Hello all:

I hope someone can lead in in the right direction. I have a 1996 Ford Explorer 2WD and today all of a sudden it would not start. I drove it around, stopped to pick something up to eat and when I got back to the car, it would not start. It sounded like it was going to turn over (or crank is that's the word for it), but it would just die. I tried this several times with the same effect. Finally about 15 minutes of trying and jiggling the steering wheel, it cranked up and started. Does anyone know what the cause could be? The lights were on (I didn't notice if they dimmed when I tried to start the SUV). When I got home, I turned off the car and tried to start it several time, each time with no problem. Was this a fluke, or is something bad about to happen?

Any help will be greatly appreciated

jocasio

 

Welcome to the site..

Whats the current mileage? Original fuel pump?

Hard to know forsure, could be many things, more soonan intermittent.. Could be a failing fuel pump, pump relay.. Could be that cycling the key helped to get it up and running.. If it should 'no start' again, listen to see if you can hear the fuel pump run.. Generally you can hear the 'hiss' or 'hum' of a running pump at the back of the vehicle or through an open tank fill neck.. Any time the key/starter is 'bumped' the vehicles PCM will run the pump for few seconds..It would be easier to help if it actually wouldn't start, but not a good situation either since it usually doesn't happen in your own driveway.. At a guess given the year, and if the original fuel pump,I'd say fuel related because of the fact that you said it 'almost started' then died.. If some fuel pressure was present, and the engine was started or attempted, the available pressure would be exhausted and the engine would die if the pumpdoesn't run....

Could be ignition related ect, many possibilities for a no start......

 

Hayapower:

Thank you for the speedy reply. I have approx 160,000 miles on it and I do believe it has the original fuel pump. My original thought was that fuel was not getting getting to the engine because I had approx 4 gallons left and I was on a slight incline (facing down). However, every time I tried to start the engine it would start to turn over and then stop and the only light that stayed on was the battery light. My Check engine light has been on and that has been diagnosed to an O2 sensor problem. I'll check to see if I hear any sound in the fuel tank area if it happens again, but today it started with no problem. I have had the starter replaced about 1 1/2 years ago and the trans has been replaced twice. I also think I had the alternator replaced in the last 4 years as well.

If this has shed any light and there are other possibilities, please let me know and I will try to check on those issues as well.

Thanks again for your assistance!!!

jocasio

 

In your original post, you said it would turn over, almost start then die.. But you meant that it would begin to 'crank' (not actually run or start to fire) and would quit cranking... Correct?

 

Yes. I guess I'm not sure on the terminology, but when I turned the key it would make the noise as it always does. It's not really the engine starting, it's more of the noise you generally hear right before the engine starts. Typically the noise is quick and the engine starts. Lat night, that was all I hear and I do believe in some instances the engine was trying to start (the car would shake a bit), but it would just die.

I hope I'm making sense. As you probably already guessed I am car iliterate

Thanks again

jocasio