98 saturn 1.9 DOHC hard to start when cold

well,here I am again with another friends car tryin to get some answers:runaround:.so im workin on her 98' Saturn with the
dohc engine/1.9.when the car is cold, and I try to start it,it turns over fine and almost wants to start.as soon as I put the pedal to the floor it starts to finnally kick over...basically to me it seems like its flooded.So I took fuel pressure reading once I got it started and got 45 psi. at idle.now if I let the car sit for 4 hrs or so with the car off it drops to like 10 psi.is that normal,could an injector be leaking into intake while sitting and flooding it?or am I looking in the tottally wrong place...no codes on car thnx for any help

I would be pulling the spark plugs and seeing if there is a cylinder or two getting a bunch of fuel in it when it's not running. You could also pull the injectors when there it fuel pressure built up and actually look at the tips to see fuel is leaking out. The fuel pressure regulator could also be leaking through into the vacuum line.

Replace the ECTS with a brass one.

+1 for the injector test. It should not drop more than 8psi max.

Heres a '98:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJF5Lli4xq8

Also the fuel regulator is in the fuel filter in the back of the car. Ive never seen one go bad, but then again there is always a first. Unfortunately its not a cheap part to replace, but is easy to remove. Trade off I suppose haha

thanks for all the help guys..Im starting to lean towards the ECT now because it only happens when the car isa cold...maybe a bad reading would make the computer think its hot already and therefore not give iot enough fuel to start..,once its warmed up it runs fine.does anyone know the resistance value of the ECT when the car is cold and hot?thanks again for any help,im gona mess with it tommorow.

thanks for all the help guys..Im starting to lean towards the ECT now because it only happens when the car isa cold...maybe a bad reading would make the computer think its hot already and therefore not give iot enough fuel to start..,once its warmed up it runs fine.does anyone know the resistance value of the ECT when the car is cold and hot?thanks again for any help,im gona mess with it tommorow.

If your gauge works fine then the ECTS is fine. However, given the failure rate of the part (virtually 100%) and how cheap they are (~$10-$15), I'd just replace it anyways.

That won't fix your fuel pressure problem regardless. If you decide to put a new fuel filter on use ONLY a Wix 33931/Napa Gold FIL3931 or the OEM Saturn filter. Those are the only ones that are built specifically for use on 1998-2002 S-Series Saturns.

The suggested injector test is also a good idea.

If your gauge works fine then the ECTS is fine. However, given the failure rate of the part (virtually 100%) and how cheap they are (~$10-$15), I'd just replace it anyways.


Absolutely NOT true. A bad ECTS will still register a reading on the gauge.

RC1488 is right, It will still register on the gauge, maybe not as high, but it will, not a good way of diagnosing a etc. That much drop in fuel psi sound normal to me, dont need much to start a S :iceslolan

just a little update,,,I took the old ect out ,it was cracked,replaced it today...car runs great..so far..I really think that did the trick,and for 9 bux,u cant beat that!thanks everyone for your help,it was very much appreciated and hope to help you guy's someday!

Absolutely NOT true. A bad ECTS will still register a reading on the gauge.

Yeah, it'll register a reading on the gauge, but not necessarily an accurate one. This is what I was implying by "if your gauge works fine". A bad ECTS will cause the gauge to jump around, read a consistent reading all the time (i.e. it reads at the half mark, but you just cold started the engine) or just simply be sluggish.

I suppose the avg. Joe Schmoe might not be able to tell the difference, but an educated Saturn owner would. :)

Yeah, it'll register a reading on the gauge, but not necessarily an accurate one. This is what I was implying by "if your gauge works fine".

Ahh then yes I would agree. Clearly communication through words has its limits as im sure if i heard how you said it I would have gotten the implied meaning :)