Fixing the 'Hard Start' Problem

[fbird18]

I've got a 01 non sport v8 with the hard start problem. The one where you crank it for 5 to 10 seconds before it starts. Everytime. Everything I've read points to bad fuel injector(s). Now this may sound like a stupid question, but, when I replaced my spark plugs last month I noticed one was really dirty and gunky. The rest were typical looking. Now, would I be wrong in assuming that that could be the bad injector? Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

[nickandersonLS01]

did you notice any oil in the plug wells when you did the spark plugs?

 

[fbird18]

No oil in the wells. I'm pretty sure the previous owner had done that procedure. I bought the car with 92,000 miles already on it.

 

[Jim Henderson]

A dirty gunky plug can tell a lot. What do you mean dirty gunky?

Lots of oily black stuff, powdery brown/black, chunky white stuff, worn metal electrodes ? etc.

I would suspect a couple things. A bad coil letting the plug foul out. A bad plug, a leaky intake usually one of the end cylinders, allowing crusty deposits to form. A bad injector shooting too much fuel into that cylinder. A bad piston ring or valve guide seal allowing oil into the cylinder.

You could do a compression check to see if it is a cylinder issue. Not sure how hard it is to get a compression checker hose down the hole on this car. I hope it isn't too bad.

You might change the plug and see how it looks after a week or so. If it is fouled up again, then I would suspect coil, intake leak or oil burning, or injector.

Looking at the plug will tell you more. I bet there is a picture of plug fouling on the web somewhere if you do a search. Compare your plug against the picture and tell us what it says.

here is one page...

http://www.centuryperformance.com/spark2.asp
Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

[97stscaddy]

Do a fuel pressure check to see if the pressure is building correctly when the key is on. Hard starting, in my experience, of this type is usually a dirty fuel filter causing the pressure to build up too slow, or a leaky FPR which is bleeding off the pressure.

 

[Osaín]

I had the same problem. Turned out to be a leaky injector.

 

[Jhain85]

I had the same problem when I bought my V8 sport. One plug was really bad and I changed it out the others were ok, not great but it didn't fix the problem. Flush the fuel system, worked for me.

 

[scjmc]

I think leaking injectors cause the hard start problem becuase of engine flooding. Its bad for the piston too.

 

[amagalla]

Hello,

I just bought an 04. I can't say that I know everything about cars, but I've always done all my own work on the ones I've owned so I know how to turn a wrench. I've also been doing some (a lot) searching on this site to see what I could find on this issue. Here is my problem and what I've found:

I've been having a hard time starting the car (hard starting). It would turn over, but never fire. I was frustrated because it was fairly random. Sometimes it would start after about ~20 seconds of cranking, sometimes not at all. I thought "it's cranking, so the battery is OK. It must be something else. My searches here led me to believe it was a leaky injector or fuel pump (I was praying that it was neither of these since these can be expensive problems to track down). The other common "solution" I found on this site was a possible problem with the alternator. Easier to track down but still an expensive part. Then I remembered when the car was delivered, the truck driver jumped it to get it started. So I decided to buy a $30 battery charger and charge the battery over night. Guess what....Problem Solved (mostly). Let me explain. I still think there is a problem with the battery (maybe not putting out as many cranking amps as it used to). Sometimes, normally when the HID lights, the stereo and the interior lights are on, the car still has some problems starting. But, when I turn everything off, no problems. This is what I've seen in the short time I've owned the car. I hope this helps.


Tony