# Ford pickup intermittently wil not start **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** starting, ford, pickup\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339 "2009-01-22T16:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ssilogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ssilogan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ssilogan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/1 "2009-01-22T16:41:58Z")
My boss’s little Ford pickup will occassionaly not start. The starter turns but it sounds as though it is not getting any fuel. Thsi has been a probelm over the past 9 months and does not appear to be a temperature issue. It may run with out this probelm for several weeks but then it may happen hafter only a few days. The frequency has increased in the last couple of months. There is no pattern yet to when it will decide to re-start. Sometimes it will start a few hours later, sometimes a few days. No apparent pattern to when it won’t start. Sometimes when after sitting a few hours, other time after sitting several hours. He has had the fuel filter changed. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![jsutter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@jsutter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jsutter)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/2 "2009-01-22T16:44:07Z")
Model, year, mileage, any one’s opinion that has looked at it? You are not giving us much to work with. ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/3 "2009-01-22T16:55:56Z")
Next time, listen for the sound of the fuel pump running when you first turn the key to run. It should run a few seconds and stop. If you don’t hear it when the truck refuses to start, then your fuel pump is going bad. ---
**Author:** ![ssilogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ssilogan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ssilogan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/4 "2009-01-22T21:18:41Z")
94, Ford Ranger, 230K miles -no one has looked at it yet other than the guy who put in the new fuel filter and the thgouth that might do the trick - No luck. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ssilogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ssilogan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ssilogan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/5 "2009-01-22T21:22:42Z")
Thanks for the advice. Can you tell me where the pump is on this truck so we will know where to listen? ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/6 "2009-01-22T22:32:43Z")
In the gas tank. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/7 "2009-01-23T01:41:46Z")
Does it help to put a little pressure on the accel pedal? ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-pickup-intermittently-wil-not-start/25339/8 "2009-01-23T02:57:28Z")
With so many miles, there are a lot of things that need changing due to age. The computer may be getting the wrong temperature reading. It may have the fuel mixture all wrong because of that. I would want to check the distributor rotor too. I put a wrong one in once and it wasn’t touching the center electrode in the distributor. No telling what the cause is now.