04 automatic 2.3L. Has happened 3 times in past month. When the key turns the engine will try to start but it won't, it will sort of sputter off, it will crank and almost start but then will die. If I keep at it long enough it will eventually start however. Nothing else seems to be wrong, once it starts it runs just fine and the battery is fine, I am sure of that. Any ideas? I'm thinking fuel pump.

 

A flaky Cam or Crank sensor can cause that type of starting issue. Maybe put a scanner on it and see if you've got any soft codes set.

If you think it's the fuel pump, try turning the key on, wait a few secs, then turn it off, then turn it on, wait a few secs and then turn it off. Do that three times and then see if it starts easy. That will help build up some pressure. If it does start easier then could be fuel filter or fuel pump.

 

I don't have any lights up on my dash but I do have an OBD sensor, would that help me determine weak fuel pressure? Jesus I hope it's not the fuel pump but I'm thinking so. The longer I wait when it fails to start, the more likely it is to start. It always does start eventually. What other symptoms would a bad fuel pump have or a bad filteR?

 

You can actually set a soft code and not light the CEL.

But, unfortunately there's no fuel pressure sensor on these vehicles that the PCM will monitor. The fuel pressure access port is at the back of the intake manifold on the fuel rail and very close to the firewall. It's very hard to get to but is doable. I installed a pillar mounted fuel pressure gauge on mine just so that I could watch it (I use a ScanGauge-2 for the other sensors).

Hmmm....wait, you have a 2004 so your fuel pressure access port might be at the front of the fuel rail which is so much easier to access. It's just a schrader valve.

A weak fuel pump or clogged filter could cause it to run lean and have a definite lack of performance. The key on, off, on, off, on, off, on start up usually helps prime a system that has a weak fuel pump or help a system that won't hold pressure.

But what you're describing is exactly what a friend of mine experienced with his Saturn car. Turned out it was a bad camshaft sensor. The longer he waited when it failed to start the more likely it was to start.

Oops, forgot one other thing, it could be your PATS system. When you turn your key on but don't start it, does the "Security" light flash fast? If it does I believe that means that it doesn't recognize your key.

 

Yeah the fuel pressure port is just a valve beside the engine, I am going to test it tomorrow and I will also keep an eye out for the next time it does this for the PATS system. I see we have pretty similar Rangers except yours is a manual and mine is getting really poor MPG. I know it's winter and I have a bit of weight in the back but I'm only getting 16 MPG, highway driving which seems really bad to me. DO you have a similar MPG, that would help me narrow down the problem. Also, I guess I could check the MAF reading on the code when it's running and compare it to what it's supposed to be which would tell me if I'm running lean or not. <br>
I'm googling camshaft sensor symptoms and none of them seem to fit though. Other then the difficult start, which is rare(maybe one out of 20 tries) there is no performance issues as far as I can tell. It's never stumbles, acceleration is fine, idling is decent, just the starting issue and poor mileage (unless 16 MPG is typical for Duratec 4 cylinders but I don't think it is).
I also found this guy(video at bottom if youre interested) with an almost idenital Ranger except 2 years newer so I'm thinking it might be the inertia switch as well but I've never had it shut off when driving, just while starting. I hope I don't have to lift it to get at the fuel pump, I'm an electrician and my mechanical knowledge is lacking and not my strong suit.

 

Also I'll check the fuel filter.

 

Oh wow! 16 mpg? I'm averaging 22-23 mpg in the city and get about 26-27 mpg on the highway.

The fuel pump is actually not that hard to get to. What most will do is jack up the rear of the truck and remove the rear tires. Then remove all of the electrical connections in the bed/tail lights/etc. Then remove the bed bolts. Then put the bed up on some 4x4's and slide the bed back far enough to access the fuel pump behind the cab from the top. It's not hard to do but probably time consuming.

Poor mpg could also be a stuck open thermostat. If you have scanner that can monitor engine temps I'd check that as well. Our engines seem to run in the 215*-230'ish* range.

 

Yeah itsi really bad mpg so imI I trying to figure that out too.