2001 Mercury Sable Starting problems

JPOTTS

MEMBER
2001 MERCURY SABLE
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
55,000 MILES

My problem is the car doesn't always start, and the problem is becoming more frequent.

I can start the car with no problem for days in a row, and then all of a sudden the car will crank but not start. Sometimes it will start after 30 minutes, other times it has to sit for hours, and other times it has to sit overnight.

This was happening once a week, now it seems to be happening every other day. When I took it to the dealer the first time it happened, they said they could not duplicate the problem.

Any ideas what might be causing this problem, I can't imagine I am the only one who is having this problem.

1 Reply

JGAROFALO

MECHANIC
489 POSTS

The first part of diagnosing an intermittent problem is to do the checking while the problem is happening. When the car is starting normally and operating normally, the problem area will appear normal, and will pass normal checking.

Having said that, I suggest a few quick checks while the problem is happening:
Check first for spark. This can be done with a simple and inexpensive inline spark tester. Have a helper crank the engine while observing the tester.
If spark is present, the next thing to check is fuel pressure. You can check this with a pressure tester that you can usually rent/borrow from a local parts supplier (like Auto Zone or Advance).

Another thing to check would be to scan for trouble codes. Intermittent problems sometimes leave a "trail" behind them in the form of a trouble code.

That should get you started towards finding and repairing the problem. Good luck!