7.4L hard starting

hosman · July 12, 2003

Turns over for 10 sec or so before firing about 50% of the time. The other 50% it fires up as soon as the key is turned. I changed fuel filter,plugs and wires.Seemed to get a little better with each thing I did,but it is still doing it sporadically. I'm going to change the distributor rotor and cap also . Motor has high milage. Thought maybe it was the fuel pump ballcheck passing ,letting the fuel lines drain back to the tank ,but cycling the key before starting doesn't make a difference. What about fuel injectors? Seems funny to me as to why it is intermittent.......anybody have any ideas? It is a 99.

R Dogg 56 · July 13, 2003

could be a clogged injector.

bigblockpower · July 22, 2003

It may also be a pressure regulator.

rattlin' · July 26, 2003

I have a '99 with a 7.4, I had a similar problem that started at about 40k.

I determined the cause to be leaking injectors. I had two injectors that on a hot-soak would drip fuel. After setting ten to thirty mins whan warm the problem was most noticable. If you notice a puff of black smoke on start-up, a little more oil consumption and an extended crank to start it could be the same concern that I had. The only way I was able to determine which injectors were at fault was to perform a diagnostic tear-down then the engine was hot. Not fun but necessary. Inspect the poppet nozzles for excess fuel. I had two that had a pretty steady drip. It would gradually release pressure in the fuel-rail after setting a few mins. I replaced the faulty injectors and haven't had a problem since.

Just my .02 Hope it helps