YACT: '96 Taurus won't start

[Avalon]

Hey everyone, I've been having some recent car troubles with my junker (again). About three weeks ago, I noticed my car was having a hard time starting. The engine would turn for a minute, then finally start. A week later, it'd turn for minutes, and not start at all. I'd have to keep trying and stopping, for about 10 minutes.

A few days after that, my car refused to start, period, and the engine slowly but finally stopped turning, too. Just an audible click whenever I tried to start. So, I disconnected my battery and took it to a local parts shop, and they tested the battery as bad, so I bought a new one.

Got it installed today, problem still persists. Try to start the car, I hear a click, but the engine doesn't turn at all. What do you guys think? Bad starter?

 

[RedArmy]

Well if you're hearing any sort of clicking then the starter is ok since that's the noise it's supposed to make. It could be a host of problems causing it not to turn over. It's not throwing any codes at you is it?

 

[TheSlamma]

Prolly starter sylonoid. Can you have someone turn the key over while you are under it and see if the noise comes from the starter? If it's from the starter I would bet on that.


BTW, that is just to get it started. it sounds like you have other problems possibly with fuel delivery or electrical the way it sounds.

 

[Avalon]

Nope, no check engine codes.

Put some new spark plugs in a while back, but it was already having the problems I described.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: TheSlamma
Prolly starter sylonoid. Can you have someone turn the key over while you are under it and see if the noise comes from the starter? If it's from the starter I would bet on that.


BTW, that is just to get it started. it sounds like you have other problems possibly with fuel delivery or electrical the way it sounds.

I had my fiancee turn the ignition while I listened, and there is definitely an audible click coming from what I have determined is my starter.

 

[ElFenix]

solenoids, battery, alternator

can it be jumped?

 

[Avalon]

We tried jumping it with the old battery, and no go. That was when I brought the battery into the parts store to have it tested to see if it was fully dead. My alternator was replaced about a year ago.

 

[RedArmy]

It almost sounds like it has something to do with the dizzy, although I have no real claim to back it up. Can you hear the fuel pump turn on when you put the key in the on position?

 

[MX2]

Bang on your starter with a small hammer, sometimes they get stuck.

 

[KLin]

You were actually trying to get the engine to turn over for minutes at a time? I bet you damaged your starter.

 

[TraumaRN]

Also check where the car idles.....my old taurus had that problem...just had to adjust the idle position and it was fine afterwards

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: DeathBUA
Also check where the car idles.....my old taurus had that problem...just had to adjust the idle position and it was fine afterwards

When it worked, it idled at around 800-900 RPMs.

You were actually trying to get the engine to turn over for minutes at a time? I bet you damaged your starter.

I guess I worded my OP the wrong way. I'd try to start the car, and would turn the ignition for about 5-10 seconds, wait a few minutes, then try again. It got to the point where after 10 minutes (3-4 tries), it wouldn't turn at all.

But, I suppose there's the chance I could have damaged it. Not sure why it started to go in the first place...old I guess?

Bang on your starter with a small hammer, sometimes they get stuck.

I will give that a try tomorrow when I can borrow some proper jack stands for my car. As it stands, I've only got a tire jack, and I don't feel comfortable using that to hold the car up high enough for me to work under it for an extended period of time.

It almost sounds like it has something to do with the dizzy, although I have no real claim to back it up. Can you hear the fuel pump turn on when you put the key in the on position?

I'm not sure...the only real thing I heard when my fiancee turned the ignition was my starter making an audible click. I didn't notice anything else.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: RedArmy
It almost sounds like it has something to do with the dizzy, although I have no real claim to back it up. Can you hear the fuel pump turn on when you put the key in the on position?

re: Why am i posting anything since I have no clue...


I think you probably have a few issues. 1. bad connection at the battery or ground to the car. 2. Bad connection or worn starter.

 

[Avalon]

Well, here's the update.

We tried tapping on the starter with a hammer, but that didn't seem to have any effect. So, we went to unbolt the starter to remove it, and guess what...on one of the two bolts, there is no bolt head! Whoever had my car before me must have replaced the starter at one point, and tightened it too far and it snapped off, then just left it like that...bah.

So, now we're thinking of ways to get the bolt out.
Fun fun

 

[evilsaint]

Fuel pressure regulator or fuel pump are your best bets, pump mostly. The clicking is really common on a car that doesn't have enough voltage left for the starter to turn the engine, and I doubt it has anything to do with your starter. Bad starters usually just end up pulling/slipping off the flywheel early, and that makes a hell of a different sound

*edit*

Wait until you can crank again. Crank for 20 seconds minimum, then see if you smell gas coming out of you exhaust. Make sure your exhaust is plumb and not leaking anywhere along the way though, heh.

 

[evilsaint]

And if you really want to get that bolt out, you'll probably need to drill into the bolt shaft itself and then twist; better than most, but still no fun at all where the starter is located on your car.

 

[BUTCH1]

Might be a fuel pump that was causing the hard starting in the first place or noone
ever changed the fuel filter and your getting low PSI to the injectors. Have the pressure
checked at the fuel rail to see if it's near spec's. Check all vacum lines for cracks and
leaks, this is a common problem on older cars. When you get a new starter put in limit
cranking time to like 10 sec. at a pop then rest 30-45 sec before trying again. Good luck.

 

[evilsaint]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
Might be a fuel pump that was causing the hard starting in the first place or noone
ever changed the fuel filter and your getting low PSI to the injectors. Have the pressure
checked at the fuel rail to see if it's near spec's. Check all vacum lines for cracks and
leaks, this is a common problem on older cars. When you get a new starter put in limit
cranking time to like 10 sec. at a pop then rest 30-45 sec before trying again. Good luck.

QFT. Much more detail than I was willing/able to go into in terms of troubleshooting :thumbsup:

 

[Pepsi90919]

 

[Avalon]

Wow, lots of good feedback, thanks guys
I will definitely look into getting the fuel pressure checked, and see if it might be the fuel pump and/or filter. I've recruited a friend who is a mechanic to help me, and things have been moving quickly since then.

He got the bad bolt out of the starter for me pretty quickly, and we got the starter out in less than 5 minutes. Very good stuff. He hooked it up straight to my battery, and while it did spin a bit, it was very weak and exhibiting some irregular behavior. I'm going to take the starter into an autozone or such tomorrow if I'm feeling up to it (been getting my ass kicked by bronchittus for the past week, which hasn't been helping ) and have them give it a check. My friend says it looks bad to him.

 

[BUTCH1]

Take care of yourself first, the car isn't going anywhere (literally) I would change the
fuel filter first as it's cheap and if the car has 100K+ it could defiantly be clogged..

 

[Gamingphreek]

Well if you were in a bind, you COULD try jump starting your starter.

As for the hammer, the other poster wasn't specific. you take a screwdriver or something and place it against the starter, have one person turn the ignition, and while they hold the key down you give it a sharp tap. If you choose to use a metal screw driver you are likely going to get a very small electric jolt in your arm. Normally that will work.

As it is, and after your last post, it definitely sounds like a problem with your Solenoid/Starter. They aren't hard to change out, and normally aren't too much money.

With the clicking I wouldn't even bother getting Fuel Pressure and Fuel Pump checked. If fuel pressure was low (Like if there you drained the fuel out of the fuel line) the engine would still turn over, it would just take a while for pressure to be high enough to start...so it would just continue to turn over.

-Kevin

 

[BUTCH1]

If the fuel pump is going bad OR the filter is clogged you can crank it all day and possibly
ruin another starter and it still won't start!

 

[evilsaint]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
If the fuel pump is going bad OR the filter is clogged you can crank it all day and possibly
ruin another starter and it still won't start!

Again, QFT. I had a problem *exactly* like this on my 96 Bonneville (GM, not Ford, but still) and after killing the my already dying battery by cranking excessively, I ended up having the fuel pump replaced.

If the pump is in-tank though, prepare for the fact that A: it'll be a bitch to replace, and most likely have to be done @ a dealer or somewhere with a lift, and B: you may have to replace a few other pieces if they're fused/stuck together, as they have a tendency to get over ten years of usage :frown:

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: evilsaint
If the pump is in-tank though, prepare for the fact that A: it'll be a bitch to replace, and most likely have to be done @ a dealer or somewhere with a lift, and B: you may have to replace a few other pieces if they're fused/stuck together, as they have a tendency to get over ten years of usage :frown:

pump on my '91 was in the tank. took it to some mexicans to fix it.