Hard Starting Issue

[mindgame]

try this, dont know if its been said before. but key to on and wait for pump to stop. then start. i do this EVERY time i start my truck.

hmm... You know... After reading Panda's advise..

I think I remember something about the fuel rails being pressurized even when off..

What if... There is a leak or pressure loss somewhere (check value?), and the system is not fully pressurized when attempting to start.. Thus.. not able to start on first crank..

Once your fuel pump fully primes the system after pressure loss, it drives normally..

dunno.. just throwing out shi* that was clogging my bucket for a brain!

 

[Stangy89]

I had this same problem. Took about 2000 miles til I started throwing a code. Ended up being COP #7. Swapped it. Problem solved. This is after I changed plugs and my EGR pressure sensor.

Why so long before it throws a code? My 2003 Expy Just started doing the hard starting thing and it's been sputtering/hesitating when I feather the throttle to maintain highway speeds. Everything I'm reading in this forum is pointing towards the coils. I don't wanna sit around and wait 2000 miles should I just go ahead and replace all the coils?

 

[FordandPolaris]

Why so long before it throws a code? My 2003 Expy Just started doing the hard starting thing and it's been sputtering/hesitating when I feather the throttle to maintain highway speeds. Everything I'm reading in this forum is pointing towards the coils. I don't wanna sit around and wait 2000 miles should I just go ahead and replace all the coils?

Depends how bad it is. Most misfires are caused by the COP. If it is not throwing a code, but still missing intermittently it does mean one of the COP's is on the way out. Usually won't throw a code until it gets pretty bad. If it is not throwing a code, I would just start at the front and start replacing them one at a time (do the spark plugs too). Hopefully you find the one that is causing the problem and can save the money on replacing the others. Or if money is not too big of an object, do them all at once. They will need replacing regardless at some point, so it doesn't hurt to get a jump start.

It also could be fuel related. Dying fuel pumps could cause some problems when trying to start. I was too lazy to read through the other posts, so if it may have been mentioned before.

 

[Jeff532003]

try this, dont know if its been said before. but key to on and wait for pump to stop. then start. i do this EVERY time i start my truck.

I know old thread here but if anyone else if having this problem...
After reading this I was going to say what panda kind of beat me to. It could be a bad fuel pressure regulator. Symptoms of one that's failing are hard start do to lose of pressure in the fuel rail when the car is off requiring the system to have to be reprimed and also decrease in fuel economy do to the fuel rails being over pressurized creating a rich condition. When they totally fail some cars blow black smoke like a desiel and the oil will stink like fuel.
My new to me expedition has this same issue. First start and it turns over 5-6 times. If I just ran into the store or let the fuel pump run its cycle it'll fire on one to two cranks. I'm planning to replace mine either way to see if it fixes the issue. From what I'm reading it could be a more common problem on these trucks than people realize as normally this part is uncommon to fail so most people don't think of it but I see a lot of people posting about this on the tritan engines.

 

[Arshag]

I have a 2003 5.4. Had a hot hard start since about 80k miles. Cold start perfect. Restart within 3 minutes - fine. Sitting for an hour - total shit.

Now after 140k miles having fuel pump relay issues. Relay getting hot and cutting fuel for about a minute or two. Replace relay and went fine for a couple weeks. Now maybe I have a fuel pump going hostile. Still pumps high demand since I can go full throtltle through the gears without any startvation, but the current draw must have gone up.

The two are unrelated. Fuel filter, IAC, TPS, plugs, etc. have all been changed. total crap that Ford wont buck up when so many complain about the same thing. I think the ECU needs a reflash. Neutral rev limiter is no longer there for some reason.

I know old thread here but if anyone else if having this problem...
After reading this I was going to say what panda kind of beat me to. It could be a bad fuel pressure regulator. Symptoms of one that's failing are hard start do to lose of pressure in the fuel rail when the car is off requiring the system to have to be reprimed and also decrease in fuel economy do to the fuel rails being over pressurized creating a rich condition. When they totally fail some cars blow black smoke like a desiel and the oil will stink like fuel.
My new to me expedition has this same issue. First start and it turns over 5-6 times. If I just ran into the store or let the fuel pump run its cycle it'll fire on one to two cranks. I'm planning to replace mine either way to see if it fixes the issue. From what I'm reading it could be a more common problem on these trucks than people realize as normally this part is uncommon to fail so most people don't think of it but I see a lot of people posting about this on the tritan engines.