ODD Behavior

[Dan]

This is a weird one.

My MM runs oddly for the first few minutes of driving after I take it out on the day after a rain. The engine runs very rough until it warms up. It only does it once. If I let the car cool and restart it or even put it away and restart it the next day it does not do it.

I do not "warm up" my car. I keep it garaged. I get it, start it and back out. This has happened more than once. This Am I backed it out and, when I put it in drive, it acted weird, sort of like if I hit the gas I would flood it or something. I went 1/4 of a mile, put it in park and turned it off and back on again and it was fine.

Has this happened to anyone else? My car specs are in my sig if that helps.

Dan

[CBT]

Havn't had that one happen to me, brother. But, when I have the radio on and hit the rear defrost button, the radio completely statics out until I turn the defrost button back to off. CD's or tapes will work just fine though. Kooky.

[dansenander]

My MM runs oddly for the first few minutes of driving after I take it out on the day after a rain. The engine runs very rough until it warms up. It only does it once. ............when I put it in drive, it acted weird, :depress: sort of like if I hit the gas I would flood it or something........

Has this happened to anyone else?
Dan
Yes, it has happened to me. This was a routine occurance for several weeks. It almost :depress: feels as if it is going to stall as soon as I hit the gas. Only when cold, never when hot.

To me, it almost feels like an ignition pwoer loss rather than an air/fuel problem.

I also have the SCT tuner from DR. Hmmmmm???

[Captain Steve]

I've noticed that my car maintains about 1500 rpm at idle when it's really cold out. I think it's a feature to get the heat going faster.

Maybe the engine runs rich for a little bit when it's cold. It'd be the same effect as having the choke on in a carburated motor. Boggy at idle... like it's not getting enough air?

[MERCMAN]

ARRGH,, I agree with the captain!! I find that if I start-up the car and back it out of the garage and then shut it off, when I fire it up again and take off, it bogs down like it is being choked. I attribute this to the unburned gas left in the cylinders from the quick shutdown while the engine is cold. To remedy this, I usually have to tromp down on the gas to clear the cylinders, after that, no problem. :beer:

[Dr Caleb]

There is an SSM for cold start problems on the early '03's.

SSM 16428 says:
2003 MM HESITATATION/STUMBLE COLD ONLY
SOME 2003 MM MAY EXHIBIT A HESTITATION/STIMBLE DURING THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF OPERATION FOLLOWING A COLD START. THIS WILL TIPICALLY OCCUR WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS 70-90 DEG/F DURING OPEN LOOP STAGE. THIS MAY BE DUE TO THE PCM. TO SERVICE, REPROGRAM THE PCM WITH THE LATEST CALIBRATION USING WDS RELEASE B22NM-2 OR LATER THE LASTEST CALIBRATION CONTAINS IMPROVED AIR/FUEL MIXTURE RATIOS.


http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3550&highlight=cold+start+tsb

[CRUZTAKER]

There is an SSM for cold start problems on the early '03's.

I believe this was the fix: 3U7A-12A650-AMA, it was a software update via flash.

Unfortunately for many of us with custom tunes, these flashes are worthless.

[TripleTransAm]

Just a note: Dan has a blue car, which would make it a late '03. Most likely he had CRD1 in his PCM from the factory, which is what I've had and I can't say the car behaves too badly when cold (not as good as my other cars, but not as bad as a carbed motor, that's for sure).

Also note that he has an SCT program loaded... I suspect the SCT program is fine and dandy for average summer temps, but I hear too many of them having this kind of problem when things get real cold. I guess that's why the factory spends so much time on PCM programs (or, at least should... I still can't believe the early PCM tunes left the door in the condition they were in).

[Dr Caleb]

Just a note: Dan has a blue car, which would make it a late '03. Most likely he had CRD1 in his PCM from the factory, which is what I've had and I can't say the car behaves too badly when cold

Exactally what I was thinking TTA. I saw the 'Blue' in his sig, and I know those were only produced before January 04 so it was 50/50 whether he had CRD1 or BMD0.

Mine was built December 03, and has BMD0, and does not have the cold start problems described here.

[TripleTransAm]

Blues were only produced BEFORE Jan '04? I thought it was 'after'. If I was wrong, then it completely invalidates my point.

[Dr Caleb]

Blues were only produced BEFORE Jan '04? I thought it was 'after'. If I was wrong, then it completely invalidates my point.

Sorry, fat finger error. IIRC, Blue's were produced until December 2002, then silver after January 200<b>3</b>. DTR in 2004 model year only.

The fix for cold start (SSM 16428) didn't come out until spring 2003, so odds are if a blue MM hasn't been reflashed, it may have cold start problems. I don't know when the factory started including the BMD0 program.

Our point is still valid, my typing notwithstanding. ;)

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11773&highlight=2003+production+numb ers+date
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11773&highlight=2003+production+numb ers+date
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?p=143655#post14 3655

[RF Overlord]

Mine was built December 03, and has BMD0, and does not have the cold start problems described here.
Mine was built in Aug '02, same code as Dr Caleb, and I have no cold starting/running issues at all, either. But, as Barry said, my Jerry-tune may make the point moot for me, also.

[TripleTransAm]

Okay, proof we are all REALLY tired, it seems.

Let's start this again...

We all seem to be off a year, so let me resume:
Glenn said he thought blues were produced before Jan '04. In reality he meant Jan '03. The point I was trying to make was that I thought blues were produced after Jan '03 (I mistakenly said Jan '04 as well), as I test drove a blue one in early March 03 that had just come in. My car was built in early Feb '03 and has the CRD1 tag... I was under the impression blue production began in Jan '03, making it likely that it had CRD1 (or maybe the CRD0 that I've seen listed in the databases, but haven't actually ever heard of anyone having such a tag). I could be wrong but I just tracked down a post by Marauder57 which indicates his blue car being 'born' in Feb 2003.

So RF Overload's BMD0 was built in Aug 02 (not 03 as mentioned), and Glenn's BMD0 was built in Dec 02 (not 03 as mentioned)... where does that leave Fxxx (I forget the actual code)? And CRD0? (yes I can imagine there being an overlap, due to regional requirements, but I still would like to know what they were)

[Larry Durham]

This is a weird one.

My MM runs oddly for the first few minutes of driving after I take it out on the day after a rain. The engine runs very rough until it warms up. It only does it once. If I let the car cool and restart it or even put it away and restart it the next day it does not do it.

I do not "warm up" my car. I keep it garaged. I get it, start it and back out. This has happened more than once. This Am I backed it out and, when I put it in drive, it acted weird, sort of like if I hit the gas I would flood it or something. I went 1/4 of a mile, put it in park and turned it off and back on again and it was fine.

Has this happened to anyone else? My car specs are in my sig if that helps.

Dan

I've read all the answers to your problem and I think evreyone's answer was close or on the mark. All injected engins have a cold start temp sensor that richens the fuel mixture and increes's the cold idle apon cold start. This only happens for approx. 15 -40 seconds then begins to come back to normal mixture and idle. When you start your cold engin check to see if the RPM go'es to betweem 1200 and 1500 then slowly drop to normal. If not than I would bet that is the problem ALTHOUGH the tuner may be affecting this also.
This is where I would start to look. Good hunting.
:alone:

[Larry Durham]

Havn't had that one happen to me, brother. But, when I have the radio on and hit the rear defrost button, the radio completely statics out until I turn the defrost button back to off. CD's or tapes will work just fine though. Kooky.

I had the same problem with my Linclon. One of the defroster wires was broken and this will cause static in the radio only because the antenna wires are just above the defroster wires. Thei is an easy check just turn it on when the window is frosted and look for a small area that will not clear as fast as the rest of the window, take a magnifiying glass and look for the break. If that does'nt work take a volt meter and check each wire. I'm sure you'll find onea that is bad.
The only real fix is a new rear window, hope it's still under warranty
:hmmm:

[Dan]

I will see how it starts in the morning and let you guys know. I still sort of think it has to do with relative humidity.

As an FYI, average temps here in CT right now are below 50º F.

Dan

[Dan]

Ok, here is an update. I got up this morning to rain and temps in the high 40ºs. When I started the car and ran it this morning I had no problems at all.

Conditions were very similar to when this problem happened last with the exception that it is raining today.

It looks like tomorrow might be the day. I am also considering pulling the SCT mod for the winter and then making sure that the CPU is checked by the dealer for all of its updates.

Dan

[dansenander]

Ok, here is an update. I got up this morning to rain and temps in the high 40ºs. When I started the car and ran it this morning I had no problems at all.

Conditions were very similar to when this problem happened last with the exception that it is raining today.

It looks like tomorrow might be the day. I am also considering pulling the SCT mod for the winter and then making sure that the CPU is checked by the dealer for all of its updates.

Dan
Dan,

Just curious, when you ordered the SCT was it programmed for use with Denso plugs? Did you install them? I noticed a reduction in the matching problems we have after I put in the Densos. If you got it from DR, then you may have the Denso program.

Just a thought.

[the_pack_rat]

Huh !?!?!?.

I thought this was another Marty-Todd thread.

My bad.

Carry on.

[Dan]

The car came with it. The prior owner bought it during a "group buy." I don't know the source of the unit.

I don't think that I have Denso plugs.

Dan