I've looked around the forum and can't seem to find an answer to my problem. My car wants to die when it's cold, not really cold, just not when it's hot. In the morning it will die until I've driven it for a good ten minutes. What can I do to fix this? What caauses this?

 

Probably a misadjustment of the choke or the fast idle setup. Possibly an incorrect idle setting that is too lean when cold but OK when at temp.

 

Sorry for the super general post. My iPad was dying so I tried to hurry. In winter, I actually get mad at my car. I mean we get over it eventually but still, I hate fighting with her. I pull my choke out, and it will keep the car running for a minute or so, but ten it slowly Boggs down and the rpm gets lower and lower till the car just dies. And as I'm driving down the road the car will die at a stop light or a sign or any other reason to stop. Bout even in the summer, if the engine is not up to op temp, it's not going to stay alive on its own till I warm her up. Ideas Lon hops to fix? My mech said all rotaries are cold blooded and have this prob. Additionally have aftermarket crap, and all my environmental stuffs been removed, emissions stuff I mean. I hear that helps in the cold starting process.

 

Your mech is wrong. Rotaries in proper tune w/everything working run just fine in cold weather.

Removal of all the 'emission stuff,' unless done by someone who actually knows what all that stuff does & thus can decide what goes, what stays, could easily make the car less adaptable to hot and cold temps.

About half of the 'emissions stuff' is actually 'mixture compensation stuff' intended to get the car up to proper temperature as fast as possible by tweaking the fuel mix.

 

Well. Great. Is I hard to get the emissions stuff. Cheap?

 

It's not hard to get it, and it would be relatively cheap - I know I could get a whole system from a salvage yard 20 minutes away from my house. But my house isn't in Alaska....

As far as the cold starts, I think mine starts a little bit better without my emissions system whether the engine is hot or cold. It cranks right over in a second to two seconds tops, compared to two seconds to four seconds with the emissions system.

You should definitely check out your choke and fast idle adjustments. I know on my spare carb the spring that holds the choke plate closed is tighter than the one I have on my car now, which is about 1/4" more open due to an old spring that has been used a lot. So there is a spring swap in my future, to hold that plate more towards closed than it is now - but I drive it in the summer primarily so I don't have to worry about that too much. In Alaskan mornings I'm sure it would be more of an issue. And that's not taking into account the minor adjustments that can be made to get everything where it needs to be as far as clutch adjustments and fast idle.

DD, I'm not trying to get into a Rat's Nest war here. I'm actually planning to clean mine out, redo the vacuum line with some silicon hose, and reinstall the whole system here soon. Better MPG with a completely original 12a engine bay, AC, Rat's Nest, sub-zero start assist antifreeze bottle, the complete 9 yards!

 

No real argument from me, sir... there is much of the emissions system that is a drag on the engine from a performance standpoint, and even from an efficiency standpoint. I wish I had the option of getting rid of it. Some years back I used to put it all on for biannual tests, then take it all off for the intervening two years. Anymore that's just too much hassle for me, plus while I'm 'showing' the car I do so in full-stock config. Not many clean stockers left alive, so it helps it stand out.

Cats/TRs/air pumps do nothing to help efficiency - - they just clean up after, at the cost of robbing power. The EGR system is mostly a waste on a rotary (where the design already carries exhaust gasses into the intake phase), but was required by ignorant "thou shalt have" laws.

But other systems & parts that everyone lumps into the catch-all category of 'emissions crap' is actually there to speed warm-up or improve driveability, like the heat stove and riser, the richer system, ignition and advance controls, idle and altitude compensation, some others (like the cold-start system which Cali cars never had).

But many times it all gets junked in the name of rebellion, or bay cleanliness, or ignorance. "Urg, rat's nest, smog crap, must go away, ook, ook!"

All well and good if your car never experiences changes in climate, and you don't care how long it takes to warm up or how well it idles, which is true for racers but not so much for a daily driver.

 

Well it's a daily driver for sure. Thanks for the info, sounds like I'm gonna pass on the emissions stuff then cause it's not required in the city I live in. Thanks for the response. And thanks for not flaming me.

 

I'm not sure what the phenomena is but I've experienced something similar. Consistent high speed driving in winter would make my car not idle properly. It may be "icing up". This is without any emissions gear. Perhaps there is too much cold air getting into the carby. Stop/start winter driving is fine.

 

I believe I read a post not too long ago and someone was having the exact same problem as you. I read it was a flooding problem. Something about wires and a sensor. I dunno.

 

Ohh I think I know the one you mean, the fuel bowl vent solenoid. Nah that's not it, I always remove those things.

I may have read somewhere about the fuel sticking to the manifold walls if the manifold is too cold. Could be this too.

 

Do you by any chance have the mod installed which blocks off coolant flow through the intake manifold, by plugging the water ports on the rotor housings?

 

CAn you give picture of your engine bay and how your vacuum tube are routed

 

Has this thread been commandeered? Sam who you sprekanzing to

 

I'm talkin to you, post pics and we'll see if we can see anything out of the ordanary...

 

I had a problem like this with mine recently. Turns out all it needed was a good rebiuld on the carb and a nice soak of all the jets and bowls with carb cleaner. Now it starts, idles, and does fine as long as it's "normal" outside temp. I haven't run it in cold weather yet.

So far, anything above 60, I don't even need to use the choke to get it to idle off a cold start. Sits nicely between 750-900.

Check the linkage to make sure the mains are just a hair cracked when there.

Another option is to re-adjust the A/Fmixture and throttle (can't remember the right name off hand) screw in the underside of the carb. Screw them all the way in, set the A/F out approx 1.5 turns, the throttle to 3.5 turns. get the car started, adjust the throttle until you're down around 750, then adjust the A/F screw to make sure you're not running lean. It's a pain of a process, like herding cats, but it just might be out of tune.