difficult to start

[vive la difference]

Hello everybody i am really enjoying my recentley aquired 3.0ltr v6 12v, cold start is instant, car then runs perfectley BUT when i try to start when hot it requires a lot of cranking! eventualley it will start and then runs perfctley again, intermitentley the engine warning light comes on (orange) your thoughts as always very much appreciated
Also can you identify for me the small cylindrical sensor? fixed to the front panel that carries the cooling fans? Brian

[noz]

Hi Brian,

There are a few 3.0l experts on here so someone will be along shortly. I have no direct expertise myself. However, I believe the 3.0L may be prone to gasification of the fuel due to the heat in the engine bay and to overcome this the start injector usually used for cold starts is used to inject additional fuel at cranking time. This relies on the engine temperature sensor detecting that the engine is warm. I think you'd need to plug in a Lexia and take live readings of the sensors to see if any are giving spurious readings.

There are a couple of things your "cylinder sensor" could be. Can you attach a photo?

cheers

noz

[Jan-hendrik]

Check this out:

[vive la difference]

Hi
Thank you for bringing this post to my attention, do you know if this was always a problem with a S1 V612V?

[Jan-hendrik]

QUOTE (vive la difference @ October 05, 2011 11:14 am) 

Hi
Thank you for bringing this post to my attention, do you know if this was always a problem with a S1 V612V?

I can't say it was 'always' a problem, but I know it was a common problem. I drove an S1 V6-12 for a short while

[vive la difference]

hello Noz

Thank you for your reply to my posting, hopefully a photo of the cylindrical sensor?? is attached

[vive la difference]

Hi Noz
I am better with the spanners!! i try again to attach the photo

[xmexclusive]

I think it is the capacitor in the dim-dip headlight circuit.
A rather strange UK requirement that was dropped from XM's after the first two years of production.

John

[noz]

Hi Brian,

As John says its the resistor that is wired in series with the dipped beam lights to make them deliberately dim. The dimmed dipped headlights should come on when you switch on the side lights only. As soon as you switch on the dipped headlights the resistor is bypassed with a relay and the dipped lights come on at full strength. The idea was that it stopped people running about with side lights only. The system only lasted a couple of years before it was abandoned.

Given the number of people who still persist in running about with side-lights only in poor lighting conditions I don't think it was such a bad idea.

cheers

noz

[Jan-hendrik]

QUOTE

Given the number of people who still persist in running about with side-lights only in poor lighting conditions I don't think it was such a bad idea.

This is an endemic problem here in Japan too. Drivers switch on their side lights AFTER the sun has set and then, when it is pitch dark, the headlights, almost reluctantly it seems

[Zaphod]

What annoys me is the opposite, the number of morons who insist on turning on their headlights in broad daylight just because it might be a little overcast or drizzly. It seems to be a recent thing that has developed over the last 10 years.

When visiblity is actually impaired then there is a reason, but is seems anything other than perfectly clear sky then it's light on...