Best Way To Start A Flooded Engine 1998v70 (with slight diversion to quantum mechanics , relativity, dark matter states,

[MrAl]

Hello there,

What do you think is the best way to start an engine in this car 1998 v70 when the engine floods.
I ask because i think it is hard starting when cold because it floods sometimes.

Thanks a lot for any tips or info of any kind.

[RickHaleParker]

Put the pedal to the floor like you did carbureted engines but for a different reason.

All fuel injected engines will shut off their injectors for a number of cycles when cranking at full throttle. This heats up and evaporates the excess fuel by means of compression, pumps air through the cylinders purging the excess fuel.

[erikv11]

99.99% chance the hard starting is connected to the P0116 code your car is having https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forum ... =1&t=98725.

Fix that ECT sensor problem first.

[MrAl]

Put the pedal to the floor like you did carbureted engines but for a different reason.

All fuel injected engines will shut off their injectors for a number of cycles when cranking at full throttle. This heats up and evaporates the excess fuel by means of compression, pumps air through the cylinders purging the excess fuel.

Ok i'll try that thanks, i was afraid that would flood it even more.

[RickHaleParker]

Ok i'll try that thanks, i was afraid that would flood it even more.

erikv11 is right. It is highly likely fixing the P0116 error would be a cure. Which would be a better solution then treating the symptoms.

The ECM uses temperature to calculate the startup air/fuel ratio. Wrong data results in wrong calculations. Incorrectly calculated start up startup air/fuel ratio is hard to start on. Explicitly when it is cold because the assumed temperature for P0116 is 68℉.

[MrAl]

Ok i'll try that thanks, i was afraid that would flood it even more.

erikv11 is right. It is highly likely fixing the P0116 error would be a cure. Which would be a better solution then treating the symptoms.

The ECM uses temperature to calculate the startup air/fuel ratio. Wrong data results in wrong calculations. Incorrectly calculated start up startup air/fuel ratio is hard to start on. Explicitly when it is cold because the assumed temperature for P0116 is 68℉.

Well thanks for that information. I suspected that but wasnt completely sure, maybe i read it here a while back or something but thanks for confirming that.

I think i also read somewhere that somebody else had their cooling fan running too with a bad ECT sensor. I know the normal behavior with a good working sensor and it is not that it runs every time you shut off the engine. It only runs if the engine is very hot after the ignition is turned off. So for example, if the engine is cold and you start the car and let it run for just maybe 10 seconds then turn the engine off right then, the fan does not run because the engine cant be hot yet. Mine was running even after just running a cold engine for a few seconds then turn off. It runs for around 2 or 3 minutes too so it drained my battery down eventually and since the battery was getting old anyway it took it out completely so it would not hold a charge for even 24 hours. I will measure the current of the fan and calculate how much it was taking from the battery each time but i didnt get to do that yet, hopefully in the next few days.
If the fuse is 60 amps then the fan motor probably draws 10 amps (maybe) and for 3 minutes that means it takes about 1/2 Ampere hour out of the battery each time, but then i am also just an occasional driver driving once every 3 days or so and lately sometimes not for 2 weeks due to the concerns over the pandemic. So 1/2 AHr might not be much but combined with sitting for 2 weeks at a time maybe that is what happened with the old battery. But i really have to measure that current because it may be more than 10 amps as some designers are very aware of the higher start currents of motors and relays so they rate the associated components accordingly while others are not very aware so they rate the components like the fuse closer to the full run speed current of the fan which in this case means it could be as high as 50 amps. Let's see, a house fan about that size and power would probably use at least 200 watts, and at 10 volts (makes the calculation quicker ha ha) that means 20 amps. So maybe that 1/2 AHr is really 1AHr which of course is worse.
Ok well i'll try to measure that fan current soon and get this nailed down, and also get the fix in place.

I was a real pain i had to rush to get a new battery which was over $220 USD wasnt expecting that right away

I will find out more very soon the fix is in the works now. News at 11 <chuckle>.
I will try to provide as much info as possible to maybe help future readers.

Thanks and take care...

[RickHaleParker]

but then i am also just an occasional driver driving once every 3 days or so and lately sometimes not for 2 weeks due to the concerns over the pandemic.

I pretty sure your battery has a large buildup of Lead Sulfate Crystals because you don't use the car much. But don't replace the battery. Leave it on a charger and let the charger nurse it back to health. It will need some long term care not a quick fix. If you just stick a new battery in, the new battery will acquire the same problem. About the same thing as throwing money in the trash can.

Doing a lot of short trips and it does not get used daily. You will find the answer in the battery chemistry. When a battery discharges the Lead starts converting to Lead Sulfate Crystals, this is call Sulfation. Lead Sulfate Crystals will not hold a charge therefore when sulfated the battery capacity is diminished.

You can reverse Sulfation by leaving the battery on a charger for a long time. The float charge cycle will slowly convert the Lead Sulfate Crystals back to Metallic Lead. If you install one of the cheap small battery maintainers on the car and keep it plugged in while you are home. The float voltage will prevent Sulfation by keeping the battery fully charged and it will slowly nurse a sick battery back to health.

With a diminished capacity a small discharge can become sufficient because the ratio discharge/capacity increases with diminished capacity. Also there is not enough energy stored to do the work.

[MrAl]

Hi,

Yes i know about sulfation i designed and built a desulfator circuit long time ago.
But thanks for the advice, and unfortunately it is too late i already got the new battery.

[RickHaleParker]

unfortunately it is too late i already got the new battery.

Buy or build a float charger and keep it healthy.

[MrAl]

unfortunately it is too late i already got the new battery.

Buy or build a float charger and keep it healthy.

Hi again,

Thanks for the tip. In my situation however i have to park on the side of the driveway that is away from the house and far from the garage. That means at best i'd have to run an extension cord across the driveway. It's a shame too because i actually have a battery conditioner one of the modern types but only used it on batteries i have used in the house.

But you have some good ideas, any other ideas what i can do in this situation?
It's mostly about like you said, automobile low usage and short 1.5 mile trips every 3 days or even longer like 5 days, one time three weeks but that's rare.

Thanks.

Oh BTW, the original problem that was causing the most trouble, the coolant temperature sensor, has now been replaced so the fan does not run after the engine is shut down (except if it really needed too of course). The sensor was not able to tell the fan NOT to run when the engine is cold so that was causing an undue battery drain too. I was going to measure the fan current but now that the sensor works the fan does not run when the engine is turned off (ha ha) so it makes it harder to measure. I'd love to know the run current of that thing exactly. Maybe i'll look around the web a little more.
The last battery lasted me about 3 years, but now i think i drive even less then over those three years.