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starting problem

boja

New CEG'er
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
7
First of all, Hello to everyone here. I have a '99 Contour SE and its got a problem, that im hoping you guys can help me with.

When the car is starting from a cold engine, it absolutely will not start. Once in a while you'll hear and feel the car about to turn over but just refuses to. Then we'll let off the starter, wait a couple seconds, and try again. After a few tries, the engine gets warm enough that the car begins to get on the edge of starting. The next try, it'll come on, hesitate, and then idle healthily.

Essentially, on a hot engine, it starts up on the first crank. On a cold engine, we have to sit there and crank it for a while before it'll do anything.
 
Sounds like a fuel delivery problem. I'd suspect a fuel filter & listen for the fuel pump hum when I first turned the key in the morning.

Do you ever smell raw gasoline when trying to start it?
Have you had any work done on it recently? Plugs & wires maybe?
 
well first off welcome to CEG! Does sound like a possible fuel problem, though I dont think just a bad fuel filter would cause it not to start.

Where there any other symptoms before this occured? Or did you just go to start it one day and have it not start?
 
well first off welcome to CEG! Does sound like a possible fuel problem, though I dont think just a bad fuel filter would cause it not to start.

Where there any other symptoms before this occured? Or did you just go to start it one day and have it not start?

i bought the car with this problem (only $1500) so i dont know anything that was done to it or any older symptoms

we have a guy coming to my house tomorrow with some machine that will tell us exactly whats wrong with it :laugh:
 
i bought the car with this problem (only $1500) so i dont know anything that was done to it or any older symptoms

we have a guy coming to my house tomorrow with some machine that will tell us exactly whats wrong with it :laugh:

Well when you are told what the problem is by this guy, make sure you check back with us before you do anything major! ;)
 
Well when you are told what the problem is by this guy, make sure you check back with us before you do anything major! ;)

well unfortunately, the machine he had was "unable to give him enough information" so he has to come back tomorrow or monday.

my brother has been asking some people and the common consensus is that its a bad coil, which i think makes good sense.
 
..my brother has been asking some people and the common consensus is that its a bad coil, which i think makes good sense.
Find someone with a OBDII scanner/reader. Get the codes, then post the exact codes here or in Troubleshooting. If there are no codes, it could be the battery was disconnected (and the codes were lost) or it was something intermittent which did not trigger codes. Could be...as posted starter/solenoid, fuel, PATS, maybe even just loose battery cable connection or wiring to starter, to ground or to alternator.

What was the name of this "machine"?

If car starts again, drive to Autozone or Advance and get the codes read (free service).

Welcome to CEG.
 
this is getting really frustrating. We've tried putting in a new oil filter, new gas, and a new ignition coil, and the car still has the same starting problem. I think the next thing we're gonna try is with the fuel line or injector or something along those lines
 
this is getting really frustrating. We've tried putting in a new oil filter, new gas, and a new ignition coil, and the car still has the same starting problem. I think the next thing we're gonna try is with the fuel line or injector or something along those lines
You've already spent $200 replacing parts which may not be broken and it looks like another $200 (without knowing if it will fix the problem). Get a $200 Actron 9145 Scanner, scan and post the codes and PIDs.
 
Wont' start cold

Wont' start cold

From your message, I assume the engine is turning over but will not start very well when cold? And starts well when hot?

I would check into the fuel system and the associated parts that tell the system what temperature the engine is.

In the old days carbs had chokes, because a cold engine needed a rich fuel mixture to start. That is true even with fuel injection, a cold motor needs a rich fuel mixture to start.

So my suggestion is to look at the temperature sensors that tell the computer what temperature the motor is and go from there.

Andrew the cam belt shredder
 
well, good news...i guess. i just found out that the first time they tried to use that machine (it gives those codes you guys were talking about) it didnt detect anything. but, BUT, now my check engine light is on, showing that the engine knows something is wrong, so the code machine will probably work when the guy comes back soon :) :shrug:
 
well the answer's in...blown headgasket :shrug:

we have the car at a mechanic and my dad is going to decide what he wants to do, who knows how much its gonna cost :crazy:
 
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