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| cold start; geo wont start when cold | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 27 2009, 09:09 PM (4,155 Views) | |
| tsts | Feb 27 2009, 09:09 PM Post #1 |
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Fresh Fish
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my 94 geo metro has a hard time starting when it gets cold out, it will crank over, and over, and over and eventualy start after putting the starter though some serious abuse. after starting the car can be turned off and will restart as long as the engine is warm, the longer it sits and the colder it gets the harder it is to start, if it is warm out (above 30 or so) it starts with no problem. tonight would not start, smelled gas like it was flooded, butterfly in throtle body was closed, finally got it to fire by pinching off fuel line, then lightly released some of the pressure off the fuel line and got it started, took vise grip off fuel line and kept running and kept starting after no problem any ideas? |
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| Woodie | Feb 27 2009, 09:56 PM Post #2 |
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Bad coolant temperature sensor? Car doesn't know it's cold? |
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| Johnny Mullet | Feb 27 2009, 10:25 PM Post #3 |
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Fear the Mullet
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I would agree with Woodie! The coolant temp sensor would be where to start. The 2 wire sensor for the computer if I am not mistaken. |
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| metroschultz | Feb 27 2009, 11:05 PM Post #4 |
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Please just call me; "Schultz"
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Yes Sir, There is a 2 wire and a 1 wire sensor on the thermostat housing. 1 wire feeds the gage, and the 2 wire feeds the computer. Any codes or CEL? |
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| Bad Bent | Feb 27 2009, 11:32 PM Post #5 |
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Facetious Educated Donkey
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Welcome to the forum, tsts! I don't have a clue beyond the coolant temp. sensor being the first culprit like everyone says. If it's flooding, maybe the air cleaner is dirty or the timings off? My 4th guess would be spark (plugs, plug wires, Dist. Cap posts and rotor) and lastly compression. Granted the battery CCA is good. I don't like to start when it's below 30 out either. I got my Geo a garage and an in-line coolant heater.
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| ki4syr | Feb 28 2009, 10:34 AM Post #6 |
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Metro Newbie
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Is it possible that one of the wires to the injector is grounded. Them two little wires are easy to get pinched in between the throttle body and the air cleaner assembly. How does it run after you get it started? Good idle, good fuel mileage? Might also inspect vacuum hoses for a leak. Edited by ki4syr, Feb 28 2009, 10:37 AM.
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| metromad | Feb 28 2009, 12:30 PM Post #7 |
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Check your compression and post the readings. The 2 cars I had this very same problem with had compression readings in the 80-90 PSI range. I only had the start problem with a cold engine. Might be an inexpensive place to start.
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| natealt | May 9 2017, 04:55 PM Post #8 |
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New Member
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I'm having a similar issue, my car runs very very smooth while driving and has a nice smooth idle when engine is warm but is hard to start on cold and I have to pump the gas pedal while starting it, otherwise it will start for a second then die and have really low idle. The issue only seems to be a problem when it's below 45 degrees. When it's warmer than that I don't have a problem. I swapped out my coolant temperature sensor with one from my other car that runs great but it didn't fix it. I have solid 175 compression on all 3 cylinders. Put in new PCV valve and my 97 metro is a hydraulic valve setup on the top end so I don't think you can adjust the valves. Anyone have any ideas what else it could be? I thought about adjusting my Throttle position sensor to increase the idle but I don't think I should because it currently idles at 1100 rpms with warm engine, I don't really want to increase it higher. Thanks Edited by natealt, May 9 2017, 04:58 PM.
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| Moringa | May 9 2017, 05:31 PM Post #9 |
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Living BOT
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You don't want to mess with the TPS setting, if it's correct. Your statement above could be a possible reason. If you have a vacuum leak for instance, that will cause a high idle, and make it hard to cold start. Is your check engine light on, by any chance? Did you check for pending, or other codes? |
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| natealt | May 9 2017, 07:22 PM Post #10 |
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New Member
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No check engine light on. I checked for codes or pending codes and there was none. I doubt it's a vacuum leak because my idle is never high on cold or hot engine. |
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| freegeo | May 9 2017, 08:32 PM Post #11 |
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Have you check the compression of the engine? Never mind I seen where you have 175. Edited by freegeo, May 10 2017, 02:12 AM.
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| Woodie | May 10 2017, 05:59 AM Post #12 |
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| Moringa | May 10 2017, 12:06 PM Post #13 |
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Living BOT
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This is the second one of THOSE, in the last few days, in the diagnostic category. I wanted to see if anyone besides me would catch it. |
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| natealt | May 10 2017, 12:26 PM Post #14 |
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New Member
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Are you guys saying that 1100 rpms possibly indicates a vacuum leak? I sort of misspoke on that, I checked again just now and my car on cold start will idle at only 500 rpms but then once it warms up it will kind of go back and forth from around 800-1000 rpms. The 1100 number is only the case right after I let off the gas it will drop down and stop at that number for a little bit but then after 10 seconds or so drop back down to 1000 rpm or less. I always thought a vacuum leak would give a higher idle than that? Or especially a higher idle than what I'm getting on cold engine? Actually while engine is on my boost reading is around -9psi. Does the boost reading help indicate if you might have any vacuum leak? Thanks Edited by natealt, May 10 2017, 02:18 PM.
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| Woodie | May 11 2017, 05:40 AM Post #15 |
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Idle should be around 800. If you say it hunts, then maybe someone screwed with the throttle stop or TPS adjustment and the computer is confused. Or maybe a slight vacuum leak and the computer is fighting against that to keep the idle down. Could be that your wax pellet has failed, so you don't get any cold idle up. Then someone screwed with the throttle stop to try to help that. The term boost gauge has me a little confused. If you're just talking about a boost/vacuum gauge, the idle vacuum should be -19 or so. If you've boosted this engine then we're in a completely different ballpark, and I don't know very much about that game. Edited by Woodie, May 11 2017, 05:41 AM.
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I got my Geo a garage and an in-line coolant heater.

3:49 AM Jul 11