Won't start parked on incline

[GrumpyBadger]

Alas... I parked the beast at my apartment two months ago and have not driven it since.

It is parked on a slight incline, and tonight when I went to prep it for a weekend jaunt it just whines at me when I try to start it.

Electric looks fine, and I even tried doing the panic cross-over button to the house battery, but it just whines.

Not a motor guy. Have no idea what a fuel pump sounds like vs. the starter.

My initial thought is that the fuel line completely emptied because of the slight incline (full tank, by the way). Or the fuel pump crapped out. Only ~24,000 miles though.

Or... some critter got under it while it sat and munched something critical. No chance of me recognizing that, but...

Given that the warranty expired last month, it is likely something major.

Any thoughts?

[GrumpyBadger]

Oh... I also noticed the securilock light blinking five times after I turned off the ignition (never noticed it before, so I have no idea if that is normal). Anyone have any idea if the securilock anti theft gizmo kills everything? Would there be any sounds at all if that thingy decided to reject my keys?

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by GrumpyBadger

Alas... I parked the beast at my apartment two months ago and have not driven it since.

It is parked on a slight incline, and tonight when I went to prep it for a weekend jaunt it just whines at me when I try to start it.

Electric looks fine, and I even tried doing the panic cross-over button to the house battery, but it just whines.

Not a motor guy. Have no idea what a fuel pump sounds like vs. the starter.

My initial thought is that the fuel line completely emptied because of the slight incline (full tank, by the way). Or the fuel pump crapped out. Only ~24,000 miles though.

Or... some critter got under it while it sat and munched something critical. No chance of me recognizing that, but...

Given that the warranty expired last month, it is likely something major.

Any thoughts?

Hey badger do you have aaa towing they give you a jumpstart with high amperage(to eliminate battery).it could also be that your transmission isn’t all the way in park? These are just guesses(not a mechanic just tryin to help) but make sure your parking brake is set and put it into first gear and then back into park to make sure it is fully engaged.it could be your starter as well not engaging,if you can crawl under and tap the side of starter lightly with a small hammer(staying away from the power wire!!’)try a few times as well

[TomH]

Might be easier to help if you gave us make, model, and year.

[GrumpyBadger]

2014 E350 gasser V10

[carringb]

Can you shoot a vid?

First thought is the starter is spinning but the bendix is not engaging. That makes more of a whirring noise though, like a power mixer you'd use in the kitchen.

Is it loud? Faint? The the whine go away after a second or two if you cycle the key but don't try to start it?

[GrumpyBadger]

Originally Posted by carringb

Can you shoot a vid?

First thought is the starter is spinning but the bendix is not engaging. That makes more of a whirring noise though, like a power mixer you'd use in the kitchen.

Is it loud? Faint? The the whine go away after a second or two if you cycle the key but don't try to start it?

Yes, it sounds like a blender, sort of. No clicks or anything like that like I've heard with a starter that doesn't have enough juice / dead battery.

I will attempt to post a vid with sound (does that work here?) tomorrow or this weekend (which of course, now I will be home instead of photographing fall colors in Colorado). Only whines when I engage the key all the way to start. It seems like it wants to start, but doesn't catch a spark (like no fuel).

[boywonder]

So does it sound like the starter is free-spinning? ie not engaging in the flywheel? An easy way to tell is stick your head under there and have someone else turn the key.

...so the engine is not turning over??

That would be evidence to CarringB's post above that you have a starter bendix issue...

...so far nothing points to the incline having anything to do with your problem...

[arctictraveller]

Open the hood and watch the fan or the belt while someone trys to start it, that will tell if the starter is turning the engine over. If the fan spins, the starters fine. If it doesn't spin, but there is a loud grinding noise when the key is turned, it's probably the starter bendix. It's possible a couple raps with a hammer will free things up. Let us know what happens for more trouble shooting ideas.

[GrumpyBadger]

Originally Posted by boywonder

So does it sound like the starter is free-spinning? ie not engaging in the flywheel? An easy way to tell is stick your head under there and have someone else turn the key.

...so the engine is not turning over??

That would be evidence to CarringB's post above that you have a starter bendix issue...

...so far nothing points to the incline having anything to do with your problem...

Given that I have no idea how the starter mechanisms work, I am not sure if I would recognize differences in sounds unless someone pointed them out to me.

Why would something like that fail at only 24,000 miles? (aside from the fact I am out of warranty as of last month) Not like it has had a particularly hard existence so far.

Criminy... not sure how the hell I could get this pig towed out of this driveway either.