Engine rumble? Sorta..

[Freeman]

When I started the car today the engine sorta rumbled.. Like as I turned the key to get it to start, it started up but then kinda sputtered and the engine rumbled/hesitated a bit.. It was probably 20 some degrees outside so would that contrubute to it? If so, how do I fix this?

[SoCal LS-L]

How long did this last..... For a few seconds or until it warmed up? And did it crank at normal speed or did it seem slower?

[Freeman]

It's been seeming a little slower usually which is why I kinda just blamed the cold, but it may be something else. Also, it only lasted for the time of the engine start up.. Only a couple of seconds..

[SoCal LS-L]

How old is your battery? Cranking the engine with a fair or poor battery drains almost all the amperage needed to power the engine management system.... so after it turned over its possible it took a couple seconds for it to catch up. Id get a free battery test and eliminate that first before worrying about anything else. You arent running 20w50 oil or thicker are you?

[Freeman]

Relativly new battery.. Only a year old I belive. As for the oil, I just had OT top it off like 3 days ago.. I didn't think about the test. I'll just got to Auto Zone or something when I get out of work.. Hope it's noting expensive...

[SoCal LS-L]

Ive seen new batteries off the shelf with bad cells and low CCA. The test will be free, just about anywhere. A good battery will have enough juice at colder temps to crank the car normally.

[svxxx26]

Originally Posted by Freeman

When I started the car today the engine sorta rumbled.. Like as I turned the key to get it to start, it started up but then kinda sputtered and the engine rumbled/hesitated a bit.. It was probably 20 some degrees outside so would that contrubute to it? If so, how do I fix this?

Freeman, by your description I don't think you have a problem. Meaning, mine has done that for 12 years
Definitely not a charging/battery issue, it occurs after the engine has started. I always attributed it so the car sitting for long periods as mine tends to do. I've never noticed it on subsequent starts afterward.
Does this ever happen while it's warm?

[SoCal LS-L]

It's been seeming a little slower usually [cranking] which is why I kinda just blamed the cold, but it may be something else.

Interestingly enough, in 14 years experience I have seen countless times where a faulty battery caused studdering immediately after startup, until the alternator spun up and the charging field engaged. This was due to slower than normal cranking speed and lower than normal compression (common for an older engine on a cold startup) combined with weaker spark. Since the battery test is usually free... why rule it out completely to begin with??

[Freeman]

So I had her tested last night. The guy from Auto Zone seemed reluctant to assist me though (lazy bast... you get the idea..). Anyway I tested it there and at another place down the street and both tests said "GOOD BATTERY." So I'm assuming it's something else. It's not like I have let the car sit for long periods of time, just overnight since it's my daily driver.

Also, it happened again last night as well as this morning! Last night when I started it, the engine spuddered and the headlights dimmed.. The same thing happened this morning but I was a little more observant. I noticed the needle bouncing from 1 to 2 about two times then went to normal so I turned the car off. I decided to see if it did it again after the first time and sure enough, it did.

Any ideas...?

EDIT: As for if it's happened in the warm weather, I'm not sure. I really have a terrible memory and I guess I was never really looking for it then.

[SoCal LS-L]

You can try slightly depressing the accelerator pedal when starting, and see if it still does it. Thats the normal cold start procedure for most fuel-injected cars anyways, but is usually reserved for a really cold start.

[Freeman]

Alright, it's just that last night it seemed like it was about to shut off.. Maybe just TOO cold..

Ok I guess I'll try depressing the gas pedal tonight or when I go on break. I'll post the results.. Heres hoping it's nothing serious...

[svxxx26]

What I meant by "does it do it when it's warm?" - is does it ever show the same stumbling on restarts after the engine itself is warmed up, or later in the same day when it's not stone cold?

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by svxxx26

What I meant by "does it do it when it's warm?" - is does it ever show the same stumbling on restarts after the engine itself is warmed up, or later in the same day when it's not stone cold?

Well I drove it from my girlfriends house to my house and when I started it up again is when the spudder was really noticable and the lights dimmed.. I imagine the engine was warmish by then. So yeah I think so..

[Freeman]

So I took my car to OT's and he was checking out another problem when I mentioned the aquward start up.. Instead of finding out what was wrong with my engine at start up, we discovered an entirly different problem!

I swear, if it's not one thing wrong with these cars, it's something else. I still think it's worth it and hope that I'm not proven wrong. As for the odd start up "rumble," I'm attributing it to the cold. Till I'm unable to start the car, I'm just not going to be worried about it I guess..

Thanks SoCal LS-L and svxxx26 for your help and thanks to OT for checking out my car for an hour for free..

[SoCal LS-L]

Yeah I feel ya man, mines got some little quirks too. My engine sounds loud since my PS pump bearing is shot, and I bleed coolant from my water pump gasket. Its my DD too so im stuck for a little while at least. But I got my SVX with 138K for an absolute steal ($1100 ) from a charity auction so I am in no way complaining, theyre great looking cars. Just curious..... whats the new problem?