Starting Problems

[richors 0]

Hi all,

 

Not sure if this is correct section but seeking some advice on what can cause starting problems from cold.

Car is running a standard mi16 engine and management

Always been a good starter etc even though its track only and often stands for long periods.

 

Anyway, changed the clutch last week and since put back together it just won't start well or at all. Does eventually fire up sometimes but after a long long time cranking.

To be sure of some stuff i changed plugs, leads arm and dizzy cap as i had spares.

When i took old plugs out they were dry which seemed weird as i fgured it would be flooded after several attempts to start so took pipe to fuel rail off and turned key and plenty of fuel came out so tried again and it started ok and ran ok so i figured it must be a lack of fuel but just tried again after its stood a few hours and no joy again.

 

It does try to start and spark etc fine. Also tried new crank sensor but no difference.

Obviously i keep thinking its linked to the clutch chnage somehow but can't see what it could be simply from that so was wondering what else would effect cold starts?

Once its run a while it starts from warm no prob...............

 

Cheers

 

Mark.

[dcc 855]

did you replace your earths correctly.

[richors 0]

did you replace your earths correctly.

 

I put the one back on the gearbox mate.

Which others are there and how could they affect cold start etc please?

 

cheers

[Josh_Quant 27]

check to make sure you havnt damage the crankshaft sensor?

[richors 0]

check to make sure you havnt damage the crankshaft sensor?

 

Tried a barand new one mate and no difference.....................had it running today and same as before. Fine when warm but awful to start from cold..................?

[Josh_Quant 27]

did you unplug or remove anything when you droped gearbox out?

 

and you checked you got spark and fuel?

[richors 0]

did you unplug or remove anything when you droped gearbox out?

 

and you checked you got spark and fuel?

 

Only unplugged what i needed to mate - sensor, reverse switch etc.

Got spark and fuel as it runs fine once going - just a pig to start.

Once warmed up it will start first turn of the key.............................

[richors 0]

Hi all

 

Still got same problem as above - am wondering if there is anything i could have knocked or caught to do with the air flow meter etc - is it located near the gearbox at all? am thinking it must be mixture related.......................?

Car is sat doing zilch so need to cure or give up ..........

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

I'd be tempted to run a new earth cable, mine and Tom's earth connections have played up recently giving similar symptoms.

Has the ECU temp sensor been disconnected? (Blue plug on thermostat housing)

Check the crank sensor is bolted down correctly.

[pug_ham 245 3 Cars]

There should be more than one to the gearbox earth stud, the main battery earth lead & the ecu earth both go to the stud.

 

Have you knocked the ecu temp sensor plug? They can be the cause of a bad starter because the ecu doesn't get a clear signal.

 

g

[richors 0]

Cheers guys - will check the blue plug when i can to be sure then.

[GLPoomobile 958]

Get yourself a multimeter and a copy of the CAPS software (stickied in one of the sub forums on here) and start backprobing things and checking the values against what is in CAPS.

 

The fact that your plugs are dry makes me suspect your injectors are not firing, which would then lead me to believe your Fuel Injection relay is playing up. That wouldn't necessarily explain why it works OK when hot and only plays up when cold, but it's a starting point. So check what values you are getting on the relay pins with the ignition off, ignition on, and then when cranking. all of this is covered in CAPS and will potentially save you a lot of time instead of attacking the problem randomly.

 

FYI, I had a similar problem with my Mi randomly cutting out and refusing to start and CAPS was a god send for me. Eventually traced the problem back to the switched live connection at the brown plug under the dash, which was slightly loose. I wouldn't have traced it if I hadn't been able to use a clear and logical process by checking what was happening at each of the components.

Edited February 27, 2012 by GLPoomobile

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I reckon it's the ECU temp sensor.