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cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

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Old 11-16-2018, 02:55 PM
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Car: 1988 GTA Trans AM
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cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

IN the warm weather my car has a cranking issue, usually 3-4 long cranks to get car running, once started, it will restart right back up till it sits for more than 6 hours

now what I am wondering is, when it is cold outside, like currently it is around freezing, the car will fire right up, i store my car in my garage and start at least once a week in winter, every time it fires right up, no long cranking

perhaps someone can explain, and I will be able to resolve the long cranking in the warmer weather

car is 88 GTA trans am, 305, the cold start injector has been removed, using a piggyback chip, from tpi parts i think, that my chip plugs into, and is setup for the injector removal, so im told.

thanks in advance
Old 11-16-2018, 07:26 PM
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Car: 1992 Z28 and 1995 Silverado
Engine: 5.7 TPI and 5.7 TBI to TPI convert
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

Next time you try to crank, hook up a fuel pressure gauge and turn the key. Watch the speed in which it builds pressure. If slow when engine is cold, like mine, it might be time for a new one. Behavior that seems typical for the old gear style pumps. Slow to go until they get turning for a while.
Old 11-16-2018, 08:04 PM
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Car: 88 Camaro
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

My TPI has done that since I got it 14 years ago. I've tried everything there is to fix it, no dice. Mine didn't come with the cold start injector from the factory so that's not the issue. I can let it sit for 8 or 10 days and it starts fine, same in real cold weather. I even tried tricking the coolant sensor, no help.
Old 11-16-2018, 11:31 PM
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

Just to make sure I understand, are you saying that you have to crank the engine 3 or 4 times to get it to start in warm weather? But only on first start and not a warm restart.
Old 11-17-2018, 07:43 AM
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

3-4 tries, like key on/key off cycles, or just slow cranking/slow to start in warm weather?

if you could post a short video it would likely help tremendously.

Old 11-19-2018, 11:53 AM
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Car: 1988 GTA Trans AM
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

in warm weather i will crank the car for 3-4 times, cranking for 8-10 seconds each time

in the summer with fuel pressure gauge connected i had steady pressure while cranking, 40-45 psi range, drops instantly to 0 when not cranking

when i get the car running and shut it back off and re-start it will start right away, unless i let it sit for 6-8 hours, then back to the hard starting
Old 11-20-2018, 09:33 AM
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Car: 88 Camaro
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

Same deal with mine except the second try will usually start it up. I hooked up an LED to the injectors and they do start pulsing at the third or fourth rev of the engine on the first crank. Just a real weird deal here. And runs pretty rough when it first starts. But when real cold or sitting for several days, starts right up and runs right. 14 years of this crap with no solution. Keep us posted if you come up with something that helps.
Old 11-20-2018, 01:16 PM
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Car: 1989-92 FORMULA350 305 92 Hawkclone
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

My 89 has done this since I bought it when it was 2 years old. I recently read that somewhere, that in the tune, has a reference pulse count that has been set to pulse injs later than earlier cars but after a couple production yrs they moved the number back down. How true this is I really don't know.
Old 07-17-2022, 03:43 AM
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Re: cold weather starting vs warm weather starting

I have same problem but mine does that when the engine is cold it doesn't start
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