Rob W.

iTrader: (8)

Well, I had a pretty crappy experience with my EVO last week. I went on a business trip, leaving it in a parking lot from Mon-Thurs. When I returned Thursday morning, it was a frigid 3F outside. It started but stalled within 1 second (first time it's ever stalled). Then, the car cranked just fine, but wouldn't fire at all. Every 10 seconds or so of cranking I'd get a slight fire/sputter, but not nearly enough to actually start it. The Owner's Manual says to try holding half throttle... didn't work. Then, it says that if you've flooded it, trying 5-6 seconds of cranking at WOT, then 5-6 seconds at no throttle to try to dry it out. Rinse and repeat. No luck. I got a ride to a parts store and bought two block heaters (one dipstick kind, one magnetic for the oil pan). I used a big DC-AC power inverter to power them from a friend's car, since there was no way to get an extension cord to the location. After 40 minutes of warming, I got a few more sputters, but it still wouldn't fire. I'd been avoiding calling the dealer, since I didn't them to see my MBC. As a last resort, I pulled the plugs. All of them were soaked with gas/oil from all the cranking. I cleaned and dried them off, and it fired right up after that. What a total PITA. Basically, it took 5 hours of screwing around, freezing my tail off, to get my EVO started.

I did a search, but I couldn't find any other posts with cold start and flooding problems. Has anyone else experienced this??

I plan to keep a 10mm nut driver, ratchet, extension, and spark plug socket in my car for the next few weeks, just in case.

BTW, the battery is a real powerhouse. It took a lot of abuse from me.. lots of cranking at super low temps.

Rob

sr20det91

iTrader: (59)

Sounds like you had condensation build up on the plugs. Winter gas is bad about that.

prowler

Don't feel to bad. I was recently up in the Denver area trying to get home in my aircraft, and the right engine would not start. I used up like 15 gallons on the left engine to keep the batteries alive and it still wouldnt go.


I had to wait 3 hours until the line people could move it in a heated hangar. After 50 bucks and another 2 hours, I was ready to go.

It happens to about every kind of piston motor out there one time or another.

mitsuatb

iTrader: (6)

I think that the owners manual is giving you some really bad advice for starting a fuel injected car. The procedure you used would be fine for a carburated engine. With a Carb you hold full throttle and the vacuum drops in the venturi no gas is pulled into the airflow and the wide open throttle plate defeats the choke and allows excess air in to clear the flooded condition.

With fuel injection a wide open throttle is sensed by the throttle position sensor and it may add more fuel to compensate for the air flow. This defeats the purpose of holding the throttle open. Thats why you don't do this with a fuel injected engine.

When cold starting a fuel injected engine, never step on the gas, let the system do its job. Just keep you foot off and let it crank.

I think IMHO that your well intentioned but missguided attempts to solve the problem actually made it worse.

If the car won't start by letting it crank then pulling the plugs is a good option.

But I think the owners manual helped cause your problem.

lowkey

iTrader: (5)

Happened to me too once with a Jeep Cherokee in the high altitude of Taos. Afterwards I figured it had to do with the Jeep being new and the engine still tight and I had a 10W something oil in it. I think for really cold weather 5W something will help.

bluevilevo8

When my 97 cobra wouldn't start after many attempts, I held wot and it started, with a big plume of black smoke I might add. In some cases it does the trick.

NYEVO8

iTrader: (1)

same here, i had a jeep cherokee and one insanely cold day it wouldnt kick over, held it at wot and cranked the **** out of it and it eventually started and my neighbor got a free smoke show out of it.

Bom's Evo

iTrader: (14)

always prime the fuel pump before starting it. meaning turn the ING on so it beeps and don't start til it stops beeping. fills the the lines up and u have full fuel pressure.

Flames-666

iTrader: (4)

Rob W., I have had this problem with my Focus SVT when it gets below 10F....I tried everything - then for the hell of it before I called the tow, I did the exact opposite of what mitsuatb recommended??? I started the car as if it were carborated (like my old mustangs)...it starts right up - if I start it as it should be started it won't start! Crazy. The car runs like a champ after 5 minutes of warming up.

Obviously very different engines - but if it saves you another anxiety filled day.....

BTW - I would like to start a Michigan Evo Owners Club - check regional posts.

My EVO is a garage queen for winter.....

timzcat

iTrader: (10)

Fuel injected cars are programmed (ECU) that if you hold the throttle down all the way and crank, it enters clear flood mode. Giving no fuel at all. Every other throttle state is adding fuel.

Rule of thumb is, never crank a car from off after it has sat like that. There is no fuel pressure and unless you cycle the key to on for a couple of seconds and then crank, you will be cranking in lean condition. With that weather it will not start.
Once you've cranked like that for 10-15 seconds it has caught up and is probably already starting to flood. Now you want to go WOT and crank it. 99% of the time it will fire.
A likely cause is the lack of fuel initially and the rise in oil pressure from cranking caused the lifter to pump up (thick oil, cold weather) and the valves were not closing all the way. This is not an uncommon issue on a lot of cars with DOHC type heads and lifters that are direct cam to valve.
I just experienced this on my other car the other day because I didn't let the pump prime. It started and dies immediately and then wouldn't start until I went WOT.

Novtec1

iTrader: (17)

my wifes WRX use to have the same problem.... took forever to start in the morning but once it was started it was good... turned out to be some sensor....

chopdaddy

ROB- If I'm not mistaken, one decent thing that Mistu offers is the free roadside assistance for 36/36,000. You could have called for a free tow/assistance and the dealer would never have known about your MBC.

Now if they would only honor their "warranty" and replace all of those "abused" clutches that have failed (including mine!)...