No start after 1st attempt & so on...

rockfordsc

Registered User
ok the car is a 90 sc with an AOD.

Problem is when its cold outside the car will start on the first try with no problem...after about 30 secs it just shuts off like i turned the key off...i try to start it again and maybe if it wants to it will start and then die after about 10 secs..then it always always always backfires while im starting it and it just plain wont start even while im givin it gas.. mechanic is a real pain in the ~~~.. he claimed to fix it with a new dis and a coil. so i go down and plan on paying the 512 dollar bill but i start it and it does the same exact thing and now he is sayin it just baffles him because he had it runnin all over town earlier this week:mad: so i ask him to please roll up the window that he somehow knocked off track and he said he wont unless i pay him 70 more dollars for labor :confused: by this time im about to hit him right between the eyes so he tells me he will get to it first thing on monday and he will fix the window free of charge..so i calmed down and left...drove down a later that night and the window...is still down with the key in the ignition and now its about 19 degrees outside and gunna have a blizzard monday night into tuesday... what do i do ?!!! I have the keys atleast lol
 
Open the door, sandwich the window glass between both hands and pull it up till seated. Then apply duct tape to hold it up until it can be repaired correctly. Search these forums for the proper way to apply adhesive to the window glass clips so that it stays fixed.

On your backfire/start problem; I'd vote for 1 of 2 things... cam sensor 180 degress off (did anybody mess with it) or bad injector.
 
i had him the fix the window today but he said the problem (not starting) was fixed for a little bit:confused: apparently he just wants to start with the more expensive things first i dont know..... i told him to check the crank and cam sensor but he told me he doesnt believe it to be one of those because the problem on occurs when it is below about 35 degrees outside :mad: what do you guys think should i just tell him to put the old parts back on ( since its obviously not fixed) and just get both a crank and cam sensor?
 
An out of phase cam sensor will not throw a code, and running with it unplugged is the quickest test to determine if its the cause of a problem. The mechanic should be able to unplug it and start it. If the engine runs right, the cam sensor is/was bad or adjusted incorrectly. It may take multiple tries to start the engine as the EEC has to guess which of the 3 coil banks to fire. If it guesses wrong, the engine won't start.. right and it'll start up right away. Basically, if it won't start within 5 seconds, key off and try again. Foot off the gas pedal always!

Now, AFTER the cam sensor is unplugged, the EEC had better toss a code that says just that. If no code, somethings not being done right. :rolleyes:

A bad crank sensor will light the up-arrow lamp on the tach while cranking. If you crank the engine.. the light should go out. If the up arrow lamp stays lit, the EEC isn't reading the crank sensor (aka PIP).

Temperature shouldn't matter as 35 isn't all that cold and certainly isn't cold enough to affect the electronics or fuel.

OK, so once you've been able to determine if those 2 things are correct, then there is one other part that usually causes running problems, and that is the DIS/ICM.

If the car will run BTW, the mechanic should be able to run the KOER cylinder balance test which will isolate problem injectors, plugs, wires, or a coil circuit. If the mech doesn't know how to do that test, he needs to consult a ford person about EEC-IV trouble shooting.
 
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pop the codes. there's a thread in the search showing you how to do that. if it pops the crank sensor then there you go. you can call fraud on the back yard mechanic. i had the crank sensor go out on me already and ya it acted funny like yours for about 2 weeks before it just wouldn't start anymore at all. cam sensors at times do same thing to, hence pop codes before doing anything. any Chilton's will have the code read outs for you. i think page 67. dont take me to the bank on this but i think crank was like code 145. i dont have the book with me atm. ill look later and edit in the codes to look for.
 
alright guys ill check those as soon as i get the car back... Thanks alot

well the guy tells me today that they changed the plugs cause they were shot and also had to change the oil and filter twice because there was so much fuel in it:confused: :confused: no idea how there is fuel in my oil but apparently they say it fixed it and its now runnin for about 30 mins on idle :eek:( wich really makes me mad considering the car acts like the thermostat sticks at times) so hopefully tomorrow when they go to start it it starts and stays runnin :mad: so far they have put a new DIS, Coil, Fuel Filter, Plugs, and oil change i this beast and the bill after the dis coil and FF was $512!! wonder what it is now
 
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