Car starts bad

[SpasticR450]

Whys it do this. Some times it starts right up. other times it takes a few secs. Other times it takes a half min. What could it be.

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[wilkin250r]

Could be a bad fuel pump, what kind of car is it?

Some time when you notice it doesn't want to start, try turning the key on and off several times (without actually turning it far enough to engage the starter, on for two seconds, off for one second, several times). Each time you click your key, it cycles the fuel pump for a second. This should pressurize the fuel system to maximum pressure.

If it still doesn't want to start, then the problem is most likely not your fuel pump.

[SpasticR450]

The guy said somthing about that he just changed the pump I think before I got the car. He was from some other country so comunication wasn't to good. It's a turbo volvo 5cyl

[wilkin250r]

Year, make, model.

Go ahead and try clicking the key several times anyways, it's obviously an easy test.

It's possible that the fuel pump is just fine, but you might have a bad section of fuel line or a clogged filter, and the original owner changed the fuel pump thinking it was the problem, and the problem was actually somewhere else all along.

Poor fuel pressure is the most likely culprit I can imagine, and there are only a few causes. Another culprit could be a bad sensor somewhere, but that gets much more numerous. Gimme the year, make, model, and also the engine if you know it, and I'll spend a few minutes searching for possible problems and let you know what I find.

[SpasticR450]

It's a 2.5 turbo 99 volvo s70. He said somthing to about a cam sensor being bad or somthing. Im good at quad engines but new to car engines.

[chucked]

Is the check engine light on?

[wilkin250r]

Cam sensor can cause SIMILAR problems, and they don't necessarily make the check-engine light go on, same thing for crank sensors.

I had a Chrysler with a bad sensor, and it just decided not to start every once in a while. No check engine light, it just didn't start. But it would take sometimes half an hour to finally correct.

[Titanium]

See if it starts when you completely floor the gas pedal. This will cause the computer go into (clear flood mode) causing what SHOULD be way to much fuel to purge the engine. If it starts right up you have insufficient fuel pressure.Check your fuel filter, fuel regulator, relay and if available get a scan tool to view the pulse of each injector. Also if it is not fuel and is spark check each cylinders spark on an oscilloscope or scan tool to see if their are any miss fires being sent from the cam sensor. Check those then get back to us. From the sounds of it i would lean towards the fuel direction.

[chucked]

You have it backwards, do not do what he says. Holding it wide open cuts off the fuel. Designed to clear out a flooded engine, not to flood it.

[Titanium]

actually it does. pumping does not help. Once the computer recognizes what is being done it does go into clear flood mode. give me a minute and i will find a link.

[Titanium]

http://www.diycardoctor.com/clear_flood_mode.htm


tada:o

Sorry I have an ASE certification and GM certification and an Automotive tech degree. So before you say not to do anything i said to do maybe you should know what your talking about. Cars arent as simple as they were 30 years ago. Your theory makes sense but its wrong. And Volvo does have clear flood mode i've done it before on multiple volvo's. Also if you can get the shrader valve for your fuel rail hook a gauge on their and find out how much your getting and compare it to the factory spec that its suppose to be exerting.

[chucked]

Originally posted by Titanium
http://www.diycardoctor.com/clear_flood_mode.htm


tada:o

Sorry I have an ASE certification and GM certification and an Automotive tech degree. So before you say not to do anything i said to do maybe you should know what your talking about. Cars arent as simple as they were 30 years ago. Your theory makes sense but its wrong. And Volvo does have flood mode i've done it before on multiple volvo's. Also if you can get the shrader valve for your fuel rail hook a gauge on their and find out how much your getting and compare it to the factory spec that its suppose to be exerting.

The link you just posted explains exactly what I just said "the ECM reduces injector pulse" It REDUCES..... And pumping does NOTHING to an efi engine, considering it has no accelerator pump.

Also, its called "CLEAR flood mode". Not "flood mode"

[Titanium]

Originally posted by chucked
The link you just posted explains exactly what I just said "the ECM reduces injector pulse" It REDUCES..... And pumping does NOTHING to an efi engine, considering it has no accelerator pump.

Also, its called "CLEAR flood mode". Not "flood mode"

i already stated that pumping it does no good. Holding it to the floor shortens the duration of the injector causing it to build up pressure to purge the cylinders with excess fuel. The end.Oh and "Chuck" i've been calling it Clear flood mode the whole time. :macho

P.S.- Dont listen to Chuck go ahead and see if the Clear Flood mode will help. alot of times it will. Something else you might want to try is pinching the return line back to the gas tank to see if it will boost fuel pressure. If it starts up right after you do so more than likely you will need a regulator.

[chucked]

You went in and edited your posts to add the "clear"... Im done arguing, if anyone needs information, research it yourself. pressure doesnt build up, it maintains constant when the fuel pump is running

[chucked]

IF you were to do research, you will find that most of the time "clear flood mode" completely stops the injector pulse, thus NO fuel entering the cylinder. This is to clear a cylinder that is flooded, as you would do on a quad or dirt bike. It says in most owners manuals to do this. Holding the throttle wide open on a carburetor makes it nearly have no vacuum thus not siphoning any fuel through the carburetor and clearing out a flooded cylinder, same concept.

Regardless, this is not your problem, sorry it's steered off track.

[Titanium]

yea sorry for hijacking the thread. i'm still not backing down and saying im wrong because i know what works. Your partially right but not completely. And yes i did edit my posts.