Ford Explorer 2003 no start - engine rotates

[12field]

I have spark - not sure about fuel but sprayed starting fluiding into intake and did not get any firing. Oil and coolant looks good so do not think headgasket is problem. Vehicle shut off once and restarted, got it home but cannot get it to fire again. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[danielsatur]

Symptoms of a bad or dirty maf

[danielsatur]

Hard cold start is a symptom of a bad, or dirty MAF sensor.
The air is metered, it sends a cold start signal to the PCU/ECU.

[12field]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Symptoms of a bad or dirty maf

Wouldn't I get some firing from the starting fluid? Thanks for reply.

[danielsatur]

The Air/fuel mix is set by the ECU/PCU during the cold start conditon, the fuel pulse is long + starting fluid = flood!

The MAF sensor is a metering device for air, a cold start signal is like telling the ECU/PCU that you need a choking condition for a cold start.

If not a bad MAF sensor, it could be unmetered air leaks.

[Davescort97]

A dirty MAF sensor will cause an overly rich mixture upon trying to start. Get some electronics cleaner spray and clean the MAF wire inside the housing. If you want you could pull a plug and see if it is wet with gas. If this occurs it is a good indicator that the MAF is dirty. btw. If you unplug the MAF sensor it will send a rich mixture to the computer by default.

[danielsatur]

The PCV system will actually contaminate both sensors.

[rhandwor]

Are you getting any indication of a security problem. These will cause no starts.

[shorod]

And don't rule out a bad crankshaft position sensor. These have been known to cause issues on the earlier Explorers. I'm not so sure if they were still common issues on the 2003 and newer model.

Which engine is in your Explorer?

-Rod

[12field]

Originally Posted by shorod

And don't rule out a bad crankshaft position sensor. These have been known to cause issues on the earlier Explorers. I'm not so sure if they were still common issues on the 2003 and newer model.

Which engine is in your Explorer?

-Rod

THanks for all the good ideas. Today, I cleaned the MAF, confirmed spark and fuel into cylinder and still no firing. Would a bad crakshaft sensor prevent spark as I have it? Any other ideas out there would be great. THANKS!

[12field]

Originally Posted by rhandwor

Are you getting any indication of a security problem. These will cause no starts.

I will check on this tomorrow. THANKS!

[12field]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

The PCV system will actually contaminate both sensors.

I will replace it as cheap. Would this prevent firing as I appear to have both fuel and spark.

[Davescort97]

More than likely it is the CKP sensor sending spark at the wrong time.

[12field]

Originally Posted by Davescort97

More than likely it is the CKP sensor sending spark at the wrong time.

We replaced the cam positioner sensor but no luck. The MAF was only cleaned and not replaced but did not seem to matter- plugs were wetted but not fouled so should have got a fire out of it. A ticking type noise seems to be coming from front end of engine. Security is not the problem - no lights anyway. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

[12field]

Originally Posted by Davescort97

More than likely it is the CKP sensor sending spark at the wrong time.

We replaced the cam positioner sensor but no luck. The MAF was only cleaned and not replaced but did not seem to matter- plugs were wetted but not fouled so should have got a fire out of it. A ticking type noise seems to be coming from front end of engine. Security is not the problem - no lights anyway. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks