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2001ford explorer sport

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  J_C 
#1 ·
I have a friend who has a 2001 ford explorer sport and he says the engine cranks but wont turn over. any ideas???
i was also curious if a code reader would still work if the engine doesnt start up? thanks!!!
 
#2 ·
His terminology is a bit off. Cranking and turning over are the same thing. Starting is what comes next and what it won't do.

First make sure the Theft light on the dash isn't blinking rapidly, if the anti-theft circuit isn't allowing a start then unrelated troubleshooting is a wasted effort.

Next you can listen for the fuel pump turning on for a couple seconds the moment the key is first turned, and check for fuel pressure at the valve on the fuel rail over the engine intake manifold. Just pressing the valve in should shoot out some (60PSI or so??) fuel, with key turned one click away from starting the engine.

You can also check spark, pulling one wire at a time off the ignition coils and using a jumper to ground, keeping yourself insulated of course.

If the spark plugs and wires haven't been changed in recent years, now might be a good time to do so.

Another possibility is the crank sensor. If all else fails some might replace it, others might hook up an OBDII scan tool capable of showing life data to see if there is a valid crank signal when cranking the engine, and look around for other data that seems out of sorts while the scan tool is hooked up.

Another possibility could be too lean a fuel air mix, like if there's a vac leak from a hose off or damaged or the intake manifold gasket is shot.

Yes a code reader would work without the engine running, but before it starts there is a limit to what OBDII codes could be set because it's operating in a different mode before it warms up... which is why a scan tool capable of showing live data is much more useful in this case.

Such a scan tool used to be expensive for a vehicle owner to purchase but today we're just talking about one of those bluetooth (android device) or wifi (Apple device) dongles that you can get on Amazon, eBay, etc for around $25 or less. Search for ELM327 OBDII to find them, a popular good model is sold by BAFX. Then you load up the Torque or better still Forscan, app on your mobile device to be the head unit for the scan tool dongle. This will give you MUCH more data than the scan tool that auto parts stores might hook up, is the next best thing to getting a dealership service department to hook up their scan tool.
 
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