Odd Hard Start Issue

[Jobe Tichy]

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Derek:

I spent all night last night checking hosing as a cause seeing how no codes
were thrown.  I don't know if this is the problem yet, but I found the crank
case hose from the big round check valve behind the engine to the metal pipe
that runs behind the exhaust sheild TOTALLY SHEARED OFF.  I would think this
is letting unmetered air into the engine.  I also have some oil below the
distributor, but haven't checked it out.  Before I bought my car less than a
year ago or so, it had a full $1,000 tune up, including wires, crank case
breather hose, plugs, cap, rotor, filter, etc.  So I have ruled out any of
those causes at this point.

Maybe you should check this hose also.  It appears oil has "eaten" the hose up
to where it just disintegrated or blew off on high boost possibly (if that
could even happen).  I am sure that the heat from the manifold didn't help
either.  It is just about 3" of 1 1/2" hose, so I am sure that any  sollution
will do--not necessarily dealer.

Good luck.

JOBE TICHY
>From: "Derek Pulvino"
>To: 200q20v at audifans.com
>CC: bimmer_dude at hotmail.com
>Subject: Re:Odd Hard Start Issue
>Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 19:41:08 -0800
>
>Jobe,
>
>I'm having the same kind of problem with my car and haven't been
>able to figure out what's causing it. I have problems with it
>starting, but at this point it's more of a problem with it starting
>hard when warm, although sometimes when warm it will start right up.
> Starts right up after sitting over night. Thought also about fuel
>pressure maybe releasing, but then I should have a problem after
>sitting overnight.
>
>I noticed I had some oil coming out of my distributor, and inside
>the cap with the contacts a bit worn looking. Replacing the cap
>made no difference. Fuel filter is fine in my car, probably has
>about the same mileage as yours. I've considered spark plugs, but
>the one I pulled out looked fine. Same situation with no fault
>codes.
>
>The car does have a coolant temp sensor, but from what I've seen, if
>that's bad it should throw a code. I haven't double checked
>resistances or anything. I'm kind of at the same place you are as
>in don't know where to look. Also checked plug wires to see if they
>might have been arcing, nothing there either.
>
>Do you notice it starting hard more when cold or warm? I'm kind of
>at a loss, and thought about just changing the plugs to see if that
>made a difference. Haven't done that yet.
>
>Derek P
>
>Message: 12
>From: "Jobe Tichy"
>To: 200q20v at audifans.com
>Subject: Odd Hard Start Issue
>Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 22:40:08 +0000
>
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>
>Hello Listers...
>
>Just in time for the holidays...I've got a 20v issue.
>
>For about the past week, the 20v has had difficulty firing up on the
>first few
>cranks. In order to start the car, I have to crank it a few
>revolutions--stop--crank a few more--than it sputters up and
>runs/idles
>perfectly, full boost, etc.
>
>The last time I had this problem, was about a year ago. The problem
>with the
>hard start last year was a ruptured bypass valve line. So, I
>rerouted the
>line around the engine and problem solved. Because the symptoms are
>the same,
>I check my line and tested the bypass valve last night with the
>Mityvac and it
>checked out OK. I also just got done pulling the codes at idle and
>got the
>joyous 4444 no codes thrown, which makes it even more confusing. I
>was hoping
>that a code would lead me in the right direction.
>
>The only thing I have recently done differently is run 12 gallons
>with a fuel
>cleaner (because I pulled my codes wrong last time and thought all
>my fuel
>injectors were going bad...my fault, I was actually doing the output
>test).
>So, does anyone think that the hard start problem can be caused by
>carbon
>build up and other crap getting forced through my fuel system? Is
>the fuel
>filter element now clogged because of the cleaner forcing stuff
>through? The
>filter is less than 10,000 miles old so I doubt it's in the filter.
>Are the
>fuel injectors merely coughing out crap from the cleaner? The hard
>start
>issues is fairly sporratic. Sometimes it starts really
>difficultly--others
>times it fires right up. This is what leads me to believe it is
>fuel related.
>
>Do the 20v's have thermotemp switches like the 10v's, which have
>been guilty
>of causing hard start problems on 10v's?
>
>Any tips, experience with fuel cleaners, or BTDT with crazy starts
>would be
>greatly appreciated. I checked the archives and my consensus was
>that most
>problems got codes pointing them in the right direction. I also
>checked the
>engine sensor ground wires, as was suggested in the archives, to no
>avail.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>JOBE TICHY
>

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