Re: [DML] Re: Delorean Cold Start Issue

Hi all,

Thanks for all your help. I realized I never posted a follow-up to this and I thought I should in case anyone was in a similar situation. It looks like the problem was remedied by one or both of the following fixes:

1. David T. graciously volunteered his time to replace the pickup hose with one where a custom spring was installed to stiffen it.

2. I purchased the improved relay kit from DMC (K111168A) and replaced everything.

Although I did not pin down the specific cause of the problem, I haven't had a startup issue in weeks now, so fingers crossed, this issue is now solved.

Thanks,

Adam

On Sun, Jul 7, 2013 at 6:10 PM, Harold <hmcelraft@xxxxxxx> wrote:

The symptom sounds like it is probably related to the "cold start valve". See page D:1:10 of the Workshop Manual. My guess is that the cold start valve is not working correctly. They rarely fail but connections can be an issue. Check and secure that all connections are good and you are getting power during the cranking phase of your start process. If the temp is below 95 F check the thermo time switch grounding. It should ground below that.

There is procedure you can go through to by pass and activate the cold start valve by removing the connection on the cold start valve and putting the connection from the warm-up regulator on the cold start valve. Assuming the cold start valve is ok the engine should start right up. Be sure to remove the connector ASAP as fuel will continue to dump from the cold start valve and burn up you catalytic converter.

Harold McElraft - 3354

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Adam Troy" <abtphd@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> I apologize in advance if this question sounds dumb! I know I should have a
> bit more mechanical knowledge for the sake of the car. J
>
>
>
> As long as I could remember, when I left my D without starting it for 3+
> days it would take a few attempts at cranking to get it to start. Leaving
> it for 7+ days would increase the starting difficulty and leaving it for 10+
> days would lead to a high likelihood of the D not starting. I originally
> thought this was a battery problem (even though it would crank fine) and the
> battery would drain after continually trying to start it. Jump starting
> would work much of the time, and I got a new battery anyway and drove it
> more frequently to prevent the problem.
>
>
>
> To make a long story short, after leaving the D for 10 days for a vacation
> recently, I could not start it upon my return. After trying to start it for
> 2 days, I decided to put a few gallons of gas in and it started after 3 or
> so tries. The D did have about 1/3 tank of gas to begin with. The fact that
> adding gas worked led me to believe that the engine was not getting enough
> fuel and there is something wrong with the cold start valve/system. I
> suppose I can just start the car everyday to avoid this from happening
> again, but given that I cannot always be in town, is there an actual fix for
> this or is this a typical Delorean issue that cannot be repaired for good? I
> have the workshop manual, so any references to a section in there or
> specific parts necessary for the repair and I can take it to my local
> mechanic. I searched the DMCTalk archive for this problem and didn't find
> anything conclusive to help me.
>
>
>
> The temperature has been around 90 degrees lately and the car is garaged
> (not air conditioned) and well maintained.
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
>
>
> Adam Troy
>
>
>
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