96 Flooding on Starting (1 Viewer)

[MyLoCoLife]

Had a no start condition.
Vehicle was cold, hadn't been driven for about a week.
Tried to start it and it just cranked.
Right at the first try, there was a bit of blub-blub as if it was going to start.
After the first crank, there was no more "almost" starting but only cranking.
I did smell fuel noticeably from the exhaust.
I got back in and held the gas pedal to the floor and still no start.
I kept trying to crank in a few second bursts till the battery started to get low.
Hooked up the battery charger and kept trying over the next weeks.
Check Spark, battery voltage, connections to maf, throttle body and because I smelled fuel at the tailpipe I didn't crack any lines, just went on faith there was fuel.
Because of a bad shoulder, I can't get too involved tearing into things deeper so I sent it to my mechanic.
It started right up for him! He said it was "probably" Flooded.
How can it get flooded on the first try at cranking and several other days trying after just sitting?
Is there a test to perform on the Throttle Body at cold starts I should tell my shop to check?

 

[BILT4ME]

A fuel injected engine RARELY ever floods.

If it does, it's typically an injector is stuck open ether from a short in the wiring or the injector nozzle failed.

Could you have had rodents on the engine chewing on wires? A grounded wire to an injector will hold it wide open and dump fuel. Melted harness at EGR?

 

[Tools R Us]

When it wouldn't start, with the key to run, was the CEL on? If it was flooding, the first check is the wires out of the ECU rubbing/shorting on the glove box support.

 

[Lowbudgetlc100]

idle air control. try clean ing out the throttlebody and icv first.

 

[MyLoCoLife]

I didn't notice the CEL on or off. I called the shop and asked them to check these things. I will let you know what they find.

 

[stlcruiser]

I had a similar situation starting a cold engine in cold weather. Would crank, not start, then flood. With engine warm, no problem. Turned out my "summer oil" 15/40 was too thick for the cold weather and starter would crank slow as fuel was being dumped causing flooded condition. If cold weather and thick oil is not your issue, possible a weak/slow starter.

 

[Heckraiser]

^^^ I have run 15/40 oil year round even in sub-zero temps and never had an issue like that. I suspect a weak starter or battery/starter connection was the real problem.

 

[MyLoCoLife]

I had a similar situation starting a cold engine in cold weather. Would crank, not start, then flood. With engine warm, no problem. Turned out my "summer oil" 15/40 was too thick for the cold weather and starter would crank slow as fuel was being dumped causing flooded condition. If cold weather and thick oil is not your issue, possible a weak/slow starter.

Funny you mention that. I did just recently put in ~1/2quart of Lucas High Mileage Oil Stabilizer. That stuff is thicker than honey. I had never tried it before.
My Battery, terminals, cables, and OEM starter are about 1 year old. All replaced at the same time. It could have been cool outside but I was not all bundled up like if it was below 50 degrees

 

[ZackR]

Lawnmower syndrome? I've had that happen before when its cold and I just need to move the cruiser out of the way.

FYI lawnmower syndrome is when the cylinder walls are washed down with fuel during a cold start but the engine never warms up (even a little) and compression is significantly reduced (such as when moving the cruiser out of the garage to get the lawnmower).

The solution is to hold the throttle to the floor and crank it for a long time to dry it out, build compression and eventually get it to start. A plume of black smoke will result and it'll stutter for a second and race back to life.