Starting Your Car Right

Tony Scotti

You probably don't think much about how to start your car. You get in, turn the key, and go-until the day the car balks. Knowing the right way to start your car, though, will lengthen your engine's life, reduce repair bills, and reduce frustration by making your car start more willingly. Follow these steps for "cold starts," that is, starting your car for the first time in the morning, or when the engine is at ambient temperature- the temperature outside.

First, set the parking brake by placing your foot firmly on the pedal, or pulling up firmly on the lever. John Totz, district service manager for the Ford Motor Company, advises also making sure that all accessories are off so full electrical power can be delivered to the starting system.

Next, in a car with an automatic transmission, put the car in "park" or "neutral" to disengage the starter interlock system. In a car with manual transmission, depress the clutch fully and put the car in neutral.

On carburetor cars, if the temperature is below freezing or if the engine hasn't been started in at least two days, press the gas two or three times to make the initial fuel mixture "richer"-that is, to increase the proportion of gas in the gas-air combination.

Fuel-injected cars are computer controlled, so you shouldn't touch the gas pedal at all. "In fact," says Mike Michels of the Toyota Motor Company of America, "hitting the gas only confuses the computer."

Finally, turn the key. Don't press or pump the gas pedal while turning the key in a fuel- injected car. In a carbureted car, press the accelerator down to one-quarter to one half of the way. Release the gas immediately when the car starts.

In normal weather the car should start in four seconds. At temperatures below freezing, the car should start in 10 seconds. Release the key from start position as soon as the car starts. "Do not crank the car for more than 30 seconds, or the starter motor may overheat," warns Tutz.

No matter what kind of car you have, fuel-injected or carbureted, automatic or manual, you don't need a warm up. Once the engine starts, drive off gently. If you can't, you need repairs.

Long warm-ups reduce gas mileage, and long periods at fast idle (10 minutes or more) will damage the catalytic converter. On the other hand, avoid putting undo stress on the engine until the oil has had the opportunity to circulate to all engine parts. (If you're using the proper weight of oil, (that should be no more than a few seconds.) Never race an engine-carbureted or fuel-injected-right after starting, no matter how impatient you are to "warm it up". Michels notes that 90 percent of all engine wear occurs during the first few minutes.

If the car doesn't start on the first try, release the ignition, let the car sit for a few seconds and try again. If it still doesn't start, wait several minutes before trying again.

If the engine should flood press the accelerator down all the way to the floor and hold it. On a fuel- injected car this sends a message to the computer that the car is flooded, and the computer in turn shuts off all fuel. On a carbureted car, pressing the accelerator all the way to the floor allows more air to pass through the manifold, evaporating the excess gas. Don't pump the accelerator while you crank the engine.

If these procedures don't work, your car may need maintenance. "Computer-controlled fuel injection rarely floods the engine," says Michels, "unless there is some malfunction with the fuel delivery system."

If you maintain your car well, you shouldn't have to change your starting procedure as the car gets older. However, as the miles add up, you may find that a variation of the procedure produces faster starts. That usually indicates that some part of the starting system or the other system is wearing out or beginning to fail.