Im Fed Up Today

[Jimlad]

yeah mate.. new Battery fully charged and ready to go.

For £45 , you can get a heavy duty calcium Battery from Halfords to fit your MR2. That's what I got.

The reason I seriously think it's the batt is becuase it only happens in cold. And batterys performance seriously degrades in cold conditions... expecially if the Battery is on its last legs.

[Jimlad]

I just realised I say the word "mate" alot.. .... lol

Don't be fed up either.. you drive a MR2 ! :D

[phil3345]

Hey Jimlad

alright mate :P

[ZeroBlade]

I just realised I say the word "mate" alot.. .... lol

Don't be fed up either.. you drive a MR2 ! :D

I find i say that alot too (well m8) 'specially in txt's. I got bored and checked thru my sent txt's and most of em started with "alrite m8..." or something along those lines.

This thread is VERY interesting i have the same problems gonna have to get a load test sorted out.

On a side note i FINALLY got my mongoose exhaust etc, booked it into Airdale toyotafor em to fit on monday. I also got Blitz Iridium sparkplugs (grade 7), and sum Magnecor leads. Guess I'll c if they can fit them aswell.

Me CAN NOT wait !!!

[ZeroBlade]

Just remembered a hint that was given b4 on these boards, sorry can't rem who came up w. it!

Before you start your car make sure everything's turned off, heaters etc.

And then put the clutch in, then start the car (with clutch still in).

It actually works, and its something i do all the time now. Regardless of cold weather or not.

[John R]

why, what does it do?

I always make sure my heaters are off and my stereo too, before I turn the car over.... I have a deisel at the minute to I want all the power from my Battery to go to the glow-plugs....

So what does it do on an mr2... and why the clutch thing?

[Jimlad]

it makes it easier for the engine to turn over.

[Bibbs]

MR2's DO have a cold start injector - but I think this is a garage thing .. I'd not know where to start.

[CraigT]

Just remembered a hint that was given b4 on these boards, sorry can't rem who came up w. it!

Before you start your car make sure everything's turned off, heaters etc.

And then put the clutch in, then start the car (with clutch still in).

It actually works, and its something i do all the time now. Regardless of cold weather or not.

Yeah I do this. I saw it mentioned in trhe car manual. I find I do it by habbit also now. Cant harm B)

[CraigT]

I just realised I say the word "mate" alot.. ....    lol

Don't be fed up either.. you drive a MR2 !  :D

Yeah your right, as soon as I get this problem sorted I will be much happier.

I am off work sun, mon, and tues so I will have a little time to get it sorted :D

I will post the results on here just in case anyone else gets the same problems.

[speedybloke]

Adding to what others have already said on this subject: <_<

You ought to be able to tell if the car is turning over slowly or not. If it is, it won't turn over for long before the Battery goes flat. If the engine turns over fast, the Battery is not the problem.

To get the Battery tested, it needs to be fully charged first. So charge it up overnight and then go to your local Halfords and ask them to test the battery for you, telling them that you think it is dud and that you might need a new one. They should not charge to test it.

They will use a voltage drop meter to test it. this looks like a cheese grater with two leads on it. The cheese grater part of the meter is to protect the operator from getting burnt, as it cover a large electric element. the two leads are connected to the battery terminals and the switch on the meter is pressed. This allows the element to draw a large current from the battery. If the meter is stable during this process the battery is OK. If, however, the needle on the meter starts to drop, it indicates that the battery is not holding a full charge and that it has had it. It should only take 30 seconds or so to carry out this test.

If the battery is OK, then the problem could relate to the cold starting side of the engine (as mentioned by Phil3345) but only if the problem is apparent whenever you start from cold. NOT just when the weather is cold.

Although I don't have specific Toyota experience (because I have not had any engine problems to deal with yet), fuel-injected engines generally work the same way. The cold start injector puts extra fuel into the engine when it is cold, and is closed down when the engine warms up. This process is quite often triggered my a temperature sender similar to the one used for the temperature gauge.

Although it is possible that the cold start injector could be at fault, it could also be the auxiliary air valve. This is a small butterfly valve that allows air to bypass the throttle valve by means of a hose that connects to the valve upstream of the throttle valve and feeds air into the inlet manifold downstream of the throttle valve. Without the auxiliary air valve, the engine would just flood when the cold start injector allows more fuel into the engine. The auxilary air valve does the same job as the fast-idle cam on a carburettor. The fast-idle cam keeps the throttle valve open slightly when the choke plates are closed on a carburettor. The auxiliary air valve can get stuck closed. It is opened (or more correctly, kept closed) by a temperature sender. If the Toyota engine is fitted with one it will probably be bolted onto the inlet manifold with a half inch (13mm) hose going to either side of it. If you take the hoses off, if you can see through the valve, it is open. When the engine is hot it should be closed. The way to test it is to take it off and put it in the freezer. If the valve opens up it is working OK. If not, it is stuck. If it is stuck, you may be able to unstick it with a squirt of WD40.

Then again, neither of these might be your problem...

[midmotorsteve]

mine had a phase of doing this about a week ago, then it just cured itself... strange,..battery charge level was fine and it would turn the engine over fine just wouldn't catch, pumping the throttle did help it start. I also had a 2 week old set of spark plugs Proper platinum plugs, just to note they are expensive as well £30. once vat etc is added on.

[ZeroBlade]

Gonna get my spark plugs changed on Mon, aswell as ignition leadds (blitz Iridium ,grade 7 & magnecor leads). I'll let you know if they make a difference.

Car not starting up first time is a bummer. If i'm giving some1 a lift i make sure i distract em so they dont notice ;)

[CraigT]

I spoke with Toyota today (who I must add were very helpful) The guy mentioned a couple of things including the cold start injector mentioned above.

Anyway on another note. I decided to have a look at the Battery today, its a maintenance Battery. Bibbs suggested the distilled water levels, so I took a look at these. They were well down. I have now topped them up to the correct levels (which took a surprising amount of distilled water) so maybe this has been the problem? We shall see.

The Battery is a 'GS' which the guy tells me in the one Toyota put in the MR2's.

So, here's hoping for a freezing morning tomorrow. If so I will get up extra early whilst its still nice and frosty and start that puppy up :D

[Bibbs]

If you have just filled the Battery (and don't have a charger) .. I'd let the engine run for 15 mins or take it out for a HARD drive to get some power into it ..

Otherwise it could be worse tomorrow morning ..

[midmotorsteve]

mine back playing up, i fully charged it over night, drove to work then on way home called in Halfords they tested it, the reader read 13 volts and to recharge & retest so i figure its shagged, by the way the standard Battery is £44 and the heavy duty calcium one £55. The one in mine had a spec between the two so i went for the calcium. I'll see how it starts tomorrow ..

[CraigT]

If you have just filled the battery (and don't have a charger) .. I'd let the engine run for 15 mins or take it out for a HARD drive to get some power into it ..

Otherwise it could be worse tomorrow morning ..

Nooooooooooooooooo!

I didnt realise that! Thank god you told me I have a VERY busy day tomorrow. Car is outside with the engine running as we speak with the doors locked so it doesnt get nicked LOL

In about 15 mins I will take it out for a drive as well.

After today we shall see what happens.

BTW why does a Battery actually need water?? And how does this get used up over time? As I said the water levels were pretty low.

[Bibbs]

How stuff works ..

[midmotorsteve]

IT WASN'T THE Battery WITH ME!

Turned the key this morning with a nice new high out put calcium Battery, would only start on pumping the throttle. Battery gauge read right top of scale almost off it.

If the cars turned off straight after and re tried it starts instantly.

As mentioned it also has New platinum plugs.

All earth points are also sound.

[OOCH]

When you turn the ignition key, try holding the clutch in but not the accelerator. The car is fuel injected so it should inject the right amount of fuel to start the car. Pushing the accelerator down will add to much fuel and flood the engine. Depressing the clutch allows the engine to turn over easier on ignition. If this doesn't work, go down the new battery/spark plugs route that others have mentioned.

[midmotorsteve]

Done the Spark plugs / Battery as mentioned (as two posts above), it won't start without pressing the accelerator,..i.e. it has to be pressed or it won't start. I always have depressed the clutch since learning to drive as i learnt on my fatherrs cars that is always left in gear, now a total automatic reaction.

[Bibbs]

Looks like the cold start injector aint doing it's job. Maybe get an independant garage to have a look?

[Dame]

Is it turing over slow or fast? I'm inclined to think its not the Battery. MR2's should start briskly with little turning over. It could be the cold start injector, bad plugs, leaky leads, dizzy cap/rotor arm. Start the car at night, and open the engine bay. If you see any sparks comming from the leads you have a lead problem.

[midmotorsteve]

i'd be inclined to think not Battery or spark plugs as well, I just changed them...

[midmotorsteve]

could it be to do with ignition timing? reading my manual it says timing wrong can be a cause of non starting or hard starting. Say to connect TE1 and E1 then set ignition timing to 10 deg BTDC by moving the distributor then remove connection between TE1 E1.

You need a strobe for this...and this is something i know nothing about,... according to the manual it seems really easy to do.. except it assumes you know what your doing... i don't even know what to look at with the strobe, can someone run throught it. please..

I'm thinking this is a big posibility as it also says poor timing will result in poor mpg and mine has alway been poor max 250 mile per tank usually 200...

..also..theres no mention anywhere in the manual about a cold start injector..

heres what it says in trouble shooting Ignition -

Engine will not start hard to start (cranks ok)

1. Incorrect ignition timing

2. Ignition coil

3. Igniter

4. Distributer

5. High Tension cords

Igntion wiring disconnected or broken