hi every one i'm new here but i have a problem with a 88 escort xr3i.
My car wont prime up when cold but if i bypass the relay the fuel pump kicks in but wont stop when primed but it will start and run.
When the car has wormed up to running temp i can put the relay back and it works just the way it should, primse up and shuts off till i start the car then it will work all the time till the car gets cold again then the problem is back again.
Any of you great chaps got any ideas.
Mark

 

Can no 1 help me this is doing my head in now been trying to work it out for a few weeks now.
please some1

 

EFi or MFi ?

 

Sorry mfi bud

 

By primed up do you mean with ignition on only ie not turning over? Because my 2.8 Capri with the same set-up never did and wasn't meant to, the pump only ran when you turned it over.

 

hi when i turn the ignition on it wont prime up when cold but once i get it warmed up it will.
if i dont bypass the relay it wont start at all but will when its warm with the old relay back in.

 

i don't know for sure how the mfi works, but on some efi it doesn't prime the fuel pump on cold starts only on warm starts to give it a burst of fuel to help it kick in.
does the car start fine even though it doesn't prime?

 

Best thing to do is just wire it direct through a fuel cut off, that's what I always do.
Pretty much all efi prime on cold start but NEVER on hot start, it is to wet the inlet to assist with quick starting, rather than churning away on the starter.
I had to triple my prime time on my ecu with the really cold weather/snow.
This is normally allied with cranking enrichment and enrichement turns, ie how may turns it stays in super rich mode, it then goes onto the normal map with the cold settings added to it.
The best thing like I say is just run continuous, it has a return so always at the right pressure anyway.
tabetha

 

Hi no it wont start when cold only starts if i bypass the relay but when its warm there is no problem.

 

been thinking about doing that but i would like to know why its stopped working.

 

What colour relay is it, and have you tried replacing it?!

 

I forgot to say when i got the car it would prime up cold or hot but it stopped doing it for some resson and i dont know why

 

hi the relay is pink.
I was going to get a new 1 from my local ford but its Ł43 plus vat and if its not that i've wasted money

 

try to borrow a known working relay of a friend or some body off here thats local to you if it sorts the problem you know your Ł43 wont be wasted

mark

 

dont know anybody round town with 1 havent seen a mk 4 in town for some time now.

 

Does this relay simply give a prime when cold, and then power up continuously once
warm ?, is that about it ?
tabetha

 

no its ment to prime the fuel up everytime you turn the key then make the pump run when engine is running.

But it wont do anything till the engine is warm then it will work the way it should

 

Is there a 2-pin plug on the top of the metering head/airbox?

 

dont think so but will have a look tomorrow

 

I've had a look today and theres No plug on the airbox.
Thought i'll try it while i was there and it primed up and started just the way it should but i bet it starts playing up again

 

Stupid bloody arrangement considering it's got a return.
tabetha

 

this is what i'm working on



it does have side skirts to match. Been thinking about taking the spoiler off i dont think it looks right on the car what you all think.
oh and i only paid Ł250 for it

 

been to try the car again but it wouldn't start again as anybody got any ideas

 

All I've got to go on is the Capri wiring diagram, but if you say there's no plug near the metering head it sounds like a slightly different set-up. Is the pink relay a 5-pin?

 

yeah the relay is a 5 pin

 

theres a cyclinder at the back of the air box with 2 pipe and a 2 pin plug is that what you where on about.

 

Why are you banging your head against a wall trying to put it back to how ford had it when ford had such a disastrously shit set up with this to start with ?
There's no point introducing something that is almost gauranteed to give the same problem years later, when there is the 100% cure at next to no cost of rewire permanently through fuel cut off switch as on efi.
tabetha

 

right i've worked it out its my cold start valve but i cant find 1 any body got any ideas where i can get 1 from

 

What did you do to find out?

 

been back to the car to day and it wouldn't start again.
so with the ignition still turned on i unpluged the cold start valve plug and the fuel pump primed up pluged it back in and it wouldn't prime up.
Now its just finding 1

 

would a rs turbo 1 fit or would it have to be a xr3i 1

 

is there any1 selling a known working COLD START VALVE for a xr3i cant find 1.

 

Have you got a Haynes manual for this?

 

yeah

 

If you can scan the wiring diagram and send me it, we might get to the bottom of this.

 

i might have one in my old manifold ill nip in the unit on my way home from work tomorrow if ive got one you can have it

mark

 

ta bud

 

any joy at the unit mate

 

sorry pal its not in the manifold ive got ive got it some where its just a case of finding it ill keep you posted though mate

 

ok thanks for lookin anyway