Odd occurrance - Inertia Switch Pulled

[Yahwehdo]

Hey all-

Had an odd (possibly) occurance the other day. I was getting ready to change the fuel filter on my '06 Taurus, which I have absolutely no experience with, and made a mistake. I pulled the power from the inertia switch to depressurize the fuel system, however I am having battery issues (getting a new one in a day or so), so i didn't want to have to try to restart the engine after pulling the power from the inertia switch. Needless to say, I pulled the inertia switch's power while the engine was running. I was assuming the engine would just sputter and die after a minute or two, however it just kept going! It sounded like it was running weaker, maybe even close to stalling, but it just picked back up and kept going. My questions are

A) Does pulling the switch while the engine is running not disconnect the fuel pump?

and

B) Did I do some kind of horrible irreparable damage to my vehicle by doing this?

Needless to say, I never changed the fuel filter, but now (and its probably just paranoia) it feels like its running heavy. I have been having high fuel consumption issues already (probably due to the filter never being changed) and its felt like the acceleration has been dampened, and I hope the filter change will fix that (God forbid its my fuel pump)

Any expertise would be greatly appreciated!

[shorod]

Well, a plugged fuel filter would not typically contribute to high fuel consumption. It can however accelerate wear on the fuel pump (backpressure loads the pump motor).

Disconnecting the inertia switch definitely cuts all power to the fuel pump motor, but at idle the engine will run for much longer than most people would expect. I doubt you did any damage with what you did. If the battery is old/weak, I'd suggest you get that replaced before you worry much about the fuel consumption and way the engine runs. Many newer cars are so dependent upon the electrical system that an old battery that load tests fine can still cause odd driveability issues.

-Rod

[Yahwehdo]

Much appreciated! Thanks for the quick response.

The biggest issue I am having with my Taurus is on start-up. It will crank just fine, but won't turn over easily. It started off occurring rarely, but now it is every time I try to start the engine. I, as a complete newbie to any kind of car repair, started teaching myself through these forums and masses of on-line videos. After browsing for what seemed like an eternity, I had been convinced it was a fuel issue. However, once I got the car started, it would run just fine, with the exception of what I perceive is high fuel usage and a lack of acceleration. I even went so far as to try starter fluid to see if that fixed the startup issue, however it did not seem to change much.

After finding a few people with similar problems, I found one who said it was just his battery; it was giving enough power to turn the starter, but not always enough to get the motor going. It was then I realized that my biggest problems starting tended to be after I would drive to the grocery store, then when I tried to start the car after I was done: it would not turn over at all. I would usually have to wait like 5-10 minutes or so, then give it another few tries. It would eventually start. It clicked for me finally that it must have been the battery drain from having the doors open (interior lights) while loading in the groceries/3 year old (not sure which takes longer to load). Also started to dawn on me that while rolling up with power windows, I would see the interior lights dim a bit. I started killing all power (making sure the headlights were off and air wasn't blowing) before trying to start it, and I've had much better results. I'll have the money for a new battery tomorrow, so God willing that should solve my issues with startup.

Mostly writing all this so other people with this same problem can find some answers. Nearly beat my head on a wall trying to figure this out and find some answers. Many thanks for your expertise!

[urclueless]

i would be checking the actual fuel pressure. you are expressing symtoms of fuel pump failure. as for the wire to the inertia switch, are you absolutely sure you know where the inertia switch is located? with the switch unplugged, no power goes to the fuel pump

[shorod]

While knowing the fuel pressure is not a bad thing, it definitely sounds like you need to focus your current attention on the charging system/battery like your plan.

When trying to start the engine after a trip to the grocery store did you get a single click when trying to start the engine, a click followed by a rapid series of clicks, or no sound at all?

A single click would suggest an issue with the starter assembly. A series of clicks would suggest a drained battery.

-Rod

[Yahwehdo]

The starter sounds (or sounded, its not sounding so great anymore after a month of this) just fine, just usually didn't turn the engine over right away. In the last few days, I've found that by killing any and all power drains (fans, headlights, radio, any interior lights), the car would usually start up on the first try. Everything points to the battery, even the dimming of interior lights when using the power windows.

As far as the inertia switch's location, if the inertia switch is the emergency fuel shutoff switch like I'm 99% sure it is, I'm positive of it. Same location as patrol cars (cop). I didn't know I was able to trigger it to trip by just knocking it a bit with a screwdriver like I've read works, but I did pull the wire cluster from the bottom of it.

The only thing that leans me away from the fuel pump is that I have never experienced even one misfire or issue once the car is actually started. No check engine lights, nothing.

[Yahwehdo]

I forgot to add info about the starter sound. When this first started, it was a rare occurance that the car woulden't start, and the starter cranked identically to the way it always did when the car was starting fine. Now, I will occassionally have the starter (and this is usually after a few tries in a row to get the thing started) crank once, then pause, then crank again, then pause, then speed up and start cranking hard like usual. That would all be with one key turn. I'm sure I'm KILLING the starter with all these long starts, but the battery will be purchased and switched out today, so I should be done with it finally.

[Yahwehdo]

Bah I should just edit posts, but whatever. One last oddity... when I try to start the car and it just cranks and doesn't start, when I let the key go back from "Start" to "On", I get this odd gauge clicking sound for a few seconds. I can see all the gauges vibrating at the bottom of their ranges, and it makes an audible fast clicking noise. I have NO clue what that could be.

[urclueless]

test electrical system, test computer system, test fuel system. these are the systems you need to have tested to pinpoint the problem.

[Yahwehdo]

Well, just as an update, I just took my car to the mechanic for an unrelated window problem, and I have the car back and magically it is perfect! I have no clue what he did, all he was supposed to do was fix the window regulator. I had told him about the startup issue, and I told him I was planning on getting a new battery and swapping out the fuel filter I bought a replacement for, but I told him I would come back if that didn't fix the problem.

8 hours later, I get the car back in perfect working condition. I haven't heard the car start that strong since I bought it in '09. Lights are no longer dimming, and startup is instantaneous every time. I'm not sure if he actually changed out the battery (I hadn't really focused on the battery too hard yet other than to visually see if there was any corrosion without removing the leads), so in all honesty the man may just be that much of a saint that he replaced it free of charge. I also noticed that the new fuel filter I had bought was no longer sitting on the back seat, I guess he saw it and figured what the hell, its a 5 minute swap for a guy with the right tools and changed it out for me. I had been excited to try my hand changing it myself, but there will be plenty of time for that another year. I can't figure out if he really did replace the battery with a new one free of charge (which would blow my mind), or if he just found some simple loose thing that caused a world of problems. I had been under the impression that the fuel filter couldn't cause issues as severe as what I had going, but then again I know nothing but what I've read online.

Anyways, thanks for all the advice and patience in reading obscenely long posts! This forum will be a new daily visit for me now.

[urclueless]

open your hood and look at the battery, wouldn't it be obvious to you if it was changed? Oh and FIND OUT WHAT HE DID... the magic repair does nothing to finish the post... the whole purpose is to diagnose and verify a problem. You posted a problem with no answer to the solution which does nothing to help the next person that has the same problem .

[shorod]

Sounds like he probably installed the filter and cleaned the battery cables to make a happy customer that keeps coming back. It just so happens that happy customers are more profitable than customers that get billed heavily for every little thing and leave frustrated....

If the problem happens again in the morning, maybe the problem is a weak battery with a cold engine. The starter draws more current spinning a cold engine with cold oil than one that's been sitting in a nice warm shop. You could also try cycling the key a few times (turn to Run, keep there for 3 seconds, turn OFF, keep in OFF for 3 seconds, repeat 3 times) then try to start the car. If it starts easily this way the problem is likely low fuel pressure. It takes more fuel to prime the fuel system than it takes to keep the car running (note how long your engine ran with the fuel pump turned off). A weak fuel pump may struggle to prime the system.

-Rod

[riproaringca]

Related to the battery in question:

I purchased a new battery for my SHO in May of 2010. Not a cheapie either - one suitable for the V8 that would also give good cranking power in the dead of winter.
In October I took a short trip, parked it, did an errand, jumped in the car and tried to start it. All I got was a rapid clicking from the starter, the windshield wipers coming on (without the multi-function switch being touched) and a few lights on the dash illuminating.
I thought for sure my starter had bailed, but it turned out to the be the (new) battery. An on-the-spot test by a AAA/CAA service truck confirmed it.
Weird that there was enough power to activate some components but not enough to properly engage the starter. (Even stranger that the low voltage made the electrical system choose to turn on the wipers!)
Anyway... The faulty battery was swapped-out and it's been fine ever since. And yes; having a strong battery does make a difference in fuel consumption. I don't have scientific environment testing stats to share, just fewer gas receipts.

The lesson learned: Sometimes the culprit can be the simplest thing.