Randomn Cranks but no Start

[GM_Guy]

Pulling this out of the what are you working on thread to keep this type of thing easier to find.

Had a brief no start in the vomit comet today when getting ready to come home from work. Engine crank;no start. Tried a handfull more times and she finally fired.

Checked the crank sensor connector when I got home (as per a post from Sly previously about those things) and the connector & terminals where clean and corrosion free.

Other issue I noticed a couple days ago is a sticky key cylinder when starting her when the interior has gotten very hot from sitting in the sun. You can turn the key to start and it will 'stick' in the start position (no spring back when letting go of the key). And often gets accompied by me overshooting run and turning the thing off. Having the starter kill wired in, makes it easy to just twist it and see whats going on, but naturally, it [mechanically] always works as designed when trying that to see if I can feel where/why the cylinder is sticking...
Whcih in hindsight, maybe I've got a fubar ignition switch (electrical, not key) thats contributing to this out of the blue no-start. Along with a mechanical issue with the return of said key when cranking her over.

Check the starter relay too.

Does the starter relay on the whales do more than just activate the starter? As it will crank/engage the starter properly (no weak-ass turning over) when turning the key to start. Just no fire in the hole.

Alex.

[sly]

nah... just signal wire. The solenoid (the big fat power relay) is on the starter itself.

just re-read your post. I meant to say the fuel pump relay.

[Mr Bean]

When you crank does the check engine light go out or does it remain lit? Normally it should come on when you turn on the ignition and go out when cranking. If it remains lit there is no signal to PCM.

[packman]

I had the same problem last year with my Ranger. It would start fine and then all of a sudden it would crank and not want to start. In my case, it was the crank position sensor wire that was laid up against the T-stat. It had burned through the insulation. I duct taped, put a wire loom cover over it, and zip tied it away from the T-stat to hold it over until I got the time to splice and solder in a new section of wiring. That seems to have done the trick.

A friend has an '05 Mountaineer that had the same problem. It turns out his battery was dying (had enough juice to crank the engine) and when he got a new battery, it would start up just fine. I guess vehicles without dizzy's are quirky like that.?.?

[GM_Guy]

The fuel pump runs. Difficult to hear in a whale, but I am in the habit of turning the key to run to prime things before going to start, same sounds as always (muted hum and bit of a thud when it turns off--unless that is the fuel pump module making those noises). One nice thing about a box, at least there was no doubt if the fuel pump was working or not.

No fault codes stored.
Running fuel rail pressure as reported by the scan tool: 39psi.

I will need to pay attention to the CEL and see what it does. Hopefully I remember to look at it when/if this happens again.

Wiring harness I only gave a cursory look over (looked over everything under the hood yesterday for good measure) with nothing jumping out at me as cause for closer inspection.

Surprising that a battery that will crank over an engine without difficulty would cause a no-start. Quirky indeed. Seems just when I start to like the whale a little more it gives me a reason to dislike a part of it again. =-)

Alex.

[sly]

crank sensor and cam sensor wires to check.

If the ECT died, it may crank when cool, but not heat soaked, though the CHT should help with that. MAF/ACT issues come to mind too, though that would probably throw a code on any of this.

if the PCM loses power during crank, I would bet money on the ignition switch.

[gadget73]

Unless the fuel pump circuit has changed considerably, the pump will not run if the PCM gets no power. Reasonably comfortable saying that if the fuel pump kicks, the PCM relay is good. Also, the scan tool wouldn't tell you anything if the PCM had no juice.

[GM_Guy]

ECT seems to behave in a manner that I expect when looking at it with the scanner.
ACT = IAT? If so, that sensor is also reading how I would expect. From a cold start it shows ambient temp, and increases as engine starts to heat up the engine compartment.
PCM voltage engine off 12.34 volts. engine running 14.62v

Ignition switch is what jumped to my mind, being an ex cop car that thing probably has had a good workout over time. (Relatively low idle hours, so possibly more ignition cycles than a typical cop car with lots of idle hours). Its an easy swap, and naturally, if I had a torx driver with me last saturday I'd have a spare already, which probably means that is the source of the problem (the adage about the spare parts you do have you will never need, and what you need you don't have).

Alex.
Startless log file 1: June 23 ~3:45pm

[sly]

I'm leaning towards the ignition switch myself now.

[GM_Guy]

Had a hot day yesterday, so car baking in the sun while I was at work and it had a "sticky" key again when it came time to go home. Looking at the blow apart diagrams, I ain't seeing much by way of mechanical whiz-bangery with relation to the ignition switch. Given the ink bleed on these digitized images I might be looking at what I am searching for and not even be seeing it. =-)

So the questions for today;

Is the ignition key "spring back" function a part of the key-ignition switch (like the trunk lock), or is it a function of the electrical-ignition switch?.
Or is the spring function in that dead space between the key switch and the electrical switch?

Alex.

[sly]

The spring and detents are a function of the electrical ignition switch.

[GM_Guy]

Thank you Sir. My quest has been finalized.

Alex.

[GM_Guy]

Switch ordered. From the rock, yet another genuine motorcraft item + shipping + tax +exchange cheaper than a knock-off (BWD) locally.

Alex.

[GM_Guy]

Recieved one switch today.
So when did Motorcraft sell out? "Made In Malta". WTF? Everything I've ordered lately to stay OEM, only the oil filters are made in North America.

Alex.

[gadget73]

Malta? I rather like their chocolate shakes, but I'm not so sure about switches.