Cold starting issues...help
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Vienna, VA
Cold starting issues...help
Lately, my car has been sluggish starting when left overnight. It's in FL so it gets close to 100 then falls into the low 70s overnight.
The battery is new and the oil is full (well, down maybe 1 X on dipstick). 2002, 75K, SOS Stage 1 supercharger.
The starting is a little sluggish. It does start, but it takes a few cranks, and the engine runs really rough for about a second until it seems the air pump and the normal working logic of the ECU takes over. Oil light is on for about a second...could it be the oil is not "sticking" to things well?
The car idles VERY well, and runs VERY smooth, and makes GREAT power, so I don't think it's shot rings or anything. There's Mobil1 in it now, and I'm not happy with it as the usage is high (1Qt/1K). Before this fill (NOT M1), the usage was minimal, and I have some Castrol Titanium ready to put in.
I pulled my plugs last weekend. They appear normal...no buildup on the electrode, no visible oil on them, all the same color, ground prong a little white...nothing alarming there. On the threads, on all 4 cylinders, there appears to be what is oil on them, but I think it's actually heavy hydrocarbons from unburned gas. All 4 pistons are very dark when shining a light on them.
Now, here's the video of the car starting when left alone 24 hours. I normally blip the throttle when starting to prevent that "roughness" but if I don't, the video below is what happens. I did NOT blip the throttle...the ECU/air pump takes it to ~2K to warm up the cat.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEezI4XKB5w[/media]
The next video is a start immediately after the last one...all normal. It starts like this when it heats up and when cool for the rest of the day. The roughness only happens when left overnight and the temp drops.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvlgN9CLqmc[/media]
So, any thoughts about what it could be? Perhaps just changing oil will fix this? Could it just be condensation in the cylinders due to the temp change?
The battery is new and the oil is full (well, down maybe 1 X on dipstick). 2002, 75K, SOS Stage 1 supercharger.
The starting is a little sluggish. It does start, but it takes a few cranks, and the engine runs really rough for about a second until it seems the air pump and the normal working logic of the ECU takes over. Oil light is on for about a second...could it be the oil is not "sticking" to things well?
The car idles VERY well, and runs VERY smooth, and makes GREAT power, so I don't think it's shot rings or anything. There's Mobil1 in it now, and I'm not happy with it as the usage is high (1Qt/1K). Before this fill (NOT M1), the usage was minimal, and I have some Castrol Titanium ready to put in.
I pulled my plugs last weekend. They appear normal...no buildup on the electrode, no visible oil on them, all the same color, ground prong a little white...nothing alarming there. On the threads, on all 4 cylinders, there appears to be what is oil on them, but I think it's actually heavy hydrocarbons from unburned gas. All 4 pistons are very dark when shining a light on them.
Now, here's the video of the car starting when left alone 24 hours. I normally blip the throttle when starting to prevent that "roughness" but if I don't, the video below is what happens. I did NOT blip the throttle...the ECU/air pump takes it to ~2K to warm up the cat.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEezI4XKB5w[/media]
The next video is a start immediately after the last one...all normal. It starts like this when it heats up and when cool for the rest of the day. The roughness only happens when left overnight and the temp drops.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvlgN9CLqmc[/media]
So, any thoughts about what it could be? Perhaps just changing oil will fix this? Could it just be condensation in the cylinders due to the temp change?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,094
Likes: 6
From: Vienna, VA
plugs are only about 5 months old. I'll probably go to some NGK Iridiums one step colder, though. I'll also test the battery. Battery is about a month old...but I'm thinking it could be a dud...will get it tested.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,094
Likes: 6
From: Vienna, VA
Took it to Autozone when dumping some used oil.
Their tool says battery and alternator are good, starter failing. Well, gonna be doing a clutch soon anyway; I can replace it then.
Their tool says battery and alternator are good, starter failing. Well, gonna be doing a clutch soon anyway; I can replace it then.
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