Please help 98 cobra won't start

[SpeedyFE]

Hello everyone.

I have a 98 cobra, I bought it as a roller. The original dash harness was there, but no engine, headlight harness, computer or computer harness, or engine harness.

I bought a cobra DOHC 4.6 engine and trans and from someone else I also bought a 1998 cobra computer, injector (engine) harness and a computer wire harness. (all from the same car)

When I go to start it, I turn the key, and I dont hear the fuel pump prime, and the car just sits there and cranks. I do have spark, but I dont think the fuel pump is coming on. I checked the inertia switch, that is ok, and I was told that if it was the PATS system, it would not crank at all, so I also ruled that out. Please any help would be great!

Thanks

Paul

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

If the PATS system isn't working properly, the car will still crank, but it will not start. If you have the whole harness and computer from the same Cobra it should start. When I turn my key on in my Cobra, I hear the fuel pump. If you don't hear the fuel pump, then it's the fuel pump. A customer of mine bought awrecked 98 Cobra last year. It wouldn't start. He set it aside for the winter, then dug it out this spring. He narrowed it down to the fuel pump. He replaced it and it started right up. I would replace the pump and go from there.

BTW...what are the computer numbers on the computer? Give them to me, and I'll run them on my computer at work and make sure it is a genuine 98 Cobra computer.

It'll be the numbers with 12A650 in the middle.

 

[SpeedyFE]

The weird thing is that when I used a 96 computer with the 98 wiring, the fuel pump primes on when i turn the key, then the car would start, but then after it reved up to 2K about, it just died out after about 2secs. That is when I tried the 98 computer and now the fuel pump wont even kick on...hope this doesnt over complicate things

 

[Will Smith]

sounds like a pats problems to me... it will run off your old pcm but not really casue of the diff setups in the engine but try this... see if you can get the guy that sold u the motor to give u one of his keys... put it by the ignition cyl. and yse the key u are used to in the ignition cyl... i dont know if that has its own PATS module but some rly on the pcm if i am not mistaken... I work on too many fords durign the day to remember which ones do and dont lol...

 

[SpeedyFE]

Thanks for the tip, but there is no way for me to get the key. As far as I understand from many people, if the PATS is coming on, the car wont even crank.
With either PCM I use, it cranks and in the 96 PCM case, it starts, then dies...

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

For the PATS to work, the car must have the same dash harness, motor harness, ECM, speedometer and steering column, with ignition and key for it to run. I changed a speedo in a PATS car for a guy who fudged his up with gauges and the car wouldn't start with the other speedo. CRAZY!!