F/U on ky car start delay

[Speedy]

mrbigstuff wrote:
I blame it on the jelly.

Nope, I'm pretty certain it's the flux capacitor.

[Racer X]

I bet most of the blue smoke escaped.

I didn't realize it was a stick, otherwise I would have mentioned the clutch starter interlock switch, AKA "neutral" safety switch.

[Black]

space-time wrote:
http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1,1956113

I did some more testing, and most of the time the car starts just fine, or if there is a delay (it only happened two times since Friday), it seems that the car starts when I am about to give up and release the clutch pedal. There is a switch (interlock?) so car won't start unless you press the clutch. At this time more testing is required, but so far it seems like that switch does not make contact if I press the clutch all the way down, but if I let it go up, just a millimeter or two, the car starts. I am starting to suspect a bad clutch switch. I am not sure if this is easier or more difficult to fix than a bad starter.

The only fix here is to add the special starting technique to the list of instructions for others on how to make your old quirky car go. I just remembered I put a switch in one of my Hondas (one of those illuminated toggles from Radio Schlock) to turn the radiator fan on and off-- always fun explaining that when I lent the car. Are you old enough to remember manual chokes?

[mrbigstuff]

kind of like the admonition, "Don't put down the left rear window!"

I'm driving a car now with multiple quirks that I can deal with, but selling it would mean too much explaining. and the quirks do not bother me all that much.

[space-time]

Are you old enough to remember manual chokes?

Yes, I think that was the lever my Dad used to pull on his old Dacia, when he was starting in the winter, there was some lever under the dash which he explained to me closed a certain airpath so not so much cold air got into engine during warm up phase. He used to push it back slowly as the car warmed up. And they used to put lead in gasoline back in those days.

[Black]

space-time wrote:
Are you old enough to remember manual chokes?

Yes, I think that was the lever my Dad used to pull on his old Dacia, when he was starting in the winter, there was some lever under the dash which he explained to me closed a certain airpath so not so much cold air got into engine during warm up phase. He used to push it back slowly as the car warmed up. And they used to put lead in gasoline back in those days.

Sort of-- basically just cut off the airflow to make the initial mixture richer for starting. All Civics prior to 1980 had 'em. Never owned an accord or prelude so can't speak to those.

[RAMd®d]

Yes, I think that was the lever my Dad used to pull on his old Dacia, when he was starting in the winter, there was some lever under the dash which he explained to me closed a certain airpath so not so much cold air got into engine during warm up phase. He used to push it back slowly as the car warmed up. And they used to put lead in gasoline back in those days.

Yes.

During starting, a cold engine wants more fuel and less air. Cold air has even more oxygen in the air, making choke or "more" choke needed in winter. Our first cars had manual chokes.

Years later, my first motorcycles had manual chokes. On some warm days, I didn't need any choke. Once warm, none was needed thought the day. My last two bikes had fuel injection and "automatic chokes" Bikes without FI may still have them.

My previous car was carbureted, and I had to clean the automatic choke mechanism from time to time.

[Seacrest]

this is the most unintentionally sexy thread title i've seen in a while...

[space-time]

Seacrest wrote:
this is the most unintentionally sexy thread title i've seen in a while...

LOL, I was like WTF (yeap, pun intended), I had to re-read the title several times to see the KY. my brain kept reading "F/U on my car start delay"