Cold start

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

97 saturn sl1 hard start on cold mornings, no problem in warm weather

2

Define “hard start.”

Does the battery spin the engine?

What’s the maintenance history of this car? How old are the spark plugs? The plug wires? The fuel filter? The air filter? Etc.

Does the check engine light ever come on?

3

diaslo:

There can be a number of causes for poor starting in cold weahtherr such as:

  1. Battery in poor condition

  2. Spark plugs worn,

  3. Iginition wires in poor shape

  4. Starter motor well worn

  5. Sluggish fuel pump

  6. Oil in the engine too thick

  7. Electrical connections dirty or wiring worn

In order for us to begin to answer your question, we need to know:

  1. Where you live

  2. How many miles on the car

  3. List of maintenance activities performed, if any

  4. What viscosity of oil (e.g. 10W30, 5W30 or other) is in the crankcase

  5. How often the oil is changed

  6. How old are the starter motor and the battery?