problems starting when cold

[journeyfamily]

hello

for the past couple of weeks, i have had problems with starting my 2011 journey v6 when its cold, it cranks over, and tries to fire but takes a long time, when it starts to fire, it coughs and splutters, and eventually starts, i have been reading that it could be the IAC valve which i believe acts like a choke, is this correct? 

i don't think it would be the spark plugs, but i'm no mechanic.

 

any ideas would be great

 

thanks

[2late4u]

ah, take it to a mechanic. you give no details on mileage and you say you are  not mechanical but ask for help. find a good mechanic you trust instead of using a shotgun approach to auto repair...it will be cheaper than just replacing parts.. good luck

[jkeaton]

How’s many miles? How cold?

[journeyfamily]

around -5 - 10 ish its done 107k

do you have any ideas

[larryl]

It could be anything really from fuel delivery to spark-weak fuel pump,bad fuel,sensors etc its a crap shoot unless you have a good mechanic and it might be something simple

[jkeaton]

35 minutes ago, journeyfamily said:

around -5 - 10 ish its done 107k

do you have any ideas

 

Like stated above, could be anything. Excess moisture in the fuel freezing, etc. 

[journeyfamily]

yea i was hoping it could be something simple, its never been a problem before, it has always started very well, a friend of mine suggested a product called sea foam to put into the tank to clean everything, and to help with possible water in fuel etc, so might give that a go, if not, a trip to my local garage i guess.

would the computer throw anything up as a error do you think? 

 

thanks

[OhareFred]

If there was an error your MIL (check engine) light would be on.  Is it?  My 09 started fine, backed out the driveway, then died when my wife put it in drive today.  First time that ever happened.  It was also zero out.  It started right back up and has been fine since.  No reason why, it just did.

 

Your  issue is different, but I couldn’t guess why mine died, nor why yours won’t start/run.  Sometimes it cheaper in the long run to take it to a mechanic.  It could be something simple, or something else.

[Armando G]

Cold seems to be a nasty enemy of these cars with multiple sensors that keep the cars running. My daughters car (not a DJ) was having trouble starting last week and was throwing out some nasty codes and messages. After talking to a couple of machanically inclined friends a lot of suggestions led to starting with making certain the ground from the battery was secure, with no corrosion. We started there, and sure enough there was corrosion built up at the point of contact (not to mention the battery cable was ground to a painted surface). The cold caused some bad moisture build up which caused certain sensors to read incorrectly. It also caused the corrosion to build up quicker. After cleaning it up and adding some cable lubricant to keep the moisture out, it's been starting up like a champ with no error messages. We did take it in to the shop since she has a warranty and they ran a check on the sensors...no issues. Seemed to simple to be true, but newer cars have a double grounding system to support the sensors and starting the vehicle, so any break in that ground creates some crazy results. Just a thought to start with the basic and work your way from there. Good luck.