Odd issue of not starting.

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

13raptorcrew

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Posts
463
Reaction score
435
Location
Forest Lake, MN
Brake shift interlock??? I have seen issues with those before. Does the 'P' illuminate in the cluster every time you put it in park (like every time!)? Is there a slight clicking noise from under the dash when slightly squeezing the shifter (there should be a click from under the steering wheel)?

Just a thought...
 

Ingot SVT

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Posts
144
Reaction score
107
Location
Issaquah, Wa
How long is it parked after arriving to any location and then going out to restart whenit has happened? It could be a heat soak issue with the crank position sensor or possibly cam position sensor. When it cranks but will not fire watch the tachometer to see if the needle is moving around the 150-200 rpm range if it isn't then it most likely would be a open circuit in the crank position sensor when hot. But once the engine and sensor cool down everything is good till it gets hot again. This would allow the engine to crank but not fire because the ECU has no clue where cylinder 1 is and will not turn either the fuel pump or injector pulse on.
 

COBRA90GT

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Posts
832
Reaction score
473
Location
HOCKEYTOWN ® MI
...This started after I took it in for a tune up, could this be related in some fashion?...

No doubt that an intermittent "no start" condition is frustrating as hell.

Who (same dealership or an independent shop?) did the "tune up" work on your truck and what exactly was performed during the work btw?

I suppose it's possible someone could have forgot to re-connect a bit of wiring/harness, etc but usually an engine "miss" is a more likely outcome when that happens.

Since you did some electrical work on the truck recently (lights) did you doublecheck that the battery cables were both tightened down after the work was completed (assuming you disconnected power at the battery prior to doing the electrical work)?

Just throwing out some ideas...
 
OP
OP
K

KevinMs

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Posts
46
Reaction score
3
How long is it parked after arriving to any location and then going out to restart whenit has happened? It could be a heat soak issue with the crank position sensor or possibly cam position sensor. When it cranks but will not fire watch the tachometer to see if the needle is moving around the 150-200 rpm range if it isn't then it most likely would be a open circuit in the crank position sensor when hot. But once the engine and sensor cool down everything is good till it gets hot again. This would allow the engine to crank but not fire because the ECU has no clue where cylinder 1 is and will not turn either the fuel pump or injector pulse on.

This is what makes the situation weird and frustrating. The truck will fire when cold and fire when hot, but not when its been sitting between 1.5-3 hours. Something is going on when left to sit. My wife, of all people, wondered if maybe there was an injector leak down causing a flood type situation over the course time. She was displaying her mad google skills while waiting for someone to come pick us up friday night when we were stranded. While not the most exciting date night, it goes down as certainly one of the embarrassing ones.

---------- Post added at 06:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:32 AM ----------

No doubt that an intermittent "no start" condition is frustrating as hell.

Who (same dealership or an independent shop?) did the "tune up" work on your truck and what exactly was performed during the work btw?

The local dealership did the tune up. Transmission flush(truck is at 70k miles), new plugs, wires and checked the coils. Also had a check engine light which I asked about but the service manager didnt go into much about it, short quick answer that he equated to needing a tune up. Just to clarify, truck ran flawless up until this point. No CEL's when I dropped it off Saturday.
 

FordService

FRF Addict
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Posts
1,011
Reaction score
512
...The local dealership did the tune up. Transmission flush(truck is at 70k miles), new plugs, wires and checked the coils. Also had a check engine light which I asked about but the service manager didnt go into much about it, short quick answer that he equated to needing a tune up. Just to clarify, truck ran flawless up until this point. No CEL's when I dropped it off Saturday.

Is the truck still at the dealership or back home with you, KevinMs? Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Crystal
 
OP
OP
K

KevinMs

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Posts
46
Reaction score
3
The truck is still at the dealership. I haven't heard from them since early yesterday morning when I called to make sure the service manager completely understood the problem. I am sure they are trying to replicate the problem based off the information I gave them, and that in its self will be a challenge considering how sporadic the problem has been.
Update.
Just got off the phone with the service manager. They cannot find anything wrong with the truck. They are keeping it one more day then releasing it. When its released I will still have a vehicle that is unreliable and a roll of the dice on the chance it will crank or not.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
K

KevinMs

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Posts
46
Reaction score
3
Got the truck back from the dealership yesterday and no change. They could not find anything wrong. This morning I replicated exactly what I did when this started, drove 20 miles, cut the truck off and let it sit for 45 mins and drove 20 miles back with no issues yet. Now I get ready to leave again, just like before, and it does not crank. The tach does spin over, a suggested clue from an earlier poster, but the fuel pump doesn't come on. Its extremely cold here today so it didnt take long for the truck to reach cold temps again. After it did, it fired right up. I could definitely tell the difference with the sound of the fuel pump kicking on this time vs when it wouldnt crank. Another piece of the puzzle maybe. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 

MTF

FRF Addict
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Posts
5,437
Reaction score
2,371
Location
Celebration, Florida
The fuel pump is in the tank and I never really listen for it but never heard anything walking pass the truck.
And I've upgraded my fuel pump to a higher performance one and even this one doesn't whine. Not like my Chevy Tahoe did, that sucker was loud.
I hardly ever have the truck below 1/8 full, I would assume this is when you would hear it.
You do know when the fuel rails are up to pressure and the engine isn't demanding fuel the PCM will shut and or voltage down the fuel pump.
So in the morning it might spool up for a second or two. Unless the fuel rail sensors are bad.
You may want to get yourself in the habit of turning the key on for a few seconds before cranking to start, even remote start does this.
It gives the PCM time to check all the sensors, even though this should happen instantaneously.

---------- Post added at 01:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:06 PM ----------

There is a TSB for a few Fords not cranking and or shutting down while driving,
I was reading this a while back when my daughters 2013 Titanium Escape received a recall letter.
Has to do with wiring harness not made correctly.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
K

KevinMs

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Posts
46
Reaction score
3
My truck is sitting at half a tank right now. One would have thought for the entire week that the dealership could have replicated the same problem it took me less than 2 hours to do. My fuel pump doesn't whine but when the key is turned to the on position you can briefly hear an audible click and buzzing sound for about 2-3 seconds. If you hear that, it will crank, if not then it won't. I could very well be wrong but it sounds like the fuel pump energizing. I know there is a long list of sensors and related things that could go wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

MTF

FRF Addict
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Posts
5,437
Reaction score
2,371
Location
Celebration, Florida
Yeah the truck makes all kinds of sounds when you turn the key, especially inside the cab. LOL
I have a 2010 so I hear the hard drive spool up and hear a fan for the Nav head or hard drive (not sure)
then it does a DVD check and a couple of clicks going on in the engine bay, probably the ABS check and so on.
But next time I go out to start I'm going to listen if I hear the fuel pump.
 
Last edited:
Top