cold start/push start

chops · 02-11-2011, 12:42 PM

soooo....anyone ever experience this?

basically we have tandem parking in front of my garage. butttt last night i got home a little late (happy hour...heh) and ended up having to park outside. lately we've had this "freezing cold" 35 degree temps at night. anyway...its 8am this morning and since im blocking the other cars from leaving, i have to get out of bed to move the Z.

well i go start it up and the auto start is just cranking. half asleep i realize its been cranking for a good 5-10 seconds and let off the clutch. odd...so i shut off the ignition and start it up again...it cranks for another 5-10 seconds without starting! what the hell? i try it one more time, and no start. im cold and fed up at this point, so i just let go of the ebrake, let the car roll back and pop the clutch and give it some gas, and it starts right up. i really didnt think id have to "push start" the damn car this early into ownership!

with that said...has anyone had this happen to them? those in the colder states? should i bring this to the dealer if it continues to happen?

shumby · 02-11-2011, 01:03 PM

this should not happen in 35F weather The only time i flooded mine was -40F and I got an SC toturn over too. Checked my oil temp on my camp2 and it was -12F.

kenchan · 02-11-2011, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

lately we've had this "freezing cold" 35 degree temps at night.

freezing cold here is like -5F.

your car should start within 10-12sec. it's not unusual for the car to crank longer if there is big humidty or temp change between when you shut down and start the car.

if it continues to bug you, have the dealer take a look at it.

EazyD · 02-11-2011, 01:37 PM

last cold start I did was 16F and there was no problem

PapoZalsa · 02-11-2011, 01:54 PM

How old is the car?

xiven · 02-11-2011, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EazyD

last cold start I did was 16F and there was no problem

sounds about the same for me too. no problems...started right up.

tsolin01 · 02-11-2011, 02:00 PM

Last week I left the car outside from Tuesday to Friday when temps got as low as single digits with no starts in between and it started right up on Saturday.

chops · 02-11-2011, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapoZalsa

How old is the car?

october..so 4 months old

JACKPAC · 02-11-2011, 03:06 PM

Lol at the 35 degree freezing weather.

gbrettin · 02-11-2011, 05:07 PM

Technically it's not quite freezing at 35 degrees.

PapoZalsa · 02-11-2011, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

october..so 4 months old

Well something doesn't sound right! Check the battery out.

chops · 02-11-2011, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrettin

Technically it's not quite freezing at 35 degrees.

heh...for california 35 degrees is FREEEZING!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapoZalsa

Well something doesn't sound right! Check the battery out.

couldnt have been the battery...voltage was at 14.5v or so and the cranking was strong. no struggle to crank. it just wasnt turning over for whatever reason. maybe its because the car was parked on an incline?

Red__Zed · 02-11-2011, 11:13 PM

Check your gas, maybe pump in a few gallons someplace else. Did you happen to be low on gas when it happened?

What kind of oil is in your car? Are the levels on it good?

Also, how many miles are on your car?

chops · 02-11-2011, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red__Zed

Check your gas, maybe pump in a few gallons someplace else. Did you happen to be low on gas when it happened?

What kind of oil is in your car? Are the levels on it good?

Also, how many miles are on your car?

gas tank full of 76, 91 octane

stock nissan esther/generic nissan barrel. (just got my first oil change, free; i asked specifically for esther...but who knows)

mileage - 3500

Red__Zed · 02-12-2011, 12:29 AM

It's likely the issue is fuel related. It's possible that you had some freezing with the gas.

It's also possible that there's an issue getting power to start the engine somewhere along the line, and it may not be sparking, or applying the proper voltage to the injector. It's probably worth a visit to the dealer to diagnose, rather than attempting to do it yourself.
It may just be a one time thing, where you have a perfect storm of bad gas + cold, but it may be something else. I'm inclined to lean towards it just having been a bad combo.

02-11-2011, 12:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
chops A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NA Posts: 1,732 Drives: NA Rep Power: 22	cold start/push start soooo....anyone ever experience this? basically we have tandem parking in front of my garage. butttt last night i got home a little late (happy hour...heh) and ended up having to park outside. lately we've had this "freezing cold" 35 degree temps at night. anyway...its 8am this morning and since im blocking the other cars from leaving, i have to get out of bed to move the Z. well i go start it up and the auto start is just cranking. half asleep i realize its been cranking for a good 5-10 seconds and let off the clutch. odd...so i shut off the ignition and start it up again...it cranks for another 5-10 seconds without starting! what the hell? i try it one more time, and no start. im cold and fed up at this point, so i just let go of the ebrake, let the car roll back and pop the clutch and give it some gas, and it starts right up. i really didnt think id have to "push start" the damn car this early into ownership! with that said...has anyone had this happen to them? those in the colder states? should i bring this to the dealer if it continues to happen?

02-11-2011, 01:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
shumby Captin Canuck Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: with your mom Age: 44 Posts: 6,288 Drives: your sister Rep Power: 237	this should not happen in 35F weather The only time i flooded mine was -40F and I got an SC toturn over too. Checked my oil temp on my camp2 and it was -12F. __________________ Originally Posted by SAM@GTM Engine detonation is not normal and it should never never happen, and whoever told that need to do something else for living . Sam

02-11-2011, 01:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
EazyD A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 1,211 Drives: 2010 6MT Sport pkg. Rep Power: 26	last cold start I did was 16F and there was no problem __________________ Pearl White 2010 370Z Sport, Stillen CBE, tint, K&N drop-in filters, GT-R start button, Kenwood DNX-6980 with backup cam, LED bulbs, Raceseng shift knob.

02-11-2011, 01:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
PapoZalsa A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Not in Sunny Florida Posts: 6,358 Drives: 16 Nismo w/Tech Pack Rep Power: 4500	How old is the car? __________________ 2009 370Z MB Base w/Sport Package 6MT Modshack's Custom Air Intakes /3M Clear Bra/ Illuminated Kick Plates / F. I CBE w/12" resonators / EVO-R Front Lip / Rear Hatch Wing / Tein S-Tech Springs /Ilegal Tint in the Rep. of VA/4x20mm Z1 Spacers/ Vinyl Roof/Liquid Carbon Designs

02-11-2011, 02:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
tsolin01 Track Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 657 Drives: 2010 370Z Rep Power: 16	Last week I left the car outside from Tuesday to Friday when temps got as low as single digits with no starts in between and it started right up on Saturday. __________________ SOLD 12/30/2011 2010 370Z Coupe Monterey Blue 6MT/Touring/Sport/Nav F.I. CBE CF w/ 12" Res \| V1 \| SecondSkin \| Stillen G3 \| EVO-R CF B-Pillars \| Volk GT-S Ti Gunmetal 19x9.5 +30 F, 19x10.5 +8 R \| Swift Spec-R Springs

02-11-2011, 03:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
JACKPAC Track Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 516 Drives: MB 370z Rep Power: 17	Lol at the 35 degree freezing weather.

02-11-2011, 05:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
gbrettin A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Portage, MI Posts: 2,284 Drives: Tricycle Rep Power: 589151	Technically it's not quite freezing at 35 degrees.

02-11-2011, 11:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
Red__Zed A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: window seat Posts: 28,940 Drives: Mostly on two wheels Rep Power: 120	Check your gas, maybe pump in a few gallons someplace else. Did you happen to be low on gas when it happened? What kind of oil is in your car? Are the levels on it good? Also, how many miles are on your car?

02-12-2011, 12:29 AM	#15 (permalink)
Red__Zed A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: window seat Posts: 28,940 Drives: Mostly on two wheels Rep Power: 120	It's likely the issue is fuel related. It's possible that you had some freezing with the gas. It's also possible that there's an issue getting power to start the engine somewhere along the line, and it may not be sparking, or applying the proper voltage to the injector. It's probably worth a visit to the dealer to diagnose, rather than attempting to do it yourself. It may just be a one time thing, where you have a perfect storm of bad gas + cold, but it may be something else. I'm inclined to lean towards it just having been a bad combo.

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