How can I get my Honda CRV to start in the cold?

Question

I have a honda CRV, that will NOT start when it has sat outside & the weather is cold. Sometimes when it is not too cold out (in the 40's) after some work the car will turn over but does this chug,chug,chug thing for up to a minute and then in a split second it's like the gas gets where it's supposed to and it revs and drives away as usual. When it's left outside below 30 degrees it will not start. When it is left in the garage it will start right up. The only thing tht has been done is the fuel filter has been changed. I'm at my second repair shop, now at the dealer. They can not find out what is wrong. They have said that the catalytic converter, MAP sensor?? and valves definitely need to be replaced, but even after relacing them they said it still might not work. Are catalytic converters that are going out temperature dependent? This non-starting in cold weather and ability to start right up in the garage has been repeated over and over by myself and repair shops.

Answer 1

Have you tried fuel-line deicer? Do you let your tank get almost empty before you get gas? If she's not getting the gas in cool weather, moisture in the gasoline would be the first suspect. I suppose you could try a block heater, but that shouldn't be necessary unless the temperature is in the teens.

Answer 2

Unfortunately most mechanics these days could not troubleshoot their way out of a garage with the overhead door open. If the check engine light is not on, they are lost!

How old is this car? How many miles? I have seen Hondas that do this but have never found the cause. Have you ever tried this procedure: After cranking without starting for 5-10 seconds, turn the ignition off, then back to run about 10 times, then to start. Repeat this a few times and see if it starts. If it does, I would suspect a fuel injection system problem such as low fuel pressure during cranking (weak fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator stuck open) or the control unit (ECM) is not getting the crank input to tell it that the engine is being started. Also, engine temp sensor out of range telling the controller that the engine is already warm and does not need to enrich the mixture to start.

I'm assuming you have good spark plugs and wires and that all the obvious things have been checked and the battery cranks the engine over rapidly and is not lethargic. I have owned over 50 cars and have worked on most of them. All cars should be able to start down to 0 degrees F with no problem. Below 0, it depends. Even my old Diesels would start down to 0. If you can't resolve it, trade it in on a warm day. For the life of me I can't understand why no mechanics seem to know how the fuel injection system works on each individual car, as far as sequence of operation. It seems like all they can do is hook a computer up to it, read the codes, and replace parts. Very frustrating! I had a brand new Cavalier that would flood out every time it sat all day in the sun but no one could figure it out. On cloudy days it would start right up. Anyway, good luck.

Answer 3

i own a repair shop,and catalytic converters aren't cold affected,so that's not it,and the things you named off there wont make it not start in cold weather,id try installing a block heater in it,its goes in where the freeze plug goes,and keeps the temperature a little higher in the block,that will help it on the real cold nights,but as far as it not starting all the time when its cold,there's something else causing that,the repair shops have missed something,id have the computer scanned to see what all sensors besides the maf sensor would be bad on it,this might help you with finding out whats wrong with it,good luck,i hope this help,s.

Answer 4

i have a new battery will not start in cold weather. the car was all checked out everything was good.it was 5 below 0 would not turn over very slow then nothing. warm weather no problem.