need help! car wont start

jd1828 · 12-23-2004

ive killed the battery 2 times trying to start it. it turns over and sputters a little but wont start. i checked the battery and it is still good. i was just out driving it last night and it was fine.

john · 12-23-2004

Year? Turbo???

john · 12-23-2004

Spark??? Fuel???

jd1828 · 12-23-2004

its a 96 turbo. im not sure about spark or fuel. its outside and it too cold for me to work on it very long. im thinking that there might have been moisture in the fuel lines that froze.

Matt D. · 12-23-2004

I've had the same problem with my daily driver yesterday and today. Had to get it in a warm garage or jump start it.

jd1828 · 12-23-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D.

I've had the same problem with my daily driver yesterday and today. Had to get it in a warm garage or jump start it.

any idea why? im moving back to duluth next month and i want to make sure this doesnt happen again.

Matt D. · 12-23-2004

Get your battery load tested. I've drained my battery twice in two days and I'm almost positive that it's shot now. (Had it in the car for 5.5 years since I've owned it.) Also check the battery terminals. Clean them or replace them if they're corroded and/or rusty.

jd1828 · 12-23-2004

did all that. that was the first stuff i checked. killed the bat 2 times. then brought it to checker and tested it there. it was fine and they also charged the battery again.

TGPilot · 12-23-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd1828

ive killed the battery 2 times trying to start it. it turns over and sputters a little but wont start. i checked the battery and it is still good. i was just out driving it last night and it was fine.

You say it is too cold to work on it? Just how cold is it outside? I didn't see in your sig or name where you are from. It is entirely possible you have water in your tank and have a frozen or occluded fuel line. Also most fuel pumps won't show they're dieing until it gets really cold outside. Check for fuel.

john · 12-24-2004

He is in MN. The temps lately are in the single digits.

Matt D. · 12-24-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92tsiawd84

He is in MN. The temps lately are in the single digits.

Or in the case of this week, below zero.

Current temps in the US:

TheBlizzard · 12-24-2004

Your coolant temp sensor is most likely bad. Change that and it should be just fine. If your coolant temp sensor is bad, it will not tell the ECU to use a cold weather enrichent fuel map. And if I remember right, if the sensor is bad the ECU will think the outside temp is like 600 degrees F or somethink like that. If you can get your car to start, most likely it will run like shit for about 40 seconds then it will bypass that fuel map and go into a alternate 'default' map. Once this happens you will see a CEL and it will run decent but not great. And when the car is warm it will start back up great, but as soon as it gets down to outside temp again it will do the same thing.

Try that out, if its the culprit as soon as you replace it the car will fire up like a charm.

CRAIG

TGPilot · 12-24-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRAIG

Your coolant temp sensor is most likely bad. Change that and it should be just fine. If your coolant temp sensor is bad, it will not tell the ECU to use a cold weather enrichent fuel map. And if I remember right, if the sensor is bad the ECU will think the outside temp is like 600 degrees F or somethink like that. If you can get your car to start, most likely it will run like shit for about 40 seconds then it will bypass that fuel map and go into a alternate 'default' map. Once this happens you will see a CEL and it will run decent but not great. And when the car is warm it will start back up great, but as soon as it gets down to outside temp again it will do the same thing.

Try that out, if its the culprit as soon as you replace it the car will fire up like a charm.

CRAIG

WOW...thanks Craig! I didn't realize that the cold start was so dependant on the temp sensor!

That takes it a step farther than a frozen line.

Defenitely good to know if I have a similar issue.

jd1828 · 12-24-2004

I put some IPA in the tank and bought a small oil pan heater. I just got home so Ill give it a few hours for the heater to warm it up. Then Ill go check to see if I can start it.

Would the coolant temp sensor give set off a CEL?

x1genx · 12-24-2004

Ok the coolant temp sensor will give off a CEL and it should be 21. I have also had the same problem. If you have a logger or pulse checker for the terminal check for the cel once you get the car running like CRAIG said before.Make sure on the CTS that the wiring is not clipped due to age and wear etc.etc...and then go from there.

jd1828 · 12-25-2004

There is no CEL so Im not sure if that could be the problem.

jd1828 · 12-25-2004

I got it started today. I pulled the plugs and they were covered in gas and they were bosch platinum, yuck. So I put in a old set of bpr6es i had laying around. It started right up. The only problem is that it stumbles under full boost and 3k+ rpm. Does a 2g take the same plugs as a 1g because thats where i got those from?

MustGoFaster · 12-25-2004

I would say get some new plugs. I don't know if they are the same.

A//// Guy · 12-26-2004

Plug wires can cause the stuttering.

TheBlizzard · 12-26-2004

Plugs are the same. Make sure they are gapped correctly. I am assuming you pulled them out of a 2G Turbo right? But I would just get some new ones regardless. And like Peter said, plug wires will cause boost related stuttering as well. If that doesn't fix it, I would rule out boost leaks as well.

CRAIG