Cold start, starter sounds bad, won't start, warm no problems
08-01-2007, 01:58 AM
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Cold start, starter sounds bad, won't start, warm no problems
Okay, I hear the main relay is notorious for temperature affected starting, but the thing is, my symptoms are opposite of what other people's symptoms are.
For most people, the car has no trouble starting cold, but warm it has trouble. For me it's opposite. When my car's warm, the engine starts perfect, on the dot after a few turns.
When it's cold, the starter makes weird noises and even though the engine sounds like it wants to start, it won't.
My first assumption was:
Main relay
or
Coolant temperature sensor maybe?
The last would be bad starter, because if the starter was going bad, I'd think the car would experience problems starting even when it was warm.
I had to push start last night, but tonight it was a little colder. Tonight it was about 75-80 outside, instead of 85-90 which it was last night. During the day, 105 degree-ish the car has no trouble starting at all.
Car: 1993 Civic EX
Engine: D16Y8 with Y8 Dizzy wired to EX harness, P05 ECU (Saving money for a swap so I didn't want to buy a P28, rather save gas with a CX fuel map)
Thanks for any help guys!
For most people, the car has no trouble starting cold, but warm it has trouble. For me it's opposite. When my car's warm, the engine starts perfect, on the dot after a few turns.
When it's cold, the starter makes weird noises and even though the engine sounds like it wants to start, it won't.
My first assumption was:
Main relay
or
Coolant temperature sensor maybe?
The last would be bad starter, because if the starter was going bad, I'd think the car would experience problems starting even when it was warm.
I had to push start last night, but tonight it was a little colder. Tonight it was about 75-80 outside, instead of 85-90 which it was last night. During the day, 105 degree-ish the car has no trouble starting at all.
Car: 1993 Civic EX
Engine: D16Y8 with Y8 Dizzy wired to EX harness, P05 ECU (Saving money for a swap so I didn't want to buy a P28, rather save gas with a CX fuel map)
Thanks for any help guys!
08-01-2007, 06:36 PM
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Okay today I had to pick it up from my friend's house, and here's what happened-
The starter sounded bad, I kept priming the fuel pump and then I popped the hood. I was getting fuel to the lines but the injector plug didn't smell like fuel.
So I started pumping the crap out of it as I tried to start it and it would start up but it would sound like crap. The motor sounded like it was turning but it wasn't really on, like a zombie engine, and it bogged out and died once I let off the throttle.
I had to pump the gas and keep revving above 4000 rpm and eventually the engine "turned on" and was able to idle and stay alive.
Are these the symptoms of a bad main relay?
The starter sounded bad, I kept priming the fuel pump and then I popped the hood. I was getting fuel to the lines but the injector plug didn't smell like fuel.
So I started pumping the crap out of it as I tried to start it and it would start up but it would sound like crap. The motor sounded like it was turning but it wasn't really on, like a zombie engine, and it bogged out and died once I let off the throttle.
I had to pump the gas and keep revving above 4000 rpm and eventually the engine "turned on" and was able to idle and stay alive.
Are these the symptoms of a bad main relay?
08-02-2007, 05:47 PM
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Today to start it I had to pump the gas a lot again. What do you think it could be? As soon as I give it a lot of gas, it starts up and I can rev it fine.
But when it's cold and I'm barely turning it on for the day, the starter sounds like crap and it takes a while to start.
Please guys I'm totally stumped and I don't have a lot of money so I can't buy a bunch of parts hoping one of them fixes it, I need to figure out which one is it specifically.
But when it's cold and I'm barely turning it on for the day, the starter sounds like crap and it takes a while to start.
Please guys I'm totally stumped and I don't have a lot of money so I can't buy a bunch of parts hoping one of them fixes it, I need to figure out which one is it specifically.
08-02-2007, 06:43 PM
#7
Maybe a starter or you are flooding the motor (leaking injectors). A tune up may not be a bad idea. If you have bad plugs that can flood the motor but it doesn't combine with the motor noise.
08-02-2007, 07:10 PM
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This may not apply to the OP's problem, but I've read that on Civics (at least some, maybe all) the main relay acting up can allow the fuel pump to prime but the injectors won't spray fuel.
I forget the specifics as to why, but that's what I've read, that it's different from an Accord, for example.
I wish it was the same, would make things easier to diagnose :cry: