Car turns over but doesn't start. I had a new fuel pump installed and gas filter, all was fine! 2 months later the car had starting issue come back of only cranking. I saw a little puddle of oil on plastic hose where it meets near air filter connection. I cleaned all well with MAF cleaner and the sensor. The car started right away just fine and continued starting and running great for 2 weeks of occasional use then it was back to the same problem again. There is no oil residue in hose. I used to be able to spray throttle cleaner down MAF hose and it start to at least move or bring to my mechanic. Now when I try to start it with throttle cleaner it just sputters and dies like it saw some combustible material but not enough to start it. I hold my foot down on gas pedal when I try to start it not to flood it as I have been told.
Very frustrating issue as the car has only 74000 miles and in great physical condition. What do you think?
Thank You!

 

Do you have a way of checking fuel pressure just make sure the one you put in hasn't failed? Do you get any warnings on the dash? When your trying to start it, are you just turning the key to crank with or without pressing the pedal all the way down, then slowly start letting up on the pedal, if you hear the engine start to sound like its going to fire and turn over, then it means the engine is flooded. Maybe try pulling a spark plug out and see if its fouled. I have on a few occasions pulled the plugs out and are completely black, and won't fire. Clean them up, reinstalled and engine fires right up. Try those things and see if anything changes.

 

Holding the pedal down shuts off the fuel to the injectors. When starting the car you should not have to touch the accelerator at all. I would crank the engine over for about 30 seconds and then check the shrader valve on the fuel front of the fuel line and see if you have fuel pressure. It sounds as though the fuel pump has died.

 

I will have my guy check fuel pressure again and plugs. Weird after I cleaned MAF sensor and hose it started right away and continued for weeks. Car seemed to run great when driving. Not sure if bad plugs it feel like it was running so well. As I said when I spray throttle cleaner it tries to start then dies. When I had starting problem this used to get it started and seem to run great. If the fuel pump was bad I think it whould not keep running. Can fuel pump be an intermittent issue of not working?
Can any sensors create issue?
Car you can't trust to start is no fun!!!

 

Try cleaning the part load breather (google it: do it gently, using the right size drill bit and taped to assure you don't go too far)

If this occurs when it is cold, your temperature sensor may be bad (comes off the crossover pipe)

If the car was hit, while parked, the fuel shut off valve - inertia switch - may have been tripped: it is in the passenger footwell (LHD) and you will have to remove the plastic to access -- see drivers handbook.

Hopefully, the tech has checked the obvious fuses and relays (?)

Hopefully, you have checked for bore wash: too much gas has washed oil off the cylinder walls so you have no compression: hold the gas pedal all the way to the floor and crank it (cuts off fuel flow and allows oil pressure to build); do it two or three times, let up the gas pedal and see if it starts.

Just some idle thoughts.

 

Usuallly when you use starting fluid or brake clean to spray in the intake pipe and the car starts and dies, but can't do that on its own, usually a sign the fuel pump has failed. I've had the same thing happen to me before, install a new fuel pump, then the car comes back on a tow truck and it wont run. Thinking to myself I just replaced the fuel pump, so it can't be that, but it was. Check the fuel pressure just to rule it out. If you get fuel pressure, then its something else. The relays can give problems as well. I would recheck the fuel pressure and go from there.