Wont Start, help! 1995 GT 5.0

[Year2001Boogie]

Someone please help!

I have had this problem for years & the dealrship thinks Im crazy!

I have a 1995 GT Mustang V-8 5.0automatic, 33,000 miles (only owner, myself)

The problem I started having was about 3 years ago, when I turn on the car, it wouldnt start, it keeps going like it wants to turnover but nothing happens, one day it didnt start so I put it in "N" to pushed the car to move it, then got in & started fine, (this doesnt happen all the time but now I would say one out of every ten times I try to start the car this happens), so when ever the car doesnt want to start, I put it in "N" and it starts right away, now the additional problem I am having, is that it now also just all of the sudden turns of while I'm driving, and the the problem happens where the car wont start, sounds like it, will but just never gets to that point of being ON! I usually can get it started while its in "N" & still rolling or coasting
Does anyone know anything about this?
Any suggestions?

I have changed or the dealership had changed the following,
battery, alternator, battery cables & ends
fuel filter, fuel line, starter, distributor cap, distributor wire, spark plugs, some re-lay switch thats unknown to me, plus a few other things that I cant recall right now, I have had the entire fuel system also changed, from having the tank emptied and clean, to running all new lines & filters


A couple of times that it didnt start in "N" .... (I have no idea how the logic behind this one & how it works, but it started everytime) If it doesnt start in "N" I will simply put my foot out the door and push it forward or backwards, maybe a couple inches, I crank it up, & it starts.


ONLY REASON I tried that because another person I know had the same problem but with a Buick LaSabre, same identical symptoms, he finally found a mechanic that fixed his problem, it was the
"Crank Sensor", so the brain surgeon that I am I took it in to get the crank sensor changed on my mustang also..... well come to find out it doesnt have a crank sensor, & the mechanic wasunable to find the problem.

Also a while back about 4 to 6 months ago, a friend was telling me that the was a recall on some part of many ford cars that caused the engine to shut down out of the blue, they had made a report of how many accidents it has caused ...
does anyone know anything about that one?

[stang_racer20]

As far as the no-start goes....my only guess off the top of my head is you have a faulty neutral safety switch. I'll see if a can find a recall or tsb about something like the shutting off though.

[Year2001Boogie]

Thank you!

[HISSIN50]

when you said that it "keeps going like it wants to turnover, but nothing happens".... do you mean it turns over (cranks) like it wants to start (or catch), but wont?
when phrased as you have, that suggests that the motor does nothing when the key is in the crank position. just clarifying to try to help.

i like the neutral safety switch idea that stang racer suggested.

i know on foxes ,the ignition switches sucked and were a recall item. i dont know if SN 95's have the same problem. i might look there for the cuttin out problem. however, you would have the best luck with pulling over after it cuts out and pulling out a DMM and testing a few things. does not sound like you are real hands on though...?

as far as i know, the NSS is only energized when cranking - so i would think that is unrelated to the cuttin out, unless the no start condition is a result of something else (depending upon clarification of the first question i had).

FWIW, crank sensors are for cars with coil packs (not distributors, like your 5.0 has)...just so you know for future reference. dont worry, that is not a big blunder. we have all heard much worse in advice FROM POSTERS replying to threads. :-)
good luck to ya

[Year2001Boogie]

The same way as if one runs out of gas trying to start the car, the **grrrrr rrr rrr rrr rrr rrrr rrrr rr** sound it makes is what the car sounds like, its not a dead click.

All the power remains on, while Im driving & the engine cuts out, many of times with the radio up, I go to step on the gas to accelerate after a stop sign or red light, & come to find out the engine died.


& HISSIN50 you are correct, Im not much of a hands on person but I hope that doesnt change of effect your efforts to help

Believe me, at this point I feel I have had more help from experts in this forum than the so called experts at the dealership.

Everything you guys (or gals) shoot my way, if it hasnt been replaced or tested, its getting tested or replced.

I love my car I wish I could only drive it more often (because of the problem)

[HISSIN50]

Originally posted by Year2001Boogie
The same way as if one runs out of gas trying to start the car, the **grrrrr rrr rrr rrr rrr rrrr rrrr rr** sound it makes is what the car sounds like, its not a dead click.

All the power remains on, while Im driving & the engine cuts out, many of times with the radio up, I go to step on the gas to accelerate after a stop sign or red light, & come to find out the engine died.


& HISSIN50 you are correct, Im not much of a hands on person but I hope that doesnt change of effect your efforts to help

Believe me, at this point I feel I have had more help from experts in this forum than the so called experts at the dealership.

Everything you guys (or gals) shoot my way, if it hasnt been replaced or tested, its getting tested or replced.

I love my car I wish I could only drive it more often (because of the problem)

it sounds like you have a pristine, low milage SN95. i am envious. as far as the hands on part, you took that wrong. i had some somewhat in-depth ideas of things you could test [yourself], and was trying to ascertain if i should go in depth....i try to help everyone as much as i can.
on this last post (that i quoted), what do you mean about the radio being up?

do you know what codes (if any) you have stored? even if your check engine light (CEL) is not illuminated, codes are stored in KAM (keep alive memory) - some codes never even illuminate the CEL. Autozone, and some other parts stores will often check your codes for you for free, if you dont know how.

that could shed some light into your problem.

when the car does not start ( it "turns over" but does not "catch") - it would be really great if you could check for spark, while it will not start.

if interested: easiest way on the road - put an extra spark plug in your glove box. when it dies, pull a spark plug wire off and put your extra plug on the wire. set the plug on the upper intake (metal) so that the threads are resting nicely on the metal. try to start the car, and see if spark is jumping across the gap.

the alternative would be to install a fuel pressure gauge. you could temporarily mount a diagnostic gauge (about 40 bucks at a parts store). when the car dies, see if you have fuel pressure. do you know if your fuel pump is shutting off before the car stalls? some pumps are quite loud, and people can tell.

i have about ten things in my head about what it COULD be, but at least knowing if it is spark or fuel related, would really help. i dont like to start people on wild goose chases.
i will think a bit on this and see if i can get a synapse to fire.

good luck with this.

[XR1stang]

now this may sound completely silly but have you replaced your coil? I see you did a lot of stuff over on the ignition area but I didn't see that you had replaced your coil.

I had some of the same issues that you speak of a long time ago. My car would just suddenly turn off while driving down the road, usually while turning sharply to the right (if that matters). I changed out most of the stuff that you mentioned to no effect... but when I changed out the coil everything was "fixed". Go figure. Coils aren't all that expensive, even if you get something like a Screamin Demon, so it won't break the wallet to try it.

There were a few recalls on various ignition areas on our cars. I know the ignition switches were recalled (mine was indeed faulty), and then there was the general recall for almost every car Ford made up until about 1995... I can't recall what it was for though, I keep thinking TPS but that's not what it was, maybe someone else on here will remember.

Funny thing is I checked alldata.com and it didn't even mention that safety recall, nor the drivers side seat bracket saftey recall for the 94/95.

FWIW here is what alldata.com had for Saftey Recalls on the 95 models:


01S30 DEC 01 Recall - Cooling Fan Motor Circuit Breaker Installation

01S28 SEP 01 Recall - Air Bag Module Inspection/Replacement

00S37 OCT 00 Recall - Park Brake Control Modification

97S88 NOV 97 Recall - Hood Separation Inspection/Repair

95S17 AUG 95 Recall - Tie Rod End Inspection/Replacement

95S06 MAR 95 Recall - Passenger Side Air Bag Inspection

[Year2001Boogie]

Low milage.....yes, only due to the fact I am unable to enjoy the car like I would like to, but once I get that solved low ilage will not even come into play.

Radio being up..meanng the volume past the normal listening level. In other words my lights remain on, the radio still playing music, the AC still cranking out cold air, & my windows still go up and down when Im driving and the car turns off. So it may not be a loss of power (electrical).

Codes... Im lost, I have no clue about them, I didnt even know that it had any.

The spark plug does spark when the car doesnt want to turn on, I know that test was run at least twice & both times did what it was supposed to do except turn over.

Shortly after that, is when the entire fuel system was changed, from the start of cleaning out the tank, replacing all the lines, filters everything, but sure enough, problem is still there.

Replace the Coil...... Theres something I dont recall if it was done, I will have to check all my service records, and parts records to see if it was.

One of the trips my car had made to the dealer, they did change alot of the recall parts, the fan, the brake, air bag & the hood seperation, and something on the transmission, if memory serves me right it had to do with the overdrive.

Now I recall something about the faulty ignitions switches, I had an 89 taurus before getting this GT, & the switch was indeed a bad one, but not to the point of the problems Im having with this car.

No matter how much I try to stay away from Ford vehicles, I never owned a japanese make in my life, I always end up going right back to them, with my 95' GT & 03' F150 . . . . . . .

[HISSIN50]

Originally posted by Year2001Boogie
Low milage.....yes, only due to the fact I am unable to enjoy the car like I would like to, but once I get that solved low ilage will not even come into play.

Radio being up..meanng the volume past the normal listening level. In other words my lights remain on, the radio still playing music, the AC still cranking out cold air, & my windows still go up and down when Im driving and the car turns off. So it may not be a loss of power (electrical).

Codes... Im lost, I have no clue about them, I didnt even know that it had any.

The spark plug does spark when the car doesnt want to turn on, I know that test was run at least twice & both times did what it was supposed to do except turn over.

Shortly after that, is when the entire fuel system was changed, from the start of cleaning out the tank, replacing all the lines, filters everything, but sure enough, problem is still there.

Replace the Coil...... Theres something I dont recall if it was done, I will have to check all my service records, and parts records to see if it was.

One of the trips my car had made to the dealer, they did change alot of the recall parts, the fan, the brake, air bag & the hood seperation, and something on the transmission, if memory serves me right it had to do with the overdrive.

Now I recall something about the faulty ignitions switches, I had an 89 taurus before getting this GT, & the switch was indeed a bad one, but not to the point of the problems Im having with this car.

No matter how much I try to stay away from Ford vehicles, I never owned a japanese make in my life, I always end up going right back to them, with my 95' GT & 03' F150 . . . . . . .

ok, cool, you know you have spark. that helps a lot. so one can reasonable guess that it is fuel related.

i have two thoughts (first two all day. LOL). anyone with an SN95: im sure they have inertia switches....i would check that thing. on foxes, it is in the trunk. it is for collisions - keeps fuel from pumping if an impact is felt.

you could have an intermittant connection in the switch. for some folks, the faulty switch will trip if they are cornering hard, etc.

the other thought: once again, if wired like a fox, there is a fusable link off the starter solenoid. this Fusable link feeds power, through the FP relay, for the fuel pump. if it sorta burned, it can also make intermittant contact (getting worse normally when the motor is hot).

other things: could even be the fuel pressure regulator. if you pull the vac line off of it, if there is fuel in the vac line, that is very indicative of a bad regulator (bad diaphram).

info for you: the computer feeds ground to the sensors and many relays. for the FP, it supplies a ground pulse to the FP relay. should you ever test the FP relay connections, that is something to look for.

this is hard to help with cuz it is intermittant. if you check my last post (i think), i talked about a fuel pressure gauge. i would really go for that now. next time it dies, if you have less than adequate pressure, that confirms it is fuel management. (this might be easier than performing electrical diagnostics for ya).

or, if you can, when it dies, play with the relay (if you dont want to test the connections). you could get another to keep around with you (or just put it in and see if things clear up). some relays are bad out of the box. been there and done that. i bet others have too.

also, on foxes, you can swap the relay with the a/c relay (same part number). nice for diagnostics. i dont know where your FP relay is. on 87- ~ late92 foxes, it is under the drivers seat. late 92 adn 93's have it on the pass fender, under the air intake (in front of the strut tower).

im just tossin out ideas for you to think about, and have others think about.

on your coil: based on the info XR1 had at the time, coil sounded good. but i think he would agree, now that you know you have spark when it wont start, that does not sound likely....

that is about all i can think of for now. i know it does not help much. let us know what questions you have, or how to do tests (if any sound like something you would want to tackle).

good luck.

[PKRWUD]

Just out of curiosity, does the speedometer needle jump around at all when you are trying unsuccessfully to start it, or when the engine dies while driving?

[Year2001Boogie]

The needle does not jump around in any instance.

I took my car out this weekend to see if myabe there was something I was missing in letting you know......

The car's problem of not turning on happens more often af ter I turn the car off, and try to restart later, from a 20 minute or more drive
vs.
going around the block to the local store, & going back to the store 10 minutes later


So how hard is it to install a feul pressure gauge? whats the best kind? any special features I should look for in one?


Thanx again!

[HISSIN50]

the easiest way to do a FP gauge is to use a diagnostic gauge. they are good to have on hand, and cost 30-40 bucks. they just screw into the schrader valve on the fuel rail.

if you run a dedicated, permanent gauge, you really should use AN fittings and braided line - for something you probably dont really need (you will have the diagnostic gauge for when problems arise, plus you can use the diagnostic gauge on other cars you have).

for a diagnostic gauge, hit the local parts store. i think i got mine from Autozone for about 30 bucks. the packaging should say if it fits most fords, and so on.

for a permanent gauge, check out Jegs.com.
they sell a gauge for 20 bucks. but you need to figure out what size adapter to get, and some AN fittings and braided line. will probably cost more than the diagnostic gauge.

this is the route i would go at this point (if you have an electrical problem in the fuel system, the pressure check should help to find it, and show that there is indeed a lack of pressure. then you can diagnose the electrical in the fuel system from there).
but if anyone has better ideas, or disagrees, please speak up. that said, the diagnostic gauge is the route i would go. you should not need anything that does not come with it.

good luck.

[Year2001Boogie]

HISSIN50

Thanks alot for your help, I will try that, I should get some free time next weekend & Ill let you know what happens
Thanx!

[HISSIN50]

Originally posted by Year2001Boogie
HISSIN50

Thanks alot for your help, I will try that, I should get some free time next weekend & Ill let you know what happens
Thanx!

we will see if i actually helped if you can get this solved! :-)

i know i tossed a lot of info out. a simple diagnostic FP gauge would help a lot. you might be able to just get one loaned from a parts store too.

i think i went over testing the terminals (a little bit) on the FP relay. that would tell a lot too, if pressure is good.

good luck. let us know what you find. :-)