rough start up in 95 EF Fairmont - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

sjwau2xr6 · 04-04-2002, 03:48

Started my girlfriends EF the other day and it coughed and spluttered shaking the whole car and didn't clear until I stopped the car and tried again. Same thing again! Got out, cracked it started pulling things apart. Found the TPS and firewall sensor connectors to be dirty. Cleaned and put back on. Pulled the plugs out and found # 2 and 3 to be damp but didn't smell of petrol. The head gasket has been replaced about a year ago. Any thoughts on what it could be.

pete692 · 04-04-2002, 04:33

if plugs 2 & 3 were damp & they did`nt smell of fuel,i`d suspect that dampness is water !
disable your spark ignition ,remove plugs,crank engine and check for water coming out of cylinders!

good luck

ebxr8240 · 04-04-2002, 06:18

Quote:

Originally posted by pete692
if plugs 2 & 3 were damp & they did`nt smell of fuel,i`d suspect that dampness is water !
disable your spark ignition ,remove plugs,crank engine and check for water coming out of cylinders!

good luck

Yes and check the leads especialy on those two cylinders & cap..
The leads can wear where they go through inlet/rocker cover...

SimonH · 04-04-2002, 22:18

just recently my ef falcon was doing quite alot of coughing on startup when cold ( although not as bad as yours), changed leads and spark plugs, problem solved. I agree check all your leads are ok.

Jase_ELXR8 · 04-04-2002, 23:06

And if that fails i suggest you do a comp test. We had one like this a while ago it was low on the front three cyls causing the same problems you're having. It was valves in this case.

sjwau2xr6 · 04-06-2002, 22:22

Thanx for that. I'll try these during the week and get back to you

Ta.