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Help needed. Cold start valve location

1K views 14 replies 4 participants last post by  Deja Vu 
#1 ·
Please help. Here's what I know: last weekend clutch was replaced (clam was not removed). Upon pickup engine took longer then normal to fire up. Through out the day I drove with little to no start up delay. The next morning it took a whole to start again (more then a minute of pressing start button)

I know the fuel pump works. -confirmed through the sound of it running
I know I have fuel in fuel rail - confirmed when I lifted fuel rail
I know I have spark- confirmed when I removed spark plug #3 and pressed the start button. I saw and felt the spark (ouch)


I spoke with forum member GLB. Who suggested cold start valve May be the cause. Try as I might I can not find the valve in question. Google nor advanced lt search yields insight or direction

There appear to be no loose /unconnected wires.

This morning we have yet to start the car at all regardless of length we depress starter button

Please help, thank you
 
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#4 ·
He's probably referring to the idle air control valve found on the 2005's with a throttle cable. When that sticks you don't get enough air to start up. On an 2006 you don't have one. The drive by wire allows the ECU to open the throttle plate as needed to allow start and idle. If its something to do with that system you'd want to check for codes relating to the throttle position sensor (I'm not 100% sure that's a separate sensor, I've got an05). You can try cleaning up the throttle body and all the connectors around it. Maybe make sure your MAF and air filter are clean. I'd start though by checking for codes.

Maybe check your vacuum lines and routing as well.
 
#5 ·
That is interesting. MIdashands, you dont have code correct? If understand the current situation, your car starts, but only after holding down the starter butter for 40 or 60 seconds at at time? so strange
 
#6 ·
Yep - there are no codes at all. I had the car in winter storage on a battery tenderer and when I took it out for the first time the car started up no problem.

After having the clutch installed this slow start problem occurred. I literally have to hold the start button in for about 45 seconds before it finally starts.
 
#9 ·
Sorry, didn't catch that you had the car in neutral. It would only affect things if you had the car in gear and were starting it with the clutch pedal depressed.

What about the possibility of bad gas? Any chance you filled up at a different station or something? Bad gas could make it difficult to start.

Might be worth it to go through and unplug each connection you can find, clean it and then apply a dielectric grease. That would at the very least ensure that you've got no bad connections.

Did you double check your vacuum lines routing? Vacuum issues can cause these kinds of things, but really I'd expect there to be idling issues as well.

Another possibility is perhaps the mechanic missed the ground strap (lotus calls it the "earth braid" that connects to the transmission. That could cause you to get less power to your starter.
 
#10 ·
Thank you for all the suggestions Deja Vu!

I can definitely rule out bad gas. I added stabilizer to the fuel before I put it away for the winter. But when I took it out of storage it started up no problem. Drove it to get the clutch installed and each time I needed to restart had no problem. Since I was driving the car quite a bit to play with the new clutch I have also purchased new gas twice.

I will try checking the other things you listed.
 
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