2005 Grand Marquis 40K miles

EASY 7

MEMBER
2005 MERCURY MARQUIS

Ok, I finally got the right tool.
Just changed fuel filter in my 2005 Grand Marquis. The car ran fine befor I changed the filter, now it won't start or starts momentarily then stumbles and dies. Yes the filter is installed in the right direction. As a way of determining that I was getting good fuel flow I disconnected the engine side of the filter and turned on the ignition switch. Lots of fuel with a good strong stream. Evidently not a pump problem. Then again how would it know to fail when I only changed the filter. Evidently the fuel system is air bound. Is there a way to bleed the system of air?
What do I do now. It's my wife's car and with her own female logic she can't understand why I would change a filter if everything was working fine!
I need Help!

1 Reply

SERVICE WRITER

MECHANIC
9,123 POSTS

Thats really strange. Since there is no kinked lines (?), it should be fine. If it is any consolation, when a car comes into the shop and we do what you did and have the same problem you do....you know what we look like.

At least you realize you can't win this arguement with the wife, no matter how right you are. Even if you do win it, you'll still lose :wink:

Back to the problem. I don't believe air lock should be a problem, but there is a schrader valve on the fuel rail that relieves pressure. Those damn engineers have the fuel pressure specs so critical that it isn''t any longer a matter of a good stream of fuel but a certain pressure must me met.

I assume we are in argeement on the fuel filter #?

Try this: Cycle the key like you did to get the pump to run, but turn it back off and on to make the pump run again. Do this a few times to energize the line and then crank it.

If nothing different, check the fuel cutoff (inertia) switch. Maybe it switched off when the filter was disconnected?? also check the Fire-sppression switch.

The inertia switch is locatedin the trunk on the left side I think.

The Fire suppression switch is on the console on the headliner between the sun visors. The key needs to be on to reset i think.