xtremetractorteam

there is no CEL. engine starts instantly when it sets for at least a few hours. soon as it starts it surges a few hundred RPM. runs and drives fine otherwise. shut it off once its warm, let it set about 10 minutes and it will crank almost till the battery is dead then barely start. plugs, wires, cap and rotor all have less than 2000 miles on them.
im going to start by checking fuel pressure and testing EGR solenoid. any other things to look at before i get into it?

aliens8mycow

I'd visually inspect the wires coming off the negative battery post. They tend to corrode - sometimes way up under the insulation - and cause heat issues which make a hot motor hard to start.

Another likely suspect would be the ignition control module on the side of the distributor.

It's surging because it's either at the lean or rich end of the computer's fuel tables. Check for codes (don't need the CEL on to have codes posted) and let us know what you come up with. This thread will explain how:

https://www.f150forum.com/f10/how-re...es-obdi-10907/

1987 F-150 XLT 4x4

What year is your truck?

xtremetractorteam

i have a code scanner so ill check it later. the truck is a 95' automatic w/MAF

as far as the battery cable goes, the truck cranks fine, it just doest want to start.

JimFX4

I heard that a faulty coolant temperature sensor will make starting an engine difficult.

1987 F-150 XLT 4x4

IT COULD BE as Aliens8mycow said;
ICM (Ignition Control Module)

This is usually the problem if the engine will not start when hot,
but will start after it has cooled off.
Ford relocated the ICM (aka: TFI) to the driver's side fender on your 95 truck.

or

PIP Sensor (Pickup Coil inside the distributor)

You may have two problems,
the Air Filter could be plugged and this will cause an engine to surge while idling.

xtremetractorteam

ok, got a chance to look at it some today. heres where im at...
started off checking trouble codes. even with no CEL it came back with an EGR and ECT code. i decided to look at the EGR since i had a gut feeling about this already. i checked for voltage at the harness and rang out the EGR sensor and all was good, however when i applied vacuum to the sensor i got no movement. so i took the EGR valve off and found it to be packed solid with carbon. i was able to clean it all out and soak it in blaster and get it to move freely. put it all back together, then disconnected the battery to clear codes. started up fine (engine cold) idled real rough still, possibly the ECU relearning sensors? drove it home 30 miles and checked codes again. no codes. started it up shortly after and it still had hard starting but didnt seem as bad. ill report back tomorrow hopefully with good news so we can edit this as problem solved. thanx for all the responces.

xtremetractorteam

ok, EGR was definately NOT the problem. it started hard and idled rough all day today. so, i took the throttle body off and made sure there was no blockages in the IAC circuitry. still running rough. i replaced the fuel pressure regulator today just for ****s, that didnt solve anything. also, put a gauge on it and my fuel pressure is about 35 psi at idle with vacuum hose on the regulator and about 40 with the hose off. thats within spec. so i dont know what to do now. any more suggestions?

benbailey84

S.E.A.F.O.A.M.!!! LOL,
https://www.f150forum.com/f12/sea-foam-216/ scroll down and f150 texan explains how to use it, its on my to do list for my f150. it surges when its cold, sometimes dies but it starts right back up with no problem