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Car Struggling To Start!

Yo-Yo

By Yo-Yo,
in General Maintenance

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Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
Posted

Hi guys,

As the topic suggests, every now and then when I go to start up my R34GT-T it struggles to start,

You can hear the cranking, like the engine is trying to fire up but it just can't.

Usually if I give it 4-5 seconds I try again and it will start up again normally.

Also, when this happens sometimes the lights on the dash will flicker and I can hear the fuel pump whirring as if it's trying to start up, also a clicking noise coming from the engine bay.

Once the car starts running it runs perfectly fine.

First happened 2 months ago and only ever happened once in a blue moon, but it seems to be happening more frequently as of late.

I have no idea where to start troubleshooting, so If anybody has any suggestions

I don't think it's the battery or coilpacks (I have splitfires), could be spark plugs? Starter motor on it's way out? :)

Any help is greatly appreciated,

Cheers!

PJ

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99 GTT Rising Star

99 GTT

Posted
Posted (edited)

hey man could be ur starter motor but it may also be a dead plate in ur battery... what kind of volts you got on ur volt meter when ignition on?

And how long ur car sit without being used and is it manual or auto?

The battery in the GTT is a bit to small for the car in my opinion i changed mine to a delkor calcium battery with 610 cold crank amps.. almost double the factory one and now i starts perfect every time. Delkor cost a bit more but one of the highest cold crank amps in its class and last a long time...

Good luck and let us know hey...

post-41401-1203248445_thumb.jpg

Edited by 99 GTT
Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi!

Thanks for replying

Power FC hand controller says 12.1 volts on accessories

My Skyline is a manual GT-t, driven every second day (used to be my daily driver but I have a company car now)

You mentioned a dead plate in the battery? would that cause the symptoms my car has?

It only happens once in a while, but just noticing it starting to happen more frequently then before, so wanted to nip the problem in the butt now

Thanks again andy,

:thumbsup:

PJ

R338OY Veteran

R338OY

Posted
Posted (edited)

Do you prime the fuel pump before cold cranking? I always let it prime (the whirring sound)

Old battery? (replace)

Dirty injectors? (injector cleaner)

Tired pump? (replace)

Fouled plugs? (replace $25)

Starter solenoid worn? (rebuild it)

Crappy oil? (not likely to cause issues, but buy quality stuff anyway!)

If none work, blow the car up.

Edited by R338OY
99 GTT Rising Star

99 GTT

Posted
Posted (edited)

I had a 86 celica that was having problems starting and sometimes would even shut downbut then for days it would be normal... Toyota said the ecu was dead and needed new one so i asked my mate who owns a battery sales shop and he said that one of the plates in the battery was probley dead so he put a new battery in and not a problem all fixed...... The ecu was the problem but it was caused by the battery not having the right amount of amps or volts so it was like a tape deck with old batterys....

I would try the battery first especialy if urs is old because it's not a waste of money either way if you use a good battery...

I would also get a Trickel feed charger (No need to disconnect

battery from car) if u don't use the car much because batterys don't last if they start to go flat then alternator charge it again and over and over if ya know what i mean... (See Pics)

Sorry about the quality.. :ermm:

post-41401-1203410923_thumb.jpg

post-41401-1203410969_thumb.jpg

This is a bit of a pricy one but same as they use in the shows and will bring two batterys at the same time back from dead flat as well as run sound system etc without strain on battery... I just put it on when i get home and let it go always charged and longer battery life... ( I only drive the car on weekends) I do have a 2nd set of leads so even the work car gets a hit at the same time when i can be bothered.. lol

Let us know hey...

Edited by 99 GTT
Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Do you prime the fuel pump before cold cranking? I always let it prime (the whirring sound)

Old battery? (replace)

Dirty injectors? (injector cleaner)

Tired pump? (replace)

Fouled plugs? (replace $25)

Starter solenoid worn? (rebuild it)

Crappy oil? (not likely to cause issues, but buy quality stuff anyway!)

If none work, blow the car up.

Yes I always wait for all the noises to stop

Probably, I'll probably try replacing the battery first

Possibly, but I only put a cleaner in about 10,000km's ago

Only had a new Nismo pump put in for about 7 months

might be plugs too, next thing I'll try

Dunno, how do you check the condition of the solenoid properly?

Always use Motul 3000V or whatever they call it 10w40

It might blow up on itself one day hehe!

I had a 86 celica that was having problems starting and sometimes would even shut downbut then for days it would be normal... Toyota said the ecu was dead and needed new one so i asked my mate who owns a battery sales shop and he said that one of the plates in the battery was probley dead so he put a new battery in and not a problem all fixed...... The ecu was the problem but it was caused by the battery not having the right amount of amps or volts so it was like a tape deck with old batterys....

I would try the battery first especialy if urs is old because it's not a waste of money either way if you use a good battery...

I would also get a Trickel feed charger (No need to disconnect

battery from car) if u don't use the car much because batterys don't last if they start to go flat then alternator charge it again and over and over if ya know what i mean... (See Pics)

Sorry about the quality.. :P

post-41401-1203410923_thumb.jpg

post-41401-1203410969_thumb.jpg

This is a bit of a pricy one but same as they use in the shows and will bring two batterys at the same time back from dead flat as well as run sound system etc without strain on battery... I just put it on when i get home and let it go always charged and longer battery life... ( I only drive the car on weekends) I do have a 2nd set of leads so even the work car gets a hit at the same time when i can be bothered.. lol

Let us know hey...

Thanks for that mate, will try that aswell

Guys thanks for all the input!

Edited by Yo-Yo
Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Turns out the problem isn't the battery, charge system and cranking amps are well above minimum requirements

can't be spark plugs or injectors... everything works fine when it does start up, the problems are what seem to be battery related

the mechanic suggested I try leaving the turbo timer off for a while and seeing what happens...

neofenrir34 Collaborator

neofenrir34

Posted
Posted
Turns out the problem isn't the battery, charge system and cranking amps are well above minimum requirements

can't be spark plugs or injectors... everything works fine when it does start up, the problems are what seem to be battery related

the mechanic suggested I try leaving the turbo timer off for a while and seeing what happens...

just so u know the correct working voltage of a battery is 12.3v any lower an u will start to have problems ask any auto electrican. cranking amps are not always a good indicater of battery condition

  • 2 weeks later...
Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
just so u know the correct working voltage of a battery is 12.3v any lower an u will start to have problems ask any auto electrican. cranking amps are not always a good indicater of battery condition

my Power FC hand controller volt readout will vary from 12.1 to 12.5 highest and lowest I've seen

I've had the Turbo timer off for two weeks now and the problem seems to have gone away. If the problem doesn't come back in the next 4 weeks I'm gonna replace the timer, just a pain in the @ss sometimes to sit in the car before I turn it off after a good flogging

rych Contributor

rych

Posted
Posted

had the same symptoms(happen once in a blue moon,strungles to start,will die if i dont press on accl etc etc) I CAN DEFINITELY ASSURE YOU ITS THE AFM.

check the wiring, i was sceptical to check on my AFM because it was new.Tried almost everything and doesnt work until i followed one of the tutorial here, cut open the AFM just to find one loose connection.Soldered the joints back the car has NEVER once stalled and hard to crank/start.

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