My car Hates the cold help please

M

MajesticLS

Active LVC Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
115
Reaction score
0
Location
Lincoln
Well this is really starting to piss me off, sometimes in the cold it will start and sometimes it wont. I keep a full tank of gas and even put heat in it cranks fine kinda spudders sometimes but wont fire. I try it a few times untill the battery dies then get a jump and it usually fires right up

newer battery replaced fuel filter about a year or two ago I hear the pump kick on, its a 01 v6 Please help what else should I check
 
sorry if that came out kinda messy just got off work and stood out in the freezing cold trying to get this car started
 
Try midgrade gas or 87. The lower the octane rating the lower the flashpoint.
 
Next time, hold the gas pedal down half way and try to start it. If this works, then probably your IAC (aka Idle Air Bypass Valve) is probably sticking. You can try removing it and cleaning it, or just replace it. (The new ones are redesigned such that they are much less likely to stick.)
 
ike Joe said -modern EFI cars flood very easily, and should not need you to touch the gas pedal when starting. If you do, you could flood it.

However, if the IAC is not working correctly, you are not getting enough air past the closed throttleplate, so the car is dealing with a cold engine and too much gas without enough air....

If you have a flooded situation, I believe the proper procedure is to put the gas pedal all the way to the floor and crank it a few times to clear it. Then try to start it without touching the gas.

Not sure I would run anything less than the recommend octane (91+) in it...
 
Maybe add some Heat to your gas tank too, you could have moisture in the fuel line and when it gets cold it freezes. Just something to try, good luck.
 
IAC valve

my 01v6 had the same problem, turned out to be a gummed IAC valve, just replace it, its very easy to do, only two bolts and electronic clip. Never put less than 91 octane in the V6, mine runs like crap on anything less. You might also need to replace all the coils, plugs, gaskets and pvc hoses and valve, if you have not done so yet.
 
Do these cars have issues with fuel pressure regulators? I had a Mercury Villager a few years ago that would be hard to start and that was the problem.
 
Ok last night the car would not start tried until the battery went dead this morning hook up the jumper cables and it fired right up.

I put heat in every time I fill up in the winter and only put 91 in
 
toomanyfumes said:
Do these cars have issues with fuel pressure regulators? I had a Mercury Villager a few years ago that would be hard to start and that was the problem.
Click to expand...

They (the LS) don't have fuel pressure regulators like the Villager did. The LS (like many newer cars now) is a return-less fuel system. There is a fuel pressure sensor on the fuel rail at the intake manifold, and the PCM reads the fuel pressure and adjusts how hard the fuel pump runs to keep the pressure at the correct level. Of course, failures of the fuel pressure sensor would give similar results as failures of the fuel pressure regulators on the older FI setups.
 
MajesticLS said:
Ok last night the car would not start tried until the battery went dead this morning hook up the jumper cables and it fired right up.

I put heat in every time I fill up in the winter and only put 91 in
Click to expand...

I'll give the counter opinion that the battery is probably okay if it sounded strong when you first tried to start it. Any battery, no matter how new and well charged, will run down if you crank the car long enough without it starting.

Here's some suggestions.
1. Try starting it with the gas pedal pressed half way down.
2. If you think that it is already flooded, then press the pedal all the way down to go into clear flood mode.
3. Try tapping the IAC lightly with a hammer before trying to start the car.
 
I agree with Joegr

+1, if it starts with your foot halfway down, then I would suspect the IAC.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 237 (members: 0, guests: 237)
Back
Top