How to start a ark in 12 below temps?

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unity

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I can not get this darn thing started.

On battery charger all night just in case. I now have a professional heat gun blowing right into the intake. That has heated the intake up a lot, been on there for almost 2 hours now though. Also brought the MAF and intake tube inside to heat up.

Still nothing. Not trying to start over too much, dont want to flood it although the heat gun should evap anything leftover.

I think maybe I should remove my chip? Cant think of anything else to get it started!
 
Got it. A charger on power-boost, a jump-start battery pack and an intake temp of 300 degrees seemed to do the trick.
 
New Plugs.

These cars 'flood' really easy in cold weather.

Get a WalMart (Johnson Controls) 850CCAmp battery for about $68.00 and quit punishing yourself.

You need a good battery and clean plugs or the car will foul and you'll be outside forever. Been there and done that. Took me months to figure out.
 
unity said:
Got it. A charger on power-boost, a jump-start battery pack and an intake temp of 300 degrees seemed to do the trick.
Click to expand...
Your IAT sensor must love you.

What is the IAT reading when the car is cold? Does it match the weather temp?
 
mine started fine last night it was -15 and -38 w/ wind chill

From Phone 028.jpg
 
Plugs are about two weeks old, battery is less than a year and cost $98. Only a few companies, I think 4, make batteries.

My guess is the battery in the trunk is not a good idea. :) I had the charger in boost mode on the battery and the battery pack hooked up in the engine bay.

Whats an IAT?
 
And how would I get that reading? I know the HVAC is reporting the right temp. I was pumping a lot of very warm air into the filter location so the car was bringing in warm air.
 
You got a workshop manual? You test an IAT by measuring its resistance (ohms) at various temps, comparing to listed values in the book. I have not done it on the Mark yet, so i dont know what the values are for given temps, but you get the idea. I really need to get a workshop manual soon... Chilton is crap and alldata abit useless, also. Lol.
 
Yup, I have a Ford Service Shop Manual specifically for a 96 Mark VIII.

So if that bugger is not working right, it could cause cold start issues?

Casue I have had a HECK of a time starting this thing in cold weather but I figured it was the battery location.
 
If the IAT isnt working right, then yes, you would have issues. But, it isnt neccessarily that - could be any one of a number of sensors that has become 'duff' due to the cold. For example, I hear that crank sensors can become dodgy this time of year. (one would think that a CEL would be thrown though, if a sensor was very dodgy) When i have a no start condition, first i check the battery and charging system are good, then i check that i have fuel up to the engine, then i pull a plug and check i got spark. Whilst your battery location could be a factor, i wouldnt think it to be the problem - many cars have remotely located batteries - and your car was cranking ok i assume? so power was getting up there. Ok im rambling now...
 
Oh ya, she cranks fine.

Could be the crank position sensor. Sometimes its fires a few off but then other times all it does it turn over without any detonation at all. That would explain that.

Fuel pressure is fine and the injectors are certainly firing. No water in the fuel.

I may just replace the IAT. Its easy to do and should eliminate that for sure then.
 
Cool. I read on another board that disconnecting and re connecting the crank sensor can sometimes work - temporarily. I had crank sensor trouble on my BMW - problem became apparent on cold days - a resistance check across its terminals confirmed that one. Rather than replace your IAT, see if you can test it - get a hair dryer and blow it, whilst checking its resistance with a multi meter.

Heres an example of some test values: (not for our cars, but may give you an idea of the kind of values to expect, while testing) I would think there would be a relevant table of values in your work shop book right?

http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/sensors.htm

Where is the IAT in our cars? Is it in the MAF housing? Hopefully, it is easy to access.
 
It in the MAF housing? Are you sure? If so, easy to get to in my case since my MAF shell is exposed - I have a Gen II intake with a Cobra Conical setup.

I am at work, but I though the IAT was just before the TB. I know I have a sensor there and its a temp one, I had to disconnect and re-connect it several times today when pulling the intake tube.
 
I dont know where it is - thats why i was asking! Lol. - I have yet to learn what exact sensors the Mark (or aviator engined Mark in your case) has, and where they are located. Will be a fun experience, when i get around to it!
 
Ya.... my bad, read you post too fast! :D

There really are not that many sensors. I have to make a new engine harness, pretty much from scrap. Not only that, I had to convert a coil pack and wire setup to COP.

I think this summer I am going to make one from scratch completely using high quality copper and gold.

These are the only ones that bolt to the block/valve cover:
Cam Position
Crank Position
Knock sensors X2
HVAC coolant temp sensor

These are the rest:
Throttle Position
IAC
MAF
IMRC positions
EGR position
Oil level and temp
Coolant temp (two on the 93 to 96, one for gauge other for ECU, in 97 there were combined)
Oil Pressure

Hmmmm... maybe that list is a little long :)
 
Good stuff! :) Im gonna take a look on ebay, see if i can get a proper shop manual for my 93, before getting too involved! The Mark is a series of 'firsts' for me: first V8, first DOHC, heck, first car to have cats! Lol. Still, we live and learn...
 
And I still miss my 73 Mark IV :( Screw driver could fix anything on that 460 V8!
 
What happened to the Mark IV you had? Was just reading up on them, very nice! and very big too! Last of the Ford big blocks eh? I imagine the MPG was crap though! 10 - 15? Lol.
 
I'm up here in Canada and have never had my Mark not start in the cold and this is my third one now. I would be looking for a reason for sure. Take a quick look through your grille to see if by chance your car has the block heater option. Often on northern US shipped cars and canadian. There will be a three prong plug tucked in behind your front grille can be hard to see, so look around. I thought only my first one had it because I could see the plug hanging at the front grill, turns out all three did. A light through the grille should do it. I never used mine but they were there.
 
I think I would know if I had a block heater :)

Ya, the 73 was a big boat and very fast. I sold it. Bad idea. I may look for one again in a couple years. 4 ash trays, 4 cigarette lighters and not ONE cup holder! lol

But it had it all. Cruise, power steering (of course), power locks, power windows, anti-lock brakes, side impact beams, automatic high beams, automatic temperature controlled HVAC (better than a Mark VIII), Quadrasonic 8-track player, power antenna, automatic rear defrost and many more! :D
 
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