Why won't my 2000 Ford Explorer start?

sambrock1

My brother gave me his explorer. He parked it in his garage 2 1/2 years ago and disconnected the battery. Nobody started it the whole time. But it turns over but won't start. It started and ran for a few minutes with starting fluid but then it died and new it won't start at all.

93tracker5spd

Greetings! Welcome to Edmunds. Without having the vehicle to run some tests, I can't say for sure. But provided that nothing else has happened to it other than setting for 2 1/2 yrs. And it did start with help and ran a short time, I would say the gasoline is most likely contaminated. After 2 1/2 yrs. any moisture in the gas could have separated and in short; left the fuel to weak to burn correctly. It could also be due to a bad fuel filter. Start by getting a test kit for the fuel, use a siphon pump to remove a quart or so and test it. Then by all means change all the fuel filters. If the fuel does show contamination, drain the tank, ( catch the old fuel and dispose of it correctly please ), and replace with new fuel, get a good additive to remove the moister, then using a Gas Can, disconnect the fuel line at the engine, (relive the pressure first), and pump off enough to get the new fuel up into the lines, don't run the pump more than 2 seconds at a time with the open line. Reconnect and with several cranks and a small shot of start fluid you should be up and running. You may have to run a couple of tanks of gas to get it running well again.

Just a tip: When parking a vehicle for a long period of time, 6 mos. or more, either drain the fuel or add a stabilizer to the tank, and run it for about ten minutes. Saves a lot of headaches. Good luck and enjoy the explorer, both I and my mother have always liked the Ford Explorer.