hard start

RavageVJS2D

Registered User
i am working on a 90 3.8 SC and haveing some problems with it. when the car is cold it is very hard to get started but once it warms up it seems to start ok but it has a little bit of a ruff idle like a miss then when i rev it up fast (punch the gas) it acts likt it want to choke off and then i let off and it idles agian. now when i am doing this it is blowing black smoke and leaving like a soot on the ground. if anyone has any ideas what it may be please help.i can also unplug the MAF sencer and the car does not change the way it idles and sometimes when tring to start i can hear the fule pump relay pulseing like it has a short in it but i did take another relay and try it and it did it also.

i have replaced the TPS,DIS and tried to check all the wires that i can get to just to make sure thar everything is pluged in so any help will be great.


thanks jason
 
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Could be related to the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor. The one on the intake manifold. Could also be cam sensor related for the hard start part of it. Do you get any Check Engine Light? Do you have the right MAF? Is it clean? Any other history on the car? Last time plugs were changed? Changed to what brand/model and gapped to what value? At this point just throwing out possible ideas. Hard to know without seeing the car...especially if no codes.
 
With the ways you've discribed things, check to make sure you have a bolt holding the harmonic blancer on. I've had similar issues when either the bolt was broken, or the balancer itself was broken.

That would be my first place to inspect if it were me.

-Tim
 
thanks guys i will check all of that stuff tomorrow for sure. i orderd a temp sensor todat and going to change it tomorrow also. i will keep you posted.

yes the CEL is on but i dont have a code reader to get them. i have a friend that is going to come and read it for me with his scanner. it has a MAF on it i guess it is the right one i have never changed it and i have cleaned it. me a my nephew changed the plugs in april and i think the gap is about 35 and cant remember the brand. but the car hasnt been driven since it has only been started it wont run long enough to drive or i dont trust it to go on the road to try to. it will idle for as long as i will let it run but after a wile if i go and press the gas it looks like a diesel truck blowing black smoke
 
Sure you have the firing order right? If you used a Haynes manual it is wrong. If you have an OEM coil pack the orientation of the coil numbers is shown. They aren't intuitively obvious to most casual observer. Got to make sure you have the right cylinders wired to the right connection on the coil pack.
 
Possibly a crank sensor, check to see if the upshift light is on while you are cranking the car.....if it is then the crank sensor is not working
 
Sure you have the firing order right? If you used a Haynes manual it is wrong. If you have an OEM coil pack the orientation of the coil numbers is shown. They aren't intuitively obvious to most casual observer. Got to make sure you have the right cylinders wired to the right connection on the coil pack.

i am pretty sure that they are good. when we did the plugs we did one at a time seeing how you just about need 2 people to do them 1 on top and 1 on the bottom LOL!! and i will check that upshift light to see if it is doing that for some reason i think it is on but i will double check it just to make sure. and thanks agian for all the help and input
 
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