VX Slow to Start

[Wandering Albatross]

I have a '95 VX that is in very good condition. It has roughly 150K miles and it historically has ran well. At the moment it takes 2 - 5 seconds to start cold, but starts right away once it is warm.

Any idea what would cause this? It used to start right away either hot or cold. Is there any known VX fuel or ignition problems that might cause this? My spark plugs have about 30K miles on them and the fuel system is original including the fuel filter. The battery has a little corrosion on the terminal, but still spins the engine over quickly.

Also, once the engine is started it runs great and the fuel economy is reasonable for a VX.

Thanks!

[GasSavers_BIBI]

What oil are u running?

In winter, a 5w30 would be the best choice, or even better, synthetic.

[Wandering Albatross]

I am using Mobile 1 synthetic 5w20.

[jadziasman]

Hey W.A.

You should try turning the ignition key on and wait for a couple of seconds so that the fuel pump can fully pressurize the line. My 92 VX starts very quickly each time I do this for temperatures between 0?C and 35?C. I have been doing this for a while now to reduce wear and tear on the 17 year old starter motor.

My guess is that the fuel pressure drops when your VX has been sitting for a while due to slight leakage of the diaphragm on the return line that runs from the fuel rail to the gas tank. You could test for this by installing a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel filter to see if the pressure is low when first starting the engine after sitting overnight.

[R.I.D.E.]

Originally Posted by jadziasman

Hey W.A.

You should try turning the ignition key on and wait for a couple of seconds so that the fuel pump can fully pressurize the line. My 92 VX starts very quickly each time I do this for temperatures between 0?C and 35?C. I have been doing this for a while now to reduce wear and tear on the 17 year old starter motor.

My guess is that the fuel pressure drops when your VX has been sitting for a while due to slight leakage of the diaphragm on the return line that runs from the fuel rail to the gas tank. You could test for this by installing a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel filter to see if the pressure is low when first starting the engine after sitting overnight.

Beat me to it!
+1
regards
gary

[Wandering Albatross]

I'll try turning on the key and letting it sit for a second to see if that helps when it is cold.

[suspendedhatch]

You've stated that all your maintenance parts are old so why don't you replace them?

Replace the engine grounds. The factory grounds are barely adequate when new. Add in some corrosion and the two most noticeable symptoms are hard starting and rough idle.

[bjm206]

I have a 92 VX that had developed a similar hard cold start problem.

It turned out to be deteriorated piece of rubber fuel line in the fuel tank. This rubber fuel line goes from the pump to the pump mount bracket fuel line pass-through. Once I replaced the rubber line (cleaned tank and replaced fuel filter) everything was back to normal.

Might be worth a check if all else fails.

[Danronian]

I agree that replacing the maintenance items is a great idea.

Wouldn't surprise me if simply the spark plugs are almost worn-out. I know my past two VX motors have quickly worn-out the OEM spark plugs I've used in them.

[VetteOwner]

well could be a number of things: corrosion build up/starter getting weak/dirty ground path(causes all sorts of issues)/just cold oil/ let the fuel pump prime first to build pressure back up.