2006 Ford Fusion....won't start after sitting all nite in cold weather...works fine in warm weather....can crank car over...

Asked by pcholohan Nov 15, 2014 at 10:17 AM about the 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

For last 2 winters...my 2006 Ford Fusion intermittently wont start in cold weather...went out this a.m. and same issue...turn key, car turns over with a lot of battery power...but no start...have taken car to Ford Dealer twice...they cant replicate the problem...now starting 3rd winter....any ideas...I'd be nmore than happy to pay the dealer a few hundred bucks to be rid of the problem....love the card....

15 Answers

85

Based on older Fords, there is likely to be a temperature sensor (cold start, like a choke on a cab car). It fails in extreme cold, but shows fine when the car is towed in and warmed up in the garage. Check your wiring diagram find it and replace it. 1 wrench, one wire about 30 minutes . Hardest part is finding a socket big enough to fit it. Of course, you won't know if that fixed it until it gets really cold again--)

6 people found this helpful.
55

Pcholohan, have you any luck? I too am going on my third winter with the same problem on my 2006 SEL V6 fusion. I've also had an opinion from a mechanic friend it could be a fuel pump but I'm leaning towards something like a temp sensor. Unfortunately it never registers any error codes to help isolate the issue.

3 people found this helpful.
55

Also, check your engine coolant/antifreeze. There's a history of these guzzling it down.

2 people found this helpful.
20

I have the same problem with my 2006 Fusion! I'm so tired of it. I have taken it to the Ford dealership and my local mechanic and they can never replicate the problem so they can't figure it out. I think this is total crap and Ford needs to address this problem.

2 people found this helpful.
85

You need to sit down with a wiring and sensor diagram and find the cold start circuit - like a choke in an older car. You will also need to trouble shoot it while it is out in the cold, because towing to the shop and putting it inside will change the conditions. Get a inline spark tester (About $5.00) or scanner capture tool ($100.00---$500.00). If using the spark plug tester put it inline between plug and wire. If it lights up, you have spark (may be harder to do with coil on plug, but not impossible. If no spark think Ign module. If spark (and I expect there will be but am not sure, thus the testing --) look at fuel . Scanner may show fuel delivery. One cheap possibility is water in fuel system that is freezing and blocking. Try a cheap can of fuel system cleaner or "Dry Gas" Does it not start at all, or does it start, run few seconds then die and refuse to restart?

2 people found this helpful.
40

Hi would like to offer another possibility. It may not apply in this instance, but thought it worth mentioning. Had this exact same problem previously with son’s 2006 ford Explorer, 4.0 SOHC engine. Tried many different approaches to solving problem, then stumbled across a Ford Explorer owners forum where they talked about replacing O-ring gaskets on Intake Manifold. I bought the kit at local auto parts store for about $45.00 I think, and spent 2-3 hours taking it all apart and putting it back together. It started on first turn of the key and has never failed to start again in our tough Boston area winters the last 4 years. The explanation for this is that over time the O-rings dry out and shrink a bit. They still maintain enough vacuum to start when it’s warm out, but once it got cold and O-rings contracted a bit, it never would start. When I took out old O-rings and compared to the new ones, they were half the thickness and had no elasticity at all. So, as I say, it might not be the same situation with the engines in the Fusion, but the description of the problem, and lack of other solutions working sounds identical!!

2 people found this helpful.

I read somewhere on the ford fusion forums that it could possibly be the camshaft or crankshaft sensor(its been a few years and i can't find the site again) with a combo of maf sensor, i replaced the maf sensor on my car and it seems to have helped a lil bit, but i still have to turn off the radio, fans, heat, lights, basically any car electronics to get the car to start during the winter and even then its not garented to start on the first key turn but it will start, only reason i haven't replaced the camshaft/crankshaft sensor's yet is because i can't find an instructional video on YouTube on how to do so, but may just end up buying the parts and have a family friend do the work for a small fee

20

There are 100 reasons this could happen. Your options are to buy some diagnostic tools and learn how to use them or bring it to someone who does no. You can just start buying parts and installing them if you don't mind wasting the money.

1 people found this helpful.
20

Diagnostic tools and skills may not help with an intermittent and weather dependent problem, because sitting in a warm shop the problem will not be there to find. Check the wring diagram and see if there is a cold weather enricher circuit (the fuel injection equivalent of a choke) and what sensor drives it. If there is, replace the sensor (I had this problem on an old 3.0 Ford V6 in a Aerostar van. A way to check this is to put a shot of starting fluid in the intake manifold and see if that makes it pick up and start. The O-rings on the manifold makes sense as well – ask NASA. You might check the Ford TSPs on that.

2 people found this helpful.

I just went through this misery last winter and half of this one. My favorite independent garage finally just gave up even after doing the diagnostic thing in my driveway and seeing it not start. They got some codes but couldn't figure it out. I wanted the local dealership to reprogram the PCM (?) but they decided they should diagnose it, even after I told them all I wanted was the reprogram. Tried to charge me $125 for NOT finding the problem. I said "Whaaaat?!" I had their one smart monkey check it in the driveway when it was dead and he said "Hmmmm..." They changed the air temp sensor AND did the reprogram and the 2006 Fusion V6 starts and runs fantastic. Did a tune-up over the summer and that helped some, but now it's perfect. I bought it used a couple years ago and it did have a new battery in it so the previous owner probably gave up on it. It only has 113,000 miles on it and is in great shape. It cost about twice what it should have to get fixed but my wife is happy now and I don't have car payments again so I'm happy, more or less. In my case it was well worth it. If the reprogram didn't fix it I was going to change the temp sensor but the car was there at the dealership and I just wanted the nightmare to end so I let them shotgun the problem with both of the fixes I had decided on. Wisconsin winters suck.

40

I had the same problem with my 2006 Ford Fusion 3.0 V6 engine. After reading up on this engine I found that with the Variable Valve Timing, (V V T) on this engine, the motor oil quality is critical. 1st only use 5W20 Motor oil, and do not let your oil level get to 1 qt low. The oil pressure sets the cam in position for cold starts. If the oil is too viscous or if your oil gets too thick, the cold temperature will thicken it even more not allowing the cam to be in position for a cold start. Change your oil and use 5W20 conventional or synthetic oil.

4 people found this helpful.
20

Try disconnecting the Mass Air Flow sensor before turning the engine over (cranking/starting). This sensor is just on the engine side of the air cleaner, and the plug is right there, in plain sight. If the car starts properly, then your MAF is dirty or defective. A common problem, as they do make a special MAF cleaner, which i always try, before replacing the MAF. Just be sure to follow the cleaner instructions, and do not touch the sensor parts ( inside the air hose), because; as like with halogen bulbs; the oils in our skin will destroy the sensor. It worth a try, as it is quick and easy to do! Happy motoring!

2 people found this helpful.

clean the throttle body, after 5 years of replacing parts for no reason I finally figured it out, it starts fine now all the time

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