5 replies to this topic

[aland]

I have an X reg Mondeo Mk 2 ? version (reg Sep 2000) just refused to fire up. It cranks over fine plenty of welly in battery but will not fire up. Had a simillar problem back in May when again it would not start. It was very hot day and car had been for a long run. After leaving it for about 20 mins came back and it started (ie fired up OK). Felt like the old problems with vapour lock which I didn' think you get nowadays with modern cars.. I was confinced it was a fuel related problem! Pump maybe ? However it did it again couple of months later. But this time I left ignition switched on for a couple of mins before cranking and the egine fired up no problem. Yesterday went to start engine from cold and although it would crank over again battery was good it refused ti ignite. Called RAC out but was unable to pinpoint exact problem. His laptop didn't work so was unable to get a fault code, He thought it was a crankshaft sensor ? Fuel was OK i.e plenty of petrol not diesel! Fuel was not getting to injectors.Tested the pump but it was running OK. Had to get it towed to my garage. Still awaiting diagnosis result.
Has anybody had similar experience and got any suggestions or results. I am rather mystified ?

[edenboy-ragit]

Yes i did mk2 mondeo my immobiliser nakered. If remember correctly there is a certain way to turn the key so it flashes a fault code at you. Basically my key had been dropped too many times and needed fully replacing. Sounds like immobiliser to me mate but reasurch the fault code way of doing it it should help out as it did for me. Good luck let me know how it goes.

[aland]

Thanks for you reply mate.So hows does the immobilser work then ?. I thought it stopped the starter motor from turning. Or does it cut off the fuel then?

[edenboy-ragit]

hi.
it stops the fuel going to the engine. not sure where it does this in the system.
1st check fuel pump is pumping from the fuel tank dont just rely on the noise it makes phisicly check there is a flow of petrol.
2nd check the fuel lines.
3rd assuming you have multi point injection then check pipe prior to the injector rail for flow of fuel.

if you dont have fuel flow at fuel tank pump then check- fuel pump, fuel pump relay, wiring or immobiliser?
check the fuel pipes. i do prefur to find wherethe pipe leads to from the fuel tank ie injector rail, disconnect both sides and blow hard through the pipe. check for blockages. make sure lines arnt crimped at all or damaged.
if you are already getting fuel to the fuel rail the i would check the fuel rail and injectors.

if you can do these checks and let me know where its stopping the fuel come out from i can help you problem solve abit more. otherwise kinda pissing into the wind.

cheers lee

[aland]

Hi,

Result back from the garage is they squirted some Easy Start into the air inlet and it fired up straightaway. Apparently no fault codes reported. The crankshaft sensor has been changed however. The immoboliser is OK so they say and fuel pump runs.Ford want 400 quid for a new fuel pump. So will not be changing that in a hurry. Don't think have got to the bottom of this yet. Could it be a dodgy air mass sensor or more likely the battery is on the way out.Its the original battery and car is 12 yrs old!! Lol.
I checked the battery volts in the morning from cold and it only read 12.4 V. When engine started running it went up to 14.25V.
Perhaps the volts drop really badly when turning over and its right on the limit for other stuff to work properly maybe.

Cheers Alan

[BOF]

more likely the battery is on the way out.Its the original battery and car is 12 yrs old!! Lol.

Well, in a way that's impressive. 6 or 7 years is quite normal, but 12? On the other hand, I don't give much for the chances of that battery surviving the next cold weather. Maybe you should be checking battery prices now, just in case.

I checked the battery volts in the morning from cold and it only read 12.4 V. When engine started running it went up to 14.25V.
Perhaps the volts drop really badly when turning over and its right on the limit for other stuff to work properly maybe.

Cheers Alan

Those voltages are normal-ish; 12.5 volts off charge and 14.4 volts on charge, measured directly at the battery, should be about it, and you are there or thereabouts.

On the other hand, cranking voltage is important and either the battery or the connections could drop you a lot of volts when you are drawing real current from the battery. I'd check the connections, not because it is the most likely, but because it is the cheapest thing that it might be and it would be nice to get it out of the way.

Does anything else happen while you are cranking? When the battery was dying in my old car, the door locks clattered (relays clicked, or something) as the battery voltage headed off towards ~6 to 8 volts. Car still started, but I got a new battery anyway, as i couldn't really afford to have it let me down.

Easy Start into the air inlet and it fired up straightaway...

Well, that's either fuel (fuel pump, injectors, ecu, pipe blockage) or the voltage has dropped so low that you don't have enough energy for ignition. To lose ignition, you'd have to be below 6 - 6.5 volts, so either the battery would have to have high resistance (very possible at that age) or the connections be bad.

Battery voltage problems are almost always at their worst when conditions are cold, and you don't report that so it may well be something else.