# 1996 Ford Explorer will not start

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [February 4, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013 "2009-02-04T16:04:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenexy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cab0a1/32.png) [@Kenexy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kenexy)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013/1 "2009-02-04T16:04:55Z")

</div>

My 96 Ford starts every morning on the way to work and the same coming back. But if I stop somewhere on the way after driving for 30 minutes or more and turn the car off. It will not start again until it cools down for 1 hours at least.  
  
 Can you help

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013/2 "2009-02-04T16:23:22Z")

</div>

The next time it doesn’t start hold the pedal to the floor as you turn the key and let up slowly if/as it starts to fire. If this works then it is probable that your engine is flooding out. The most likely culprits are a leaky fuel pressure regulator or leaky fuel injectors.

The reason it doesn’t do it after sitting a long time is that the fuel flooding the motor evaporates & leaks out of the cylinders into the crank case over time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenexy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cab0a1/32.png) [@Kenexy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kenexy)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013/3 "2009-02-04T16:51:02Z")

</div>

HOW BIG OF A JOB IS IT? AND IS IT WORTH IT TO DO IT. 96 CAR 150K?  
THANK YOU.  
RACH

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013/4 "2009-02-04T17:14:14Z")

</div>

When you type it all caps it looks like you’re YELLING!

A pressure regulator is a piece of cake and will likely run anywhere from $60-100 for the part.

Injectors are more complicated and more expensive but often can be done yourself with a shop manual, some time, and some patience. Whether its worth it or not is a pretty big question with a two sentence description of the car (and not even knowing its mileage, if it is a 6 or 8 cyl, 4WD or not, etc) On top of that its not even a question anyone else can really answer. It is very frequently “worth it” to fix a car if it had been well cared for and is generally in good shape.

But a bad pressure regulator is a frequent problem, and easy and cheap to fix.

I also have no idea whatsoever if that is your problem. It was my first thought based on very little information.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenexy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cab0a1/32.png) [@Kenexy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kenexy)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-ford-explorer-will-not-start/26013/5 "2009-02-04T17:23:54Z")

</div>

Sorry. I was not yelling.  
Thank you very much for your help and insight. It is very generous of you.  
Rach