slow to start

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roverman

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'05 67000 miles
Lately, and intermittently my car will take significantly more time to start up. Sometimes after it sits over night and sometimes when it's been off for only a few minutes. Warm weather, cold weather - no real pattern that I've noticed. The usual
start right up can drag out to 5 or 6 seconds before it catches. That is the only symptom, after that it runs as good as the day it was born.
Called the dealership who said it probably needs the fuel injectors cleaned. Sounds good, but like I said it runs fine once it starts, and haven't noticed any change over the years in performance gas mileage.
To me, a non mechanic, it almost seems like the fuel drains back into the tank or something like that and that's why it takes a few seconds to get the fuel back in. Is there a check valve in the fuel line that is supposed to prevent that?
Any ideas appreciated
 

Houm_WA

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So you are saying that you crank the key and it turns over for 6 seconds before firing up...but it does so in one shot?
 

tlt

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Start running a can per tank of petrol of the sea foam additive available in most auto parts stores until it gets better. Then a can every couple of months or so after that.

This cure is also rumored to turn off some fault lights (joke)...
 

Disco Mike

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What octane gas are you using, have you changed the plugs yet.
As for the injectors, go to Napa or any good parts store and buy a can of B&G's 44K and put it in you tank. For $24 it will do a better job then the dealers $100 plus service.
 

Houm_WA

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Um...before you go putting stuff in yer tank, you might want to get the battery checked.
 

RichL73

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I sorta had this problem.. but you can try this and if this isn't the problem you can rule this out. take some jumper cables and only use the negative side.. hook one side to the battery negative terminal and the other end to any grounded metal ( I ran them underneath and hooked it to the chasis) This is how I found out I had to clean my ground wires. It would crank but it was slow to turn over after I hooked the ground to the chasis it would start right up. So I cleaned everything and now it starts right up everytime as soon as I turn the key.
 

roverman

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Thanks for the ideas, it doesn't actually crank slowly, like dying battery slowly, it just takes more cranks to fire - and only sometimes. I'm sure if it was the battery I would have seen the christmas tree by now.
Mike, I call ******** on the "BG 44k being better than the dealer service" line. I make both products for a living - (competitive, not BG's actual product). The professional cleaning, while a rip off at $200, still does 10 times better than ANY tank additive. Problem is, while I make the chemical, I don't have the professional machine, lol.
I poured some cleaner (the BG 44 competitor) in my tank today since it's free to me, we'll see how it goes. I doubt it's actually going to do anything for this particular problem. Use 89 octane btw.

Unless there's some electronic crap going on here, wouldn't all injectors and/or all plugs have to be completely fouled to delay the starting, and then run crappy after it started?
It's one of those types of problems where the dealer would make a few guesses, spend my money and never really figure it out.....
 

roverman

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I sorta had this problem.. but you can try this and if this isn't the problem you can rule this out. take some jumper cables and only use the negative side.. hook one side to the battery negative terminal and the other end to any grounded metal ( I ran them underneath and hooked it to the chasis) This is how I found out I had to clean my ground wires. It would crank but it was slow to turn over after I hooked the ground to the chasis it would start right up. So I cleaned everything and now it starts right up everytime as soon as I turn the key.


That's a good tip for down the road, but it's not what's wrong - yet at least.
This is the first vehicle I've had where you turn the key and let it go and the engine just cranks til it starts, pretty cool to me. It cranks with full powered vigor, just several more cranks to fire up than normal.
 

zulu

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I thought we weren't supposed to put any thing lower than 91 octane..
 

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