No start

driller

driller

El Presidente
Staff member
My 2002 Town Car wouldn't start yesterday morning. The remote starter failed to work and when manually trying to start it, it would crank over fine but not offer to start. The weather had turned bitter cold overnight.

The wife rode to work in the Jeep, and I stopped by at lunchtime and again it didn't offer to start. It was still quite cold and windy. I suspected it was fuel line freeze up and went and purchased some 'dry-gas'. As luck would have it, the fuel door wouldn't open either. It didn't appear to be froze but refused to open. Cold and frustrated, I abandoned it after putting a battery charger on it to freshen up the battery from cranking.

Today it was much, much warmer. Stopped at lunchtime again, cranked it and it sputtered a couple times. Held the accelerator down to the floor and tried again. After a couple seconds of sputtering, it started. Seemed to run fine. The fuel door cooperated this time and I emptied the bottle of 'dry-gas' into the tank.

I checked it again this evening with the remote start and it fired right up.

I'm thinking it's time for a fuel filter. It's due for service and I figured I'd get them to R&R the air and fuel filters. Any other thoughts?
 
RE: No start

Sounds like you may have flooded it, get the oil changed too. Also, 2002, battery is 4 years old if it is still the OEM. Maybe it is time to change it out.
 
RE: No start

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
... get the oil changed too.
[/div]

Duh... that's what I meant with 'due for service'. ;)

Afterwards, I thought it may have just been flooded, but I never touched the throttle pedal the cold day. It was weird that the remote start didn't fire it up. I heard it crank a few seconds and give up. About 15 seconds later it tried again with no luck and then a third time before it gave up. I tried manually a half-dozen times or more that morning and then again later in the day.

The second day it was warmer and 'sputtered' when I first tried it. After a couple more 'sputtering' tries is when I held it to the floor. I agree it sounds like it flooded, but I can count on one hand the times I've flooded a fuel-injected car before.

The battery 'sounds' like it cranks OK. I really should load test it for giggles.
 
RE: No start

There has been no other issues since. It fires right up, no problems, even cold.

When it was last in for service, the wife was told the filters didn't need changed. ::wtf::
 
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