hey guys and gals i was on my way to work this morning when i stopped to fill up on gas. when i was done i got in and turn the key and it acted like it tried to start but then wouldn't. no it just cranks but wont start. any sugestions on what might be wrong i had no problems driving in. and i had to walk the rest of the way to work. but luckily being in a sheriffs uniform i was offered a ride pretty quick. now that i sit here and think about it, if you leave the gas cap off on a 2000 GT will that keep it from starting. any help would be appretiated.

 

It could be the fuel switch thats in the trunk. May be going bad or just flipped for some reason. You can press it in to reset I believe.

 

dang thats right i forgot they had those on them thanks i will check that as well.

 

ok checked the emergeny fuel shut off and it was still good, checked the relay under the hood it's still good and a friend said it might be the fuel pump because he couldn't hear it start up when the key was turned. also don't know if this matters but the theft light on the dash is blinking realy fast. if anyone has had the same problem let me know and am i going to have to drop the whole tank to replace the fuel pump?

 

I had a similar problem with my 01 GT. Pulled into gas station, went inside, came back out, and it would crank but thats it. No check engine light, nothing out of place under the hood, and I also didn't hear the pump kickon when I turned the key on. Had it towed to the dealer and it turned out to be the fuel pump module. Had I payed full price for the fix, it would have been $400.

 

where is it located on the car and can auto zone put in on their code reader and tell me what it is, also i don't hear the fuel pump kick on

 

Its on the left side of the trunk behind the molding. I don't think it threw any codes when it bit the dust on my car.

 

I am willing to bet its your pump..I just did one last month. You need to drop the tank. A buddy of mine and myself did the swap in about 45 min. I took the opportunity to upgrade the fuel pump when my stocker crapped out... I threw in a SVT Focus pump and it works flawlessly.

When you drop the tank just make sure you have disconnected all the elec plug ins you see and there are many clips on the tank where the lines need to be pulled off.....3 bolts hold the 2 straps on the tank cover. I like to lower the tank a little at a time to make sure I have everything disconnected also. And one last word of advice, if at all possible use a lift to do this service...100 times easier on your back than laying on the garage floor. The Mustang I just did was my Mach 1 btw.

 

i was wishing it wasn't the fuel pump but het nothin is ever easy i appreaciate all the help guys i will let you know how it goes. also is it possible for just one guy to do it(change the pump) or will i need some help and do i need to drain the tank first because i just filled up when it went **** up??

 

Before you tear into your car, unhook your battery for a few hours. It sounds to me like your vehicle somehow slipped into anti theft mode and the ECU is locking your car from starting. Reset the ECU and then try starting it. If not, then it does sound like a fuel pump.

 

That tank will be heavy as hell and hard to jockey around if full and you are by yourself. The method I used was 1) Have a helper around to wiggle the tank loose(esp if it has a lot of fuel in it) and 2) I had my Stang on a 2 post lift, and we used a transmission jack under the tank to lower it down. These things were a huge asset and I recommend doing it that way. I siphoned about 5 gal out of my tank while I had it down, it was easier to get back into place when the repair was complete.

Even if you do this on jackstands I still would have another set of eyes and hands available, esp if its your 1st time at it.

Like I said, when lowering the tank, check real good that you have loosened/disconnected the lines going to the tank...many connectors/vent tubes/lines that need to be unhooked...you don't want to stretch these items with the weight of the tank on them.

You can do it, just devote the proper amount of time and patience to the job and be safe.

 

I had a fuel pump go bad on my Superduty but I have to admit it gave me fair warning. For a month or so before it finally gave up the ghost, I would have intermitant hard starting problems. It was worse the longer it sat between starts and worse on colder days.

I was told the diaphragm gave way, causing it to bleed off when not running. When I would try to start it, the pump would have to work extra hard to pressurize the entire line from scratch and with a faulty diaphragm to boot. If I tried long enough, I could eventually get it to give me enough pressure to start and run.

 

well i think i will definatly try the diconeccting the battery and then the fuel pump modeul and if those don't work i will do the fuel pump

 

well tried the battery trick and it didn't work so i guess it is the fuel pump so i guess i will be rolling up my sleeves and teaching my 3 future hot rodders how to change a fuel pump. i hate to have to do it but i am having stang withdrawls my explorer just doesn't move as fast and sound or look as good, ok well thanks for the help and i will let you know how it goes

 

Replace with SVT Focus pump incase of future mods. Any chance you can take photos of the install Mike? When I install my mods I will post all pictures and instructions in new thread.

 

yes i will try to take pics of the repair and any mods i make

 

Hey Mike, my 03 had a similar issue. The problem was with, I believe a vacuum line that went to the Anti-theft system. It shut the system down at the dealership believe it or not, while it was in for an oil change.

 

mike,if your anti theft light continues to flash with the key on then you have a problem with the anti theft. the ecu won't let the fuel pump run. it sounds like a key issue. try a spare key otherwise it will have to be scanned. do you have a mobil speed pass or anything like it? if so keep it away from the key as it will destroy the chip inside it. hope this helps.

 

Is you car a manual? If so It could be the same problem I had. I stopped one day to fill up and when I went to start the car it bumped then nothing. At first i thought the battery went since it was pushing 5 years old. Tried jumping it off no go. Wound up pushing it off and it ran fine. Turns out the wire that runs from the clutch switch to the starter relay had developed a short and was blowing the fuse in the pannel. It is a 10 amp fuse in position 5 or 6 I believe. you can find the exact one in the manual. The weird thing is that it might go upto 23 starts before the fuse blew or it might blow on the first try. The dealer wound up running a new wire from the clutch switch to the relay and everything is copacetic.

 

it's not the battery it is still cranking strong as ever it just wont start up.