I recently took my 2011 Ford Escape 3.0 liter to the Ford dealership for an oil change and tire rotation. When I picked it up the service rep told me they took care of a recall issue which was replacing a cover on the fuel pump. Starting this same day when I go to start my car it turns over and starts but the crank time will sometimes go on for 10+ seconds before the car starts. It has always started but this is a new problem and seems to be getting worse.
I took it back to the dealership and they said they ran the fuel pump through all of the checks and there were no issues. Sometimes the car starts up pretty normally but most of the time now it involves excessive crank time. Anyone have any answers ??

 

Welcome to the site..

Try cycling the key to ON a few times/seconds prior to any cranking of the engine. Any starting improvement?

 

So far that seems to be working. What does that mean in terms of what needs to be replaced?

 

It generally means that the system isn’t building spec pressure/volume on the initial key cycle for pump run. Cycling the key a few times tends to extend the pump active run time.
Could be the fuel pump module, but given it started the issue after the completed recall, I’d take it back, leave it until they can duplicate the no/extended start. Even though they tested, somethings amiss if your experiencing long crank to start times

 

well they did something when the did whatever "recall" fix there was on the fuel pump

Problem with relying on service shops, especially dealerships where you are not talking to the "mechanic" put just some sales/service mgr., is unless you are knowledgeable about what the repair process is on your car you are F and at their mercy.

what specifically did they do to "test" the fuel pump?

it should have involved a fuel pressure gauge and they should have noted what fuel pressure is "immediately" when key is turned on. A lazy climb in fuel pressure is not good

Maybe your fuel pump is bleeding off when engine is shut off way sooner than it should. It itself not a big issue "if" fuel pressure immediately snaps up to spec when you turn the key

 

My 2012 3.0L V6 4WD is doing the exact same thing. If it is stone cold it will start right away, but if the engine is at all warm, even barely warm after sitting some hours, it will take 5 seconds to start. The car just had the aforementioned recall which was explained to me as something to do with a shroud on the fuel pump. This car has no relief port or Schrader valve on the fuel rail where I can test the pressure (thanks Ford!), also even though I have several scanners including some fairly good ones (MD802 All System) they all load the same PID set which does not include the fuel pressure. And I can't even find the fuel pressure sensor. I have tried the key cycle which doesn't seem to help. My previous car was a Mercedes C230 and it was way easier to work on, troubleshoot, and find info for. I thought going American would be an improvement but not so far. I have lots of tools and lots of test equipment. Can anyone tell me where the fuel pressure sensor is located on this car? Why does this recall seem to break the car? Can I undo the recall as a test? Thanks.

 

Hi - did you ever get this problem solved? My 2010 Escape 3.0L V6 AWD (flex) has developed the same problem - it starts up fine when cold but after driving 20-30 mins, turning engine off, then trying to re-start, it takes 5-10 cranks before it will start. I took it to my local Ford dealer and was told by service manager, 'we took it for a road test to warm it up, checked fuel pressure, and everything looks fine. If you want to try having us replacing parts we can do that". I declined! The problem continues and I'm living with it - the engine never stalls out and after it starts, it runs fine. Only issue is prolonged cranking after warmup . Any suggestions?.

 

Did you do the fuel pump flange recall?
We remove the fuel line from the pump to the fuel pump flange, there is a one time use clamp on this hose that we replace and if not done 100% exactly right it will leave the vehicle with extended crank time.
I'll admit that I have screwed this recall up once with the clamp, you have to use the clamp from the recall is the issue, and it can't be purchased separate from the other recall parts. If the service manager won't pay for the part then go complain to the general manager, if that doesn't work complain to ford corperate.

 

Scott - thanks for the quick reply. I have no idea if the fuel pump flange recall was done, but I will certainly take it back to the Ford dealer that has been doing my service work. As I explained, I've been having this problem for a couple years now and it did seem to start out of the blue so maybe they did the recall and I wasn't aware of it, and maybe they didn't do it correctly. But when I did take it back for the problem, no mention was made of the fuel pump flange recall. Is there a way to check online if my Escape has had that recall performed, or would that be something only a Ford dealer could check on?

Thanks,
Bob

 

Scott - now that I think about it, I do remember my dealer doing a recall involving the fuel system. So guess it was the fuel pump flange. Guess they didn't do it properly. I think I did ask the service manager to re-do it and they said I'd have to pay for the job. Guess it's time to consider trading this one in if it's an issue caused by a factory authorized recall that screwed up the fuel system. That was a few years ago so guess it's useless now to try and get this fixed since I understand the part is now impossible to get. Don't think I'll be buying another Ford product.