when engine is cold, I have difficulty to start the car 2nd time

[hungt1999]

I have a lot of difficulty re-starting the car a second time when it is still cold. I have no problem starting the car the first time (even in subfreezing temp) but if I shut it off and try to re-start it, I have to crank it over many times before it successfully restarts. It does not matter if I press on the gas pedal or not, I have to crank maybe 5-10 attempts to restart it.

What can be causing this hard re-start ?

Once the engine is hot, I can shut the engine OFF and re-start at will without any problem.

My plugs, distributor cap, rotor, battery, air filter and fuel filter are in good working condition, less than 1 year old.

My car is Corolla 1996 DX 1,6L manual transmission, 210 000 km

[vmax84]

coolant temperature sensor gone amuck? I honestly don't know.........my sister's 1993 has almost the exact same problem, so I'm watching this thread, waiting for the experts to chime in. :-)

vmax84

[topnotch]

possibly choked trottle body should have that cleaned or faulty alternator.

[chicky1125]

well...i did a google search and found this forum because my car is doing the same exact thing! only thing is that mine is a brand new, less than 8,000 miles, 2009 Highlander.
I had it in the shop yesterday and of course it didn't do it for them and they ran a whole check on my car and claim that there is nothing wrong.
If that is the case, then why won't my car start every single time I attempt to start it??? It happened to me once when I started my car then turned it off to go grab something and when I came back out it would turn over, but not re-start. Since then I tested it and it did it to me 3 consecutive days in a row. (but supposedly not on the fourth day for them)
Toyota's best suggestion was telling me to make sure i run my car for at least a few minutes before i would turn it off and attempt to restart it. Seriously??? A car, especially brand new, should start every single time I put the key in...those stipulations weren't in the manual!!

Any better suggestion on what the problem actually could be (one that could warrant something being fixed so this doesn't happen ever again) would be greatly appreciated!

[blb]

Originally Posted by chicky1125

well...i did a google search and found this forum because my car is doing the same exact thing! only thing is that mine is a brand new, less than 8,000 miles, 2009 Highlander.
I had it in the shop yesterday and of course it didn't do it for them and they ran a whole check on my car and claim that there is nothing wrong.
If that is the case, then why won't my car start every single time I attempt to start it??? It happened to me once when I started my car then turned it off to go grab something and when I came back out it would turn over, but not re-start. Since then I tested it and it did it to me 3 consecutive days in a row. (but supposedly not on the fourth day for them)
Toyota's best suggestion was telling me to make sure i run my car for at least a few minutes before i would turn it off and attempt to restart it. Seriously??? A car, especially brand new, should start every single time I put the key in...those stipulations weren't in the manual!!

Any better suggestion on what the problem actually could be (one that could warrant something being fixed so this doesn't happen ever again) would be greatly appreciated!

I have six (yes 6) Corollas and Prizms right now from 1990 to 2002 (all electronic fuel injected) and every one of these will do this in cold weather if you start it just long enough to pull it out of the garage and then shut it down right away. I have learned to run them around the block before shutting them down to avoid this problem (although this builds up unnecessary condensation in the exhaust system). I believe it is a software issue where the computer gets confused and can't remember the ignition timing sequence and/or fuel injector pulse timing on very short cold starts. Then it takes a very long extended crank time on the second start for the computer to relearn when each cylinder is at TDC and when to appropriately fire the spark and pulse the fuel injectors. During the restart, you can hear that one cylinder will start to hit correctly, then the second, then the third then the next. Although I am rarely ever the guy to suggest this, I believe you are going to have to learn to live with this, as it is inherent to the electronic design of the computer control system. I know several Volkswagen (Pasaat and Jetta) owners that have the same issue with their cars. BTW, none of my American cars from Chrysler and GM have this issue.