Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 2.5L wierd no start problem

Go out to start the car in the morning and it cranks but doesn't fire. Acts like it's flooded. Tried cranking with the accelerator floored, still doesn't fire. I've owned the car about 4 years and it has done this three times now. Always in cold weather. No codes are shown.
Previously I was forced to let the car sit for several hours and then it would start normally.
This last time I connected a fuel pressure gauge to the fuel rail. I have roughly 50 psi. I then opened the vent on the pressure gauge with a line to a plastic container.
I cranked the car with this vent open and the car starts! It was running with essentially 0 psi and gas pouring into the container! I disconnected the gauge and I was back on the road in 15 minutes.

Any idea what could be the cause of this?

A sticking fuel pressure regulator? Since it only happens in the cold maybe freezing moisture is causing the regulator to stick. Although I haven't experienced it my self, in theory it seems possible. Try running dry gas regularly in your tank ans see what happens.

I was thinking about the regulator. So you are saying the regulator would fail "high" and create excess fuel pressure to the injectors which floods the engine? I wonder if the computer can't pick that up as a mis fire or a rich mixture.

I do run dri-gas red about every second or third fill up.

If this happens again try just cracking the throttle open it is probably your idle air control valve and not the regulator. If you search you will find a lot of people with the same problem. Happened to my wifes car. Once it got running it starting working normal again. It probably started with no gas due to it actually getting close to the right mixture when there was barely any pressure.