Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Contour Cranks But Won't Start Suspect Fuel Issue

We had checked the relay and that was good too. Traded it with the relay for the horn just to be sure. Checked most of the applicable fuses as well and they all look good. I hate to have to give up and take it to the dealer. Seems something major keeps happening to this car every 6 months and I'm getting sick of it.

Do a search, this problem has come up before. Check you IAT sensor.

Don't bring it to a dealer!!! They don't know jack squat! People here could tell you more about it then Ford. They'd probably scratch their heads and start replacing parts. And rip you off for $60 an hour or more. You by far have the best resources here.

Don't feel bad. My car needs attention I'd say about every month. It was tranny in June, crankshaft position sensor not to long ago. Followed by the alternator. And I could name many more that happened earlier this year (including radiator). But, you know your car will last a long time if you can keep fixing it without getting too frustrated. I'm pretty close to 200,000 miles. That's at least where I intend to go. But the last 10,000 miles have been quite expensive.

christinep,

You have sucessfully isolated the problem to the fuel delivery system. This means you have a problem in getting adequate fuel to the fuel rail under pressure, injectors supplying the fuel into the intake properly, or some fault that is causing the computer to either not get a correct input or has an incorrect output.

The problem is not the starter (it starts with starting fluid), the IAT sensor (sensor is not used for engine management during startup cycle), or the crank sensor (it starts with starting fluid) based on your tests.

You need to do the first thing that a dealer technician is trained to do: Connect an OBDII scanner and see if there are any KOEO or stored DTCs (Diagnostic Test Codes).

Once you have THAT information, you can proceed in troubleshooting any fuel system codes that may be read.

First, try cracking the throttle 1/4 way and see if it will fire. If it does, focus on the the IAC system.

If it does not, you must see if there are any codes and proceed from there.

The fuel delivery and monitoring system in these cars is significantly more complex than the previous generation of fuel injected engines. You MUST use the computer to help diagnose faults in cases like this.

Steve

PS. I do not like your fuel pressure readings.

As for the flaming of dealership technicians, knock it off. They have the advantage of factory training and factory diagnostic tools that you won't find here. Most of the technicians work hard and are concientious about fixing your car right the first time. If you can get past the service writer/advisor, you can discover some really good techs out there who understand these systems and know how to diagnose them. Their training, tools, and experience are not free. You can expect to pay a premium price for their service under a dealership banner. That said, I rarely take my car to a dealer because it is so hard to deal directly with a tech.


Edit: BTW, your very first post has key information. When the key is cycled on, your pump should run for one second. Yours failed that test.

We have been concerned that the fuel pump was the issue. Between the noises it generates (or lack of noice) and the lack of initial instant pressure build-up when keying on the system.

I'd suspect that when I almost ran out of gas I could have picked something up in the pump (or that running almost out may have burned the pump). The car only last about 7 miles after I filled up.

Even with substantial force at the fuel pump locking ring tabs, we were unable to break the seal to the tank at the rear seat access point. No problems getting the fuel lines off. I saw the how-to at the main site for the returnless pumps and that pretty much says to do what we were doing. Are there any other tricks to getting that open???

I have my own concerns about "stealerships' and am not in need of yours. Your posts are pointless in this thread as to helping the original poster identify the source of the car's technical problems. This thread can best be helpful if it is not littered with whines, gripes, and other extraneous [censored]. Of course the dealership is out for money, that's why they are there (Duh!). If they were a charity, they would all be free.

Back to the subject at hand...

Having not had the pleasure of removing a FP from a Contour, I can't be of service in advising on how to do it. Someone else with that experience will probably chime in.

I would see if it is possible to disconnect the fuel line at both ends and see if low- pressure (3-5 psi) air can be blown through it. A clogged or resticted fuel line will cause delivery problems, but that fuel pump motor still has to run reliably.


Steve

Check for power to the fuel rail for the injectors. Contours also have too many junk relays in the power distribution box. Some of them power up the fuel pump, fuel rail and ignition.

I don't know for certain about these cars but I wan't to ask about the PATS system. Could the system be malfunctioning? Does the PATS system affect ignition or the fuel system. Obviously if it shuts down the ignition, the car would not have run with ether, however if the PATS system disables the injectors, and/or does not apply full voltage to fuel pump, you would experience the same problem.
Any ideas?