post-rebuild hard starting

Post Script:

And just to make things EXTRA FUN, today my right front caliper seized and probably destroyed my rotor along with assorted other pieces of my braking system. Yes, it is indeed a privilege (lately a dubious privilege) to own one of these "things". <sigh>



Hi all,

What can I say? The saga continues. After investing heavily in having my engine entirely rebuilt by Promar, it still seems to be having a couple of issues -- albeit far less serious than the one that led me to do the rebuild. main thing I notice now is that my VX is somewhat slow to start and requires a lot of cranking before it catches. it also seems to switch between smooth idling and loping a bit. in an older car it would be like an issue with the fast idle solenoid. but I think most of that stuff is now essentially computer-controlled, correct?

perhaps I am expecting too much, but in a perfect world I would just like my VX to start and behave reliably just like a normal car. Unlikely? Any advice will be welcome as always.

????

Geno

Is it throwing any codes.

No codes. It's not a constant problem either. Intermittent. But after $5,000 invested in parts and labor to get it 100%, annoying nonetheless. :mad:

It could just be that with the combination of the new piston rings still seating and the fact that their sealing/compression is now going to be better, the old starter just isn't going to turn the engine over in the same manner as it did before the engine was rebuilt. Was the old starter reused, and if so, how many miles does it have on it?

It's possible that as the rings seat in the resistance they have now (being new) will diminish a little and the old starter will be better able to turn everything over, but if it doesn't get any better, maybe a new starter would be in order. I know I had the same issue on a Mustang GT years ago anyway when I rebuilt an engine using Total Seal piston rings.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't explain the idling differences, but for that, you may want to check that the coolant system was properly burped when it was refilled after the rebuild and that there are no air pockets currently trapped. Something like that could cause intermittent coolant temp spikes that might affect the idle.

There has been a few posts about intermittent idle issues. Do a search for "high idle".

I experienced the EXACT same thing. Ever since the $4k complete rebuild I have had an intermittent hard start. Most times it is only after it is warm or I have been running around town. It almost never hard starts when cold. My starter is new, everything checks out perfectly, no codes, but it just hard starts when warm.

After it does start it is fine, never had a problem. Just takes a few extra turns by the starter before starting. I wonder if this is just common with engines that have been re-bored?

Maybe as trekker said...New rings, tighter fit...metal expands when warm...???