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2000 3.8l mustang does crank but no start

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Old Mar 30, 2020 | 04:03 PM
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GrantPowell
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Default 2000 3.8l mustang does crank but no start

So I was driving with my car the other day and It lost all power while I was driving, if you gave it gas it would bog down by the time I pulled over it shut off completely. I took it home and let it set for about a month and i went out and was able to get it to start with starting fluid it idled rough till I reved it up. To get it to start I had to hold the throttle wide open. Now it won’t start it has spark and you can hear fuel pump
Old Mar 31, 2020 | 06:38 AM
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Just internet guessing Do you have an external fuel filter? If so, I would change it. 20 years old, the throttle body might need cleaning also. Should be a lot of youtube videos showing you how to do it Fuel pump could be going bad too...….
Old Apr 1, 2020 | 03:50 PM
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Just changed the fuel filter today and checked the fuel pressure it’s about 50 pounds and I changed the coil pack also it cranks still and you can get it fire a little bit but it won’t fire up
Old Apr 3, 2020 | 03:19 AM
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Originally Posted by GrantPowell
So I was driving with my car the other day and It lost all power while I was driving, if you gave it gas it would bog down by the time I pulled over it shut off completely. I took it home and let it set for about a month and i went out and was able to get it to start with starting fluid it idled rough till I reved it up. To get it to start I had to hold the throttle wide open. Now it won’t start it has spark and you can hear fuel pump

im just curious if you have been running some of fuel system additive regularly. If so it’s possible that injector are clogged from a some gunk that was built up on the Line that broke free. Also check the fuel pump impact switch or whatever the call it. It’s in the trunk. Good luck!
Old Apr 7, 2020 | 01:40 PM
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wbrockstar
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Originally Posted by Cody Kibbe
im just curious if you have been running some of fuel system additive regularly. If so it’s possible that injector are clogged from a some gunk that was built up on the Line that broke free. Also check the fuel pump impact switch or whatever the call it. It’s in the trunk. Good luck!
If the fuel pump inertia switch is tripped, disconnected or defective,the fuel pump will not be heard running its 2-5 second priming cycle when the key is first turned on.However if the priming cycle is not heard,this switch would be one of the first things to look at during the initial trouble shooting phase.
Old Apr 7, 2020 | 01:44 PM
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wbrockstar
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Originally Posted by GrantPowell
Just changed the fuel filter today and checked the fuel pressure it’s about 50 pounds and I changed the coil pack also it cranks still and you can get it fire a little bit but it won’t fire up
If 50psi was your reading with the key on/engine running,its 10psi too high (25-40 psi)
If it was your key on/engine off reading,its within spec,but its at the top of that spec (35-50 psi)

Last edited by wbrockstar; Apr 7, 2020 at 02:22 PM.
Old Apr 7, 2020 | 03:11 PM
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wbrockstar
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Originally Posted by GrantPowell
So I was driving with my car the other day and It lost all power while I was driving, if you gave it gas it would bog down by the time I pulled over it shut off completely. I took it home and let it set for about a month and i went out and was able to get it to start with starting fluid it idled rough till I reved it up. To get it to start I had to hold the throttle wide open. Now it won’t start it has spark and you can hear fuel pump
Normally,if the engine starts and runs for a few seconds then dies,when using starting fluid,this usually indicates youve got a no fuel,low fuel pressure or no injector pulse issue present.If it doesn't start at all with fluid,it usually indicates a no spark issue.So your issue sounds fuel related.Did you disconnect the air intake hose to spray the fluid into the throttle body,and if so,did you reconnect the hose before you attempted the startup?? If no,a maf equipped vehicle must have a intact air intake assembly in place in order for the engine to run,because the fuel is matched by how much air was measured by the maf sensor.Any air not metered by the maf sensor creates a vacuum leak and a lean issue.A big enough vacuum leak at startup,such as the air intake hose being left disconnected,will prevent the engine from starting or it'll start and run like crap.One thing you mentioned kind of sticks out though.If you did reconnect the hose,anytime you have to floor the gas pedal during crank mode in order to get the engine started,this usually indicates an engine flood condition is present and the reason you flooring the pedal allows it to start is this: when the ecu detects the pedal being flooring (from the wot tps reading) during crank mode,it triggers the ecu to shutoff injector pulse and this plus the added airflow from the wot throttle blade,clears the excess fuel out and after a few seconds of doing this,it usually allows the engine to start.A leaking fuel pressure regulator or injector or a faulty ect sensor usually causes this condition.A faulty tps can also cause a no start too,if its vref or signal voltage is way off or if its missing its signal return ground.If the fpr is leaking,the inside of its vacuum line will be wet with fuel and/or the fpr vacuum port will have fuel seeping out of it while the engine is running & possibly during crank mode also.If a injector is leaking,when you turn the key on/engine off and leave the key on for a minute then turn it off then remove your spark plugs,the spark plug thats wet with fuel will indicate which injector is leaking.If the ect sensor is bad,it usually reads an extremely low temp all the time and eventhough the fuel trim is supposed to be richened at startup,it causes too rich of a fuel trim,flooding the engine.
If a flood condition isnt present,check to make sure injector pulse is present.Use a noid light or test light to check it.Disconnect a injector harness plug from any injector and insert the noid light.If using a test light instead,insert a small paperclip into one of the harness plug terminals,attach the test light clip to it,touch the test light probe to the other terminal and have a assistant crank the engine.The light should flash repetitively during crank mode.If it doesn't, injector pulse is not present.

I'll be back shortly to add to this trouble shooting list so stay tuned.I'll list more info after the word edit below,as I add more info.
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