Questions and Answers

Ford Mustang Starts Hard When Cold Q. Hi Vincent, I have a 1988 Ford Mustang with a 2.3 liter four cylinder engine. It has EFI and I am trying to find out why this vehicle just started having a problem cranking on cold mornings. We have had this car since 1991 and this is the first time this problem has come up. It does have almost 200,000 miles on it but I have kept up with the servicing and repairs.

Could you help me in letting me know what troubleshooting procedures I can do in relation to EFI and what causes it to not start quickly in cold weather. After we get it started it runs great. I do notice that the gas mileage has decreased considerably since this problem has occurred. Thanks for your help!

Ron

A. I would suspect the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECT) is the problem here. Here is the diagnostic procedure for testing the ECT. I would pay particular attention to test DE 3.