Poor starting when it's cold.

[beardo]

Our Beatie is not enjoying the cold weather. It's refused to start all weekend and last week when it did the tickover was very lumpy for 20 to 30 seconds before it came to life.

This morning I removed the inspection cover and checked for fuel and spark, I even did a compression test while I was there just to make sure there wasn't anything serious wrong. Removed the dizzy cap and leads and gave them a clean out and still it wouldn't start. Unplugged wiring connectors and sprayed with wd40 to rule out a poor connection, still not starting. As a last resort I got the wifes hair dryer and warmed up what I could. Bloody started first crank after that.

Anybody elses Beat not liking the cold? Or is ours the only one braving it?

[wildbilly]

Good reason to bring the poor thing into the warm, put it on the mat in front of the fire.

[hothybrids]

High compression engines are usualy harder to get started and I don't think the ECU was mapped for use in very cold weather...
Then again, this sounds like a recuring problem on hondas: could only be condensation in the destributor that frosted up and cut the connection... Honda distributors are notorious for taking on humidity, get a new seal and maybe a new distributor cap!

[Mylee]

Anybody elses Beat not liking the cold? Or is ours the only one braving it?

Garage clear out last weekend, ours is now all tucked up now And what with the forecast of sub zero temps, the gritters will be out so there's no way the Beat will even be taken off the drive!

[TADO]

ours has never failed to start but can be a bit feeble sounding for a couple of seconds right at the start when its damp and cold. ours is about to go into hibernation for the first time tho we'll try and give it a run each week.

[beardo]

Garage clear out last weekend, ours is now all tucked up now And what with the forecast of sub zero temps, the gritters will be out so there's no way the Beat will even be taken off the drive!

I draw the line at taking it out when it's icey (unless I feel the need to powerslide round the estate ) but for the most part the Beat will be getting used through the winter. It was icy this morning and it started no trouble. I've sealed the dizzy and the plug leads and gone a bit mad with the cold start spray. Seems to have done the trick.

[beardo]

ours has never failed to start but can be a bit feeble sounding for a couple of seconds right at the start when its damp and cold. ours is about to go into hibernation for the first time tho we'll try and give it a run each week.

Sounds like what ours does, just for longer. Just a couple of seconds this morning though. Looks like we are going to be the only ones using the Beat over winter. The last 2 winters it was off the road as I was working on it. This winters job is an easy one. Refurb some wheels that I have aquired. Should give the car a whole new look.

[LawrenceHarding]

One of ours recently developed an extreme dislike of very wet weather accompanied with intermittant fault codes for no 1 cyl/crank pos sensors. Problem caused by blown capacitor in ECU.

[Wh1teLeopard]

I think you'd probably have noticed this when you checked the dizzy but mine used to refuse to start when it had rained, because of a crack in the top HT lead that goes to the ECU, the name of which escapes me right now... you couldn't see it while it was plugged in, but I unplugged it and it was coked in white decomposition material and was all broken and disintegrated inside all because of a hair line crack in the cover.

Did that make sense? Brain doesn't seem to want to engage right now

[bigB]

I just put IT in the greenhouse for 6 months of winter. But I did love the recent cold weather (-5 celsius) cruising because The Beat really seemed to come to life with added performance and vigor. Cold, dense air, with a little road ice/frost for drifting, bumped up the performance and fun factor with no starting issues. Too bad 50cm of snow has now ended my fun. Oh well, 179 winter days 'til spring and counting! B.

[old'uns]

i've had the opposite
took him out for a last spin, dry roads & half decent weather, started first time.
after about 20 mins started running rough at idle-2.5k, spitting & back firing.
idled ok, not perfect, then felt like either timing out,fuel too lean or maybe air leak.
too cold now to strip & mess with so under covers he goes until next year