OctoberFestFan

It's about 30 to 40 degrees here. Not your usual 10 degree weather. My car has been acting a bit weird lately. It starts up everytime except it chokes a bit. It doesn't choke and dies, but rather takes an extra second to start up (extra delay while system cranks.)
The battery is 2 years old (a 72 months life), been using nothing but 93 octane.

This year has been warm, is it because the sudden cold made the car a bit hard to start? when car is starting, it sends a shock through the car, you can hear it from the doors.
I recently replaced the air temperature sensor, and it has been cranking weird like that when it's extra cold out. Does the Air Temp Sensor replacement got anything to do with it? It doesn't throw any CEL.

Curious why it takes extra second to start, and it sort of chokes a bit when it's starting.

thanks

k9lovr

Have you checked or replaced the air filter recently. I only say this because in order to start you need spark, fuel and air. Air filter is the easiest to check.

OctoberFestFan

yeah filter is new.

Nasty188

Im getting the same thing and can't figure out what it is as well plus I have a 08TL-S wich i got in march!

OctoberFestFan

After talking to Greg. He thinks it might be my fuel pressure regulator, he advised me a couple of solutions I should do, I will try to see if it is the cause within the next couple of days. However, I have also found a very interesting article and several folks from MINI forum having the same issue. I am not sure if this applies to my problem but sounds like it has something to do with the recent ETHANOL gas formulation.
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...p/t-71143.html

"Hard start issue only when car is cold (morning starts after sitting in garage all night): "This is due to the new ethanol gas formulation." They said the car is not sending any malfunction codes, and aside from a longer than usual crank to start when cold, this is not a "performance" issue and there is nothing they can do about it. Putting in new plugs, wires, starter, etc. would not change a thing...it's the new gas formulation with the 10% ethanol that is causing hard starts. They said that it is happening on all their cars, MINI and BMW. Basically it's a "live with it" situation."

My car :knock on wood: don't have any performance issues. It just cranks longer than expected, way longer... and I have been getting nothing but BP Gas. BP as you know has 10% ethanol... perhaps that is what triggers this problem. But I will see if the cycling of the keys a few times before starting helps from Greg's advise.

OctoberFestFan

but if that is the case, why isn't it doing it on my wife's Honda accord? lol

OctoberFestFan

also
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/bu...gewanted=print

Near the bottom of the page where " We have seen an increase primiarly fuel problems, fuel-related problems..... "

OctoberFestFan

http://www.fordforums.com/f57/e85-et...oblems-156497/

and

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/lo...702.pdf?temp=x


I am going to start an experiement. I will no longer use BP or gas stations that contains ethanol gas for a couple of weeks to see if the COLD START - LONG crank GOES AWAY.

I hate cars

Turn the key to the on position, wait a second and then crank. Likely your cold start problem will go away.

FiveShifts

Very unlikely waiting for the system pressure to build will solve the issue entirely. I know that topic had received a long series of threads in a different post- can't remember when or where though. I also recognize how common it is for Honda's and Acura's to exhibit that type behavior. When re-formulated gasoline is introduced upon colder seasons it disrupts the learned algorithms in the ECM. One in particular is misfire detection, which is part of Honda/Acura claims to ULEV and is a requirement for OBDII. But OBD may not be enabled on crank for that monitor. After a few more start/run cycles the system will re-learn what it takes to produce the correct A/F ratio. Also, I'd be surprised if you were able to find any gas that didn't have ethanol in it at any brand station, but please re-post if you find it.

I hate cars

Mine has always tried to take longer on the crappy CA gas in the winter. Pausing before cranking does more than just let the pump build pressure as has been proven in the valve chatter/ detonation thread.

OctoberFestFan

Indeed, disregard what I say about the ethenol gas. It was the battery that went after 2.5 yrs. I ended up getting a new one under warranty and sold the car soon after.