Irratic starting problem

[Ski]

Well, you should be able to *hear* the pump. Not that they're loud by any means but you can usually hear the pump prime when you turn the key to the "on" position so try listening for it, but if it's only a year old I'd think it unlikely it would fail again so soon although it's not unheard of. It could also be the fuel pump relay or the regulator. As for removing the lines, check with your local NAPA or other parts store for the tool. In cases like this though I'm partial to the higher-end shops because the cheapo tools that places like AutoZone sell usually ****, spending a few bux more on a quality tool will *really* pay dividends in the frustration department.
You know, you don't have to be stuck diagnosing this yourself. I'm not so proud that I won't take mine to the dealer or a shop for when I'm stuck. Most places will give you a free estimate & to do that they have to tell you just what's wrong & how they'd go about fixing it. No reason you can't bring it to a dealer, ask him what's wrong & how much it'll be to repair and then go home to "think" about it. Of course if you make a habit of doing that and using the same shop they'll eventually get wise but there are lots of shops in the world and it doesn't sound as though your particular Bronco is a mechanical basket case. It's worth considering if you've hit a dead end

You know that is what I am going to have to do. I had the tool that I bought at Autozone...your right it sucked and didnt work....so I bought a better one and it still didnt work. The fuel pump does kick in, I just dont know if it is pumping the right pressure. I could spend the 40 bucks on a guage, but that would be too easy right???? LOL......I am going to **** it up, take it to a mechanic...just be done with it. Of course to do that I have to get the inspection on it which was due in Sept, it will fail unless I get an exhaust on it, which will run me around 300 bucks, soooooo.......I am at my wits end...just **** it up and do it already I guess....still....anyone want a slightly used 96 Bronco 5.8L?????

 

[Broncobill78]

You know that is what I am going to have to do. I had the tool that I bought at Autozone...your right it sucked and didnt work....so I bought a better one and it still didnt work. The fuel pump does kick in, I just dont know if it is pumping the right pressure. I could spend the 40 bucks on a guage, but that would be too easy right???? LOL......I am going to **** it up, take it to a mechanic...just be done with it. Of course to do that I have to get the inspection on it which was due in Sept, it will fail unless I get an exhaust on it, which will run me around 300 bucks, soooooo.......I am at my wits end...just **** it up and do it already I guess....still....anyone want a slightly used 96 Bronco 5.8L?????

Well gosh man, if you hate the truck & it's driving you crazy then dump it. Exhaust ain't hard, it's dirty and can be a hassle but for what a shop charges most guys can spend a weekend under there and do it themselvs. Most of us here *prefer* to do our own work and derive a certain sense of satisfaction from doing it as well as saving the $$$ that we would otherwise give to someone else. Your truck is almost 12yrs old and it's coming due for that round of maintenance that they all do, fact is that you just can't drive them and drive them without doing any and when a previous owner puts it off then at some point *someone* has to buckle down and do the work. The work is due on your watch, that's the sad fact, once it's done it should be good for another 50/60K but maintenance & repair is an ongoing part of any vehicle. I know guys who just *hate* it and truth be told most of them lease new vehicles & get a new one every 2 or 3 years. Most of the guys *here* enjoy their trucks, like having them and want to keep them for as long as they possibly can. But to be honest I really don't get that vibe from you and it feels more like we're all trying to talk you into hanging onto a truck that you just flat out don't want anymore. So sell it and be done with it, move on to something that gives you some pleasure. If your truck isn;t fun then there really isn't much of a point to keeping it now is there ? Most of the guys who join the grou & post questions WANT to keep their trucks but you sure seem to hate yours. Everyone here is more than willing to answer each & every question you have and to try & walk you thru as much of it as we can but I don't think that *anyone* wants to feel like they're trying to convince someone to do something that they don't want to do. It doesn't sound like yours is a basket case, it just needs some work but if you don't want to part with the $$ and you really don't want to do it yourself then sure, maybe you should sell it. I doubt you'll have any trouble finding someone who wants a 96' Bronco, I'm sure it'll sell quickly.

 

[bidibronco]

I'll take your 95 for my 99 ******. Gets outstanding gas milage, new"er" transmission, new fuel pump/filter. It has new brakes all around too! All the BS has been gone threw. I'll even deliver! Let me know!

 

[Ski]

I'll take your 95 for my 99 ******. Gets outstanding gas milage, new"er" transmission, new fuel pump/filter. It has new brakes all around too! All the BS has been gone threw. I'll even deliver! Let me know!

Hey I appreciate that offer, but truth is I just vent. There is no way I would get rid of my truck. My wife knows me best and just nods her head and says yes dear....whatever you want....knowing in the end I am going to do what I have to do to keep my truck. I am not opposed to a little hard work, just get frustrated when its one after another back to back.....I would like at least a month of happy trails before I have to work on it again.

 

[bidibronco]

Hey I appreciate that offer, but truth is I just vent. There is no way I would get rid of my truck. My wife knows me best and just nods her head and says yes dear....whatever you want....knowing in the end I am going to do what I have to do to keep my truck. I am not opposed to a little hard work, just get frustrated when its one after another back to back.....I would like at least a month of happy trails before I have to work on it again.

HAHAHAHA I DO THAT SAME EXACT THING! My wife just nods her head and says the same thing to me! :- / But I do have an ****** for sale if you're looking for something with great gas milage and you're close enough I'll still deliver. On the other hand, I had a problem getting the fuel lines off from near my engine when I was pulling it. I had one of those tools that have the fuel line remover on both sides and if you unfolded it there were two more. I hope that made since and I was trying the one that "fit" around the line and that didn't work so I went to the one that didn't quite close and it came off so fast I bounced my noggen off my hood. Kind of funny how that worked out though, I'm swearing at this thing and when I decided "hey, I'll try the other 3" it swore right back at me and hit me in my beanie... Oh well, it was a blast!

 

[Ski]

HAHAHAHA I DO THAT SAME EXACT THING! My wife just nods her head and says the same thing to me! :- / But I do have an ****** for sale if you're looking for something with great gas milage and you're close enough I'll still deliver. On the other hand, I had a problem getting the fuel lines off from near my engine when I was pulling it. I had one of those tools that have the fuel line remover on both sides and if you unfolded it there were two more. I hope that made since and I was trying the one that "fit" around the line and that didn't work so I went to the one that didn't quite close and it came off so fast I bounced my noggen off my hood. Kind of funny how that worked out though, I'm swearing at this thing and when I decided "hey, I'll try the other 3" it swore right back at me and hit me in my beanie... Oh well, it was a blast!

If that ****** is running and trustworthy I might take you up on it. I am not too far from you I think. I know that I am 3 hrs from Langley AFB. How much were you thinkin about sellin it for? My truck is not as bad as I make it out some times. It sucks for gas mileage of course, and it has developed a tear in the drivers seat that is going to run me about 150 to get repaired. (All leather) But I think once I get this fuel problem figured out, and replace every dang steel line in the truck it should be pretty good. The power steering lines are rusted beyond belief, I know I have to replace them soon. But it is a work in progress. Worse part is everything happens once a year, just before I have to get it inspected, and of course it wouldnt pass inspection with what goes wrong. I am always behind on the inspection because of that.

 

[Ski]

Ok, so here is more to the story of my truck. It happened again. Wont start. It ran like a champ for 2.5 weeks, I did nothing to it other than add gas and a fuel additive. Now again it just wont start. Why? I got spark, obviously I get fuel, unless there is something wrong with my guage and I am actually out of gas, but last night I out 5 gals in and no start, so then I am thinking maybe the sending unit? The pump is working. Anyone?

 

[bidibronco]

To make sure you have fuel just press the pressure release thing on the fuel line and make sure some fuel comes out of it. Aslo, as you're starting it if you're smelling fuel out the pipes then you have fuel too. When you turn your truck "on" (not started yet) you should hear the fuel pump prime. Let it do it's thing and then crank her over. Also, you're "sock" on your pump may be cloged a bit. Sometimes additives can be more hamfull than helpfull if they break down what's on the sides of the tank and put them in the lines.

 

[Ski]

Ok so turns out I was out of gas.....or at least I think so. I put in another 2 gals and it started. Threw in 30 bucks and its running. Of course its running like CRAP cause I put in a can of starter fluid in the air intake.....oh well....its running. So now I have to figure out why its running dry and showing me that I have a quarter of a tank.

 

[bidibronco]

bad "float" on your pump! woo hoo! git-r-done!

 

[Ski]

bad "float" on your pump! woo hoo! git-r-done!

So can I replace just that? or do I have to replace the whole dag gon pump?

 

[Ski]

So can I replace just that? or do I have to replace the whole dag gon pump?

Ok so here is another update. I havent had time to drop my tank and take a look, so I have been driving it with no problems up to today. Now it wont start and the guage says half a tank. Seems to be getting worse. Or rather the guage is saying fuller while the engine is saying no gas.

 

[Broncobill78]

unfortunately you've reached the point where your options have become pretty limited. You can ck the fuel pressure with a gauge to see what you have but you obviously have at the LEAST a sending unit problem and that isn't going to go away until you replace it, so I'd start planning on dropping the tank & replacing the sender & fuel pump. From the reply page I don't have all the info on your truck but IF you have the low pressure pump in the tank AND the high pressure pump on the framerail then you could replace the frame mounted pump *as well as* the fuel filter and see if you can get it running but if the only pump you have is in the tank then you're options are pretty limited. Walk away from it or drop the tank & replace the pump. Well, you can always just drop it off at a shop & write them a check to fix whatever's wrong as well.

 

[Ski]

unfortunately you've reached the point where your options have become pretty limited. You can ck the fuel pressure with a gauge to see what you have but you obviously have at the LEAST a sending unit problem and that isn't going to go away until you replace it, so I'd start planning on dropping the tank & replacing the sender & fuel pump. From the reply page I don't have all the info on your truck but IF you have the low pressure pump in the tank AND the high pressure pump on the framerail then you could replace the frame mounted pump *as well as* the fuel filter and see if you can get it running but if the only pump you have is in the tank then you're options are pretty limited. Walk away from it or drop the tank & replace the pump. Well, you can always just drop it off at a shop & write them a check to fix whatever's wrong as well.

I just replaced it last year. Its not that difficult. Just kind of pricey. I'll do it myself. Mine is one unit in the tank so like you said, not much choice I guess. Thanks

 

[madmax]

Ok so turns out I was out of gas.....or at least I think so. I put in another 2 gals and it started. Threw in 30 bucks and its running. Of course its running like CRAP cause I put in a can of starter fluid in the air intake.....oh well....its running. So now I have to figure out why its running dry and showing me that I have a quarter of a tank.

Well if the fuel gauge is reading high then I'd just start using the trip odometer and always fill it all the way, figure you can get 400 miles and still have a good 5 gallon safety margin.

 

[barrett86]

yah my gauge acts up after half a tank, it drops to E quick. *** is up with that.

 

[Ski]

Well if the fuel gauge is reading high then I'd just start using the trip odometer and always fill it all the way, figure you can get 400 miles and still have a good 5 gallon safety margin.

Well I just put another 20 bucks into my ride and it is full. That tells me that the guage is correct. So if I have a full tank of gas, my guage is correctly showing that, then what could be causeing my truck to not start. I have spark, it is most definitly a fuel flow problem. But dang it if I dont know what it is. I REALLY dont want to think it is my new pump being bad. I can hear it cut on with the key placed to run. So I know the pump works, what exactly does the sending unit do?

 

[BroncoJoe19]

Ski,

You have been posting back and forth here for a month and a half.

Let's see if we can collectively get this thing fixed.

Intermittent problems are amoung the toughest to nail down.

WHat have you done so far regarding diagnostics?

Have you done a fuel pressure test?

Whether or not your gas guage is working properly is the least of your concerns.

DId you ever get to successfully replace your fuel filter?

BTW BroncoBill78 it's a '96 with a 351.

Oh... BTW Ski, when someone asks you a question, please give him the courtesy of a reply. Quite often if the question is asked it is to help lead the questioner down one diagnostic path or another.

When was the last time that she had a tuneup?

What parts have been changed in the last 30,000 miles?

When was the last time that you checked for codes?

joe

 

[Ski]

Ski,You have been posting back and forth here for a month and a half.

Let's see if we can collectively get this thing fixed.

Intermittent problems are amoung the toughest to nail down.

WHat have you done so far regarding diagnostics?

I have checked for spark, thats good, checked my fuel at the fuel rail, I am getting fuel there, I just dont know what the pressure is. I had issues with the inspection and was not able to take it off base cause I wouldnt be able to get it back on base. So now that I have taken care of that, after spending 256 dollars on a new exhaust. I am now able to take it downtown and see what I can get done as far as pressure readings. Is that something that say Autozone or Advance can do for free?? I know that the fuel pump is working as advertised, it cuts on when I turn the key to run, and cuts off after one second. I believe the fuel filter is as old as the truck with 166778 miles, which I was unable to disconnect the lines, I did read an article in a 4X4 magazine where the owner of a truck went ahead and cut into the steel fuel line to install an inline electric pump and just used rubber fuel line hose and hose clamps, I am thinkin I can do that as a last resort to swap my filter. If the pressure is good and I have swapped my filter and it still acts up, then I will drop my tank and look into the pump. I just am finding it difficult to believe that my year old pump has gone bad.

Have you done a fuel pressure test?

Not yet but that is my next step if I can find someone who can do that.

Whether or not your gas guage is working properly is the least of your concerns.

DId you ever get to successfully replace your fuel filter?

Not yet, will be tackling that this weekend.

BTW BroncoBill78 it's a '96 with a 351.

Oh... BTW Ski, when someone asks you a question, please give him the courtesy of a reply. Quite often if the question is asked it is to help lead the questioner down one diagnostic path or another.

When and what question didnt I answer? I believe I have always been courteous in here. If not then I apologize.

When was the last time that she had a tuneup?

I have "Black Betty" her last tune up last June, keeping in mind it only gets driven on base about 120 miles a month.

What parts have been changed in the last 30,000 miles?

I have put in a new ignition control module, a new MAF sensor, new EGR Valve and switch.

When was the last time that you checked for codes?

I last checked it after I replaced my MAF sensor. When my truck started acting up. Which could be related??? Anyways, after I swapped my MAF is when it started this whole non-starting thing. So I checked for any stored codes, and it came up clean. Plus I just got it inspected yesterday and it passed for codes.

Thanks, SKI

 

[BroncoJoe19]

I am now able to take it downtown and see what I can get done as far as pressure readings. Is that something that say Autozone or Advance can do for free?

Sorry, I don't know, but they are only a phone call away.IF NOT, then perhaps there is a motor pool mechanic on base that can help you out, or ask a round maybe someone else has a pressure guage that you can borrow. I picked mine up for about $30 so it is not an expensive tool that someone would be overly protective of.

If the pressure is good and I have swapped my filter and it still acts up, then I will drop my tank and look into the pump.

Nope... then we will have to look for a different problem.

Regarding swapping the filter:

Your pump should put out approx 35-45 PSI pressure. I don't know how safe cutting out the filter and using rubber hoses is. You might want to consider having a shop replace the filter for you. Perhaps with better tools, they can do it easily, and it won't cost much. Just a thought, I imagine that they would pretty much have a set price for swapping out a filter, and if it takes them longer than anticipated, they will have to eat the additional time.

When and what question didnt I answer? I believe I have always been courteous in here. If not then I apologize.

Yes.. you have been a gentleman throughout. I apologize. I had you confused with another thread.

When was the last time that she had a tuneup?

I have "Black Betty" her last tune up last June, keeping in mind it only gets driven on base about 120 miles a month.

I assume the tuneup included cap plugs and rotor. Did you also include wires and air filter? DId you use a good qulaity air filter or the cheapest you could find? It is my understanding that cheap ones can deteriate and leave deposits on your MAF sensor.

What parts have been changed in the last 30,000 miles? I have put in a new ignition control module, a new MAF sensor, new EGR Valve and switch.

When was the last time that you checked for codes?

I last checked it after I replaced my MAF sensor. When my truck started acting up. Which could be related??? Anyways, after I swapped my MAF is when it started this whole non-starting thing. So I checked for any stored codes, and it came up clean. Plus I just got it inspected yesterday and it passed for codes.

Someone who knows more about codes will have to help you out here, because I am a real newbie on this stuff. I *think* you are supposed to clear out the memory after installing a MAF sensor, but I am not sure.

Also while I am sure that your truck was checked for emmissions, I am pretty certain that they do not check for codes during an inspection, at least up here in NJ they don't.

So you *may* want to get it re-checked for codes.

Since your truck runs intermittently, if it runs fine while it is running, your problem may not be your fuel filter. Although it is probably time for it to be replaced.

Let us know how you make out with your fuel pressure test.

joe