Why Does My Engine Crank Excessively and Hard to Start?

Go call I check out the guides and they helped me see that the fuel pump was weak so I got new one and installed it everything is back to normal and the engine seems to have more power than you so much this site is great!

I have this 2001 Ford Expedition V8 5.4. It would start up quickly, now it cranks for maybe 5 seconds before starting. It is also running kind of sluggish. Any ideas what could be causing this? Tune up has already been done.

No check engine light, fuel pressure was checked when the new fuel filter was placed which was OK. Engine is not missing. Starting did improve with the fuel filter, but the hesitation is still there. I noticed it starts hesitating and shifting hard when driving for a long period of time. Runs great when cold.

Hi-
We started having to do two cranks on the car to get it started, but once it starts it's fine.

We checked the codes and it's throwing PO171 and PO174 lean both banks.
Service engine light is on.

THINGS DONE ALREADY:
Undid positive cable (should I have done negative?) On battery before working on MAF
I cleaned the MAF with the correct cleaner. Removed air filter and sprayed it well.
Reconnected battery cable.
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT IS OUT AND IS STAYING OFF at least for 4 days sofar.

BUT car is still long starting. Either takes a long crank to start, or we mostly do two cranks. BUT it always starts on the second crank.

Car runs totally fine. No noticeable change in fuel economy or performance. Drives the same.

ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
-Brand new Ford Spark Plugs
-New Gas Filter
-New Oil Change
-New Battery
-Not a new air filter, but coming soon in a week or so.

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I'm wondering if the computer is still resetting the starter mix, but it just seems like it has not enough gas to start on the first crank.

What do you think?

We had no problems at all until the long cranking started.
First did the fuel filter
then did the plugs
then the MAF

Where would the intake leak possibly be? I've read that it can be a vacuum hose. Or something.

I'm an american but live in the rural philippines, and might not find a diagnostic like that.

Is there a way I could check the hoses, etc a different way?

Possible its a dirty intake air valve?
Some forums also suggest the fuel pump pressure thing that maintains system pressure.
I can clean the iac

We had a bad IAC. It's been replaced. The vehicle is now hard to start. It cranks between 5 to 10 seconds before firing. It will start and run at 700 rpm. But may drop to 400 rpm's for some reason that I can't figure out. If you drive it, it will drive fine for a while, and then suddenly the rpm's will drop and all engine power is gone. The engine is running somewhat roughly, but stepping on the accelerator produces no forward movement. I have to pull to the side of the road, turn the engine off, then restart it. Sometimes it will move out normally, but most times it will repeat the drop in rpm and have no power.

Any ideas?

Thank you very much for the advice! I'll look into each of these solutions and get back to you with the results! Your help is very much appreciated!
Rick

Just today I was able to look again at the SUV running issues that I had described above. I found the problem. It turned out to be a wiring connectivity problem. The wiring harness plug had an oily film on it, and I realized that the locking clip had been broken off, from a previous part replacement.
So, we cleaned the plug as best we could. I will get some CRC and clean it thoroughly very soon, but today we used alcohol and a toothpick, which was the best we could do.
Putting the plug back in place we used a strip of Gorilla duct tape to secure the plug in place. Then attempted to start the engine. It fired immediately, although didn't start until the third time. After the cylinders cleaned themselves out from the unfired fuel, it ran perfectly, with full power.
Thank you so much for the advice from those who offered! I will complete the thorough cleaning today or tomorrow, after getting to town to get the CRC.
Again, thank you. Your help has been invaluable again!
Rick

So checking out the electrical connection on the IAC was an excellent call! It definitely needed cleaning, and I discovered that the locking clip meant to secure the plug to the valve was broken so it was not holding the plug in place, in fact, it was allowing it to back off from the valve. I cleaned it thoroughly with MAF cleaner and reinstalled it. The engine started and ran perfectly. However it still cranked a long time before firing. As it all turns out, the fuel pump was beginning to fail too! One problem, happening at the same time as the other made it harder than it needed to be.

Gotta keep an open mind. Consider all possibilities.

Thanks again for your help!