Cold start stalling

[EmiraHK]

New Owner here, Just picked up my V6 Auto on the 2nd of November and basically from day one I've been having the same cold start issues as everyone else, i.e. wont start on initial start and on the 2nd startup it starts fine. This has happened consistently every single day until yesterday where the car started fine on first go and again today.

It would seem everything is all good now, but as of yesterday afternoon the "check engine" amber light is now fully illuminated. I left the car overnight and on startup again this morning the light was still on. Has anybody else experienced the same issue ie. both cold start issue and check engine light coming on?

Do you have an obd 2 reader? Normally a CEL would trigger a code. Curious to see what codes it is throwing.

 

[meccanisti]

An update on this from me. My car was doing the stall start consistently, but it’s stopped since I started being more careful around how I washed it - being more careful with the jet wash around the intakes. Hasn’t done it for a couple of months.

Might also be related to the drop in temps through autumn!

 

[EmiraHK]

An update on this from me. My car was doing the stall start consistently, but it’s stopped since I started being more careful around how I washed it - being more careful with the jet wash around the intakes. Hasn’t done it for a couple of months.

Might also be related to the drop in temps through autumn!

I ruled this out a long time ago. Wet or dry the car does this. I don’t jet wash my car anyways since it has PPF.

 

[Vpower10]

New Owner here, Just picked up my V6 Auto on the 2nd of November and basically from day one I've been having the same cold start issues as everyone else, i.e. wont start on initial start and on the 2nd startup it starts fine. This has happened consistently every single day until yesterday where the car started fine on first go and again today.

It would seem everything is all good now, but as of yesterday afternoon the "check engine" amber light is now fully illuminated. I left the car overnight and on startup again this morning the light was still on. Has anybody else experienced the same issue ie. both cold start issue and check engine light coming on?

Firstly, thank you for your post and update on this issue. Did Lotus come back as to which “module” they were referring to that needed replacing?

They have not yet explained what exactly was being done about it. I only had quick telephone contact with the dealer about this. When I go to pick up my car again, I will find out more about what they did. In any case, the dealer told me that 3 cars with the same problem have now arrived and they have addressed the module. These have been driving around for several weeks now and no further problems have been reported from those owners with cold start problems. I won't be able to get my car back until mid-December because we are waiting for a part for the gearbox. It is only then that I can test whether the cold start problem has finally been solved or not.

 

[EmiraHK]

They have not yet explained what exactly was being done about it. I only had quick telephone contact with the dealer about this. When I go to pick up my car again, I will find out more about what they did. In any case, the dealer told me that 3 cars with the same problem have now arrived and they have addressed the module. These have been driving around for several weeks now and no further problems have been reported from those owners with cold start problems. I won't be able to get my car back until mid-December because we are waiting for a part for the gearbox. It is only then that I can test whether the cold start problem has finally been solved or not.

Thanks for all the info. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the details when you pick up your car and share it here. My dealer here has been rather unhelpful in resolving this issue and has been stalling me on it. Would be helpful if I could just tell them what to replace.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Thanks for all the info. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the details when you pick up your car and share it here. My dealer here has been rather unhelpful in resolving this issue and has been stalling me on it. Would be helpful if I could just tell them what to replace.

Picked it up just a few days ago and Lotus still can’t get it right. What the actual fuck

 

[EmiraHK]

Picked it up just a few days ago and Lotus still can’t get it right. What the actual fuck

I feel you. I have gone back and forth to the dealership 3 times for this issue. The stalling has actually gotten worse over time. The other day, it took 3 starts to get it up and running (stalled twice) as I hadn't driven the Emira for a week.

We all need to really press Lotus on this issue together. We paid good money for a brand new car that isn't even functioning properly at a basic level.

 

[raf]

Update: The last time I posted I had the cold start issue and a check engine light issue.

Lotus sent out a tech with an OBD reader to diagnose the check engine light issue where the tech stated that the warning was triggered due to some sensors not correctly gauging the fuel mix on start-up or something along those lines, so it was a non issue, they cleared the codes but a day or two later the light came back on start-up, this however was temporary and it went away after 50 kms of driving.

The cold-start issue however seems to have gone away entirely, I'm not sure how this has happened, the only change I have made is changing the brand of petrol I fill my 98 up at. I don't know if it is linked or just coincidence but I usually fill up at Shell and and have had cold start issues on those occasions, but I recently filled up a fully empty tank at 7-11 and ever since then I have not had an issue starting up. Could just be a coincidence but ill go back to Shell next time I need to fill up to see if the cold-start issues come back.

 

[EmiraHK]

Update: The last time I posted I had the cold start issue and a check engine light issue.

Lotus sent out a tech with an OBD reader to diagnose the check engine light issue where the tech stated that the warning was triggered due to some sensors not correctly gauging the fuel mix on start-up or something along those lines, so it was a non issue, they cleared the codes but a day or two later the light came back on start-up, this however was temporary and it went away after 50 kms of driving.

The cold-start issue however seems to have gone away entirely, I'm not sure how this has happened, the only change I have made is changing the brand of petrol I fill my 98 up at. I don't know if it is linked or just coincidence but I usually fill up at Shell and and have had cold start issues on those occasions, but I recently filled up a fully empty tank at 7-11 and ever since then I have not had an issue starting up. Could just be a coincidence but ill go back to Shell next time I need to fill up to see if the cold-start issues come back.

That's great news!

I'm wondering what sensor he is referring to though. From my experience with this engine, I can only think of the MAF sensor that would affect air/fuel ratio.

We only have 98 RON in our city, and I also fill up w/ Shell V-Power. Perhaps, I will try another brand next time.