When you see the “Cranking Time Exceeded” error message in your Ford vehicle, it means that the car is not happy with what you are doing to it. The ECU limits your attempts to start the engine with something like 60 seconds (may vary from model to model). If you exceed this cranking time, the message will pop up and the cranking will be blocked for 15 minutes.
In short, the “Cranking time exceeded” error message appears when you unsuccessfully try to start the engine in your Ford. This is the way to save your car from burning a starter motor or doing some harm to the fuel injections and ignition systems. This is how Ford helps you avoid excessive cranking that can lead to all kinds of unwanted consequences.
In this article, I’m covering the following topics:
- Why do I see the “Cranking time exceeded” error message?
- Should I keep trying to start the car if I see this error?
- What are the common reasons for an engine not starting in a Ford vehicle?
- Should you ask a professional to inspect the car even if it eventually starts?
- How can you avoid the “Cranking time exceeded” message?
What are the reasons for the “Cranking time exceeded” message in Ford?
First of all, you should understand that there are literally hundreds of reasons why your engine may not be starting. I will only slightly touch this topic today because it’s more than likely to take a lot of time. My primary task in this article is to explain why the “Cranking time exceeded message” appears on your dash and what you can do with it.
So, with some slight changes from one Ford model to another, this message pops up when the following conditions are true:
- you tried to start your Ford but it was cranking and not starting for 60 seconds in total;
- after that, the Ford stopped reacting to you pushing the engine start button or turning the ignition key;
- at the same time, you saw the message saying “Cranking time exceeded” on the dash of your car;
- within the next 15 minutes, your vehicle will not crank anymore;
- after 15 minutes, you will have about 15 seconds of cranking time to try and start your car;
- to crank the engine for 1 minute, you will need to wait for one hour.
This is quite annoying, especially when you are trying to solve some starting problem. For example, you may have just cleaned the air filter in your engine and want to know if the car starts now. But for this, you may need to wait for several minutes.
I understand your frustration and will try to help you. I just need to give you some more information about this message before I turn to the most interesting part of the article.
Why does Ford say “Cranking time exceeded”?
This function that blocks engine cranking if something doesn’t work is intended to save your vehicle from damage. If you keep cranking for a long time, several bad things may happen to your Ford like:
- burnt starter motor;
- fully discharged battery;
- fouled spark plugs;
- clogged injectors;
- contaminated valves;
- fuel pump failure.
This is not the full list of possible problems that may come with excessive cranking. So, Ford decided to introduce this wonderful feature – let’s call it a foolproof feature. It actually saves you from killing an expensive part of the vehicle or cutting the engine lifespan.
If you started reading this article to learn how to bypass this feature, you may now not want to bypass it anymore. If you still do, read the next section of the article.
Can you bypass the “Cranking time exceeded” message in Ford?
I know one guy who tried to measure a compression in his C-Max in Europe (with a diesel engine) and suddenly he got this error message. He wasn’t intending to start the car but he needed the engine cranking to measure the compression in each cylinder. So, sometimes you will need to know how to bypass this nasty message and function.
Here’s what you can try:
1. Disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes
It still requires some time but it resets the function and you may try starting your car after you do this without waiting for 15 minutes or one hour. But please disconnect both terminals starting with the positive one and connect back starting with the positive one. Otherwise, you can fry the ECU and some other electronic parts.
2. Using another battery
It may be that the message stays on your vehicle for days without letting you crank the engine. If this is the case, it may be the problem with the battery. Maybe, when you try to crank the engine, the battery voltage drops dramatically and it can’t do the job. This means that the battery is dead and requires replacement.
Maybe, you can charge the current battery or just install another one and try starting the engine. Also, you may try using a booster that will fool your ECU to believe the battery is OK.
3. Bypassing ECU with a screwdriver
Now, this is the option for drivers with some more experience than average. You may bypass the ignition key or button by using your screwdriver and connecting two contacts on your starter. I will not describe how to do it – you better watch a tutorial on Youtube or something like that. Be careful – use a well-isolated screwdriver for this.
4. Push starting or jumpstarting the car
If you have a vehicle with a manual transmission, you can push-start it and it will most likely start if everything is OK with all ignition and fuel injection modules. Also, jump-starting the car using the power of another car is one more wise option you can try. Again, I will not describe the process in detail – please check if your source for this information can be trusted.
5. Repairing the vehicle
If nothing helps and your Ford still doesn’t start, the best thing you can do is repair the ignition or injection system. Your vehicle needs proper inspection and then it can be repaired by a specialist. Please avoid DIY repairs, especially if you own a car that is still under warranty. Unfortunately, modern vehicles are not really DIY-friendly and even the easiest task sometimes should be done in the dealership or in the trusted repair shop.
Common reasons why your engine doesn’t start in a Ford
I can only list the most common problems without spending too much time explaining them and how to deal with them because it also deserves the full article.
Here are the most common reasons why you may see the “Cranking time exceeded” message in your Ford:
- No fuel in the tank.
- Bad or absent ignition because of electrical problems.
- Bad fuel injection because of injector problems.
- Poor fuel pressure because of the issue with the fuel pump.
- Spark plugs or ignition coil issues.
- Bad battery with poor voltage under the load.
- Corroded battery terminals.
- Problems with the ignition cylinder or push-start button.
I can keep naming these problems. But again, there are no good DIY methods to diagnose them and locate the original issue that triggers the “Cranking time exceeded” error message in your vehicle.
Who can help you with this error message in a Ford?
If you have a fresh vehicle, it’s worth going to the dealership. They have all the needed equipment and software to deal with this issue. Even dealers sometimes have a hard time locating the original problem but they will dig to it anyway.
When it comes to independent repair shops, they are not always your best friends in diagnosing this problem. Very often, they will spend hours trying to find the actual reason and fail to do this.
Can you avoid the “Cranking time exceeded” error message?
Yes, you can avoid this by keeping your car in optimal working condition. In the majority of cases, this problem starts with a bad battery that makes the ECU glitch. To avoid this, replace your battery at least once every 4-5 years or once it shows low voltage under loads. You can check the battery’s health every year or at every regular maintenance.
Don’t ignore error messages and fault codes that your car throws. Ignoring them may be one of the reasons why you have this problem. For example, your engine may have misfired because of a bad injection of ignition and you ignored the problem. Now the issue is much worse just because the malfunctioning unit completely failed.
Provide your vehicle with proper regular maintenance and pay for thorough inspections at least once a year in a dealership or in a trusted and good repair shop.
Final thoughts
Although the error message saying “Cranking time exceeded” in your Ford is not the worst thing that may happen with the vehicle, it can be annoying. In this article, I tried to give all the tips that can help you solve the problem or bypass the blocked ignition.
If you happen to encounter this issue, you now know the solutions you can try. This will obviously save you a lot of time and maybe even money!