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Deno -> RE: 2004 Crown Vic starting problem (12/6/2007 6:27:50 AM)
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An update to the 04 Crown Vic starting issues:
After replacing fuel pump and MAP sensor, the vehicle still would not start in the morning (and it's getting cold in N. Wisconsin). I plugged in the engine heater for two hours over the weekend and it finally started. I took it to the same independent shop for another attempt. I offered him these suggestions that had been given to me: check idle speed control motor; if it idles up normally, have the coolant temp checked at cold start as if it's reading too cold, it can cause that problem; and finally if the fuel pressure regulator is leaking off, it can bleed fuel into the intake and flood the car on cold start. I was told that the shop had indeed checked out those issues already.
(During the prolonged attempts to start it on the weekend, I could smell that it was flooded.)
The shop owner said he picked up on my comment about the CV starting after being warmed up, and checked the plugs. The electrodes were worn down quite a bit and he replaced the plugs, etc ($177). That seemed to have done the trick as it has been starting fine the last two days. So after three trips to the shop and $1,200 I have a Crown Vic that starts. The mechanic said I had "multiple" issues with the CV meaning the fuel pump and MAP sensor.
I want to pass along this bit of advice. I chatted with the service manager at a Chrysler dealership about the problems I was experiencing, and he noted in an aside that his shop does not have the computer equipment that would check all the error codes on a Ford product. I inferred from that maybe smaller independent shops also don't have the computer equipment to read error codes other than the basic ones. So would a trip to the Ford shop have picked up the fact that the plugs were worn out?
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