[s-cars] SAAB question

[Djdawson2 at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/7/04 9:22:22 PM Mountain Daylight Time, 
vfregeac at sympatico.ca writes:
A quick question for a friend’s SAAB. When the car have been started
cold, driven for 3-5 min., and stopped, it won’t start again. I takes
12h or more before it starts. It doesn’t do that when it has been driven
for 15 min. or more, or just started and stop. Fuel pump and filter are
recent, spark plugs are new, spark plug wires have no reaction to water
spray and, last hint, when you try to start the car after a 3-5 min.
drive, the spark plugs become full of carbon black.
My guess would be a problem with the cold start circuit.  Car runs for 3-5 
minutes... never gets hot, and is running (probably) enriched.  Shut it off... 
try to start again, and it is probably flooding out, much like when an Audi or 
BMW has a FPR failure.  12 hours later, the fuel has drained into the 
crankcase, and you get a start.

In the case of your 15 minute run, the cold start circuit has been utilized.  
As the engine reaches full operating temp, it shuts down enrichment, as it 
should.

Here's what I'd try:  Do the 3-5 minute drive exercise.  Shut it down, and 
try to start it.  If the failure occurs as you've described, remove the fuel 
pump relay or fuse (I don't know Saabs), and then try and start again.  If it was 
a flooding condition, the car should start momentarily, burning off the 
excess fuel that was injected during the failed starting attempt.  If it starts 
momentarily, you've definitely got some sort of cold start enrichment issue... 
and it sure sounds like that's what you're dealing with.
Good luck, and HTH,
Dave in CO

PS: Let me know what happens when you try this... I'm curious.