new to f150 forum. great wealth of info on here. i have ran into a bit of an issue with our 87 f150 (5.0 EFI). truck starts great when cold. if it runs for even a minute (or longer) and you shut it off and try to re-start it, it will crank and crank forever. if you put the pedal to the floor it will eventually fire up and run rich for a while and then be fine. it will do this when hot (operating temp) as well. it's like something is telling the injectors to fire full on and flooding it out and will start when you floor it and give it enuf air to breathe. anyone have this issue or know what it might be? i have checked sensors, vacuum lines, wires etc. brand new cap, rotor, wires & plugs. I have not been able to get the thing to give codes of any sort. not sure what that's about. any help would be appreciated. thanks guys.

 

Check to see if the engine is squirting gas when you start it again. You know the "zzzzzzzzzzz" sound the fuel pump and cold start injector make on cold startup? If the engine is relatively warm, injection raw gas into the system would flood the fuel system. I have worked on some late 80's cars and they all had a thermo switch to control the cold start injector, don't know about your truck. Those go out and cause problems like you described. That's all I can offer.

 

cold start injector? i have never heard of such a thing. the fuel pump runs as it should for a couple seconds when you turn the key on. (i have checked pressure and leak down and those seem within specs by the way).

 

You need to check your ground wire. Better yet add a new ground from the frame to the engine block. It will cost you about 10 bucks and should solve your problem.

 

"P0214 Cold Start Injector 2 Malfunction".
Here's the code for most Ford F150's.

 

not sure what a ground will do for a fuel delivery issue. did not solve the problem.

so a cold start injector (or 2) do what exactly? where were they in the fuel system on the vehicles you worked on 'pickupsrule'?

 

Actually the new trucks (and all cars) have them too. The sensor determines the coolant temp and decides whether or not to give the engine extra raw gas (like a choke) so it will start when cold.
The injector (s) are told to pour gas into the cylinder as if the pedal was to the metal. If the sensor doesn't tell the computer the engine is hot, the raw gas floods the engine basically drowning (called flooding) it in gas and gas vapor.
The sensor looks like a water temp sensor and is usually screwed into a good source of coolant (like the block, hose housing, thermostat housing, etc.) where it measures the temp of the coolant. You will need a schematic to find it, or you can google it and you might find it there. Once you find it, all you have to do is disconnect it when the engine is hot, try to start the engine, and see if the engine starts fine. If it does, you have found the problem. They don't cost a lot. I just replaced one on a late model VW, it was $40.00.
It may not be your problem, but it is a major cause of hard starting when hot.
Good luck.

 

I dont think you have a fuel delivery issue. It starts right up when its cold. That would tell me that your fuel system is working correctly (no leaking injectors no fuel pump problem).
You dont think maybe you have an electrical issue? Voltage swings from poor grounds can and will do exactly what your describing.

 

dbfire -
i added a ground as you suggested. no change. there are actually 3 decent grounds on the engine/frame/battery. starting cold tells me fuel system is working fine (as you said), however when it runs for even a minute and you shut it down and try to restart it will flood itself (smells of raw fuel) and will only start if you put the pedal to the floor (open the throttle body) and then runs rich/rough for a little bit. something is telling the injectors to throw too much fuel for some reason (is my guess). not sure a ground issue would cause a flooding problem. perhaps so.

pickupsrule -
i have disconnected every sensor (including coolant temp) to make the computer/fuel system go to default mode. no change. beyond confused