Hi Guys,

Just wondering, how do you guys cold start your 7's? Mines a 1988 N/A and I've tried using the way in the owners manual which seems to work okay ( one pump on the accel then start)... and also followed advice from my mechanic (no pump, no accel) and was wondering what the best option is? It starts up alright after a about 2 goes, sometimes it does stall the first go and detonates, i found the only way to do it is to give it a bit of gas once it starts to help it run.

And what's the overheating mark on the gauge???? I've herad it is half way and any more than that and your overheating, is that right? Cuz mine gets close to that if I drive it hard for about 5 to 10 mins or going up a mountain, which is normal i s'pose. Any ideas for better cooling perhaps? I tihnk mine may be running a little hot, have had the entire cooling system checked out with a service so it should be right inside.

And sorry! Last one!, about the fuel gauge, are those readings prety accurate? Cuz i should be getting about 300 to 350 km a tank (200-210miles) and just filled it up, have run 100km and is already at the half way mark. (Its first time Ive put in full fuel since I bought it a month back, keeping it topped up got me 300km) oh and im fairly sure it gets only about 50l in full which is 13. gallons, maybe a smaller tank ( australian import) cuz the specs say it has a 16.6 gallon tank.

Thanks guys!! really appreciate any help or advice or info

 

ANY MODS?

1. cats clogged or need's tune-up or .......


2. 1/4 of the gauge is normal on s4 models


3. It could be one thing is causing all these problems



How are the plugs?

 

hey kento i had the same problem just recently. i was only getting about 250mi tops out of my car which is a 13. gal tank sorry i dont know the conversions. the fuel line ruptured on me a few weeks ago. so i just replaced the fuel line under the car that goes to the fuel filter and i changed my fuel filter. after that i think i was able to get about 50 more mi out of my tank. i would give it a shot, and if not maybe you need a tuneup

 

No Mods I know of in that department. Still getting to know the car at the moment. But, on the subject of problems (Plugs etc).. Shouldn't be anything major as its just come out of a service which I got him to check the entire thing (he better bloody have, I've had a look around at the most of my limited ability to check engines lol).

I've got titanium Spark plugs put in with a service about 2 months ago with the previous owner. They should be right. Am now concerned about the fuel system as it does smell of fuel after a hard drive, plus the cold start problem, and possibly a lower than normal MPG rate, chekin with a full tank now.

So going near half way does indicate my car runs a lil hotter? Thats only with harder driving but. It's usually 1/4 the way up, at first I thought low oil was the cause of it, as I got back from delivering it with considerably low oil, got it filled up and the whole system checked with nothing wrong with it. Am testing it now for leaks etc.

And cats clogged or needs tune up? Could you possible enlighten me on that, Sorry for that, I gotta do my homework., alot of it!! ( Tis First car )

Thanks bud.

 

Thanks mate,

250 miles out of 13galon tank is about 19MPG which is not bad if its in the city ( according to specs of 17MPG N/A) . Im not expecting good milage. or else i woodnt buy a seven, i still gotta get used to driving it so I dont eat up to0 much gas.
Am getting a wheel alignment done this week, I know that'll help in my milage, once i figure out what it is. if i only get 200kms (124 miles) on a 13G tank il kick myself. theres something wrong for sure. Thats how its lookin on the gauge at the moment.

I think Il try get the fuel lines, system and fuel filter checked out and possibly replaced. I mite as well try it. There has to be some kinda fuel problem there from the gas milage and the cold start problem.

 

OK. Can someone tell me what a tune up is, when talkin fuel talk???? Im reall sorry for the dumb question, it wont happen again. probably. Il start doin some study asap!!

 

The one pump suggested by the owner's manual is to ensure the thermowax on the TB is set properly for fast-idle when the engine's cold. Don't ask me to explain why, but if you remove the TB and study how the linkage works it'll make perfect sense. Doing this has absolutely no effect on fuel delivery as EFI does nothing until the engine starts turning. Your mechanic is probably saying that out of old habit, as engines with carbs could flood if you pumped the gas pedal before starting the engine. With EFI this has no negative affect whatsoever.

Whatever it's doing, it's not detonating. That's something completely different. If the factory idle control systems (thermowax, BAC valve) are in place and functioning correctly there should be no need to touch the gas pedal during or after cranking. If they've been removed (not uncommon) then difficultly idling when the engine's cold is to be expected. If the parts are still there they may not be functioning properly. It could be a number of other things as well, like a vac leak or a bad coolant thermosensor.

On S4's normal temp is at ~1/4, and it can rise to 1/2 under sustained heavy load. This is not overheating, and is perfectly normal. I wouldn't start worrying until it got to 3/4 and was still going up.

I wouldn't rely on the gauge other than to give you a very general idea and when to head to a gas station. If you want to accurately measure fuel consumption, the only correct way to do it is to fill the tank and zero the trip meter, drive until it's nearly empty, fill the tank again, and divide the amount of fuel for the refill by the distance covered to get L/100km (or the other way around to get km/L if you prefer that).

The S4 tank's capacity is 63L (16.6gal) but the gauge will show empty at 52-54L. This is a safety margin to help you avoid running out of gas. Don't forget that the fuel pick-up can't reach the very bottom of the tank, so just becasue you can put 63L in doesn't mean you can get 63L out.