what to do with a hard to start car?

[woodsracer144]

ok my sister has a 03 Kia sportage or something like that, and when ever its really cold it wont start... what do you think would be the best ideas to do, i was starting to see if you could get a grid heater like the cummins have to run through a heat cycle... i cant find a block heater and i dont want her to have it plugged in over night then start in the morning and then have her go to work and it wont start for her....

i know they say dont hit the gas when you have a newer car but would it do anything for it....

[CRE Performance]

It might do it some good to hold the pedal down a bit when starting. If so, look into the IAC motor to be faulty and sticking when cold. Im not familiar with that car, but if it has a plastic intake on it, they are bad to create vacuum leaks when the engine is very cold and they are hard to start. Other than that, the fuelpump could be bleeding back into the tank, losing fuel pressure and creating a hard start. Try turning the key on to off about 4 times before starting it and see if that helps. Other than that, I dont think a block heater is that great of an idea on a vehicle like that.

[woodsracer144]

alrighty... i'll see what will happen...

[TRXman86]

DO NOT HOLD THE PEDDLE DOWN!!! "IF" memory serves me right they are FI which will flood it and you will never get it started. Turn the key on, wait a second, turn it over. If it don't start, repeat. Do not sit and crank or be ready for a new battery. Also have the battery checked. If it's not 100% you will not have enough CCA (cold cranking amps) to get it started. If issues still arise, put in some fuel treatment. They say NO MORE then 1 per full tank, but even at 1/4 tank, I put some in to work it into the lines, then when I fill it up, I add another. It does help alot. Another thing is to keep it turned where wind will go around it without blowing into the motor area. Sometimes hard to do, but it's worth it...

[CRE Performance]

On any true sequential port fuel injected engine, you can hold the pedal down all you want and it wont flood it. Injector duty cycle isnt determined by TPS alone, almost not at all and that is the only electronic value that will change by pressing the pedal while starting. Some of the older GM throttle body and Ford CFI engines may flood themselves from 83-86 year models, but I have never seen one flood after that type was phased out. If it does indeed flood, then you have something needing much more attention.

FYI, if your vehicle ever has an Idle Air Control Valve going south, this can be easily diagnosed by pressing the pedal about 1/4 way and holding it while starting. If it is faulty, it will start and die back out the second you release the gas pedal.

Also, as far as the key cycle thing goes, if you do indeed have a fuel pump bleeding back, it will take more than one key cycle to refill the lines adequately and create enough pressure to start the engine.....so try keying it up 3-4 times before actually trying to start it.

*When I say key it up, I mean turn the key to run, not start, and you shoud hear the fuel pump kick on momentarily. When you hear it stop running, turn the switch off and do it again*

[woodsracer144]

no i understand the keying, its on my sisters POS car... its a nice car in the summer but in the winter you could count on it to save your soul... i geuss yester day it ran and started up fine, it was about -10* out so i dont get why it wont start... its not like it doesnt have the power to turn the motor over it just wont fire... so im think that the choke system doesnt work right because the car was warm it was about 10* then it went down to -12* and then it was really cold like -20 and now it was about -3 today... so i dont know if something froze up she said she had HEET in it so i dont think the line is froze... im going down there there on monday if it doesnt start and im going to beat the **** out of it if it doesnt start... one way or another when i leave that pile of asian **** will be running... man do i hate her car does this every year... why she likes it i dont know!

i was think a grid heater system would be cool cause it would warm the intake up like a diesel becasue its like a diesel in the winter time... its a PITA to start...

[k4f5x0r]

I know a couple years back my dad had a Chevy astro van that acted exactly like this in the winter. Turned out to be a cracked distributor.

Started and ran fine all year, got to winter and it was hard to start in the cold.

[woodsracer144]

was it the cap or rotor or what?

[k4f5x0r]

i cant remember exactly what it was but my best guess it that it was the cap. I dont remember it being a hard fix so im assuming it was the cap, but i can double check with him tomorow to be positive.

[CRE Performance]

Dang, thats cold! A block heater may help out then....I wasnt thinking of temps -0 and stuff.

On another note, Kia's, Daewoo, and Hyundai are all birds of a feather as far as Im concerned and you never know what you are gonna get;)

[woodsracer144]

AGREED man, my sister turned 19 or 20 and wanted a car, my cusins bf worked at this dealer ship and its a 03 kia spectra and she paid close to 6500 for it! i know alot better cars that i could get for 6500... you get loads and loads to choose from... but she had her mind made up and we werent going to change it, so she got the pos...

i know about 20% about these cars, just the normal stuff and is the same pretty much on all FI cars...

a block heater would be nice for her but when shes at work she cant pulg it in and i dont want her to be stuck there... i have a 93 ford ranger and it takes a few times around (#1 piston has to go around about 2 times) when its really cold out and last night i tried hitting the gas and it started faster then it normally would...

[250rAL]

The owners manual might have some cold starting tips.

[TRXman86]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
why she likes it i dont know!


Gas mileage man... fuel saver... You can really say that if it don't run LMFAO

[woodsracer144]

you got a point there but she can get as good of MPG with a ford chevy or a dodge that i know that i could work on alot easier then this asian POS... damb do i hate it...