hi.. ive an 02 sti bugeye prodrive... had her 6 months... eveything all ok apart from an annoying start up on her. sometimes she will take ages to start and others 1 turnover is all she needs.. wen she isnt starting well the engine chugs and chugs and chugs until finally she,ll start.. ive had a full service recently which set me back around 650 quid.. this obviously included spark plugs and a fuel filter.. i have uprated the fuel pump so very doubtfull this is the problem... once she has started she does,nt miss a beat no misfireing.. nothing.. drives like new... would it be the leads a sensor. surely someone has had this problem... dont seem to get anywhere wen posting threads up.. i dont want to go spending money on things i dont need... any help. exp and knowledge much appreciated... wen she has warmed up i will add she starts perfectly.. battery uprated to bosch 2 weeks ago. air filter k&n a week ago... still doing it.... like i said above all serviceing carried out...

 

When it's playing up, how long do you have to turn it over for before it starts?

 

wen its cold most of the time.. can be turning over anytime from 10 to 15 seconds

 

OK...it might be as simple as the fuel system taking a while to prime. Can you hear the fuel pump when you turn the ignition on? If som you should hear it slow down and be less noisy once the system's up to pressure. It's best to wait until then before you start the engine.

Worth a try maybe?

 

tried that, fuel pump sounds i wait around 10 seconds after hearing it and it still struggles....

 

B*gg*r

 

lol.. cheers anyway... its somat small.. just dont wanna go splashing out on sensors n all for nought... no engine checks come on or any fault codes can be seen... definately bu$%er

 

Good luck on this, mine's exactly the same. When it won't start on mine if you give it a bit of throttle it usually takes. Once it's started it's fine. Mine's like yours, worse when it's cold. Hopefully someone on here will have an idea of the problem.

 

On classics, you aren't supposed to even TOUCH the throttle until it fires.

Dunno if bugs are the same?

 

Yes, on a Bugeye there is absolutely no need to press accelarator pedal when starting (nor should you).. just clutch pedal down when turning ignition key. To answer original question about starting problems in cold damp conditions... would a new set of plug and HT leads be required?. Just a thought as leads do deteriorate and the outer insulation becomes brittle with lots of microscopic cracks where the current may leak.

 

No HT leads on a newage as the coilpacks sit right on top of the plugs. OP has stated there are new plugs fitted so not that.

But, yes, starting modern EFI engines with any throttle at all usually gives problems.

 

Whoops, just shows what I know about my own car - I find it difficult to see the plugs in the tightly crammed engine bay, but I assumed there were some kind of leads albeit however short from each of the spark plugs. Sorry if I have given misguided advice, which I will try to understand more about, but it does strike me as potentially being some kind of lead/connection/loss of current issue that is more apparent or affected by dampness and/or cold.

 

just trying to find it thats the problem... shes only done 31k and hardly been abused.. a weekend ragg here and there and thats it... just doing my head in... i have spent in the region of 2500 quid getting her refreshed... i.e service... ebc yellow stuff pads and grooved/drilled discs... i.c.e... carbon bonnet.... etc and wen its a little niggly thing like this just does ya head in... im a perfectionist i suppose.... goes with my job... eveything has to be looking and working accordingly and if it isnt, its always something thats there in the back of my mind getting me down. best way i could explain it...lol. suppose im gonna have to leave it at p/station after xmas so they can start her wen cold... no fault codes came up last time as its a 25 min drive from where i live and she was hot, as i said its something that does not happen wen shes hot... thanks anyway guys... rob

 

A small crack in a coil pack possibly? When cold have you tried the old trick of spraying the ht leads with wd40 as it seals up any little holes in them and removes any moisutre making starting easier?

 

If you prime the fuel system a few times before you try to start does that make any difference ?

 

could be a lazy starter, or coilpacks, either way hope u find it

 

havent tried that on the ht leads... will do though over the xmas period if im sober enough....... as for primeing i know some people have to this on the simtek maps... i tried it twice this morning after finishing my nightshift... still made no overal difference.... an earlier post led me to believe that the newage has coil packs not ht leads or am i getting confused...

 

Just get it to a specialist or mapper and see what's going on.

dunx

P.S. First stop, coolant temp. sensor ?