cold/start/problem

[marko]

hello boys & girls...

seems I got a 'cold starting problem' & was wondering if anyone experinced this & HOW did you fix it.

tried strating my car yesterday (was in the garage - temp about 40 - 45F) and it took about 4-5 cranks to fire it up. once up, it ran really rough for about min or two, but then it leveled off. CEL & ASC lights came on.
once warm, it ran like a champ and pulled real hard. I reset the lights & they never came back on (not throwing ANY codes afterwards).
left the car outside my house overnight....

this morning (temp 25F), it would not start at all! it cranked & cranked repeatedly, but would NOT turn over at all - so it must be temp related.

I checked the ususal sh!t... hoses & rubber elbows for vacum leaks - but I saw nothing out of the ordinary.

any clues??

[Mallard]

check the cold start sensor, or the water temp sensor.

have a look at the lambda sensors,

Also if the injectors are leaking into the cylinders it´ll be a problem starting for sure

[aceyx]

Do you keep your gas tank full in cold weather?

[marko]

where is the cold start sens?
is the water temp sensor attached to the passanger side of the radiator (if so, if I unplug it will the coolant start coming out)?
where is the lambda sens (are you reffering to the DISA valve)?

injectors leaking - you mean on their own, before I turn the ignition?
once I finally started it yesterday, it seemed as if it flooded while cranked repeatedly - got very smoky once it turned over for a brief moment.

sorry if these are stupid questions...

Originally Posted by Mallard

check the cold start sensor, or the water temp sensor.

have a look at the lambda sensors,

Also if the injectors are leaking into the cylinders it´ll be a problem starting for sure

[marko]

its @ about 3/4 right now.... but generally it is on about half or less.

are you thinking frozen moisture in the fuel system??

Originally Posted by aceyx

Do you keep your gas tank full in cold weather?

[Mallard]

not stupid at all

the bluer temp sensor is the one in the radiator or thermostat, i cant remeber

the lamda probes are on the exhaust by the cat

and the injectors, well if the leak, then the spark will be too wet to create ignition

[marko]

Ok.. excellent - I'll check them out after work - thanks!

how about the 'cold start sensor'?

Originally Posted by Mallard

not stupid at all

the bluer temp sensor is the one in the radiator or thermostat, i cant remeber

the lamda probes are on the exhaust by the cat

and the injectors, well if the leak, then the spark will be too wet to create ignition

[Mallard]

its the blue or the brown temp sensor, i cant remember which

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by marko

its @ about 3/4 right now.... but generally it is on about half or less.
are you thinking frozen moisture in the fuel system??

Not necessarily frozen, but moisture from condensation in the fuel tank.

Run a bit of drygas or seafoam through, and keep your tank topped off. See if that helps.

[marko]

I took out the first plug - left it attached to the wire & grounded it (as a buddy of mine suggested to see if there is spark coming out of it) - cranked it & realized NO spark whatsoever.

its electrical/ignition related, I guess, as there is no juice coming out of the plugs... oh joy!

[Mallard]

have a look at the coils, (the powerpack looking things the spark plugs join up to)

they have a habit of giving up fot no reason

[marko]

thanks... they were replaced about 3-4 months ago.

I tried my old coils too, no dice... got the feeling it is one of the sensors (cam/crank/knock/etc...).

Originally Posted by Mallard

have a look at the coils, (the powerpack looking things the spark plugs join up to)

they have a habit of giving up fot no reason

[marko]

2 days ago (@ 25F)!
no spark from plugs & no fuel injector pulse (to boot). LOL
oh well.. the quest conitunes (buying all kinds of sensors)... LOL

Yesterday (@ 45F)!
Started right up.. drove like a champ.

guess it does not like the cold....

[mohaughn]

Have you checked the main ECU relay?

Both of the temp sensors are under the intake manifold on the M42. The one that is right by plug#1 is for the inside temperature gauge(blue temp sensor). The second one that is father back(kind of in line with the squid) is the ECU temp sensor, the replacement I got was black. The only sensor on the radiator is the radiator fluid level sensor.

I'm pretty sure they are different sized threads so that you can't get them backwards. I had to move the lower manifold out of the way to get at the sensor in the back..

The sensors that you are talking about would not keep the ECU from sending spark to the plugs. They just affect the fuel enrichment. No spark does not sound like a temp sensor issue to me. The cold weather can affect relays and other electronic parts.

[marko]

sh!t, I hope I do not have to remove the dasc to get to them...

will check them later today... THX!!

Originally Posted by mohaughn

Have you checked the main ECU relay?

Both of the temp sensors are under the intake manifold on the M42. The one that is right by plug#1 is for the inside temperature gauge(blue temp sensor). The second one that is father back(kind of in line with the squid) is the ECU temp sensor,