Cold start problem????

[ms6z]

I just got out from work a few hours ago and when i tried to start my car, 2006 MS6, it died right after i let go of the clutch. I started the second time and same thing. On the third time, I hold the clutch for a few second and it idles normally. WTF???? I'm not sure if it's the wheather but why would it do this?? BTW I live MN. It's fawking below zero today but my other car, 1993 corolla starts like a champs.

 

[Super Shredder]

same exact thing happens to me, number one, give your car gas during cold starts, give it a couple revs. also putting a 4 dollar bottle of dry gas in a new fillup every once in a while couldn't hurt either. definitely has to do with temp/altitude. be carefull when sitting in idle after driving around a lot, your car can stall from the low temp idle revs, mine sometimes drops to 550rpm and the car shakes and i have to give it a little gas once or twice to keep it steady. i cant see how spending $40 at a ZapLube or whatever for a winter flush could hurt although my money is tied up in Baby Bull Terrier damages ill stick to the extra revs.

 

[UK_Ben]

My '07 MS6 Sport starts with no problems all the way down to -7F. That's the coldest it has been this year in Milwaukee, WI. It was parked outside all day while I was at work and fired right up when I walked out to warm it up before I drove off. I let it run for 10-15 minutes and it was barely off of C on the temp gauge. It was still running and had come down to normal idle (850-900 RPM).

Just my .02 cents.

 

[ms6z]

I know, it doesn't make any sense. It's a 2006 MS6 w/only 23,000. The car's in good condition, although i bought used. Even my 1993 corolla starts like a champ below zero. Right now the car starts fine. I don't understand why would it do that earlier.

 

[UK_Ben]

I would recommend letting it run at least until the revs come down to around 1000. This will at least get the oil somewhat less viscous.

Logic tells me it couldn't be a battery since it starts initially, although if you have the stock battery, you may want to look at getting a new one since these cold temperatures take their toll on 3 year old batteries pretty quickly.

What octane of fuel are you using and from which fuel stations? I always use 93 from Shell, BP, or Mobil.

An immediate stall when you let the clutch out makes me think that your car is a) lacking torque (for reasons outside my scope of knowledge, but could have something to do with bad fuel and very high air density), or b) being told to shut down by the ECU because something is wrong. Perhaps a knock sensor or an O2 sensor is bad? Does the check engine light come on when you start it back up? I'm assuming no but thought I would ask anyway.

For reference, my car has 21,000 miles on it and the original battery. Only mod I have is a CPE Intake

I'm no expert, and not a seasoned car mechanic, but I've worked on and diagnosed my fair share of cars here and there. Just throwing some thoughts out there.

 

[ms6z]

Yes, i used only 92 octane, can't find 93 oct. in MN. NO check engine light or bad idle. Everything in the car is stock. BTW is it normal for the car to feel a light jerk/move during a cold start? If i was to start the car on a cold start, meaning clutch in and clutch out, I would feel a jerk/move from the tranny/engine. Anyone experience this??

 

[Super Shredder]

its really just that you have to watch the revs for cold starts. my car has only done it once, and since then i've monitored it and it never happened again. also i can imagine a hot shutoff will hurt the cold start in the morning.

 

[caprisun]

ms6z,

Ive had the EXACT same problem since it got cold around here...(it got down to 15 below at one point).

Can't really put my finger on it exactly, but I'm tempted to think its a lubrication teperature issue with something in the drive train/gearbox assembly...

I wouldnt necessarially call it a "problem" per-se, but more of a quirk.
To me, it seems that from cold, the car can't handle neutral as a gear (meaning clutch out) without assistance from the throttle...

My solution has just been to deal with it and hold in the clutch for a minute or two while the thing warms up...If this were happening while in the summertime then it may be an issue, but for now I wouldn't worry...

Also something to consider is how cold and reluctant things can be on cold starts like the gearshift (I cant get mine into 2nd sometimes for a while on cold days)...

sorry for the novel.
happy mazdaspeedin.

 

[ms6z]

Thanks for all the comments guys! I guess everything is alright for now but if it does happen in the summer time, I'm taking it to MAZDA.