Hard to start when below 32 degrees

B

bhickmott

Registered
Hey guys .... any thoughts ?????

When the air temp is below 32 degrees my Gen2 is very hard to start. Crank, crank, crank all it does is stumble like it's firing on just a couple cylinders. If you hold it to the floor it will finally start, but will not idle till it warms up for 5 minutes or so.

When the air temp is above 32, but below 50 it will fire, stumble and die when you first turn the key. The second turn of the key and it starts fine.

Above 50 degrees there is no problem.

No check engine light and no trouble codes. Plugs are new, as are fuel pump and filter. Fuel pressure is 40+ psi.

HELP !!!!
 
RE: Hard to start when below 32 degrees

I had the sam e problem with my T-bird when I lived in NY. But it was really cold when I had these problems, usually down in the teens or below. My solution was not very elegant but it worked. You may not have the same problem though. When I was done using the car for the evening, I would pull the wires from the emergency fuel shot off in the trunk while the car was running. After a few moments the car would die because I had shut off the fuel pump. I'd try to start it once or twice to make certain there was no fuel in the Injectors. Then I'd plug it back up. The next morning it would fire right up with no problem. One mechanic believed I had water in the fuel, but this happend after a filter change and different fueling stations so I'm not sure about that. I do know that it would turn over and over and try to crank. Once it goes warm enough I guess it melted the the frozen fuel/water, and it ran fine after that. But I blew an O2 sensor and it's hell on a starter and battery. Hope this gives you a little insight. I have no idea about the between 50 and 32?
 
RE: Hard to start when below 32 degrees

Maybe your IAT, (Intake Air Temp), sensor is bad. It's also called the "air charge" sensor. A replacement is under $20, and really easy to replace. It's in the intake air tube, right before the throttle body. It surely wouldn't hurt to relace it...

John
[link:mark8.org/lodnca|NorCal Chapter Website]
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
 
RE: Hard to start when below 32 degrees

i notice mine do that when it got that cold here, but not like yours, mine just take a few more second too start,
 
RE: Hard to start when below 32 degrees

I would change your coolent temp sensor. This sensor tells the ecu that the engine is cold which in turn the computer gives the car a richer air/fuel mixture.(like a choke on a carburated car) The sensor still probably works, but the parameters may be off from all of the heating and cooling cycles which crystalizes the sensor slowly. The IAT sensor tells the computer the temp of the incoming air so that the computer can determain the density of the air which will effect the air/fuel ratio.
 
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