1995 Ford Thunderbird Starting Problem
filed in 1995 Honda Civic
Question: During startup, the engine won’t catch. It takes about 2-3 very lengthy cranks before the engine finally catches (perhaps about 1-3 minutes total). According to the Ford dealership which did a diagnostic for him, they couldn’t find anything wrong. The car had a tuneup done at about 60K miles, and the fuel filter had been changed a few thousands mile back. Battery is good, and has no trouble turning the starter.
POSSIBLE CULPRIT THAT I SUSPECT: I suspect a fuel pump, though the car, according to my friend, hasn’t had any stalling problems when running. It just has a hard time to catch fire when cranking, and if I recall correctly, T-Birds do have some problems with their in-tank fuel pumps, and is probably something that a typical diagnostic wouldn’t catch.
Anyone have any idea what could be wrong with my friend’s T-Bird? CAR: 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX ENGINE: 4.6L V8 Engine, no modifications MILEAGE: 85K miles
PROBLEM:
Probably true, some dealerships these days expect you to diagnose it for them – they wait for your suggestions and follow them, then charge you $55 per hour. Come to think of it, some doctors do this, too. Hmmm – see a trend? I’ve got a 1990 that was having a similar problem…
Check your Ignition switch in the steering column. I’ve replaced mine twice now… It’s a cheap part, somewhere around $15 at your local auto store.
An easy way to test: Push on your column from the bottom (between the keylock and the dash) REALLY hard and try and start your car.
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