Cold weather starting issues

[Mikevan10]

1984 GL

Well, the mornings are getting chilly here in eastern PA and my van knows it and is not starting as easily as it does when it is warm out. I lived with this problem pretty much all last winter but I would like to fix it. The temperatures have been around 40 F in the morning lately and that is enough to make the engine a bit slow to start. It cranks over just fine (not a starter motor or battery issue), it just does not want to "catch".

I assume there is some feature(s) in the fuel injection system that facilitates cold startup and I am thinking that that feature is not working properly.

Can anyone give me some clue as to where to start troubleshooting this?

Thanks!

Mike V.

[Ethan5150]

Mike,

I'm glad you posted this - I'm having the EXACT same problem - same vehicle too. I've been in California for the last 9 months or so, and have recently traveled north to Washington (essentially the same climate you've described, and also very wet). Over the course of just a couple days, the van has gone from trouble free to damn-near impossible to start. I was able to get it started the other day only after HOURS of unplugging the fuel pump, cranking while floored, replugging in the fuel pump and trying to start. I've really hammered my starter lately and I'm currently dead in the water unless I try and keep cranking. I've also noticed my door locks have almost completely seized up so I guess I need to determine what type of lube to spray into them, or what the remedy is. Bottom line though, is that I too need a solution to this problem. I was told in a separate post that perhaps the engine is instantly flooding due to faulty injectors, hence the pull-the-fuel-pump-try-and-start-replace-the-fuel-pump-try-again technique. If this is the case though, how to fix it? And also, why would it literally take 5 hours of this to get it started. Something isn't adding up. I sure hope someone has some ideas here because I can't move...
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"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - Krishnamurti

[0to60in6min]

cold weather ?

you guys need new coil

[Ahwahnee]

I have little experience with this thing called cold but one thing I would check is what the Temp II sensor resistance is when the engine is cold. Simple to do with an ohmeter either at the sensor or (easier) at the ECU plug.

There is a chart in the Bentley or Protraining showing the realtionship of resistance to temperature.

Seems they usually fail by reading cold when the engine is hot but since this is one way the ECU knows what the temp is might be worth checking.

There is also an air temp sensor in the AFM -- also easy to check -- though I don't recall ever hearing of one of those failing.

[0to60in6min]

if the Temp2 sensor is bad, the engine will start no matter what but then running rough, very rough.. very rich...

the next suspect is the AFM....

[Bubusse]

don't you have a block heater ? That sure helps
Starting to get cold here in Quebec, too. Van sleeps in the garage throughout winter, though, but I've started connecting the block heater on the school bus !
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89 manual Vanagon GL Wesfalia

[t'sunamibus]

In my case a Temp sensor 2 eliminated having to crank it forever before it would start.

[Mikevan10]

Just noticed that there were some replies to my original question.

Ok, I will measure the Temp II sesor and compare to the data in Bentley although it does sound like this will be the culprit. Like I said, it is hard to start when cold but once it starts it runs fine - no smoke or anything.

But it did seem to solve the problem for t'sunamibus. Did you verify that the Temp. II sensor reistance was indeed out of spec?

A block heater would be overkill here. And it would not be solving the actual issue. Remember, the van used to start right up all year long, and if anything, it's warmer around here than it used to be in the winter.

The AFM and the temp. sensor in the AFM were also mentioned. Am I correct that both of you are referring to the TEMPERATURE SENSOR in the AFM (air flow meter)?


The ignition coil was also mentioned. My expereience with dodgy coil;s has been that they may work fine when cold but act up after they get warm. But there are other experiences with this?

Thanks,
Mike

[0to60in6min]

how I know it's the coil?

when I got my vanagon among the first the things I did is the AFM capacitor. Since I live in So Cal, I never experience cold weather start up issue. One year, in November I went on my yearly trip in the Mammoth Lake area, cold weather, high altitude. In the morning, the vanagon start up as if running on 3 cylinders, black smelly smoke, sputtering.. like that till the operating temp is up.. then it ran fine..

Someone suggested it's the coil.... and sure enough I got a new one and the the cold start issue never happen again...

but your situation may be elsewhere along with the coil... but don't rule it out...

good luck

[maryloucb]

Wait, 40 degrees is cold?

[Mikevan10]

Ha! That is kind of the point. At 40 degrees (F) it gets harder to start. By the time it is down to 30F it is real hard to get it to start. So if and when it actually does get cold I'll be SOL.