Hello,

I have been trying to fix a starting problem that has been occuring on my '92 for a while now. It starts right up in the morning, but after it is driven and parked for about an hour, it cranks over for about 4 seconds before starting. I have verified that the fuel pressure holds, the injectors do not leak, the pressure regulator does not leak, and the fuel pump is not alowing fuel to bleed back. I have also replaced the coil because the resistance was a little low on the original, but the problem still exists. It is getting an injector pulse while cranking and it is also getting spark.

I did a scan with an autoxray and was hoping that someone could advise me on anything that doesn't seem normal. The first values were taken with the key in the "on" position, but without the motor running. The second values were taken as soon as the motor started after taking awhile to start. Both scans were done after the car had been sitting about an hour after being driven.

Vehicle Data PROM ID 3881, 3881
Coolant Temp 182.7°F, 183.5
Throttle Sensor 0.6 Volts, 0.62
Throttle Angle 0%, 0
Engine RPM 25, 650
Vehicle Speed 0 MPH, 0
Oxygen SensorR 448 mVolts, 448
Oxygen SensorL 453, 453
Block LearnR 128, 120
Block LearnL 128, 120
BLK LRN Cell 0, 16
Integrator R&L 128, 128
Idle Air Mtr Pos 85 steps, 8
Desired Idle 3187 RPM, 637
MAP Sensor 4.88 Volts, 1.35
Manifold Air Tmp 147.4°F, 133
EGR Duty Cycle 0.0%, 0.0
CCP Duty Cycle 0.0%, 0.0
Battery Voltage 11.9 Volts, 13.9
Learned Idle Pos 10 steps, 10
Spark Advance 2°, 24
Knock Retard 0°, 0
Engine Run Time 0 seconds, 2
Battery Voltage High : No, No
Shift Light Off
TCC Status Not Locked
Park/Neutral Not Detected
Fan Number 1&2 Off
A/C Clutch Disabled
CCP Purge Off
Learn Control Disabled
Loop Status Open


The part I am not sure on is the desired idle. It is at 3187RPM before the motor is started and while cranking, but when it starts it goes to the normal 650RPM. Also, it is reporting 25RPM when the motor isn't even running. When the car cranks for awhile, after it starts it smells rich and this is verified by the BLM showing 120 after it starts, and then it climbing back up to 126-128.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Domenic

 

Try this test:
Let it sit for 1/2-1hr, press the accelerator full down & hold for 1 minute; than release the accelerator and start the engine. Did it start as easily as when cold?

Come back with the results.

 

I have tried pushing the accelerator to the floor to enable the clear flood mode function and it does seem to help it start quicker. I have never tried pushing the petal down when cold because it always starts good when cold, but I will try it and see if it does anything.

Since it seemed to be better when holding the accelerator down, I thought leaking injectors. I pulled the injectors and sent them to Rich at cruizinperformance and he reconditioned them, but said they didn't need it and did not leak. Just to completly rule out the injectors, I bought a new set to try and they didn't make the problem any better.

Thanks,
Domenic

 

I did another scan this morning when the car was cold and starts quickly. The only changes where in:

Coolant temp: 58.5
Manifold temp: 50.7
Idle air: 134 steps
Spark advance: 6 degrees

This was taken with the key on, but without the motor running. I am thinking that maybe the idle air control valve is not opening enough on the hot starts, but I have cleaned it and reset it. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Domenic