Anyone else's car sometimes impossible to restart after a cold FAS?

WriConsult · #1 10-11-2011, 02:43 PM

One of the things I love about my new Elantra Touring is the easy FASability (a problem in my previous Jetta due to that car's electrical problems). I especially love how the EPS keeps it easily maneuverable regardless of whether the engine is running or not.

But there's a fly in the ointment: if I kill the engine when it's cold (i.e., been running <3-4 minutes), sometimes it won't restart right away. Usually the delay is just a few seconds, but occasionally it's loooooooonnnnnggg.

This is what has happened to me twice now:

When the light turns green or traffic starts moving again, I'll turn the key .... and the starter will just crank and crank and crank and crank and crank and crank ... NO sign of life for quite a few seconds.
Then finally the engine will sort-of fire and stumble along <500 rpm for a few seconds and then die (can't imagine that's good for the cat).
Then another loooong session of cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and finally it fires up.
By this time people are either honking at or going around me, despite my having put on the blinkers and started waving them around. Now I have to try to get moving and safely reenter flow of cars that have started to stream around me. Dicey in itself.

It is unacceptable and dangerous for this to happen. Unless there's actually something demonstrably wrong and fixable with my car, I'm simply going to have to avoid cold FASing until the temp gauge starts to budge above "C". Which is really frustrating because it's really going to cost me ... most mornings, just 3 blocks from my house I go directly into stop-and-go traffic (on a slight downhill, ideal for FASing). This is where the first incident occurred, at the very bottom of this slope when I had no momentum left for bump-starting

. The second incident happened yesterday afternoon -- a time of day when I've not had problems before, but of course now the weather is cooler. This also is going to be frustrating and costly because after work I go just 1/3 mile and sit at a VERY long light, again an ideal time to FAS.

What's going on? Is the extra-rich fuel mixture in the ECU's cold-weather program causing it to flood? Or something else? Since the first incident I've been extra careful never to key off until the engine RPMs are all the way down to idle (making sure the minimum amount of fuel is being fed to it) but it still happens.

Is this a common problem that others have experienced, just a Hyundai thing (Nevyn? RightLaneCruiser?), or unique to my car?

PaleMelanesian · #2 10-11-2011, 02:52 PM

Something for you to try. I'm not sure if it'll help, but it may. When you FAS, key off and back on, wait for everything to initialize, then repeat a few times. My car has a problem with low fuel pressure when the tank level gets low, and this "prime the pump" process gets it up and running. The symptom is similar - restart after a FAS and it stumbles along for a few seconds before returning to normal. If I open the throttle during that time it quickly dies.

seftonm · #3 10-11-2011, 02:53 PM

It happened once or twice in the Fiesta we reviewed. Tried to bump start a couple times and it wouldn't go, by that time lost so much momentum that I went for the starter button where it took an extremely long crank to fire up. Most of the time it was fine. This happened maybe 1 or 2 out of the 8 or so mornings where I was in it.

FXSTi · #4 10-11-2011, 06:40 PM

It's a new car. Take it to the dealer and explain that when the engine is cold and you need to restart it (after getting the mail or whatever), it acts funny. Let them sort it out.

So far I've not had this problem with my Fiesta. But I can't say that I fas all that often in my first couple miles with a cold engine.

Kirk

Right Lane Cruiser · #5 10-11-2011, 09:56 PM

I can't say I've ever seen this behavior but I tend to agree with Andrew: this dies sound like a fuel delivery issue.

oilburner · #6 12-24-2011, 10:41 PM

If you don't run the engine long enough it will flood with fuel when you cold start it many times in a row. There is nothing wrong with your engine, you just have to let it run longer than 3-4 minutes when cold. If not the fuel will wash the cylinders down and ruin the seal and eventually kill the rings.

WriConsult · #7 12-25-2011, 03:20 AM

So you're saying we should all be letting our engines run for a steady 3-4min after cold starting? I doubt that's common practice at cleanmpg.

herm · #8 12-25-2011, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WriConsult

So you're saying we should all be letting our engines run for a steady 3-4min after cold starting? I doubt that's common practice at cleanmpg.

Maybe it should be.. I would turn on the power, wait a couple of seconds (count one Mississippi, two Mississippi) until the fuel pump builds up pressure and then start it.. the system should retain fuel pressure while fasing but perhaps you have a leaky injector (or something else leaking). Pull the plugs and see if one of them is sooted up.

SentraSE-R · #9 12-25-2011, 08:19 AM

I agree with Kirk. It's a cold start issue that should be repaired under warranty.

xcel · #10 12-26-2011, 12:39 PM

Hi Dan:

Fuel pump delivery sounds like the culprit. What happens when you drive a few blocks and park the car from cold. Leave it sit as if you went in to grab a gallon of milk and come out. Does it start properly then? If it does, no FAS'ing until normal operating temperature (NOT) is achieved.

Wayne