Car never starts first go
 

This only happens in the morning. I can crank the engine till the battery goes flat and it won't start but if I release the key and crank it again it starts straight up. It doesn't matter how long I crank it the first go, it never starts till the second. I'm guessing the computer is stopping it for some reason but why?

Thanks

Could be a lot of reasons. The same thing happened in my dad's escort and it turned out to be the fuel pump (eventually it stopped starting all together). If you haven't downloaded the factory service manual already - I suggest doing that. The fuel and emissions control section will walk you through the steps to check the pump and fuel systems. Are you getting any trouble codes?

btw - do you hear the pump prime for two seconds when you switch the ignition to 'on'?

-Charlie

I'm having the a similar problem. My car has trouble starting on the first try. I have to pump the gas a couple times to get it started. I would also apppreciate some suggestions.

Do you hear the pump prime when you first turn the key to 'on'? It should prime for 2-3 seconds and then shut off.

-Charlie

I had this problem. Turned out it was the fuel pump priming. If I turn the key, wait 2 seconds, it catches straight away. If I jump in an turn it it can take a looooong time to catch.

I also had a problem with the pump priming for a good 30 seconds every time, although it doesn't do that anymore ?!

Alex.

Thanks for the tip!

What could suddenly cause my fuel pump to delay in priming? Could an old fuel filter cause this?


John

It could cause the same effect if it is blocking the fuel flow. Turn the key to on and listen for the pump to prime. If you don't hear it - then it isn't the fuel filter. You can use a multimeter at the fuel pump relay terminal to see if the ecu is sending the signal for the pump to prime. When mine wasn't priming it turned out to be my turbo timer - once I unhooked it, it started working right.

If your problem is fuel related, it could be a lot of things - the first thing I would do is verify that the pump primes and go from there.

-Charlie