

[pcsullivan91]

could it possible be something wrong with the distributer or ignition coil? the odd part is that it is very consistent. the cooler the engine is, the harder to start (take in mind it is 105 degrees out everyday) this issue is probably gonna suck in winter.

 

[pcsullivan91]

here are some images of the gages after starting my truck this morning. does the temp or oil seem irregular?

 

[bdmaash]

the oil gauge is low, don't know if it is low enough to trigger the check gauge.
Temp does look below where it should sit, check connections on the temp sender (there's 2 don't know which one off hand). I think the sensor grounds the line, open circuit it should read cold, shorted to ground should read hot.

Coolant level could be low in the motor so that the sensor is not immersed in coolant???? I'm just guessing.

coil pack could be a possible culprit, luckily they're only about $80 new, try a hot air gun on it for a bit, before starting when cold, if that's what you think it could be.

 

[pcsullivan91]

can you explain the temp sender a little better please? are you saying it could be a faulty connection?

within a minute of driving down my street the temp gauge returns to normal and runs without flaws.

 

[bdmaash]

if you understand electronics...
The temp sensor is a variable resistor that changes value with temperature. The sensor/resistor is a voltage divider, and the gauge changes according to the voltage level.
From the sounds of things you have an intermitent connection, a simple unplug/plug of the connector may fix your problem, or the wire could be broken at the connector, or the sensor is a bit flakey.

should be the connector with red/white, black/white wires in the connector.
If the connector is unplugged, the gauge should read cold.