Last chance to help with cold-start problem

[greg-list at comcast.net]

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If it smokes a little (blue smoke) when it finally does start (cold) the
folks at Blau say it is time for new fuel injectors.

Greg Bird
90-200tq

On Wed, 2003-09-10 at 12:34, Benjamin Weste Pearre wrote:

> Hi all...
>
> The Gimp (1990 200TQA, MC I think...) is going in to the mechanic
> tomorrow, since I am at a loss.  Here's the problem:
>
> When the car has been sitting overnight, I almost always have to crank
> the engine for 20 seconds or more (up to about 2 minutes) before it
> catches.  When it catches, it runs really slowly (and maybe stalls)
> until I hit the gas pedal, after which it runs perfectly.
>
> Once it's running, everything is perfect.  If I shut it off, it starts
> perfectly.  This is true whether it's been running for an hour or for
> only two seconds, and even if it's been off for quite a few hours.
>
> The next day, the whole problem starts again.
>
> The battery is dying from all this cranking, but the problem is not
> caused by low voltage -- I have an AC battery charger/starter that
> doesn't reduce crank time.  And indeed the car will still start
> eventually when the battery is at 10.3 volts (at least it always has
> so far).
>
> Ideas:
>
> * Low fuel pressure when starting, caused by a leak in the fuel line,
>   pressure accumulator, or injectors?  Except that I don't see
>   anything dripping, and the difference between leaving the car for 6
>   hours and overnight is so dramatic.
>
> * Engine needs to be warm, for some reason?  I doubt just cranking it
>   and then letting it run for two seconds would heat it up enough, and
>   climate doesn't seem to affect it.
>
> * My barber claimed that his Toyota had exactly this problem, and that
>   his starter injector was dirty (just one?).  I told him that my car
>   doesn't have a separate injector for starting.  Did I lie?
>
> * Some weird sensor problem?  What are the likely candidates?
>
> * Bad ECU?  Does this mean I should upgrade to 1.8 bar, finally?  :)
>
> Thanks _VERY_ much for any help!!
>
> -Ben
>
> --
> Ben Pearre          1990 200TQA          http://hebb.mit.edu/~ben
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