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Originally Posted by DelCoch
It doesn't have any aftermarket equipment, and without doubt the old battery was shot, as it's about 5-years old and it failed on the battery tester. I also checked the output of the alternator which was fine.
My questions is: "Why won't it start with a 3/4 charged battery"? The starter still turns it over fast enough that I feel it should start. Like I said, the average person would never be able to tell it wasn't tuning the engine over as fast as it would with a fully charged battery.
Apparently the starter was drawing all the current away from a component that was needed for the engine to start. It appeared not to be getting fuel, as it didn't smoke when it finally started, like it would if the plugs weren't firing and allowing fuel to build up in the combustion chambers. Does the engine have a means to shut off the fuel if the plugs aren't firing?
I can see where this type scenario could lead someone to replace the fuel pump, poppet valves and everything else before discovering the real problem. It's just weird, and it's something others need to keep in mind when trouble shooting. I don't drive it that often and if it hadn't sit for two weeks to allow the battery to go completely dead, I doubt I would have realized the battery was the problem. By driving it every day the battery would stay about 3/4 charged and would cause hard starting or no starting.
DelC
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It's actually a fairly common problem. It is caused by the pump not receiving enough power to produce the proper amount of pressure. There has to be 60 psi for the engine to start right up. With a weak battery the pump can't build up enough pressure during the 2 seconds that it runs when the key is turned on. Cycling the key let's the pump run a few extra times allowing it to build the proer pressure. After the engine starts, the alternator supplies enough power and the engine continues to run.
This problem has caused a lot of people many headaches in cold winters. When either the battery or pump are not performing properly, the problem is made worse by cold weather. This is because the battery's capacity is diminished at cold temperatures. Someone may go out in the morning and their car won't start. They have it towed to a shop. The shop let's it sit for a while, during this time the weather warms up. They go out to work on it and it fires right up. They can't find anything wrong. The customer picks it up takes it home and the next morning, it won't start again.... the problem continues until they get smart and come here asking for help and then one of our members tells them what's wrong.
