Car now hesitates or stalls when cold. What should I check?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

What can cause my car to start hesitating and stalling when it is cold?

2

Care to give any details about your car? Are should we just guess at what you are driving too?

3

95 ford contour se

4

Is the check engine light on? Does it otherwise idle at the correct speed? Is there any rough running or engine miss?

5

It hesitates and stalls when the engine is cold or when the weather is cold even after the engine has warmed up?

6

One thing that can cause this problem is a defective coolant temp sensor for the computer. If this sensor is telling the computer that the coolant temp is at 200 degrees, but it’s actually only at forty degrees, the computer will command the injectors to introduce the wrong amount of fuel for a cold engine. Once the engine gets hot enough again, these problems disappear and the engine runs normally.

Tester

7

When it is cold, say 30-45 degrees. I turn the key and the car starts right up, it idles a little fast, from I suppose a choke of some kind. In 30 seconds or so the engine purrs. BUT, if I put the car in 1st gear and start to release the clutch the engine jerks and will stall if I don’t rev the engine and take off slowly. It then takes about 3-5 minutes to warm up and run fine.
Also, if I let the car idle for 5 or ten minutes before starting to drive, there is not hesitation. There must be some kind of sensor that isn’t working properly when the engine is still cold???

8

Stuck EGR valve. The EGR is supposed to be closed when the car is cold. That way the engine is not burning exhaust while its trying to warm up. If the valve is stuck open, then you can have problems like this. Thats my first guess.

9

Thanks all, I’ll locate the EGR valve and clean or replace it and if the problem is not cured, I’ll post again.
David

10

Here are some instructions for checking the egr valve. Use a throttle body cleaner in the egr valve and the throttle body plate and bore. http://www.autozone.com/shopping/repairGuide.htm?pageId=0900c152800a8aa6

11

OK I’ve got the same problem on a 93 Chevy Silverado 305 I’ve replaced the fuel pump fuel filter fuel lines distributor spark plugs an wires coolant temp sensor an I have a TBI with new injectors an fuel pressure regulator what else can it be

12

I’ve cleaned the egr with throttle cleaner

13

and did that fix the problem?

14

This is an ancient thread, @noel89576 . You should start your own.

1 Like