Help! Car won't start... smoke also
06-05-08, 10:57 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Help! Car won't start... smoke also
Okay guys, I searched, but can't find my exact symptoms... so here we go:
I've started having problems around last fall with the car starting on humid mornings. If it's really humid, the car would miss and really hesitate until it was up to normal operating temperature. RPM's would fluctuate and the car seemed to lack power, but was fine once it warmed up. It wasn't burning any fluids as far as I know, smoke-free startup.
So I kinda ignored it over the winter, didn't really have any problems when it's dry outside. On humid mornings, I just let the car sit running on my driveway a little longer and it's fine. It's slowly been getting worse but it's still not THAT bad.
Fast forward to Tuesday evening, my senior prom night. I started the car up, got some gas, and headed to my date's house. It was raining, but the car seemed to be doing fine. Later that night, around 4am, I had to drive back home, and it was humid and quite foggy but not raining. I cruised down the country roads by my house for a bit and then parked it, and the whole time didn't have any problems.
Now, I tried starting it today and no matter what I do it WILL NOT start. It's only been sitting one day (which was quite humid actually).
I put the key in, and every time I've started it since I owned it, it starts on the first try. I tried about 4 or 5 times, 5-seconds each to get it to start, and nothing. Tried pumping the gas a bit, but nothing.
Now, here's the scary part, the second or third cranking attempt, the climate control fan was on, and visible blueish smoke started coming into the cabin. I went and opened the hood, and there was some smoke clustered right near the air filter that dissapated quickly. I looked around the engine, and there is sitting water and such where it may have splashed upwards, but other than that there's no fluids where they're not supposed to be.
I cranked it again, this time no smoke, and the engine stayed running for about 2 seconds at really, really low rpm's, and then just shut off. Pumping the gas pedal did nothing.
Checked the oil, looked to be fine, checked my other fluids, nothing's out of the norm. The car has been having intermittent power steering problems, and I know it's leaking fluid, but it's a slow leak, so I haven't bothered looking into it.
Anyhow, right now I'm looking at the plugs, distributors, or fuel pump as the culprits... the car is parked on an incline with the gas tank lower, and it doesn't seem to be getting fuel, though I haven't checked yet. Though that still doesn't help with my smoke issue...
I've started having problems around last fall with the car starting on humid mornings. If it's really humid, the car would miss and really hesitate until it was up to normal operating temperature. RPM's would fluctuate and the car seemed to lack power, but was fine once it warmed up. It wasn't burning any fluids as far as I know, smoke-free startup.
So I kinda ignored it over the winter, didn't really have any problems when it's dry outside. On humid mornings, I just let the car sit running on my driveway a little longer and it's fine. It's slowly been getting worse but it's still not THAT bad.
Fast forward to Tuesday evening, my senior prom night. I started the car up, got some gas, and headed to my date's house. It was raining, but the car seemed to be doing fine. Later that night, around 4am, I had to drive back home, and it was humid and quite foggy but not raining. I cruised down the country roads by my house for a bit and then parked it, and the whole time didn't have any problems.
Now, I tried starting it today and no matter what I do it WILL NOT start. It's only been sitting one day (which was quite humid actually).
I put the key in, and every time I've started it since I owned it, it starts on the first try. I tried about 4 or 5 times, 5-seconds each to get it to start, and nothing. Tried pumping the gas a bit, but nothing.
Now, here's the scary part, the second or third cranking attempt, the climate control fan was on, and visible blueish smoke started coming into the cabin. I went and opened the hood, and there was some smoke clustered right near the air filter that dissapated quickly. I looked around the engine, and there is sitting water and such where it may have splashed upwards, but other than that there's no fluids where they're not supposed to be.
I cranked it again, this time no smoke, and the engine stayed running for about 2 seconds at really, really low rpm's, and then just shut off. Pumping the gas pedal did nothing.
Checked the oil, looked to be fine, checked my other fluids, nothing's out of the norm. The car has been having intermittent power steering problems, and I know it's leaking fluid, but it's a slow leak, so I haven't bothered looking into it.
Anyhow, right now I'm looking at the plugs, distributors, or fuel pump as the culprits... the car is parked on an incline with the gas tank lower, and it doesn't seem to be getting fuel, though I haven't checked yet. Though that still doesn't help with my smoke issue...
06-06-08, 10:34 PM
#3
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Well... I let the car sit today with the hood open in the 90-degree sun this afternoon.
Engine bay looked dry, so I gave it a couple cranks, and after pumping the gas a bit and holding it at 3k rpm's for about 30 seconds, it stayed running. It was hesitant at first but after I held the gas, it was fine. Let it idle up to operating temperature, then turned it off, started it up again, drove it a couple miles, got some pizza, drove it home and all went well.
I have no idea what the problem is here. I know water is getting somewhere it shouldn't though, and it's pissing me off.
Engine bay looked dry, so I gave it a couple cranks, and after pumping the gas a bit and holding it at 3k rpm's for about 30 seconds, it stayed running. It was hesitant at first but after I held the gas, it was fine. Let it idle up to operating temperature, then turned it off, started it up again, drove it a couple miles, got some pizza, drove it home and all went well.
I have no idea what the problem is here. I know water is getting somewhere it shouldn't though, and it's pissing me off.
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