1989 accord LXi cold starts

1989 Accord LXi, automatic transmission 197,000 miles.

I've had this car about a month, fixing it up little by little. Got it
for cheap, changed the struts, brakes, etc. Still blows cold A/C, what
a deal!

The problem is that the engine has a hard time starting when cold, then
it runs really rough until it warms up. Also, when the weather is a bit
chilly, the automatic transmission will not shift out of first until it
is warmed up sufficiently. Once it is warmed up, everything works
perfectly.

I improved general perfomance by changing the oxygen sensors and the
transmission fluid, but it still has this little issue with cold
starts. It's not so bad in the fall, but I hate to think of how it will
behave in really cold weather.

No codes on the computer, by the way.

 

See my post to 'borosteve' about cleaning distributor cap.

 

I read the other post...

I have exactly the opposite problem. When the engine is warm everything
is OK. Cold starts are what makes the engine rough. And the
transmission acts funny until it warms up. It acts like it's in "limp
mode", staying in first gear.

The car also has new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. The cold start issue
didn't change when I changed the distributor cap.

 

Cold start problems are fuel problems. You need twice as much fuel
under cold start conditions, and you're not getting it, for any number
of reasons, such as a faulty temperature sensor.

 

I suspected a temperature sensor problem, because of the behavior of the
transmission as well as the engine. How many sensors are on this
engine? The gauge on the dashboard behaves normally. Is there another
sensor somewhere?

 

Disconnect the cold start sensor, it should fire right up if that's the problem.
The other sensor that might create a hard start is the cold air intake temp
sensor.

About the transmission, probably got gunked up in there. The best fix is
usually a transmission rebuild. Remember, the best fix is a frequent Honda
fluid replacement to get floating debris out, but it won't help now.

 

OK - (you should have mentioned those new parts in your first post).
I had a bout of cooler weather poor cold starting with the dirty cap
where it would only start upon the release of the IGN key from
Start to Run! Most times I caught it right and the engine started up.

Have you looked at Teggers FAQ at the starting problems section?

 

Where is the cold start sensor on this vehicle? I don't have a service
manual yet...

 

gauges and sensors are 2 different things.

 

Between the oil cap and the thermostat are two sensors side by
side (yellow and green.) The one near the oil cap is the cold start
sensor (correctly named TW sensor.) It should read 2-4k-Ohm at
room temperature.

 

Service manual? See http://www.pauldesign.ru/honda/shopmanual.html.

As for your transmission, you can try 3 changes of fluid--witth some
driving between--and hope for the best.

 

Yeah, I know. The gauge is driven by a sensor. Is there another sensor
that tells the engine whether it needs more gas for a cold start, or is
that the same sensor that drives the temp gauge?

 

You guys are incredible. Thanks for all the info.

The transmission mystery is tricky. It seems to be an electrical issue
somehow, because it stays in first on a cold start. It will continue to
do this after the engine warms up and runs well, but if I turn the
engine off and then start it up again, it shifts normally. As I
continue to drive the car for the next five hours every day, it
continues to run perfectly after every start. Then I can come home and
leave it for a few hours, and if it never cools down all the way to
stone cold I can start it and drive it in the evening and it will not
have the cold start engine problem, and the transmission will not do the
first-gear-only thing again. It will only do it again the next morning
when it's stone cold.

If you guys still think it's because the transmission is full of crud I
won't argue with you. It seems like some kind of electrical equipment
not getting the right signals, though. I'll check out the cold start
sensor as suggested by Burt and see what it does for the overall
problem. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the
help.

 

Thanks for the tip on the cold start sensor. I unplugged it this
morning, and the engine started and ran, and the transmission shifted
gears normally.

 

there's two sensors. the one to the gauge has a single wire, the sensor
for the ecu has two, iirc. the second is the really critical one.