Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Difficult starting....baffling me!!

I have seached, and I cannot find a definte answer on this one...

My car is a 1999 SVT with 42K on the clock.

The symptoms it exhibits are difficulty starting on the first start of the day. It cranks normally, and just does not fire. It will just crank and crank and crank. This used to happen about once per month, now it is happening more frequently.

This also happens when the car sits for extended periods of time...like 3-7 days.

The weird thing about it...is that the car will start if I let it sit for 15-30 minutes after it won't start, and I go back and try again. I usually will have to pump the gas a bit...but it will start.

I have done the following things to the car to try to fix the problem:

-New plugs 8K ago
-New wires 1K ago
-Cleaned battery terminals and cables 1K ago
-Changed the fuel filter 8K ago

And on a side note..the ISC was replaced by the dealer about 10K ago...

Also, I hear the fuel pump come on before I try to start it...and the check engine light goes out when I am trying to start it.

Any advice would be very appreciated.

Later,
Patrick

Sounds as if you are not maintaining fuel pressure.
When did symptom first start? After fuel filter change?

AL

It just started happening out of the blue, but it was after the fuel filter change. Not right after, (probably 4-5K after the filter change was the first incident).

I guess I could change the fuel filter again....

What do you guys think? Is there a FPR that could go bad, or a check vavle or something?

Later,
Patrick

The manual says it could be the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) - leaking diaphram:

HC6 CHECK PRESSURE REGULATOR DIAPHRAGM

Start engine and run engine for 10 seconds.

Key off, wait 10 seconds.

Key off, remove vacuum hose from fuel pressure regulator port.

Inspect for fuel in the vacuum hose or regulator port.

Is the vacuum hose and regulator port free of fuel?

No
REPLACE fuel pressure regulator. RESTORE vehicle. RECHECK for fuel in the vacuum hose and regulator port.

Also could be a leaking injector or a bad Fuel pump.

AL

Maybe I will just change the fuel pressure regulator.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Patrick

Maybe I am looking at the wrong part...or fully understanding this...but the thing I am looking at under the hood is off to the driver's side of the fuel rail. It is after the hard line that has a schrader valve connection on it. It is a silver cylinder piece with a flange, and has one line coming in, and one going out.

Is that the fuel pressure regulator? Which hose do I pull off and look for fuel in? The one closer to the schrader valve, or the one farther away?

Thanks,
Patrick

Maybe the fuel pump check valve it stuck open?? Fuel drains out during the night and has to be primed in the morning.

My car is in the shop right now for the excact same thing. The last couple months it got worse and worse about not wanting to start. They are actully replacing the fuel pump. Still under warranty so I don't have to pay for it.. but I would have never guessed it either. Maybe its that also.

It is driving me nuts. It wouldn't start this morning. Lucky I have another car to drive!

I made sure I had fuel pressure at the rail by pressing the schrader valve, and fuel squirted out at me...so I know this is pressure in the rail...but it still wouldn't start.

I don't want to take it to the dealer...but I really want the car to start dependably.

Let me know what happens with yours Alley Racer. Did your car run fine once it was started?

Edit..

By the way, I noticed this morning...that the check engine light DOES NOT go out when I am trying to start it...what does that mean?

Thanks,
Patrick

Hey I got my car back and its back to normal expect they had to pour out a half tank of gas. But they said that there was no pressure getting to the something or other and that is why it was starting hard all the time. Starts great now! Hope this helps