[buck252]

My Mom is having a problem with her daily driver, a 98 Ford Taurus. I don’t know the details on the engine but I think it is a DOHC 6 cyc. This problem has happened twice now but fortunately she has not been stranded in a bad place. She had no warning that there was a problem. She went into a store came back out just a couple of minutes later & car would not start. Called for a tow truck & while waiting for about an hour tried again & it started right up as if nothing had ever happened. The car ran fine for about a month. Now, it has happened again. This time the car started right up but after moving about 100' it suddenly died. Again, it would not start. After letting it sit for an hour it started right up again. She has driven it a couple of days now with no problems. What do you guys think this could possibly be?

Really appreciate your help & opinions on this one.

Thanks

Buck

 

[rayell]

After it won't crank is it getting fire to the plugs? Is it getting fuel to the cylinders? There are so many things that could cause this. Anyone would be just guessing without checking everything out.

BTW: This has happened on my wife"s 2000, DOHC 3.8 engine two times. It was the rubber PCV hose from the rear bank burned and letting the engine be too lean. Computers are a mystery to me. It showed a bad oxygen senser was bad, when diagnosing.

_________________
Ray

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: rayell on 3/17/06 8:39pm ]</font>

 

[CaptVirgilHilts]

These are the hardest things to diagnose. Generally these things are electrical in nature. One thing that comes to mind are the relays for the EEC and fuel pump. The EEC relay will kill every thing pretty much. If it happens again try locating the relays and give them a hard smack. Not sure where they are on that car; usually they are in the passenger kick panel. Worth investigating ahead of time. Stu

 

[ChicoB]

Just a hunch.....

Check the inertia fuel pump switch in the trunk. If it is faulty, has bad connections, or is tripped it will cut power to the fuel pump, and the car wont start.

It is usually located in the trunk behind the trunk liner somewhere. They usually have a little white "button" sticking out of the top of it. Check it and make sure its not tripped, try and reset it, and check connections.

Should be quick, easy and cheap to check.

Good luck.

 

[v8shadow]

My little quote on the end of my signature says it all and this is why: Our reliable 95 Olds daily driver just one day for no reason refused to start. Cranking didnt work. Shooting starting fluid into the throttle body didnt show any difference, so I didnt think fuel pump. Right before I was ready to give it to the mechanic (I dont do modern cars with sensors/computers) I put the pedal all the way down and I cranked it again to see it start right up! Not wanting to claim the car just "healed" itself, I pulled a wire of off a spark plug while it was running with a pliers. Good spark as can be realized when even though I was carefull, I shocked the SH** out of myself. However, when I pulled the wire, a bunch of rusty powder went everywhere. The connection between wire and plug was all corroded. I performed a tune up (plugs and wires). All six plugs looked like they had some kind of prehistoric limestone all over the the electrodes (where the spark happens), and the electrodes were worn badly. The guy I bought it from told me all was changed previous to my buying it. Yeah, I'm sure they were changed, 10 yrs ago!!
Electricity is a smart thing. If there is a way for it to flow, it will find it. Sometimes, the resistance to it caused by rust or worn electrodes making the gap too wide for the spark to jump, will make it absolutely cease to flow. Sometimes. Then you go to try to start the car again because SOMETHING changed allowing the electricity to flow again, whatever it is.
Air, fuel, and spark are the basics with an engine. Start there with the basics. Anyone can do it. Get a manual at your local parts store and it will run you right through how to check all that under general maintanance. Air filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs/wires are your very starting point. After that, fuel pressure. If the car doesnt start and spraying starting fluid into the engine through the throttle body makes it run a bit, your fuel pump isn't doing its job. A naughty fuel pump can work intermittently doing good one minute and doing nothing the next. After that, all those variables that I lovingly call the "rocket science". Good luck.


_________________
KEN
Factory 65 Galaxie 500 390/4v
79 Mercury Marquis 351w/2v daily driver

No matter how complicated something is or seems, always start with the simple basics then work your way to the rocket science !!!
Me

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: v8shadow on 3/19/06 3:29am ]</font>

 

[sharpshot71]

Just be careful with that starting fluid if you do try that.

 

[71hotrodpinto]

If used improperly ,starting fluid can blow out and desroy all kinds of things.
My step fathers GMC 6.2 turbo diesel flooded and some genius decided that the BIG diesels use starting fluid so why not try it? Well they got it started and blew the rear main seal out. And since they didnt know it, the engine leaked out all the oil while driving. Siezed the engine.
I would stay away from starting fluid completely.
good luck

 

[wildosvt01_OLD]

Starting fluid and a plastic intake sounds scary.

 

[Blue Fastback]

You need to check for spark when it does not start. If you have spark then check the fuel pressure. Almost all the taurus with the DOHC no starts are not due to a no spark conditon but a bad fuel pump. Do some testing before you start replacing parts. Let me know what you got from there.

 

[fastback.brian]

On 2006-03-17 05:50, CaptVirgilHilts wrote:
These are the hardest things to diagnose. Generally these things are electrical in nature. One thing that comes to mind are the relays for the EEC and fuel pump. The EEC relay will kill every thing pretty much. If it happens again try locating the relays and give them a hard smack. Not sure where they are on that car; usually they are in the passenger kick panel. Worth investigating ahead of time. Stu

This is what I have found on a few taurus's, The eec power up relay in the engine compartment fuse box, it one of the small narrow relays. that relay will intemitly break contact cauing the pcm to loose memory and and will either not let the car start or it will stall shortly after started. usually you would get a pats code and nothing else. There really isnt any way to test for this just replace the relays and go from there.

 

[v8shadow]

Will, those intakes are plastic? Yikes. Never had one. No, I don't advocate RUNNING the engine on the stuff, just seing if the engine sputters or reacts. Plastic intake.........ewwwwwww!

 

[rayell]

All of the above post are as I indicated in my previous post. It could be anything. You save time and money by doing a diagnostic test and going from there. You can go to Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts (Parts America in some areas), and they will do a fairly good test for FREE. At least it gives you a starting point.

 

[buck252]

Thanks for all responces.
I'll try Auto Zone first and then go from there.
Thanks again, and I will let ya know the results.
Buck.