cold starting issue on Civic
Discussion
Hi, was wondering if anyone could assist with a problem on our 02 1.6 petrol auto Civic...
When the car is cold i.e. left overnight and it cranks, sometimes (much more frequent in cold weather) the crank time will be extended to probably double what it normally does, and then splutters slightly before firing into life. Car runs perfectly after that- idles fine. Once warm it starts on the button 99% of the time. The car has never failed to start so not a massive issue; more of an annoying niggle really.
So, in terms of diagnosis, its been well looked after/serviced- I DIY service it and its has fresh oil and OEM plugs recently. The battery was replaced by the previous owner around 2.5 yrs ago and it holds its charge well. Checked for codes and there are none. In terms of air/spark/fuel I'm reasonably positive its not air, probably not spark as the cranking over is fine (hence why I don't think its the battery), its literally just the firing up thats slightly delayed. I'm not a mechanic by any stretch but I get the impression that its fuel related but would appreciate others thoughts on this.
Recently I've done a little test where I've turned the cars electrics on and off several times, and then fired it up. This leads to a very slightly extended cranking time but fires up much more sweetly, every time I use this method. Now my thinking is that this is priming the fuel pump each time so this again leads me to think its fuel related- is this right?
So basically before I go off and get a replacement fuel pump/sender unit (seem to be £30 to £40 on Ebay for 2nd hand) there are no doubt people more mechanically minded than I on here so would this be the recommended first step; anything else I should be looking at?
When the car is cold i.e. left overnight and it cranks, sometimes (much more frequent in cold weather) the crank time will be extended to probably double what it normally does, and then splutters slightly before firing into life. Car runs perfectly after that- idles fine. Once warm it starts on the button 99% of the time. The car has never failed to start so not a massive issue; more of an annoying niggle really.
So, in terms of diagnosis, its been well looked after/serviced- I DIY service it and its has fresh oil and OEM plugs recently. The battery was replaced by the previous owner around 2.5 yrs ago and it holds its charge well. Checked for codes and there are none. In terms of air/spark/fuel I'm reasonably positive its not air, probably not spark as the cranking over is fine (hence why I don't think its the battery), its literally just the firing up thats slightly delayed. I'm not a mechanic by any stretch but I get the impression that its fuel related but would appreciate others thoughts on this.
Recently I've done a little test where I've turned the cars electrics on and off several times, and then fired it up. This leads to a very slightly extended cranking time but fires up much more sweetly, every time I use this method. Now my thinking is that this is priming the fuel pump each time so this again leads me to think its fuel related- is this right?
So basically before I go off and get a replacement fuel pump/sender unit (seem to be £30 to £40 on Ebay for 2nd hand) there are no doubt people more mechanically minded than I on here so would this be the recommended first step; anything else I should be looking at?
Find someone who has a code reader that can see live data.
Go looking for coolant temp sensors that do not seem right ie without starting the engine see if the coolant temperature live data seems right for the ambient temp. Then after startup see if it comes up where you would expect it to be.
Steve
Go looking for coolant temp sensors that do not seem right ie without starting the engine see if the coolant temperature live data seems right for the ambient temp. Then after startup see if it comes up where you would expect it to be.
Steve
Why do you think that cranking means you are getting a good spark? If your coil pack or leads (or coil packs if coil on plug) are on their way out they won't stop it cranking properly.
Also your "test" with the electrics proves nothing. To be honest I'd just leave it, since it always starts. It's an 11 year old car, it may start picking niggly issues like slow to start.
Also your "test" with the electrics proves nothing. To be honest I'd just leave it, since it always starts. It's an 11 year old car, it may start picking niggly issues like slow to start.
Hi thanks for the help so far. I think that my code reader does do live data. I hadn't thought of that idea re: monitoring the temps so thanks I'll give this a go. Would a faulty sensor not necessarily result in a fault code being registered or does it not always work this way?
As for coil packs, yes I have considered that and you're obviously right in that I can't eliminate spark necessarily. I guess what I was thinking in my own mind (again please correct me if I'm wrong) if it makes a difference switching the electrics on and off again why would this point towards coil packs as I thought when the ignition was turned on this primes the fuel pump? That was my rationale- however as said I don't know much about mechanics and even less about electrical systems. I do completely agree that it is a niggle that isn't worth spending a lot of time or money trying to sort (I know this from previous experience where its cost me a lot of money with garages who apparently 'diagnose' the fault, take my money, and deliver the car back with exactly the same problem, hence why I don't use garages any more if I can help it).
If its a case of spending £30 on a second hand part I thought it might be worth a go, but prior to doing this just wanted to run past what I'd done as I didn't want it to be a random stab in the dark. Battery as said is around 2.5 yrs old...
As for coil packs, yes I have considered that and you're obviously right in that I can't eliminate spark necessarily. I guess what I was thinking in my own mind (again please correct me if I'm wrong) if it makes a difference switching the electrics on and off again why would this point towards coil packs as I thought when the ignition was turned on this primes the fuel pump? That was my rationale- however as said I don't know much about mechanics and even less about electrical systems. I do completely agree that it is a niggle that isn't worth spending a lot of time or money trying to sort (I know this from previous experience where its cost me a lot of money with garages who apparently 'diagnose' the fault, take my money, and deliver the car back with exactly the same problem, hence why I don't use garages any more if I can help it).
If its a case of spending £30 on a second hand part I thought it might be worth a go, but prior to doing this just wanted to run past what I'd done as I didn't want it to be a random stab in the dark. Battery as said is around 2.5 yrs old...
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