Rough time starting my Stang

mar04GTStang · 07-14-2006

Hey guys...i just finished reading a blog that was sent a while ago "Hard Starting Cold Motor 4.6". I'm having a similar problem. I've actually had this problem since i bought my car brand new. Initially my car would have a hard time starting hot. What it would do is take maybe 3-4 secs to crank the engine and turn over the ignition and actually rev up to start the car. I took it to the dealer and showed the guy and i got it to happen 4-5 times in a row. He of course told me anything outside of a 4-5 sec. crank was normal when usually my Stang would come to life after a sec or 2. This wouldn't happen all the time though, maybe once a month so it's not like it was a big deal it was just annoying. This was all in Buffalo, NY where i used to live. It also did it cold sometimes in the morning.

Sorry this is so long but this is really bothering me. Now I live in Atlanta. For the past week every morning before work or before i leave work my car is very hard to start and sounds very rough but idles and runs great but is consistantly between a 4-5 sec crank to start the car. Seems to be whether it's cold or hot. It's just the initially reving of the engine to start the motor. I don't care what any dealer says to me that's not NORMAL. Can you guys please help me out, I've checked for air leaks and oil filter leaks considering I change my own oil and I put my CAI in myself, i know enough about cars but not enough to go deep into checking everything or taking it to the dealer again and having them say its nothing. Thanks for any help you guys can give me I appreciate it.

the98stang · 07-15-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by mar04GTStang

Hey guys...i just finished reading a blog that was sent a while ago "Hard Starting Cold Motor 4.6". I'm having a similar problem. I've actually had this problem since i bought my car brand new. Initially my car would have a hard time starting hot. What it would do is take maybe 3-4 secs to crank the engine and turn over the ignition and actually rev up to start the car. I took it to the dealer and showed the guy and i got it to happen 4-5 times in a row. He of course told me anything outside of a 4-5 sec. crank was normal when usually my Stang would come to life after a sec or 2. This wouldn't happen all the time though, maybe once a month so it's not like it was a big deal it was just annoying. This was all in Buffalo, NY where i used to live. It also did it cold sometimes in the morning.

Sorry this is so long but this is really bothering me. Now I live in Atlanta. For the past week every morning before work or before i leave work my car is very hard to start and sounds very rough but idles and runs great but is consistantly between a 4-5 sec crank to start the car. Seems to be whether it's cold or hot. It's just the initially reving of the engine to start the motor. I don't care what any dealer says to me that's not NORMAL. Can you guys please help me out, I've checked for air leaks and oil filter leaks considering I change my own oil and I put my CAI in myself, i know enough about cars but not enough to go deep into checking everything or taking it to the dealer again and having them say its nothing. Thanks for any help you guys can give me I appreciate it.

I would start with the battery, starter, and alternater...

dtorres03gt · 07-17-2006

Yeah mine kinda does the same thing every now and then too.

theJam · 07-17-2006

I always find it happens to me after a uncommonly hard drive home from work. I really hammer it, and then the next day it kind of starts wierd. Dunno.

super_t70 · 07-17-2006

its probably your IAC valve i just had the same problem, and that is what fixed my problem

mustanggt · 07-17-2006

It's sounds like a problem that I've had before. It could be either the IAC, or check your fuel filter. I've had problems with both.

mar04GTStang · 07-17-2006

Is it a pain in the ass to fix??? Where can i buy one to replace it? I've heard of this problem happening to a lot of Mustangs, something about a faulty IAC....thanks for the help guys

mustanggt · 07-17-2006

From what I have heard, our IAC is notorious for doing this. I've been through a couple of them. It's a very easy install. When you get the part, it's not that expensive, make sure you ask for a gasket. I think two bolts hold it on. If you look at the top of the engine, it's the small cylindrical peice to the right of the TB. Remove it, scrape off the old gasket, and install the new one. 10 minutes maybe to do it. Or you can get a chilton manual, it will give you pictures and everything.

If that doesn't work, have the fuel filter checked. I was going through them like crazy for a while. I was going to what I thought was a good gas station for every tank. It was cheeper than the rest, but it was a Chevron. It turned out they were watering down the gas.

mar04GTStang · 07-21-2006

Would this be covered under warranty or would they come up with some excuse for it to be my fault my little mods i made???

willan · 07-21-2006

I was wondering if maybe your fuel system is losing pressure . I think the 04 is a returnless fuel system. Have u done any work to the fuel system? When did u replace the fuel filter last?

mar04GTStang · 07-22-2006

I haven't replaced my fuel filter at all yet have not done any work to the fuel system....should I havereplaced to fuel filter by now i've got about 23,000 miles on the car? this problem doesn't occur everytime just most of the time. If it's a pressure leak of some sort wouldn't my check engine light come on? and my car runs great it's just a 2-4 sec crank to start it versus a quick start and i'm getting great gas mileage some city and highway driving and i'm getting 20-21 MPG....i don't know i'll check it out though...

mar04GTStang · 07-22-2006

and what do you mean by a returnless fuel system? this system is different on the 04's only?

GT02 · 07-22-2006

I don't know why you would have a problem with the IAC at only 23K miles. I suppose it's possible though. More likely would be bad/poor quality fuel. 23K miles would be a good time to change the filter, for sure. I've had similar issues with my vehicles and it always turned out to be bad fuel.

mar04GTStang · 07-23-2006

How often should you replace your fuel filter? And is this something I can do at home or no? And this would cause the car to hesitate because te fuel isn't getting sent to the engine correctly or soon enough right? thanks for the help

GT02 · 07-23-2006

A partially clogged filter will definitely cause drivability problems. Sounds like a filter change is needed. I can't give any details about the procedure because I've not done this yet. Maybe someone will pop in and give details.