Ok I am having a starting problem with my FC. its a 1988 Vert S4. I drove from NY to PA and from PA to NJ saturday the 2nd with no problems. I get home park my car. Go to start it last night wouldnt start! Today samething! I get a heavy smell of gas coming from the exhaust so i dont think its fuel related. engine has 99k miles on it. Just recently had an oil change oil levels good. When it cranks over it sounds like the starter is kinda half engaging. If you have ever heard a piston engine try to start with a snapped timing belt (it has a real whine to it) thats what my car sounds like. I would appreciate any and all ideas. I took today off from work so that i could fix my car and havent the slightest idea to start except the starter. Help me please!

 

Sounds like classic flooding. The odd noise is because the engine is making poor compression. Pour about an ounce of oil into each leading spark plug hole, turn the engine by hand several times, and then repeat. Now try and start it...Should fire right up.

Otherwise, there is a more serious problem. In which case you need to check for spark, compression and fuel.

 

alright i shall try that but i gotta go get some oil

 

thanx aaron cake that was the problem its running better now! better throttle response!

 

Oh that happened to me all the time....i thought it was flooding..when we installed the new exhaust on...turned out to be the starter wire wasn't making a clean connection....starts everytime now...

 

anyway to avoid the flooding by any chance?

 

First step is to have your injectors professionally cleaned. They get dirty, and tend to drip when the car is off.

2nd, don't ever short start the car. If you start it up, let it run a few minutes before you shut it off. Short starting will flood the car easily.

 

i cleaned the injectors out today with some nice techron and i short started it a few times to pull it in to a car wash at work (car dealership). I'll try to avoid it

 

If they are leaking to the point of flooding a bottle/can (or even three) of Techron will not fix the problem, but rather professional ultrasonic and solvent cleaning and flow testing of the injectors will be required.

 

eh one of the modifications i was looking at was higher impodence injectors so rather than pay somebody the money to clean them wouldnt ti be worth my while to just get newer higher flowing ones?