Cold Start Problem-1996 Caviler

This is going to be really cumbersome.

Can your friend not speak directly? It'll be like using an interpreter to speak to someone, both ways.

You should be able to search for the answer as easily as we can, and speak directly to the friend. What have you found so far?

no lyn, he's mentally handicapped. i suspect it's a plugged cat,bad cold start injector, or a misplaced plug connection. i can't find a wiring schematic.

OK.

I won't ask why they are driving.

he's a great driver. handicapped in other ways.

You've been on here long enough to have told your friend to go get another car, rather than spending money on a rebuild.

I'd throw away a Cavalier if it got a flat tire.

Why is the thermostat out? What else is missing?

i suggested the same thing. he's broke. i'm hoping for a cheap fix. l'm just trying to help a friend.

I hear ya. All of my engine knowledge is old school. I'm lost in the world of computers and 100's of sensors in cars.

Does the diagnostic port say anything?

mis-fire on #-4 . no real info i can use.

Is this the 2.2 or older 2.3 liter, or the 2.4 liter? The 1996 I-4s are fuel injected. Pumping the accelerator while cranking should not result in flooding, so this makes me think there's a problem with the throttle position sensor (TPS). Expensive fix. Backfiring means ignition is happening when it shouldn't so the head job may not have been that great of a "professional job" and there might be some hot spots in a cylinder. Expensive fix. Or, the distributor/coil/ignition computer is shot and firing when it should not. Expensive fix. Sulfur smell is too rich of a mixture hitting the catalytic converter, which would happen if pumping the gas has wet the cylinders with raw gas, which will rot the converter and plug it, which can lead to some hard start issues. Backfiring through the air intake can also blow the TPS. Loud blasts out the tailpipe can also cause failure of the O2 sensors, which will cause the computer to introduce the wrong air/fuel mixture - which leads to hard starts. Cheapest place to start is check the timing with a timing light, make sure the firing order is correct, and take the car when it's running to a muffler shop and do a pressure test on the Cat Converter. Next, get a free computer read from Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts. You mentioned bad maintenance. When the head job was done, did the plugs get changed? Cheap plugs, or wrong plugs, (did they put in new plugs but the wrong ones???) can lead to all these problems you mention. Why is the thermostat out? If cold starting is the biggest issue, then having the t-stat out just means the engine will take longer to warm up, and that means if it dies before warming, it's just harder to start than if it was allowed to warm up before the t-stat opens. Where is the car - city/state? There are lots of mechanics out there who will work on projects like this for disabled people. Hope this helps.

i'll get back to you with more inforrmation as soon as possible. the man is in dire straights.

Warning! Politically Incorrect Post. i suggested a long rod up a short cat convertor. a man at Auto Zone warned me it would drastically reduce the fuel mileage. see post #-10

Flog the car, then. Both problems go away.

7-hard start after sitting an hour.

8-one back-fire as car starts.

9-will only start after pumping the thottle numerous times, 30-60 seconds of crank time.

10-smell of sulfer after start.

It sounds like his car argues with him a lot.

babbles to him might be a better way to put it.

perhaps a magic decoder ring will speed the process

i've already tried that. i got it from a cracker jack box too.

Is this the stereo for the Cavalier. Oh I'm sorry. This is a 1989 Cavalier. I wonder if this guy also has a horse?

degrading a handicapped, hard working, patriot who tries his hardest to support his family is obnoxios to me and i'm sure others on this site feel the same way.

I don't believe Redfred was degrading your friend, the reference to a horse was from another post entitled "Caption This"

I don't think he meant any harm. You have to admit, the Cavalier threads on here outnumber anything else.

Is your friend a veteran?

A google search "cars for veterans" yields lots of results to places that might be able to help.

yes, a veteran and very hard working. he supports his family including mom and dad.

that heart of yours isn't so Ice cold after all good job!

Who said I had an ice cold heart?

I'm just an a**hole.

engine seaches is not my forte. i depend on Solar Eagle. the infomation in my posts come from exsperience only. i don't even know where my spell checker is located.

i appologize for the crass remark. i'm not in the click, so too speak.