Starting problem on N/A 3.8

ThunderDave

Registered User
Maybe someone can help me with this. My mother-in-law has an 89 Taurus wagon with a n/a 3.8. It has developed a problem of not wanting to start sometimes. It will turn over fine, but won't crank. Each time she has had it towed to a shop and when they get it, it starts right up. This has happened twice now. I wasn't sure if they had the ground wires on them like we have and was thinking that might be a possibility.

Of course the shop can't figure out what's wrong with it if it cranks and they want to charge her to do a diagnostic test, which might not show anything if it's a bad ground. I'd like to help her get it fixed without it costing and arm at the shop. Anyone run into this before with a n/a 3.8 or have any ideas?

Thanks!!!
 
I had this happen to me on 88 and 89 n/a T-birds. It only happened when it was cold (morning or evening). The car would start in the middle of the day. I'm sure it was condensation inside the distributor cap because when I wiped it clean and then smeared dielectric grease/compound around the metal contacts inside the cap, the problem went away. You should give the same treatment to the plug boots and coil boot.
Of course you could always get a new mother-in-law. :D
 
J.D. said:
Of course you could always get a new mother-in-law. :D

I like my mother-in-law very much. She's only about 10 years older than me. :eek: :D Anway, could I get a new step-mother instead? :eek: :D

I'll try the cap thing and see if that helps. If that was it, I don't know if there was enough time from when it wouldn't start at our house and when the shop she had it towed to got around to looking at it, if the condensation could have dried up enough for it to start. :confused: :eek:

I was thinking more of a short or something and the car gets jarred around enough to (if at all momentarily) fix the short to where they could start the car. :confused: :eek:

But I will try the cap thing first. Thanks!!
 
NCredSC said:
Maybe someone can help me with this. My mother-in-law has an 89 Taurus wagon with a n/a 3.8. It has developed a problem of not wanting to start sometimes. It will turn over fine, but won't crank. Each time she has had it towed to a shop and when they get it, it starts right up. This has happened twice now. I wasn't sure if they had the ground wires on them like we have and was thinking that might be a possibility.

Of course the shop can't figure out what's wrong with it if it cranks and they want to charge her to do a diagnostic test, which might not show anything if it's a bad ground. I'd like to help her get it fixed without it costing and arm at the shop. Anyone run into this before with a n/a 3.8 or have any ideas?

Thanks!!!


The problem i have seen way too many times on fords is when you turn the key, all electronics turn on, but the engine doesn't do anything. The issue was the starter wire on the starter. Ford had this bright idea to use a clip instead of a nut/bolt idea and the clip gets corroded and the contacts don't actually contact anymore. The cheap fix to this is just wiggling the wire every time it doesn't start. But i replaced a few faulty starters in my SC and the third one i got Ford finally remedied the problem. They gave me a starter w/ a bolt and a wire to splice in so i wouldn't need the clip anymore. works perfectly. Let me know if this was any help

Tom '93 5-Speed SC
 
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