Long crank

[Dkeller]

Hey everyone, just got a 14 TA with 7000 miles on it now. Starts easy sometimes but has me worried that it won’t start sometimes. Holding the button 4-5 seconds and it doesn’t fire up. Yesterday I was 100 miles from home and stopped for lunch. Pressed the button 2 times both about 4-5 seconds each and then finally the 3rd time pressing it then it finally fired up.

I’ve read some threads but nothing stands out as an answer for this. Anyone have any idea or experienced this before?

[StrokerAce]

How's your battery?

[chris_lee]

Does if feel like the battery is cranking the engine over fast or does it sound weak? My battery is just starting to get weak and although it does not take extra time, it does not fire up as “abrupt” as the nice cold start. These cars HATE weak batteries and people run into lots of strange symptoms. If the car is new to you might want to take the battery out of the equation as it may be the original.

[Hootie]

I'm kind of in the same boat as OP. I have a 2013 GTS that doesn't start right. A cold start almost always results in a sputter, then it's 50/50 if it starts running or stalls. Second attempt fires up perfect every time. Runs just fine no other issues noted. Seems to always start first try when warmed up.
I replaced my battery (twice), set up battery tender, replaced plugs, replaced wires, replaced air filter, reset computer by disconnecting battery. No change does exactly the same thing. I spoke with a few people who think it's computer related but I haven't taken it to a dealer.

[Hootie]

Another tip I was given was to clean the throttle body. I pulled the air box off and inspected but they looked as clean as can be. Maybe it's possible there's invisible grit making the throttle plate stick? I had a few people tell me a sticking TB would cause the rough starting on other cars. But I'm still dealing with the word cold starts, I've found no solution. Am hoping someone has new ideas for us to try.

[SRT_BluByU]

make sure you foot isnt slightly depressing the gas pedal when you start.. the pedals a very sensitive and sometimes your heal can be resting on it ever so slightly.

[Jack B]

Another tip I was given was to clean the throttle body. I pulled the air box off and inspected but they looked as clean as can be. Maybe it's possible there's invisible grit making the throttle plate stick? I had a few people tell me a sticking TB would cause the rough starting on other cars. But I'm still dealing with the word cold starts, I've found no solution. Am hoping someone has new ideas for us to try.

The reason for that was the early cars routed the valve cover vent back into the airbox. There was a change that altered that vent system, If you have the old vent system, opening the airbox will show the problem, it is obvious.

[Jack B]

In general, hard starting (injector cars) could be associated with a lack of fuel. Try cycling the start switch to run, wait a few seconds, then try to start the car, If this fixes the issue, you have a possible fuel pump problem. This assumes the battery is in good condition. I am also assuming the pump runs with the start switch in the. run position.

[Hootie]

I do hear the pump kick on, and letting it run before starting makes no difference in my situation.
I'm not sure what you're referring to JackB. I have a R28/29 car with everything completed. Is there a known air box defect that would affect starting that I don't know about?

[Hootie]

Unlike OP, mine doesn't crank long. It will either start right up, or try to start right away, stall, then start right up. There is never long cranking so we might be chasing after different problems.

[Rare Snake]

My '14 GTS has always had a tiny occasional glitch with starting. 99% of the time it starts completely normal, but just once in awhile it turns into a complete crackhead. It just starts oddly enough to notice, it cranks too long and then catches, then it chimes and dings funny and shows me the electronic suspension setting. Has done it since day one, I've just always figured it's more of today's overly computerized crap getting confused. Been 6 years and over 40,000km and it has never not started for me because of this. It's like the brake flash on shifting, I just live with it. Show me one car that never has a quirk, and I'll buy two of them.

[Jack B]

I do hear the pump kick on, and letting it run before starting makes no difference in my situation.
I'm not sure what you're referring to JackB. I have a R28/29 car with everything completed. Is there a known air box defect that would affect starting that I don't know about?

one of the "R" mods fixed the valve cover/air box problem. If you have an oil issue in the throttle bodies it is obvious.

[swexlin]

Hmm.. this is interesting. My car lights right off - even before I replaced the battery. As I had posted in another post - it would tell me the "fob not detected" and would do nothing the first two times I pushed the button. Third time, she fired right up. Almost instant. Replaced fob battery (again) and new car battery, and that hasn't happened since.
It is worth noting that I keep the car in hibernation mode, and on a tender, both, as it can sit for weeks at a time.

If you're still having hard starting issues after replacing the battery, then it is indeed something else. Time to have a tech take a look.

[ViperGeorge]

Here we go again. Why does everyone always blame the battery when something isn't right on a Viper? If the battery is strong enough to crank the engine several times it is strong enough to ignite the spark plugs. I have jump started a Viper with a totally dead battery and car ran fine for the 30 minutes on my way home. When I got home the battery still only read 4.5V or so. It was dead as a doornail. I replaced it because it was obviously bad. You can check the voltage of the battery with no charger connected. If it reads 12.3-12.6 volts or so, it is most likely fine. Don't waste your money changing a perfectly good battery.

You could start a Viper and disconnect the battery and the car will run fine. The alternator provides the necessary current to run the car once the engine is running. OP's problem could be fuel as stated above. Fuel injected cars have check valves to maintain fuel pressure in the fuel rails. If the check valve starts to go bad pressure can bleed off. This means there is no fuel for the car to start. The pump has to run for a few seconds to re-charge the fuel rails.

[SRT_BluByU]

Does your viper have any stored codes?

[Dkeller]

Here we go again. Why does everyone always blame the battery when something isn't right on a Viper? If the battery is strong enough to crank the engine several times it is strong enough to ignite the spark plugs. I have jump started a Viper with a totally dead battery and car ran fine for the 30 minutes on my way home. When I got home the battery still only read 4.5V or so. It was dead as a doornail. I replaced it because it was obviously bad. You can check the voltage of the battery with no charger connected. If it reads 12.3-12.6 volts or so, it is most likely fine. Don't waste your money changing a perfectly good battery.

You could start a Viper and disconnect the battery and the car will run fine. The alternator provides the necessary current to run the car once the engine is running. OP's problem could be fuel as stated above. Fuel injected cars have check valves to maintain fuel pressure in the fuel rails. If the check valve starts to go bad pressure can bleed off. This means there is no fuel for the car to start. The pump has to run for a few seconds to re-charge the fuel rails.

Thank you for your post. I don’t think it’s the battery either for the reason you stated. Plenty of juice to start it, just takes a while to fire up. Does seem more like fuel. I have been tapping the start button real quick and letting the fuel pump run for 5 seconds or so and it’s been firing up better.

Don’t know if I mentioned it in the original post but the worst instance of this was on Sunday after a good amount of time driving. Shut the car off for about 10 minutes and then go to start it back up and took until the third attempt to actually fire up.

- - - Updated - - -


Does your viper have any stored codes?

Still learning the car, how do you find them?

[SRT_BluByU]

scanner.. also i think there is a flash for thisnproblem. Whens the last time the car has been at the dealer?

[Policy Limits]

- - - Updated - - -



Still learning the car, how do you find them?[/QUOTE]

Go to steering wheel & press the right arrow button until you see an image of a stethescope on the dash. Enter that and the vehicle will do a diagnostic search for codes.

[Hootie]

OP is definitely in a different boat as I don't have hard starts after it's been warmed up. But I'm following this thread as it might give me insight. FWIW, I have no codes when checking on the dash. I used to have the P2610 or something that was from disconnecting battery but it cleared after a couple drives.

[StrokerAce]

Here we go again. Why does everyone always blame the battery when something isn't right on a Viper? If the battery is strong enough to crank the engine several times it is strong enough to ignite the spark plugs. I have jump started a Viper with a totally dead battery and car ran fine for the 30 minutes on my way home. When I got home the battery still only read 4.5V or so. It was dead as a doornail. I replaced it because it was obviously bad. You can check the voltage of the battery with no charger connected. If it reads 12.3-12.6 volts or so, it is most likely fine. Don't waste your money changing a perfectly good battery.

You could start a Viper and disconnect the battery and the car will run fine. The alternator provides the necessary current to run the car once the engine is running. OP's problem could be fuel as stated above. Fuel injected cars have check valves to maintain fuel pressure in the fuel rails. If the check valve starts to go bad pressure can bleed off. This means there is no fuel for the car to start. The pump has to run for a few seconds to re-charge the fuel rails.

The OP was not very descriptive in his first post. It didn't fire up....okay, was it trying to by spinning over normal speed but wouldn't fire or would it barley turn over once or twice and not fire?

The only time my car wouldn't start and it tried but couldn't roll over enough it was guess what? The battery.

The symptoms of mine had me worried for a while like the OP. It would click and barley turn over and fire up but one day it wouldn't. But for a few weeks prior I would hit the button and it wouldn't start the first time. I'd hit it again and good for a few seconds and it would.

I agree with you that if it's turning over normal and it's not starting the most likely culprit is lack of fuel. I had an LT1 Corvette years ago that would bleed off and you would hear the pump prime and then it would start but if you just tried to start it the thing would turn over like a jalopy for a few moments.

[Jack B]

The dashboard diagnostics is limited to emissions, a scan tool may find some past issues in memory.

[Dkeller]

scanner.. also i think there is a flash for thisnproblem. Whens the last time the car has been at the dealer?

Couldn’t tell you but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been a while. Will have to check if my local dealer has a tech that can work on/is good with vipers.

I have been tapping the start button to let the fuel pump run for a few seconds then going to start it after 4-5 seconds and it’s been firing up no problem as of now. I’ll try to get video the next few times I drive it to see if I can show the problem.

[StrokerAce]

The dashboard diagnostics is limited to emissions, a scan tool may find some past issues in memory.


Hrm...my dashboard diagnostics showed low voltage only after my issue. I left the keys to the Viper in my other car that was parked under it. Drained it in about 2 weeks. Before that no codes but after it showed it. I cleared it and gone. Then hooked up my scan tool and nothing stored. I hope that's normal.

[Jack B]

Hrm...my dashboard diagnostics showed low voltage only after my issue. I left the keys to the Viper in my other car that was parked under it. Drained it in about 2 weeks. Before that no codes but after it showed it. I cleared it and gone. Then hooked up my scan tool and nothing stored. I hope that's normal.

Because that could affect emissions. Early on, I put a Witech on due to a CEL, there, were 7 codes in history., however, only the emission related showed up. In addition, my scan tool only showed 5 of the 7.