I have a 2004 X-Type 3.0 with 160,000 miles and just had a new battery, spark plug and ignition coils installed about 8 months ago. This morning I go out to start her up and she fires up, runs for a second or two and then just quits. Tried to start it up again and I could hear the starter trying to do its thing but no-go. I had to ride the motorcycle into work so I haven't had a chance to pop the hood or anything as of yet, but thought I'd see if folks may have any clue as to what's going on. Prior to this happening, the car drove just fine, no lights on of any sort. The only thing I did notice was a few days ago, I packed out of the garage turned off the car and a few hours later came back out to pull back into the garage and when I did, I notice a bit of grey-ish smoke. Not sure if that's related or not.

 

Fuel pump, maybe? When you turn the key to the second position without cranking it, can you hear a slight whirring sound of the fuel pump?

Have you ever changed your fuel filter?

No check engine light on or any other issues before this happened?

 

DangWangi, it is sounding like your fuel pump is giving up the ghost. But, maybe we can confirm it for you. First things, when was the last time you changed the fuel filter? If it has been 15K miles or less, odds are, that is good. Next. turn the ignition key to the RUN position (do not attempt to start the engine). Do you hear the faint whir of the fuel pump running for a second or two and then stop? If you do hear the pump, once it shuts off, then try rolling the key the rest of the way to start the car. Did it start now? If yes, your fuel pump is starting to go. If you didn't hear the whir of hte fuel pump, get out and go to the right rear tire of the car. If you reach under the car just in front of the right rear tire, you will feel the gas tank there. Rest your hand on the ground, make a fist, then hit the under side of the fuel tank. If the key is still in the RUN position, you should hear the fuel pump start. If it does, this confirms you have a bad fuel pump.

Finally opne hte hood of your car and remove the vacuum line coming off the top of the intake. Spray some starting fluid in the opening and then re-install the vent tube. Attempt to start the car. If the car starts for a second or two, then this would also verify that your fuel pump is bad.

If the motor still will not start, let us know. We now have to be looking at a wider range of possibilities.

 

Well first let me thank Thermo and Alphadude for their quick reply to my post and for the detailed feedback; it really is nice to have such dedicated and helpful people in these forums. I tried the tricks you both outlined with the exception of removing the vacuum line because I wasn't sure which one it was (I'm clueless with cars). At any rate, nothing worked, until I tried turning it over and stepping on the gas pedal a bit...vroom! Engine started up with a big cloud of grey-ish smoke out the pipes. It didn't smell like burnt oil, more like a dirty exhaust smell. I took it for a drive until engine temps were brought up to normal and the car drove just fine. Does that still seem like a fuel pump issue? I'll be calling my mechanic in the AM to see if he can take a look at it but thought if I had a clue ahead of time, I could prepare for the inevitable expense. Thanks as always for the tips and advice.

 

DangWangi, that is sounding like a fuel pump. If you can get a scanner/reader that does real time data, you can set it up to read fuel rail pressure. With the engine not running but the key in the RUN position, it should be up around 50-55 psi. Once the engine is running, the pressure should fall to around 40-45 psi. If you are at the low end (barely in) or below these ranges, then that would also confirm a failing fuel pump.

As for the vacuum line, if you open the hood of your car, sitting right on top of the engine is a plastic line going into the top of the engine. You simply hold down the plastic ring on the edge as you lift up on the hose. It will slide right out. From there, you could spray your starting fluid in there. Then to reassemble, you simply push the line back in the hole.