My wifes '95 Formula wont start after sitting a few days without starter fluid. I squirt some in the hole for the opti vent and it fires up. It will usually fire up and die and then just turns over and over until the starter fluid. Its got a 157,000 miles on it. It has a exhaust leak from a bad y-pipe to cat install. It occasionlly will stutter real bad that I'm hoping is not the opti. Any ideas? Keith

 

did you check fuel pressure?

 

well it shouldn't be the opti, this sounds fuel related since it will fire with starting fluid. check and make sure your getting fuel pressure, if not start investigating the fuel pump.

 

If its the Opti producing an intermittent low res pulse (which shuts down the fuel pump and injectors), it would show up as a stored DTC 16. Have you scanned it?

I would also consider the possibility of a problem with the coolant temp sensor. Has the problem become worse with the onset of cold weather?

 

The car will start up and continue running once I use the starting fluid. I have not scanned it yet. The service engine soon light is not on. Its been doing the same thing since summer. Keith