My car sometimes is giving me trouble when it sits over night and cools down it doesn't like to start very easyily. I left work today and turned the motor over about 50 times, nothing, so i unpluged the CSI and nothing again, plugged it back it then it finally kicked over. Not sure if this is what is causing my trouble, it seems to start each time. Not sure if its that or the TPS, don't think it could be that but not sure. Can anyone help me, its pretty darn cold around here now and this is beginning to be a pita Please help

 

Camaroman, one of these morning, test the fuel pressure, you know what I mean. Put some WD 40 on the throttle return spring (mod edit: originally "choke spring") to get rid of some stupid problems, and do that, fuel pressure is a pita. Check if your car is throwing the code nº 54. In that case, Fuel Pump Relay is the answer. Hope you fix it soon!!!!

 

Thanks man, i don't recall my service engine light coming on and my fuel pump is priming like it should.

 

.... choke spring? on an 88?...

Honestly, I've never sat down and figured out the cold start problem. When winter rolls around in full swing, I start carrying starting fluid..

 

What wight oil are you running? I bumped mine up to 15W40 due 320,000 miles worth of engine wear. It keeps it from getting blow by the rings in the summer but plays on cold starts in the winter.

My solution to my winter cold starts was to bump the oil wight down in the winter.

 

Just get a third gen that spent it's entire life in the cold, then they start every time on the third turn regardless of how long you held it on the first two turns.

 

Today my car was totally covered by snow, I just cleaned the windows, windshield, and started the engine without problems. Thanks to the new AC Delco fuel pump, the crank fuse and the lube I pour in the choke spring, without mentioning the ignition system. Oh I almost forgot, the good gasoline has something to do too.

 

Lube that choke spring and check the headlight oil.

 

Yeah it only does it sometimes. Choke spring? What is that? Thanks

 

It is the spring that is located opposite to the TPS, in the air intake plenum, where the accelerator cable is, between them. There is a spring that looks ok, but is suppouse to be lube once in a while.

 

I'll have ot check it out. I put some good fuel injector cleaner in my tank today with some 94 octane snf it seems to run a lot better I don't knwo about the cold start problem yet, will have to check tomorrow, it started this morning with no prob but i knwo it will give me some probs

 

Amen. My bird has spent it's whole life in Montana. Last year when it was -35F it still started up just as easy as ever.

 

Yeah, that's about the coldest I've had to try and start it in Maine, plus or minus a couple degrees. Don't even bother trying to get it to start on the first two times for my car, just turn the key til you just hear it start to turn over, then the third time let it turn over and starts right up.

 

It suppose to be -10 here tomorrow so we will see how it starts, i hope it does,

 

i wasnt under the impression our headlights needed oil



no but seriously, what is headlight oil lol

 

For future reference, that's the throttle return spring... fuel injected cars don't have chokes (that job is handled either by extra enrichment commanded by the ECU, or by the previously mentioned Cold Start Injector (CSI)). Also, I've never heard of a choke spring that requires lubrication.

 

You are right Smurf, in TPI engines, the choke is controlled by ECM, but if you see in this picture, you are gonna see the spring that makes the choke system go back when the engine is warming up. If you put some lube over it, it will work much better. Even when the choke system is manage by the ECM, it does not mean that you do not have to touch its components at all, and let them work as they are.

 

You're truly convinced that's a choke... wow. Do you even know what a choke's actual function is? Chokes on carburetors are there to increase vacuum in carburetor body by throttling the amount of air that is able to enter the carburetor body at the top of the carburetor, rather than the bottom (hence why they are called chokes). The higher vacuum in the carburetor body increases fuel pull at the jets, thus richening the mixture during cold start and warm-up. There are no fuel jets to pull fuel from on FI cars, thus no reason for a choke, thus they don't have chokes.

Who the heck told you that was a choke? They need to be slapped.

And btw, yes. That is a nice picture of the throttle return spring.

 

 

Well..


..Why the heck to they always add in that last one, anyway?


Anyhow, try those if you wish.

 

I do have leaky injectors still, lack of money and time to change them right now Could that be the problem? All my ignition is brand new, so i doubt that is a prob along with the batt. Thanks

 

engine timming is correct?
spark plugs have good spark?
whats the fuel pressure?

 

Spark plugs are new, my whole ignition in this car is brand spanking new. Acell plat. plugs and wires. Fuel pressure reads a good 39 psi when running, although goes in kinda quick when the motor is off (leaky injectors). The timing is exact

 

Leaky injectors overnight can flood cylinders pretty good... honestly, they alone could be the culprit.

 

Wow.

Honestly.


No choke on a fuel injected car. That is the throttle return spring. A choke is either water, air, or electrically operated to close when under a certain temp, using bimetal springs, in order to richen up the mixture when idling cold.

As the temp comes up, the two metals expand at different rates, 'opening' the spring, and causing the 'choke flap' (via a rod, or a shaft) to open. The choke flap is SEPERATE from the throttle blade -

Go look down a carb. Those plates on teh bottom are the throttle plates - the plate on top is the choke plate.

Fuel injected engines do not have a choke plate.

Fuel injected engines do not have a choke, period.

Cold start fuel enrichment is handled either via a cold start injector (that injects fuel when under 450rpms, I believe) and/or a simple richening of the mixture commanded by the ECM until the coolant temp reaches operating range.

Yes, nice pick of the return spring

And yes, leaking injectors can cause havoc.

 

Yeah, I have been looking for them but can't seem to find a set unless I buy them new . I don't really have much time right now or a garage to rip the top of the motor apart either and i'm afraid of breaking the bolts on that intake They never gave me a problem before either