So my car has trouble starting when cold. It usually takes 10-30+ seconds to start and I have to manually hold the idle for about 10 secs and then it will idle and run just fine. Also after 30 seconds of running i can turn the car off and start it just fine. So it doesn't even have to be completely warm to start correctly.

I know that the most common problem is the water thermo sensor but I have tested it and it works fine. Also someone brought up the point in another thread that it wouldn't be the water thermo sensor because it only takes 10secs to idle properly and it takes a lot longer then that for the engine to warm up (is that correct?). Also how does the water thermo sensor relate the the temperature gauge in the car? Because mine works fine. I am just trying to eliminate the possibility of the connecting wire being broken somewhere along the harness.

I did tamper with the fast idle screw in the past but I rest it to the factory position.

So my question is: What's my next step?



Car:
1988 Rx7 turbo II w/ street port, rTek 1.7 (with 720 secondaries), 3" exhaust, also the car is lacking a lot of its emissions equipment

 

You have not listed what emissions/idle control systems you have on the car.

 

I have removed the air pump and the air control valve. The thermowax assembly which I am guessing falls in the category of idle control system is still there.

 

Did you adjust the fast idle per the FSM (that section is not their best moment)? With the car cold and the air below I think 77 degrees F?

With the throttle body out of the car I spent a bit of frustrating time trying to get it to line up like the FSM says it should. Unless you have a great mirror, I'd think it would be challenging to accurately adjust it in the car.

Since youre in CA it probably wasn't below 77!

 

Maybe that was my problem I adjusted it when it was hot. I will try that and post my results.

 

I have the same exact problem and still haven't figured it out yet. I tried tweaking the thermowax but no go. It seemed to help a little in that it doesn't take so long to crank to start.

My next step is to check the wire connected to the (I forget the name/little device connected to the uim and has coolant going through it) I think the clip broke and isn't connecting properly.

 

Did the poster of this thread fix his car??????

 

I have same problem with the cold starts!

 

looks like alot of us have this same problem

 

I was going to ask the original poster if he has problem starting the car when cold, NOT if it was difficult to maintain a idle after it started.

If he has a problem Starting the car when it's cold to make sure the water thermor sensor is connected up AND to ask if he has done anything to alter the method of getting the starter to turn over. IF he or anybody has run a seperate wire/switch to turn the starter over, that could be the problem in that you've bypassed the Start circuit to the ECU. If you did that, then car might be difficult to start cold, but start just fine once the engine is warm to hot.