98 Taurus very long crank to start

456 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by KickNit, 14 d ago

KickNit

1998 Ford Taurus LX
Engine 3.0
8th Vin#U
158,800 miles

Taurus takes 15+ minutes of cranking before starting, after starting it has a very rough idle for about 30 seconds, then it clears up and runs fine. Now, if I don’t start it at least once a week it goes back to the 15+ minutes of cranking each time.

So far we have replaced the fuel pump, timing chain and gears, idle air control, crank sensor, also I bought a new coil pack, hooked it up and it made no difference, so I took the coil pack back. I believe the compression on each cylinder was right at 85-90, fuel pressure 55lb.

It has now been sitting for right at two years, I cranked it last summer and got it running and haven’t touched it since. I’m hoping the FORD experts can guide me in the right direction because it was a very reliable car, and out of nowhere it became unreliable.

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rjacket

· #2 · 26 d ago

Sounds like leaky injectors.

Btw, the most knowledgeable Ford experts wrote this thing called the workshop manual (~$20 on ebay or free through your local library on Alldata or Chilton). It gives you a diagnostic path for virtually every problem that minimizes unnecessary part changing

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Automender12345

· #3 · 26 d ago

85 to 90 PSI compression is bad for a car. It should be over 120 psi. Could be low compression causing the hard starts if you are sure of your numbers.
What about sparkplugs and wires?
You could give it a shot of starter fluid to see if it is a fuel delivery issue and also pull a plug after cranking it to see if it is soaked with gas.
How about fuel filter?

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rjacket

· #4 · 26 d ago

Automender12345 said:
85 to 90 PSI compression is bad for a car. It should be over 120 psi. Could be low compression causing the hard starts if you are sure of your numbers.
What about sparkplugs and wires?
You could give it a shot of starter fluid to see if it is a fuel delivery issue and also pull a plug after cranking it to see if it is soaked with gas.
How about fuel filter?

I wonder if leaky injectors are washing oil into the crankcase and reducing compression the longer it sits.

Would suggest pulling a plug before cranking and after it has been sitting to check for signs of leaky injectors.

Should also try removing the fuel pump relay / fuse and seeing if starting is easier after it has been sitting.

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Automender12345

· #5 · 25 d ago

rjacket said:
I wonder if leaky injectors are washing oil into the crankcase and reducing compression the longer it sits.

Would suggest pulling a plug before cranking and after it has been sitting to check for signs of leaky injectors.

Should also try removing the fuel pump relay / fuse and seeing if starting is easier after it has been sitting.

My 2001 with 200k miles tested at 130 psi. I don't think lack of oil would drop that number to 95.

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zenriddles

· #6 · 25 d ago

Keep it simple -
Key on, Engine off. Do not crank.
Key off, back on again - three times total.

THEN crank it. Are results improved?
Who has ever heard of the anti-backflow valve on a Gen 3 Bull failing at the fuel pump?

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KickNit

Discussion Starter · #7 · 25 d ago

New plugs and wires
Last time I checked compression I was using my dad‘s older equipment, today I bought a deluxe compression test kit and here are the results.
1=108
2=118
3=118
4=102
5=119
6=107

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Automender12345

· #8 · 25 d ago

That's a little better but usually the cylinders should be within 10 percent of the others. Was the fuel pressure pretty constant after the car is shut off? How long does it take to start to drop?

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helifino

· #9 · 24 d ago

rjacket said:
Sounds like leaky injectors.

Really, you should rule out leaky injectors first. Try 'clear flood mode': hold pedal to the floor and crank. This disables the injectors. If the engine starts or speeds up like it was about to start while pedal is held, it's because fuel has leaked out of the injectors into the intake. If not, continue to:

zenriddles said:
Keep it simple -
Key on, Engine off. Do not crank.
Key off, back on again - three times total.

THEN crank it. Are results improved?

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KickNit

Discussion Starter · #10 · 22 d ago

helifino said:
Really, you should rule out leaky injectors first. Try 'clear flood mode': hold pedal to the floor and crank. This disables the injectors. If the engine starts or speeds up like it was about to start while pedal is held, it's because fuel has leaked out of the injectors into the intake. If not, continue to:

Neither changed the outcome, And there are no codes found during the scan.

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prariedom

· #11 · 20 d ago

Do you have access to an induction timing light? You can clamp on each wire to verify firing - I've had luck with clamping on the coil on plug. Good starting point to verify a steady fire; if you can feel or verify sufficient vacumn that'll tell you you have air (and a good gage may tip you to another problem). BTW a steady strong blink at the timing light usually indicates good spark as long as plugs are good. If these two check, that leaves fuel. Check pressure at the rail, try starting fluid or carb cleaner - lack of fuel, starts, no start, probably flooding. Then investigate why. 'Noid lights can be invaluable - I've had ecu's shut down injectors even when there is fuel and all - helps trace what's going on. Old days and TBI you could use the timing light to check fuel spray, not so much mpfi lol.

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rjacket

· #12 · 20 d ago

I don't think you have properly ruled out leaky injectors.

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eastwildlife

· #13 · 17 d ago

It's quite possible 2 yr old fuel won't ignite. Have you replaced the fuel filter?

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KickNit

Discussion Starter · #14 · 14 d ago (Edited)

zenriddles said:
Keep it simple -
Key on, Engine off. Do not crank.
Key off, back on again - three times total.

THEN crank it. Are results improved?
Who has ever heard of the anti-backflow valve on a Gen 3 Bull failing at the fuel pump?

Well, remember how I told you it had been years since anything had been tested, today I went and bought a fuel pressure kit, I got zero pressure, not even a drop came out when I pushed the valve stem. Dropped the tank with the wire still connected and pulled the fuel pump cap off, Turned the key to the on position, and it sprays fuel straight up. Maybe it’s like a check valve issue. Or anti-blowback

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