2000 lincoln ls wont start in cold weather

[marl4855]

Last winter my car would crank but not start in cold weather. i changed the battery and it still didnt start. waited til it got warmer and wala! it started. spring summer and a fall went by and the same thing happened again in the cold. changed the oil filter, spark plugs, air filter, changed to fully synthetic oil and nothing. i sprayed some starting fluid in the throttle body and it fired up for a few seconds. any other ideas before i hand it over to the dealer?

[danielsatur]

Symptoms of a bad, or dirty MAF/IACT sensors, these sensors are used for metering Air so the ECU/PCU can control the fuel mix.

[marl4855]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Symptoms of a bad, or dirty MAF/IACT sensors, these sensors are used for metering Air so the ECU/PCU can control the fuel mix.

Thanks for the tip. Ill give it a try.

[shorod]

So from your comments it sounds like the engine cranks fine when it won't start, but for some reason it's not getting sufficient fuel since once you spray starting fluid into the throttle body it starts.

The first thing I'd try is holding the throttle slightly open when cranking the engine. If that works then your Idle Air Control (IAC) may either not be working properly or the passages may be restricted.

If that has no effect then I'd probably check the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor. The PCM uses information from the ECT at start up to alter the fuel metering to accommodate the engine temperature.

Fuel pumps tend to exhibit symptoms more at high temperatures than low temperatures. But, if you have access to a fuel pressure gauge knowing what the fuel pressure is would be good information. For these symptoms you may not want to take the car to a dealer. You can get better labor rates by taking it to a trusted independent shop, the systems involved with your symptoms are really not special to Lincoln.

-Rod