Howdy all,
My 99' F-150 is taking 3 - 4 cranks to get started. It has a new interstate battery that the previous owner installed prior to me getting the truck. It almost seems like it is starved of fuel and I was going to replace the fuel filter for starters. But before I start replacing stuff I thought I'd see if there is something else that might cause this problem. I checked in the search function for hard starting and got the reply no matches found.

The truck is a 5.4L auto 227K miles with meticulous maintenance by previous / original owner. Receipts for everything.
Thanks,
Craig

 

What happens if you turn on the key and wait 10 seconds before hitting the starter?

 

Don't know, haven't tried this.

On edit - Went out and waited 10 secs and it started much easier. However, it still didn't fire right up. I am comparing this to my 03 Expy with the same engine that when you turn the key there is no delay, the engine fires right up.

Craig

 

I would clean out the throttle body and Iac for an easy fix.

Try that and the fuel filter and let us know.

 

Carb cleaner work on these parts? Also, any pics of where / what the IAC looks like?
Thanks for the help,
Craig

 

not for nothin but how sure are you of the battery? I was looking at a 97 to purchase last weekend that started poorly and it needed a new battery. I shut it off after test driving it and killed the battery. Started strong when jumped.

 

The receipt is from July 08 for the battery. I can go check voltage on it, but so far no problems holding a charge, just the hard start.
Thanks,
Craig

 

It maybe the fuel pump going bad...

 

Fuel filter first. How to clean a throttle body is a sticky thread in the Engines forum. If the IAC is bad, that usually causes cold idle issues - and sometimes warm idle issues.

Look through the receipts and see if it's ever had an intake cleaning by machine - look for Motorvac or BG. If not, it's well worth the 75 bucks or so the dealer charges to do it.

It's also possible the EGR and PCV systems are getting gunked up with that many miles - unless, of course, that work has also been done.

 

Does it catch and stall or just not do anything? If the engine fires briefly and then dies, I'd say you probably have a bad/clogged IAC valve.

 

IAC looks something like this. Located under the plastic cover that goes over the throttle body.

 

my truck does this same thing, the first start of the day it fires right up, the everytime after that, if have to try it 2 or 3 times, someone told me it might be the fuel pressure valve under the hood on the driver side of the fuel rail. not sure, plus i have 260km on my truck and i haven't cleaned any of the parts mentioned, i should it might help lol

 

I'll check tomorrow in the morning to see if this has been done. I'll also look that sticky up and read about it.

It acts like it wants to start and but just isn't quite "catching" if you know what I mean. After about three attempts is usually fires up. The issue is most obvious on the first start up of the day.

Thanks for the input and I'll see what I can find out.
Craig

 

I finally had time to mess with the truck and I have a question.
A) 45.00 for an IAC sound right? That's the cheapest I have found and that is at Autozone. Other places are higher.

B) On the passenger side of the intake there is a 3 way hose connection. The center hose looks like it has been sucked flat, is this normal?

C) Thanks for the help.
Craig

I reposted this in the engine forum

 

Try to jump start it with booster cables attached to another car... if it does the same thang then move down the line. Check for fuel delivery...
What about the spark plugs and cables?