DAM YOU COLD STARTS!!!!

monstar-mx-3 · Post by **monstar-mx-3** » January 4th, 2005, 9:06 pm

Hello,

Got the common problem again. Cold Start blues! When it hits -4 and below and the block is cold. the engine will turn but not start. But when i plug in the block heater after 1/2 hour, Boom..starts right up. I changed the Rotor and Cap about a month ago and plug in the summer. Wire are still good. Only a year old. Any other suggusttion that i am missing?

mitmaks · Post by **mitmaks** » January 4th, 2005, 9:38 pm

keep it in garage if you can and just have block heater handy, wake up few mins earlier to heat it. mine did that last winter but it was -20F, and i changed battery, cold kills batteries.

fry_81 · Post by **fry_81** » January 4th, 2005, 10:08 pm

when i was looking into buying an mx3, that was one of the major faults listed for the V6 version, hard starting in weather below 0.

monstar-mx-3 · Post by **monstar-mx-3** » January 4th, 2005, 11:36 pm

She been good last couple of years...but just this year she been acting up again. I was stuck at work as the block heater was working. after 45 mins...she started right away.

IanL · Post by **IanL** » January 5th, 2005, 4:53 am

Cold oil draws more current through the starter, so drops more volts across poor ground connections. You may get an improvement by reworking your electrical grounds - if you drop less volts across ground connections, it leaves more for the ignition system.

If you want to try a custom mod, I've heard this one works well:

Fit a small (e.g. motorbike) auxiliary battery. Connect all the wiring to the aux except the starter (and maybe the alternator), which stays on the main battery. Join the two battery positives through a relay contact which opens when the starter solenoid is energised. Then when the starter is operated, it has the main battery all to itself, and the aux has full power to drive the ignition. Under normal running, the two batteries are in parallel, so they are both charged by the alternator.

bmwm3guy · Post by **bmwm3guy** » January 5th, 2005, 8:21 am

fry_81 wrote:when i was looking into buying an mx3, that was one of the major faults listed for the V6 version, hard starting in weather below 0.

wow, Im suprised so many people have that problem, I have started my ZE in -35 weather just over a week ago, no problems. It has happened before that it would not start first shot (it wouldn't even turn... no noise whatsoever) but that was only once and it was maybe -5.

vozaday2000 · Post by **vozaday2000** » January 5th, 2005, 1:08 pm

yeah i find that the mx-3's are good to start until it reaches around -38C. so around -36F. After that I had to use a hair dryer to heat up the oil enough. Kinda weird that a canadian car did not come with a block heater.

rebel2k4 · Post by **rebel2k4** » January 5th, 2005, 6:33 pm

This is very interesting guys.

I just bought my mx3 earlier this year so I havent experienced anything like this. I was up snowboarding yesterday at 11000+ ft elevation, and it was about 10 degrees F. After about 5 hrs of boarding, I come down to find my car WOULD NOT start! I almost freaked out because this place is about 3 hrs from my house. So I'm sitting there, crank crank nothing. Tried for a couple minutes, then just before I gave up I decided to pump the gas while I was cranking (I know... big no-no for fuel injected engines) but low and behold, stumbles to life. Havent experienced the problem today, so I'm not sure what that was all about. Kinda scaring me though... hmm

My car doesnt have a block heater either.

fry_81 · Post by **fry_81** » January 5th, 2005, 6:58 pm

mine thankfully does have a block heater.

hgallegos915 · Post by **hgallegos915** » January 9th, 2005, 4:02 am

just a note...for cold starts my trick of pulling the fuel pump fuse and cracnking then inserting fuse as it cranks over works VERY well for cold starts. My car wont start in cold mornings around 2 out of 5 times it wont start...So I do this trick and it may take like 2 cranks but it does start. Procedure is remove the fuse with long plyers....start the car and as you are cranking re insert the fuse and pumpo the gas just a tiny bit and it starts. Im suprised on how well this workd for my gs. I believe its the fuse that sends fuel basically what it does ius that when its cold the pistons flood with fuel (yes fi engines can flood in cold and k series for no reason) so what you do is remove the fuel pump fuse, crank (the spark burns ecess fuel off) then as you reinsert the fuse it is not flooded anymore and it starts...do I make sense? LOL trust me guys try this when your car doesnt wanna start..I can guaratnee you that most of the time it will work no matter how "ghetto" this trick seems. Can sure save alot of batteries frokm getting drained.

IanL · Post by **IanL** » January 9th, 2005, 5:22 am

There is no way the spark could burn excess fuel off unless the fuel ignited, in which case the engine would start. But what does happen is the cranking uses the engine as an air pump, and it flushes unburnt fuel through the exhaust.

The same can be achieved without fooling with pliers and fuses. Just hold the gas pedal flat on the floor while you crank - it stops the fuel injection. After you've cranked enough, stop cranking, remove foot from pedal, and crank again. All is explained on Page F2-134. If it doesn't work for you, it tells you what to check.

hgallegos915 · Post by **hgallegos915** » January 10th, 2005, 12:41 am

well maybe its not the spark but well it happened tpo me today again in cold weather and I was able to start the car...so its obiously doing something that I cannot comprehend lol and well it got my car started and I know its because of the cold (new cap, rotor, still need the wires, got a full tune up ecu codes are clean no vacum line cracks) I had encountered this problem so many times that now just whe nit wont start at the third time..i pull the fuse and start and wham it goes on.

I guess its just a matter of people wanting to try this during colds starts but well dont really have to..just what I do.[/quote]

hgallegos915 · Post by **hgallegos915** » January 10th, 2005, 12:43 am

i tried the floor pedal thiong but well not exactly as you say it. If it works with me well its defenetly worth it since its a pain pulling the fuse in cold hands, very good advice there.I will try it..just to make sure i got it right... its floor the pedal all the way to the floor, crank a couple of times then release the pedal?? right?

IanL · Post by **IanL** » January 10th, 2005, 4:26 am

Right. Floor pedal - crank - stop cranking - release pedal - crank

Teal_93 · Post by **Teal_93** » January 10th, 2005, 9:09 pm

Just plug the car in over night, go out the next morning & it starts right up.

I found out my mx-3 was from Anchorage Alaska, it has dual heaters on it. I think 1 is for the engine & 1 is for the transmission. Works Great!!!