HELP?! Spark related??

[PearlDrummer00]

So i'll get right to the point. 7 times out of 10 my car will not start. the Starter's trying real hard to get to turn over however nothing happens. Shortly after trying to crank it over you start to smell mass amounts of fuel. I cant tell exactly where its coming from. When it does finally turnover its real rich and wants to sutter for a bit...

So we know its getting fuel so i just figure it might be spark related? or something with the fuel pressure regulater? Also the only thing i havent replaced under the hood is the Dizzy and the ignition coil. Does anyone have an idea to what the heck is going on??? Anysuggestions would be awesome!! :rockon:

[Oldblueaccord]

Well if its EFI do you have a code 1st?


Also are you sure your Main Relay is working correctly? Thats the number 1 no start problem even thought they symptoms you have dont sound like it.

wp

[PearlDrummer00]

yes it is EFI and yes there is a code. But its the flashing the engine coolant temp. sensor. People are telling that coolant temp has nothing to do with these symptons....however when my car is about to die (while driving) my engine light will kick on, flash the same code, and the idle will stay steady at about 1700 rpms.....this is really weird....im going to go ahead and mess with that sensor and see what happens thhough...

[Oldblueaccord]

Nope coolant temp sensors has everything to do with it. Search for ECT and see what you come up with.

If its out of spec it will make your car sick rich ,flood, at start.


wp

[Oldblueaccord]

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60400


I think this is the thread I am thinking of. But there are some others that talk about flooding when starting from cold etc.

The other thing of course is your starter maybe going bad,worn brushes.


wp

[AccordB20A]

hes right. had a civic without one. basically took a charged battery and 5 mins of cranking to get it going.

[PearlDrummer00]

YES!!! well i changed the sensor anyways and now it runs awesome!!! i just never understood how that sensor would affect any sorta of A/F ratio

[bobafett]

If the engine thinks its really cold it will dump in extra fuel. It's called cold start enrichment.

If the sensor is faulty and giving an unrealistically cold temperature reading then it will give an excessive amount of fuel. At least that is my understanding.

[Ichiban]

I wonder if that sensor enables a progressive mixture enrichment, or is an on/off switch at a predetermined temperature? If it simply activates at a specific temp, you could test the sensor for continuity, then stick it in a pot of boiling water and test it again. Could be a simple diagnostic check for future reference.

[AccordB20A]

its progressive i think. cause your car will run rich without a thermostat cause the water temp is cooler. and if ur car gets hot it makes "im running lean" noises

[bobafett]

Yeah I agree I think it must be progressive, there is no well defined WOW my car isn't run 8:1 AFR anymore. It just sort of happens naturally.

[Ichiban]

Hmm, wouldn't there be a specific temperature dependent change from open loop to closed loop mode though?

[PearlDrummer00]

true....