86 944 hard start, cold or warm engine

[kyh944]

I have to hold the accelerator to the floor and crank for 5-10 secs before the engine fires up. Then I need to hold the revs at or above 3000 rpm for another 15-30 secs before I can release the accelerator completely and allow the car to idle on its own. Then the car runs beautifully. This used to occur only when the engine was warm; now its every time I start the car. The car reeks of fuel for the first few minutes, then its okay. Any thoughts? I've already had the oxygen sensor replaced, the fuel pump pressure checked and the air flow meter seems okay as well.

[930guy]

I had one that did the same thing but only in cold weather. I swapped evrything(maf, coolant temp, timing sensors) even the ECU and nothing made a difference. So I know this doesn't help you but at least your not alone. If you find anything out let me know.

[carsonmx114]

is it possible that your injectors are leaking down into the cylinders after you shut down the engine. i've seen this on vw's, trash builds up in the valve of the injector so it can't seal up and after you shut the engine off, the fuel pressure floods the engine. when you restart the engine you have to open the throttle to air out the cylinders, also it would take a couple of seconds to build fuel presure back up. that would explain why everything works fine after the engine warms up. i hope this helps.

[kyh944]

Thanks for your help. The issue with the leaky injectors seems right on. Never had any issues until I decided to store the car last winter (after 15 years of owning it and never storing before). I know that seals become dry/brittle and never seal correctly. I'll go down this path. Should I replace the DME relay anyway? (It's still OE)

[carsonmx114]

since the car runs fine after it clears up i would just have the injectors cleaned. these cars are great but you'll find plenty of things to spend money on without replacing parts that are still working. i took my injectors out are sent them to a friend that works at a dealership and he was able to clean them. another option is a cleaning system that runs a 50/50 mix of gas and injector cleaner and hooks directly to the fuel rail. it uses compressed air to pressurize the mix so the car can run and you just clamp off the return line and pull the fuel pump fuse. if you can find one of these type cleaning systems you might save removing or worse replacing your injectors.