Ignition issue

joshwellborn

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2022
Messages
58
Location
Springfield, MO
My 99, 2.5 L (160,000 miles) is cranking as many as 10+ times when I do a cold start (seems fine with warm start.)
OReily’s did the quick check on the battery and it seems fine.
What other diagnostics should I try?
 
That's caused by your fuel pump's check valve going bad and leaking. When it leaks it allows all of the gasoline that's supposed to stay up in the fuel rail adjacent to the fuel injectors so you get a fast start. When it drains out and back into the gas tank, the extra length of time it takes the engine to start after it has been sitting several hours is how long it takes the fuel pump to get fuel back up to the fuel rail. The fix is to replace your fuel pump, its check valve is not separately replaceable. If you have the ability, replace just the fuel pump in the fuel pump assembly with a Bosch replacement (OEM) fuel pump. That requires dropping the gas tank. If you're not that handy it's slightly easier to replace the fuel pump assembly which includes the fuel pump housing, fuel pressure regulator, and gas gauge sender. But Bosch no longer makes/sells the entire assembly so you'll have to go aftermarket which is a crapshoot, quality and longevity-wise. Avoid all store brands and cheap online brands like Airtex or Spectre. Some report good results with a Delphi fuel pump assembly.
 
That's caused by your fuel pump's check valve going bad and leaking. When it leaks it allows all of the gasoline that's supposed to stay up in the fuel rail adjacent to the fuel injectors so you get a fast start. When it drains out and back into the gas tank, the extra length of time it takes the engine to start after it has been sitting several hours is how long it takes the fuel pump to get fuel back up to the fuel rail. The fix is to replace your fuel pump, its check valve is not separately replaceable. If you have the ability, replace just the fuel pump in the fuel pump assembly with a Bosch replacement (OEM) fuel pump. That requires dropping the gas tank. If you're not that handy it's slightly easier to replace the fuel pump assembly which includes the fuel pump housing, fuel pressure regulator, and gas gauge sender. But Bosch no longer makes/sells the entire assembly so you'll have to go aftermarket which is a crapshoot, quality and longevity-wise. Avoid all store brands and cheap online brands like Airtex or Spectre. Some report good results with a Delphi fuel pump assembly.

Hey Jerry, I'm coming up on 8 years service on the Delphi pump in my tank without issue. Also 8 years next month on my Mishimoto rad lol.
 
What Jerry said — check valve on the fuel pump will cause the long crank - mine does this. But I noticed if I "primed" the fuel pump by only turning the key over to hear the fuel pump whine 1-2x it'll turn over when you turn the key all the way.
 
What Jerry said — check valve on the fuel pump will cause the long crank - mine does this. But I noticed if I "primed" the fuel pump by only turning the key over to hear the fuel pump whine 1-2x it'll turn over when you turn the key all the way.
X2, that's exactly how to get it to start faster. @joshwellborn Before turning the ignition switch to the Start position turn it on-off-on 3-4 times, pausing for 2 seconds each time it's in the On position. That allows the fuel pump its full 1.8 seconds to run before it automatically shuts off.
 
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Sorry for the delayed update, but I only repaired yesterday.
Because I waited so long, I managed to kill my starter with all that priming. Looks to be a very old starter (possibly original.)
I replaced the entire fuel pump assembly, since I had the tank out.
A new starter always feels good! Plus, it made for a good project with my son.
She fires right up!
Thanks everyone 👍

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