Hey folks,

I've checked the stickies and searched but I can't seem to figure this one out. Within the the past few weeks the Max has been taking longer to start. Yesterday, trying to start it after a 55 mile trip, it just cranked. I gave it a little throttle while cranking and it reluctantly fired up. Now, everytime I try to start it, it fights with me. The car is very well maintained and it really doesn't need anything. I just can't figure it out. Tonight, I came home and checked the EGR system on the car (only because I get an intermittant p0400 code) and everything checked out. I even pulled the valve off the car, cleaned it, the throttle plate, and the maf sensor. Samething, no difference. I'm just afraid one time it's not going to start at all. Any Ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

This probably wont apply but I hate it when people dont respond to my threads. I just bought a 95 and it hard started hot and cold. It had an E-bay intake on it that I swapped for the original air box and now it starts fine and idles great. However this sounds like a developing problem for you so I doubt this helps. Good luck finding out your problem.

 

Have you added a ground from the starter to the chassis? After time the starter gets weak, as does the ground (which is weak to start with). This causes long cranks, and eventually you'll cook the starter (been though it).
I strongly suggest you ground the starter to the chassis with a good ground
(8 gauge minimum IMO, larger is always better).

Do you have any other engine codes?
Hope this solves your problem.

 

cranking is a good sign - means it's not your starter. get your battery checked anywhere - even wal mart - might just be dying.

 

Trust me, the battery and starter are fine. It cranks fast enough, it just tends to stumble and give a slight backfire.

 

Have you ever replaced your ECTS? Test it.

 

could be a relay switch going bad...i had a different car before and it would do this...after a while it just didnt start it would just crank...took it to a mechanic and he said the relay was the problem so got it changed and it was good

 

Have you ever replaced your ECTS? Test it. You can't truly "test" the whole EGR system without taking off the EGR tube and verifying it and also the flange on the engine where the tube connects at isn't clogged. Did you test the EGR temp sensor for resistance/volts? TPS? MAF? IACV? Scanned the ECU for fault codes? How fast the starter spins is not a reliable indicator of it's health/operation. Just because it cranks fast doesn't mean it has a full 12 volts or is grounded well. As far as cleaning things, thats nice, but ineffective troubleshooting. Either take your car to someone who can diagnose things correctly, or invest in a multimeter and download the FSM and get busy. You havent touched the tip of the ice burg as far as " everything checking out."

 

trouble when its hot and cold means you have a problem starting. so i hate to be captain obvious but narrowing it down means it doesnt matter the temperature, with that being said:
is it a dry start? does it sound like metal scraping or lifters knocking?
i had an old car that would give me some trouble starting because the lifters werent getting any oil at start up no matter what temp.
im taking a stab in the dark but if you try putting some lucas oil stabilizer in it, which is always a good idea in higher mileage engines even if your problem has nothing to do with oil, it may take some stress of the engine and make it start better. PM me if it made a difference.

if the oil idea doesnt do anything, my next guess would be to check the maf.. a semi bad or dirty maf ****s everything up. sometimes when i beat on my max, my car likes to go into limp mode (wont rev past 2500rpms)

sorry for the long post, im a semi noob.

 

FWIW the VQ doesn't have lifters. Given that this thread is 6 months old and the OP hasn't signed in for the last month, he's probably not having the issue anymore.

 

I had this problem with a 98SE that I recently bought to fix up.....turned out to be the crank sensor. Its easy as hell to change, and the cars been starting up fine ever since.

 

I disagree. Long cranks doesn't always mean a bad battery. It could mean the starter is getting weak and soon to take a crap. I just replaced mine and it starts instantly! I too thought it was a starter but soon discovered it wasn't engaging, started to start but stop along the way, and make weird noises.