Bad cold starting all of a sudden !

[Sideways Steve 10]

Hey folks, this is an odd one,

 

Last 3 days now when starting the C from cold it splutters to life on 2-3 cylinders and idles lumpy as hell till you give it a good rev, it then clears and runs perfectly.

 

It starts like this every single time it has been allowed to cool down but as I say its only started doing it maybe since Tuesday.

 

I have not really had a proper look at it in any way but does anyone have any ideas on why it would do this ? It seems odd that it used to just start off teh key effortlessly but all of a sudden im having to give it a big hefty rev when it fires to get it to run on all 4 cylinders properly.

 

Engine is 1.8 16v KR, Low mileage with good compression and recently fully serviced with new filters, plugs, dizzy, dizzy cap and rotor arm. Additionally it just had a full tune up last weekend and it was commented on for how well it ran. It still runs perfectly once you get it to clear and the issue described above is the only symptom.

[matttromans 0]

Mine suffered from a bout of starting problems. I replaced plugs and leads first, no different, then on the advice of my garage tried the crank shaft sensor which (temporarily) fixed it, until the starter motor let go. That was expensive couple of months. Not the same symptoms as you, just thought i'd share. Crank shaft sensor might have something to do with it though (be warned, you are taking advice of a mechanical dunce).

[steveo29 0]

kr dont use a crank sensor...

 

my thoughts are leaky /sticky injector or headgasket starting to go

 

you can pull the injectors and watch to see if they dribble or anything ...point em in some jam jars and bridge the fuel pump , then lift up the metering head flap ,

 

mine did the start on 3 cly and it was the head gasket...if you pulled after it stood you could see one piston was damp so try that too

[matttromans 0]

As I said, mechanical dunce! My VR6 certainly does, otherwise I've been fleeced! Hope you get it sorted.

[Sideways Steve 10]

Thanks for the replys, I was about to reply saying the KR has no crank sensor but was beaten to it LOL !

 

I must admit I had head gasket down as a possibility and was hoping noone would suggest that as it kinda confirms where my head is at LOL !

 

However I will have a better look over it at the weekend and see if I can find anything more obvious however if the HG was on its way out it may explain why recently my crankcase breather seems to have began breathing much heavier. If the HG was on its way out and gasses were leaking into the oilway rather than into the water jacket, I would assume it would cause lumpy startup and heavy breathing ? Both of these are symptoms I am experiencing and both started around the same time.

[steveo29 0]

pull the plugs and see if theyre all the same and if you shine a torch in the bores can you see anything

 

a garage should be able to do a sniff test to confirm its the gasket if you cant make up your mind

[Sideways Steve 10]

A sniff test only works on the coolant mate and it's not leaking into the coolant at all for sure.

 

I'll Inspect the bores when I get a chance, probably tomorrow :)

[Jim 1]

Disconnect the cold start injector tomorrow morning and see what happens....

[Wullie 1]

If you suspect the headgasket it may be worth redoing the compression test and comparing it to your previous results. Might give you a pointer. As it's quick to do you could also remove the cold start valve while the engine is cold (leave the electrical connection on), get someone to crank the engine and see if you get a spray of fuel from it. Do it into a bottle as it chucks out a lot of fuel. If it sprays it's working, if not sommat wrong.

[carrots 1]

mine used to miss from cold turned out to be a cracked head,i would try cheaper stuff 1st tho