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nirvanaman
11-15-2015, 11:21 PM
Hi,

I've had my car about 8 months now. It has always had a bit of a cold start issues, never liked sitting for more than a couple days. At a week, it became very hard to start. A couple weeks ago, it would not start at all. After some research, I tried the plug swap and it worked, saving me a long tow home. However, the issue still remains. Hot starts are no issue, fires right up. But the only way to cold start it is to do the plug swap.

In my research, I have not been able to figure out what is the root cause of the cold start issue that is resolved by the plug swap. Would someone be so kind as to point me in the right direction?

-erik
sdg3205
11-16-2015, 12:54 AM
Hey Eric,

Make sure the harness/plug on the thermotime switch on the water pump is properly seated. If not, or if on incorrectly, it won't tell the cold start valve to fire on a cold start.
Bitsyncmaster
11-16-2015, 04:43 AM
Hey Eric,

Make sure the harness/plug on the thermotime switch on the water pump is properly seated. If not, or if on incorrectly, it won't tell the cold start valve to fire on a cold start.

+1

You may have a bad thermotime switch or a bad connection. You can verify if the CSV is working or not by putting it in a jar, disable the ignition and then crank the engine when it's cold.

My car had a bad connection with this problem. Bad connection was behind one of the bulkhead connectors.
Jonathan
11-16-2015, 06:48 AM
You can double check that the electrical connections are good on the ballast resistor also. Disconnect each one, inspect, clean with solvent/sandpaper/or just reinserting a few times, pinch down on the clasp to ensure it's still tight.
David T
11-16-2015, 09:06 AM
You can double check that the electrical connections are good on the ballast resistor also. Disconnect each one, inspect, clean with solvent/sandpaper/or just reinserting a few times, pinch down on the clasp to ensure it's still tight.

If you are having trouble with cold starts and the plug swap helps that usually means the Thermo-Time switch is bad. Pull the CSV (Cold Start Valve) and see if it sprays when the motor is cold and cranking. If not, you must figure out why.