I got a Mercury cougar 1996 XR7 4.6 V8.... I recently changed the spark plugs, fuel filter, clean the fuel pressure regulator and I can't get it to start now it turns over and just cranks but never starts I'm getting gas and I'm getting spark but it won't stay started somebody please help me I love this car.... Also it's not showing no codes
1. How do you know its getting gas
2. How do you know its getting spark.
I want to know how you tested this.
3. What do you mean be "clean the fuel pressure regulator". You arent supposed to fully disassemble them if thats what you did. Youre supposed to pull them off the fuel rail, and replace them. Factory style anyway.
4. It wont show a code. It thinks its trying to start. It doesnt know what its not doing.
Ex. There might be a knocking rod, wont show a code if theres still adequate compression.
5. Have you made sure when the plugs are installed and the wires are on the plugs that they are fully seated? Sometimes you have to move them around until the plug finds the middle and allows ypu to fully install it.
6. After replacing the fuel filter and disassembling the fuel rail, did you bleed the system? Its not hard to do on an EFI car, hold down the schrader valve while someone turns the key. Itll make the fuel pump prime, and will push the air out the valve. Fuel will squirt out at some point. Be prepared. It will sting your face if you havent had it before and if anything hot is near by it can flash and burn the car down.
Also did you do spark plugs one at a time and not mix up plug wires or did you reinstall then in correct firing order? Like Wile E Coyote Jr said the fuel pressure regulator is preset to a certain setting and shouldn’t really be messed with
So what do you think happened? It never occurred to me to clean a fuel pressure regulator, what prompted you to clean it, is there something else going on here? It's easy to test it to see if it's regulating properly. Could you have put the fuel filter in backwards?
Jim
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
TCCoA Forums
1.5M posts
26.8K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar and Lincoln Mark owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!