# car misses when cold



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

91 olds cutlass Ceria 2.5 L 4 cylinder

when its cold like in winter it misses when first started after it warms up its fine. also if you shut it off and then restart within a short amount of time it will run funny and i have to tap the gas to get it back to running correctly then its fine. any ideas. i suspect the fuel injectors are leaking. also is it normal for gas to spill out when the gas station pump stops after filling it spills from the filler neck only for a second.i noticed when i had the car tuned up they replaced the spark plug wires but only 1 plug. could this be it. air filter is good replaced a few months ago.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

My suspect would be the coil or possibly the distributer cap.


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## ARTETUREN (Dec 2, 2007)

Or cords from distributer cap to sparks. The most probably reason of that is humidity and cracks of these cords. Use plastic spray.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

lexmarks567 said:


> i noticed when i had the car tuned up they replaced the spark plug wires but only 1 plug.





ARTETUREN said:


> Or cords from distributer cap to sparks. The most probably reason of that is humidity and cracks of these cords. Use plastic spray.


Well, with new wires, I'd think that wouldn't be an issue.


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## ARTETUREN (Dec 2, 2007)

Thanx JohnWill I throw the look, second try carburator.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Could be the carb, that's a good choice.


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## ARTETUREN (Dec 2, 2007)

Better solution is Florida....


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## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

i don't think this car has a carb this is the engine the car has

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Iron_Duke_engine#Tech_IV


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, the fuel injection computer could be another area. I think I'd try the following experiment. Using a heat gun when the car is cold, heat a suspect component to a nice warm temperature and then start the car. If it still misses when cold, try again with another component.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

If you are in cold country and using high-test gas, try switching to regular, too. Regular is reformulated for the cold months and ignites easier in cold weather so it may help you with starting on really cold days.

Premium gas is a rip-off, anyway, unless your car really needs it to avoid pings.


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## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

ok took a video of running hopefully you can pickup the sputtering. towards the end of the video it starts to smooth out.

http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/junkcollecter/?action=view&current=PICT0213.flv


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## Pookie (Dec 31, 2004)

quite possible that the pistons are varnished or the intake valves, try a fuel injector cleaner and put a higher octane gas in. Run for 15 mins at idle and see if it helps. Higher octane fuel isn't necessarily a ripoff, but is not needed for all engines.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Pookie said:


> quite possible that the pistons are varnished or the intake valves, try a fuel injector cleaner and put a higher octane gas in. Run for 15 mins at idle and see if it helps. Higher octane fuel isn't necessarily a ripoff, but is not needed for all engines.


Higher octane would not appear to be advisable here since it is not "knock" that is the problem, and higher octane gas burns less easy, possibly worsening the "missing" problem.


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## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

as you can hear by the video posted towards the end of the video it starts running fine so and it only does it when its been sitting overnight. after its been driven even if it sits for 2-3 hours its fine when started so far. but what willl cause it to sound like a 2 cycle snowblower when re-started in a short(5-10 minutes) after being turned of. to remedy this i tap the gas for a second and then its fine.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

I suppose a pin-hole in the gas line could do it. You say there is sometimes some leakage? Maybe that same hole is letting air in when it sits.

Where did you see the gas?


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## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

Elvandil said:


> I suppose a pin-hole in the gas line could do it. You say there is sometimes some leakage? Maybe that same hole is letting air in when it sits.
> 
> Where did you see the gas?


the gas that spills out is around the filler neck were you fill it up it happends after the gas station pump stops.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Oh. Wrong end. But that still doesn't mean that there isn't a pin-hole somewhere that lets some air in the lines during the night. If you haven't already done it, you might try tightening all the connections, and using some teflon tape on the threads.


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## Koot (Nov 25, 2007)

What multi-viscosity weight engine oil are you using? The lowest number (of the engine oil) may be too high...

It takes a while to get the oil flowing throughout the engine. This is especially the case when starting an engine from a cold start regardless of ambient temperature, but even more-so in cold climates. You may have a valve that tends to hang on a cold start and then becomes free-moving after a moment or two. It's hard to tell from the video's audio. 

Your automatic choke may be making the engine run a little too rich, which can cause the engine to run rough for a moment or two before it leans out.


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## Guyzer (Jul 3, 2004)

Have you checked the PCV valve?


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## mrss (Jun 13, 2007)

The famous iron duke 4 cylinder. Throttle body fuel injection which looks like a carb, but isn't.. Instead, you got a single injector right above the mouth of the throttle body that's raining fuel into the hole. My experience with them (1980 Phoeneix and 1984 Skylark) is that on cold days, it rains too much fuel, so your plugs are running on the wet side while the engine is still cold. If you shut off the engine before it fully warms up, the plugs are too wet to start. 

My suggestion is to not turn it off til you get warm air coming out of the heater. Try holding the pedal to the floor for a cold restart if it's being stubborn. On most cars, the computer reads a cold engine, senses the car being started, senses the pedal wide open, and shuts off the injectors, allowing you to dry the plugs a little bit. 

My 80 had a carbon grid under the throttle body, which was heated by current. It never worked. Boy, I hated those engines.

If you're into do-it-yourself, go to the library and see if they have a shop manual on that Olds. It might have a simple diagnostic for the engine sensors. On my Chrysler minivan circa 1990, you would flip the ignition switch rapidly three times and then the check engine light would blink out any error codes. My Mazda (a 1994) will do that if one sets a jumper, Both would tell you if the computer sees bad sensors. Poor cold weather running can be caused by gimpy engine sensors.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I was seeing gas driping out when I at the gas station. I looked and seen that my line was cut.
Yes the bigger vapor return hose was cut and al there was a small cut in the filler line that is inside the bigger plastic vapor return. Buy cutting into the bigger plastic vapor return some can put in a line and get into the gas tank and get your gas. It cost me a whole lot of money to get that replaced. Had to take the 3 screws off at the gas filler. But the other end at the tank was just a hose clamp but to get to it they had to remove the bed liner and truck bed. It was about $500.00. That 2 feet of hose was not very cheap either. It also had a crack at the tank end if the outer vapor line. All that should of been made out of a good rubber and not a hard plastic so it could flex more and not crack. But no matter what it is made of it will not stop someone that cuts into it.


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## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

hewee said:


> I was seeing gas driping out when I at the gas station. I looked and seen that my line was cut.
> Yes the bigger vapor return hose was cut and al there was a small cut in the filler line that is inside the bigger plastic vapor return. Buy cutting into the bigger plastic vapor return some can put in a line and get into the gas tank and get your gas. It cost me a whole lot of money to get that replaced. Had to take the 3 screws off at the gas filler. But the other end at the tank was just a hose clamp but to get to it they had to remove the bed liner and truck bed. It was about $500.00. That 2 feet of hose was not very cheap either. It also had a crack at the tank end if the outer vapor line. All that should of been made out of a good rubber and not a hard plastic so it could flex more and not crack. But no matter what it is made of it will not stop someone that cuts into it.


it only leaks after the pumping stops when a full tank is put in. and only for a second.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

But it may be that when you fill the tank it then over flows into the vapor return line and it is not sealed tight or has cracks in it. Because at the filler you have that hole you put the gas in and then you got that smaller hole under it and that is the vapor return. Gas can asl go in it but it will go back into the tank but if it is cracked your have a leak.


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