Unusual hard starting after filling up

More than likely this is caused by the fuel vapor canister is full of fuel and when you are starting the engine the purge solenoid is hanging open due to the fuel in the charcoal canister. What happens is when you get fuel in the canister it breaks down the charcoal and sends the particles to the purge solenoid and it clogs it causing it to stick open.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-cranks-excessively-before-starting

Once this is stuck open you are actually flooding the engine because the purge is to remain closed during starting and if it is hanging open then you have more fuel in the engine than it needs and it is hard to start.

This happens due to one of two main reasons. First you over fill your tank by topping it off. Second you leave the engine running while you are refilling. If the purge is open when you are refilling, then it will pull fuel into the canister.

Clearly the purge could be defective as well, but this is the most likely cause of this failure.

The reason this happens when you refill is because as you are refilling the tank, it forces even more vapor through the system and floods the engine.

I would remove the purge and inspect it and then check the canister for fuel inside.

Please run through this info and let me know what you find.

Thanks

Thanks for the reply, and your experience! All I basically need is the location for both items on the car. Sorry, all I worked on in the past were printing presses and occasionally an oil change! Thanks again.

Got it. No problem.

I am attaching info out of a 1998 3.0L because the manual for a 1994 does not show any location info.

However, these engines are going to be nearly identical because they were basically unchanged over the years.

So, take a look at this info and let me know if you still can't find them.

The solenoid is going to be on the passenger side of the engine towards the rear of it.

The canister is back under the vehicle by the fuel tank. This is easier to find because you will see lines running from the tank to the canister.

Thanks for getting back to me with the information, I really appreciate it. I wondered if the only way was to actually "drain" the Canister, etc. At 1/2 tank now it seems to start much easier. Going to check it out between my school bus routes! Thank you much for the prompt response, Sir.

You should not have to drain the canister at all. There may be fuel in it, but it will not be a lot. However, there should only be fuel vapor in the canister and not raw fuel. So, any fuel in there is a problem. You will be able to remove it and replace it without draining the actual fuel tank either.

Hopefully that helps.

I appreciate your patience with this. yes, the info. is a big help! Best question and answer site I have found for this car. thanks!

Not a problem. That is why we are here. Thanks for the kind words. Please come back next time. Thanks

Hello again. Update on my 1994 Ford Taurus erratic starting behavior, etc. Now it starts like a new car every morning. It does not get turned off until I get to my school bus. the rest of the day is hard to start- rough idle smooths out quickly, then runs okay until next time to start car? Yaeesh ! Any advice would be great again and did not reach the solenoid, yet it's been cold and rainy. Appreciate the expertise on this site.

Sounds like we could have a permanently stuck purge solenoid. Basically, it does not change the issue because when the engine is cold, the engine requires more fuel to get started so the stuck solenoid is not causing an issue.

However, once the engine is warm, it does not need as much fuel and if the solenoid is stuck then it will flood the engine and create a hard starting.

I will still suggest we start with checking the solenoid and replacing this and see if that fixes all these issues.