My 04 almost always has the cold start issue in the AM. Recently, I've found that if you pump the gas pedal a couple times (not all the way down, just an inch or so) and then turn the key, the car starts perfectly.

It's worked since Monday...anybody else try this?

 

ooh! Voo Doo, YAY!

Ok, so to write it up in steps, is it like this:
1.) stuff key in ignition
2.) turn key to "ON"
3.) pump accellerator part throttle a few times
4.) turn key to "Start"
5.) Viola! MINI starts!

 

Oh goodie! I get to pump the gas again! And here I thought I'd given that up forever with the donation of my dear, non-fuel injected Omni to the veterans...

Well, at least I get to do it in a different context, this time

 

this is really spooky! I'd come to the conclusion of late that a single accelerator pump, depressed halfway down DURING the cranking of the starter motor,will start the car first time without the "sputter and die" of the cold start issue (I got flashed to V37 a while ago, which worked briefly, but the cold start problem returned after a couple of months.) Let's call this the Markfix! Jock

 

More than likely, it is the WAITING with the ignition in the ON position that is creating the successful startup. :smile:

 

Well at least pushing the pedal gives ya something to do while waiting :smile:

I'm pretty sure I've tried the waiting with ignition on, and still had cold start... so I have yet to try it with pedal action.

 

Yeah, pump the pedal a few times...to get some gas squirted down the barrels of the quadrajet...just like my Impala 30 years ago...LOL

Seriously, turn the key to the on position then wait the few seconds until the fuel pump has brought the fuel lines up to pressure (this is the noise that you hear for a few seconds when you turn the key to the on position), then turn the key to start. The car should start just fine irrespective of the temperature, unless it is really cold (say, under 10 degrees Farenheit). Unless pumping the pedal is somehow sending some message to the computer, I can't see how pumping the pedal is doing anything at all.

 

This is true. I always turn the key to the ON position, wait for the
DSC light to go off, then start the car.

My DSC sometimes can not complete its self-test so I started
waiting about 2 seconds before cranking...then noticed a
side-effect of no more start up problems.

 

Cool.

And I actually thought I had something there

 

My MCS really loves to drink Citgo 93 gas....it runs smooooooth as silk and no cold start issues. 12,500 troublefree miles.

 

the QUADRAJET! Haven't heard or read that one in awhile.:smile:

 

this really works!!~!!! Bless you Kenchan(god I love this site )

 

This is an "old" remedy that seems to work fairly well most of the time. It was first discovered during the original "cold start" problem affecting very early 2002 production MCS 2 years ago.

 

Yes. It's not the DSC running through its tests but rather the fuel pump priming up. :smile:

 

I don't understand why this technique should work -- I thought the Mini used an electronic throttle.

Maybe it's just the placebo effect...

 

Wowwwwhh! The part without the gas pedal worked like a charm for me today. This is very special information. Thanks, Kenchan!

 

glad it works.

 

june,2002 build MCS.I guess that means I qualify!(Now where was I during all this "old" discussion???) Still, it works ,folks! :smile:

 

Check the "old" cold start threads. There are dozens of pages on this topic.
The MINI does have an electronic throttle. Like has been discussed in this thread, it's not the gas pedal that gets rid of the cold start problem, it's waiting a few seconds with the key in the on position to "pump up" the fuel pump. My 2nd week 2003 build, however, doesn't have this problem. 23 months and I can count the number of times my MINI didn't start on the first try on one hand. And that includes TWO winters.

 

Waiting 5+ seconds has no effect on GBMINIs cold start - it just comes & goes when it fancies. Better this week - cooler mornings? or different gas?

 

Waiting for 10 seconds before start has been standard operating procedure for me for the past decade...... My old car was a 04 325i and it required that 10 second wait for it to start successfullly..... so it is a BMW thing....

That said, just like Ian, my 04 MCS still doesn't start consistently even with the 10-second wait...... I also tried different brands of gas, park the car outside/inside for different temp/humidity, etc etc, but nothing helped....

Oh well.....

 

I don't think I really had the cold start problem, but I was not happy with how long I had to crank the engine to start it, particularly when it had been sitting for a long time. The dealed had it for several days and tried a few things and finally determined the after sitting for several hours+ the fuel pressure was dropping off more than it should. They determined it was the fuel pump and replced it.

Since then I definitely do not need to crank the engine as long to get it started, and it rarely requires a second effort.