Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting engine flooded overnight

i have a 1998 zetec engine. the engine is extremely flooded every morning. It seems to be flooded only if i let it sit overnight or over a long period of time >12 hours or so. Anyone have any idea why this is happening.

thanks
ianworld

What makes you say that your engine is flooded? As I understand it this is not possible with fuel injection! Someone correct me if I am wrong! More likely a clogged gas tank pump, or fuel filter.

Daniel

lol I didnt think about the car being fuel injected or I would of mentioned that. Could the injectors have anything to do with it? I doubt it but you never and it doestn hurt to ask.

thanks for the reply guys. i don't know of a better word to describe this.

when i try to start the car in the morning, it won't start and when i take one of the spark plugs off, it filled with raw fuel, therefore i said it is flooded.

i have replaced the fuel filter, check the ECT sensor. The problem still exist.

will take any comments/suggestions.

thanks!
ianworld

your ingition switch might not be shuttign off completely thus leaving your pump on... hell thats the only thing I can think of but I know very little about cars so that may not be it

You could have a leaking fuel injector. There is residual pressure in the fuel rail after shut-off. The injectors could be leaking and allowing the fuel to drip in. There is a test for this. Have it checked.

Starting a cold engine requires more voltage from the ignition system than a starting warm engine. Make sure the plugs, wires and ignition parts are in good condition. If the ignition system is not providing enough voltage to create a good spark at the spark plugs; this will cause that problem.

Leaking fuel injectors also could be the problem but the ignition system is more than likely the cause.

do you also have poor gas mileage? What about loss of power when passing or going up hill? Running smoothely? Perhaps we are onto something with the defective fuel injector theory. Only a guess.

I'd chek the inginition system, but also the air supply, if there isn't enough air the plugs always have fuel on them,
BTW I had a similar problem with a 94 sentra, it was very difficult to start and when you took off one plug it has a lot of gas on it, we checked a lot of thing and it resulted to be the rotor of the distributor (i.e. ignition system)

hope this helps

more of this symptoms, it tends to down shift when i hit a small hill. i loaded my car with 4 people, and it's just a drag. I hardly can accelerate.

thanks for all your replies.