My wifes 99 Z3 1.9 auto has a decided reluctance to fire up in the morning. When it finally fires up it seems to be on 3 cylinders before finding the other one.

The cars done 24k and the oil change service indicator has just come on. The car only did 3k last year (we bought it last month) could this be linked ?

When warm there is no problem.......

I've sprayed wd40 over the electrical bits & put some octane booster in the tank & hope that will help tomorrow.

Is this cold starting problem the norm for 1.9's ???

Cheers

Dave

Hi Dave,

Suppose the first question is, when was it last serviced? Sounds like it could be something as simple as a dicky spark plug or lead.

If the oil service light is on then sounds like it's time for a service anyway, get them to at least check the plugs, leads, rotor arm, dizzy cap, which they should for a service anyway. If it has a rogue plug or lead then the octane booster would not help, it may even just mask the problem.

Rob

I don't think this car would have a dissy cap or R arm. Also the hydraulic lifters would only make a tappety noise for a few seconds and wouldn't cause the engine to run lumpy.

I would clean the plugs first or even just fit new ones as they are only a few quid each.

Just a thought....petrol can go off (a bit like milk!). It may be that! Especially if you are not using it much.

Good luck!

dave 328 wrote: I don't think this car would have a dissy cap or R arm. Also the hydraulic lifters would only make a tappety noise for a few seconds and wouldn't cause the engine to run lumpy.   I would clean the plugs first or even just fit new ones as they are only a few quid each.

if the oil drains out of the hydralic lifters, it will turn over and not start till the lifters are full, which insome cases while doin this the engine floods and when it starts causes a slight misfire till the excess fuel is burnt!

Thanks for the comments...

Sprayed WD40 all over the electrical stuff and it was OK.

Getting it serviced on 20/12 so hopefully that will do the trick !

Dave,

noticed the 1999 lexus IS200 at the end of your posts. What kind of power is it making?

grahamC wrote: if the oil drains out of the hydralic lifters, it will turn over and not start till the lifters are full, which insome cases while doin this the engine floods and when it starts causes a slight misfire till the excess fuel is burnt!

A hydraulic lifter will only alter the valve clearance by a few mil. The car will also start with no oil in the lifters, I changed some and when they are new you have to run it on fast idle to fill the tapets quickly otherwise they can get stuck once the engine gets hot and it hets more difficult to get the oil in them then.

The only part the hydraulic tappets play is to dampen the noise of the cams hitting them thus making it quieter, the engine will still run normally even with no oil in them, but it will tap quite loudly.

The M44 B19 engine fitted to your car has been known to give cold start problems due to faulty hydraulic valve lifters - but not due to the oil draining. When cold they actually expand slightly, thus keeping the valves partially off their seats and resulting in a loss of compression. Has this fault come about since your last oil change ? Could be to do with the viscosity. Generally though, new lifters are the only cure. Early M44 engines also suffered from valve / seat sealing problems - although this woild also show as a lumpy idle when warm.

Andy.

Peter Fenwick wrote: Dave, noticed the 1999 lexus IS200 at the end of your posts. What kind of power is it making?

Peter, Its 210 w/out NOS & 260 with NOS. Going for all steel bottom end & cam/head mods which should get 250 bigger NOS jets will mean 350 when the gas is on.........

Just got the Z3 back.........cold starting is due to the car needing the "cam spread modification"   being done under warranty.