starting problem, help!

[Mantis88LX]

When ever i first go to drive my car for the day, it doesnt want to start right away, i have to turn it over 2 or 3 times before it fires up. when its warm it doesnt do this.

[smufguy]

u have a carb i see, and do u usually tap your gas pedal before u turn the car on? its your fuel pump getting bad or the fuel pump relay behind the cabin fuse block thats messing up. it could also be one of your thermo valves in the manifold. thats why i got sick of carbs. too many sensors and its a maze to find whats really wrong.

[ACCORD EX]

man that's a difficult problem !
check sparks , wires , coil , Battery terminals ! and clean the carb with a carb cleaner !

MIKE

[smufguy]

it might also be your ignition coil going bad. or the distributor is messed up inside due to copper deposits (the red powder). Does the car crank but wont start or the car has difficulty cranking too? Check out the battery terminals, if they are good. if everything is fine and it gives u the same prob. ask someone to spray some carb cleaner or started fluid and see if it cranks. if nothing works and it seems like its the same as before, check your main relay in the enginebay fuse box.

[DanG86LX]

My 86LX is doing the same. I pump up the gas 2..4 times before I crank up the engine. It starts at 2000rpms but after 3..4sec dies. Crank up the engine again and is ok. IT happens when the engine is cold and outside is cold too (say up to 10degC). When outside is warmer the rpms goes something like 0 - 2000 - 500 - 2000 for the first 5sec. I suspect the EFE (early fuel evaporation), any idea what this EFE is and how would I check it?

[A20A1]

The fuel in the float bowl eventually evaporates... when you first go to start the car... turn the key to the second position... this will run the fuel pump without starting the car. turn the car off... and repeat the process once more... now try and start the car.

[ACCORD EX]

guys when postin problems like that you should tell us what was reaplaced ( new ) so we can try to diagnose the problem ! :D

MIKE

[89AccordDXHB]

My 89 Accord DX does the same thing. I park it Friday night and don't use it until Monday morning. I start the car and it gets a whiff of gas for 2 seconds then dies. I then need to crank it for 10-30 seconds until it starts. During that time I'm hitting the gas in different combinations.

I just had the car looked at with a Honda service and they weren't much help since they told me that they could not duplicate the problem. Thanks a lot! He just told me to mess with the gas pedals.

Oh, well.

[A20A1]

If you can smell gas, that means the fuel isn't burning cause it wasn't vapoized:

-The EFE screen helps vaporize the fuel Electronicaly when coolant is cold

-The Intake manifold heater helps vaporize the fuel with hot coolant and is constant

-The Hot air Control Diaphragm brings in warm air from the header, which helps vaporize the fuel when the intake air is cold.
Air temp is monitored by the intake air temperature sensor.

-The choke help restrict air flow to richen the air fuel mixture... a rich mixture has more fuel. So even if the gas isn't vaporized the small amount of gas that does reach the combustion chamber then mixes with the small air coming in, and it keeps the mixture that is being burnt closer to stoich. This is also electronicly controlled but i think its coolant temperature dependant.

[staticpat]

i had the exact same problem, and eventually my fuel pump died.
i had to start the car at least 3 times (trying millions of gas pumping combinations), and finally it would run on choke for a few minutes then i was set. this would happen if the car was left for more than an hour, hot or cold.

since ive changed the fuel pump and filters it starts right up the first time, but i still have to run it on choke (again for a few minutes, hot or cold) or ill stall out. carbs just suck.

[rocky2]

The only way to blame the carb for a poor starting condition,meaning to start engine in 1 revolution is it give it a shot of starting fliud if it starts up then in 1 turn its fuel related.

If not you need A complete tuneup.

[smufguy]

Time for efi conversion or a efi car. :flip:

[Mantis88LX]

yea cranks right up with starting fluid

[staticpat]

to check if your pump/fuel filters are bad (like mine were), take the cover of your carb, and put some gas straight in the carb and start the car. if it starts right up very easily, then theres a problem somewhere in the fuel delivery (ie filters/pump/pump relay). also check your plugs, see if there running lean.

[Mantis88LX]

k man ill check that in a little while,


hey staticpat were is podunk?? never heard of it. we should try to meet up soometime in the future

[staticpat]

i live in steele, its a hick town between gadsden and bham. im too embarassed to meet, my cars bone stock and im avidly working on making it cool. i should have enough pride in a month or two. you have the same car as me (year, color, carb, auto), so i really want to see how decked out your car is, so i can see my potential. we can meet at the huntsville track or the steele dragway (selfish me, 5 minutes away) sometime.

also, how did you manage to take out your A/C! the summers a killer.

[rocky2]

Ill tell you that my dx starts like a fuel injected car. Unless I don't drive it daily.
I changed both filters. And when I use carb cleaner. I spray it to a "hot" engine with engine rpms raised real high. I spray entire carb down also. Then I let Idle and spray until it dies then somemore, and let it sit like that overnight. Also running Champions or A?C plugs in a Honda it won't run good. Must be NGK.

[Mantis88LX]

Staticpat, yea i can meet u at the Huntsville drag strip when ever u want to, Friday nights are test and tune, i went last friday night,

talk to me on AIM, my screennames : Dude3000zx and Mantis88LX

[Mantis88LX]

about the AC, it never worked so i just cut the belt on it, i heard it release's drag from the engine, so u get more HP,

i have gotten around to actually removing the Unit, but im going to someday