yOnKiNaToR

heres the problem guys:

i'll go to start the car in the morning and it will crank and crank but never start. (0-30 degrees f)

so i'll catch a ride to work and when i get home from i'll try to start it and it will fire right up and run completely fine like it never had a problem. (40-50 degrees).

I did happen to check the plugs when it didn't start and noticed they were all saturated with gas. (with leads me to think it isn't getting spark). so i tested for spark and all cylinders were getting spark but was weak (orangeish glow instead of a brite white). plugs look to be good so from searching i figured it was the coil.

i replaced the coil and it still does it.

i know the car gets fuel as i the plugs get soaked and i hear the fuel pump prime when i turn the ignition on.

what else could it be? bad ground? bad distributor? i've heard a leaking injector can cause this. i've never heard of that but is it possible?

Starrr

hey whats up,

I think my step dad used to have a similar problem during winter before he gave me his lude,

When i got it i changed the whole ignition kit, and noticed some oil had leaked to the spark plugs,

Went to the garage and noticed that the gaskets were broken...
Once the head gaskets were replaced it seems to be running fine and survived the whole winter without a problem.

I'm a car newbie tho, not sure how much this is related to this particular problem but thought it might help.

Cheers

yOnKiNaToR

yeah, i checked the plugs and they didnt have any oil on them. only gas!

keep the ideas rolling! i need to get to work tomorrow!

jamn440

i had this same problem last winter. it was somewhat intermittent but became increasingly more frequent. after trying a few other things i pulled the distributor cap and found the rotor and contacts on the cap heavily corroded. being stuck at home and unable to go get a new cap and rotor i used my roommate's nail file to carefully grind off the white corrosion. haven't had a problem in over a year and i was getting stuck 2-3 times a week. i was usually able to get started after a few hours but the corrosion was definately creating enough resistance to not allow a strong enough spark while cold. hope this solves your problem. fine grit sand paper or a nail file should be enough to get you goin if this is the case. the 3 bolts on the cap were 8mm on my 94 2.2vtec. if you replace the cap and rotor i would highly recommend using honda parts. after working at a dealer for almost 5 years i have not had good luck with aftermarket (mainly NAPA) electrical components

AndyD

iTrader: (1)

It's kind of funny to see this thread. I had the same issue with my 240SX. The car would fire up IMMEDIATELY (abnormally fast infact) during any temperature range EXCEPT for when it was 35-45 degrees out. It would flood. The only way I could get it to start was by pulling the fuel pump fuse, have a friend try starting the car, then when it would fire up, I would put the fuse back in and it would run fine then. LOL

I NEVER figured out what was wrong.

I tried the injector O-rings. They were fine. I was told that could be a common culprit for the flooding issue. Didn't fix mine. Neither did changing the dist. cap and rotor. Might want to try that if your car is due for a change.

Have you tried this in the mean time? When your car floods, push the gas pedal to the floor and then try starting it? Pushing the pedal all the way down hits a switch that de-activates the fuel pump. Just be ready to quickly let off when the car starts.

Let us know if you ever figure out the problem. I am still curious to know what was wrong with my old engine.

yOnKiNaToR

well, i've discovered lately that the idle has been extremely low (200-300 rpms) so i raised the idle. i've been keeping the car in the garage so it starts so i'm not sure if that solved the problem.

i also tested my FITV and noticed even when the car warms up it's still providing suction on the lower port in the tb. (which according to helms means it's bad) not sure if that would cause a flooding or lack of air problem.

jamn440: i could definitely see the rotor and cap being a problem as i believe it's the original distributor from my old h23. (is a '92 and the dizzy prolly has the original 182k on it!) i'll try taking the dizzy apart tonight or tomorrow night and see how badly they are corroded.

andyd: i've tried pushing the gas to the floor when starting and it just makes a popping exhaust noise but still doesn't start.

mattsnooz

I'm betting your getting moisture in your dizzy. I had similar issues. I replaced my coil and cap/rotor and problem went away. I would at minimum replace your cap (its not too much money, but try to buy an oem honda one) and see if moisture in the dizzy is causing the issue.

Next time in morning when cold pull your spark plug and see how potent the spark is. Someone will have to crank motor for you while you hold the ignition wire boot with something metal down the hole to extend the "spark point". With something connecting to the metal part in the ignition wire boot, you place the other end on part of the grounded block (pretty much anything metal that is part of the ground side of the circuit. Don't be touching what ever you use to extend your ignition wire boot because its metal and you can potentially get shocked. Need more info just ask.

toomspeed

if your ingnition system is in great shape you could have a coolant temp sensor issue. dont jump the gun on this though. if your putting your foot in it when starting your really only flooding the engine, yes i have seen cars start by flooring it, but those cars always had major issues.

yOnKiNaToR

matt:

i've already tested for spark awhile ago and it was "weak". it showed like a dim orange glow rather than the bright white it should be. i automatically assumed from this that it was the coil that was bad. i tested the coil and it didn't pass but still started the car! so i went out and bought a new coil and it still didn't start when it was cold! well try a new dizzy cap and rotor and see where it goes from there!

89luderSi

iTrader: (1)

What year are we talking, to the symptoms u told it sounds to me that it is ur main relay, this is common on older preludes. dont buy a new one however, just open the relay up and resoldier the current solder points, this is said to fix or help the issue, no guarentees.

yOnKiNaToR

the main relay only allows the fuel pump to prime. i don't believe it has anything to do with controlling spark. i can hear the relay click and the fuel pump prime. also, like i said before, the plugs were covered in gas so i know the engine was getting fuel.

also, i've already resoldered the relay from a previous no start issue.

hopefully this weekend i'll have time to look at the dizzy cap and rotor.

cccrrrxxx

can any one help me with a h22a4 its about my vtec dont kick in