I have noticed on my previous Prelude VTEC and current ITR that my car starts very bad after a 30min track session. After the session, I usually make some cool down lap, go to the pits and let the car idle for 5-10 minutes or so. Then I turn off the motor and talk to my friends etc. for about 1/2 to 1 hour. Then, if I want to start my car, it takes several seconds until the engine starts, the starter is simply turning the engine, but it won't start immediatelly as usual. I have seen that my friend with Supra has a similar problem. Is this normal?

 

Sounds like a problem my friend had on his chevy a while back. it wound up being the starter was too hot/ heat soaked. the solultion- cool the car off longer...
that's all I know.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bbasso &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds like a problem my friend had on his chevy a while back. it wound up being the starter was too hot/ heat soaked. the solultion- cool the car off longer...
that's all I know. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I figured it was gas boiling in the fuel rail, causing bubbles that get flushed out after the fuel pump runs a while. I get a bit of the same thing.

Usually my car has more time than that to cool off, so I don't see it. But I have seen it.

My wife's '04 Nissan Maxima takes a while to start when hot during normal driving, i.e. after filling the gas tank, etc. That's more unusual, sounds like ECU not being calibrated right for warm starts.



I think you should take your engine apart and analyze it.

-Chris

 

I'd make sure to prime the fuel pump before cranking over to see if that alievates the problem.

 

Chris you think it might be vapor lock?
Only if the fuel lines are near exhaust parts...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bbasso &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Chris you think it might be vapor lock?
Only if the fuel lines are near exhaust parts...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hmm, I guess that is vapor lock, but it's not as bad as a carb'ed car would see. The fuel pump priming would get rid of most of it.

If the car is run hard and left to sit for 10 minutes, pretty much everything under the hood will be above the boiling point for gasoline.

http://www.schoolscience.co.uk....html#
This shows distillation temp at 120C for petrol (boiling point of various components from 20C-200C). It's lower at high altitudes. I'm not sure if this is super accurate, gasoline is a blend of various hydrocarbons, but it sounds pretty close.

[Edit, numbers]

-Chris

 

turn the key till all the dash lights go off then crank it over!!

 

My vote is an overheated igniter, which is a common problem with honda distributors on track cars. I've destroyed 2 igniters on my itr and 1 igniter in my crx because the coil gets so hot after high-rpm track sessions that it damages the igniter. Over time, the symptoms of a heat-soaked igniter get progressively worse to the point that you won't get any spark at all, and letting the car cool off won't fix the problem.

 

All in all what would u guys recommend as a cool off method, after a track run or just a hard run in general?

thanx

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RED BADGE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">All in all what would u guys recommend as a cool off method, after a track run or just a hard run in general?

thanx</TD></TR></TABLE>

For any normal "hard run" or street jackassery, you probably don't need any cooldown at all. A turbo car would like to be idled for a little while to cool the turbo and not coke the oil inside the turbo housing when it stops flowing. Highway EGT's can be 1400+ so this is the worst time to shut off the car.

For the track, take as long of a cool-down lap as possible for the brakes and motor. If you're moving, the wind will cool your motor at a good rate, but your brakes might take longer. I wouldn't leave it idle TOO long, the water temp gets hotter when its idling.

Pop your hood.

Don't set your parking brake, you "could" cook your rear brakes or fluid. I kinda doubt it on FWD hondas, but I don't want to be the one to prove it right or wrong.

 

So it's basically better to just cruise around than let the car idle to cool down?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by petrv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So it's basically better to just cruise around than let the car idle to cool down?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If I let my car idle, the temp will get high enough to turn on the radiator fan after a few minutes. When I'm driving it stays off. I prefer cruising to get it back to normal operating temperatures.