'96 850R Very low mpg, very low power.

[bmessina]

As is the standard, I grounded the dead car somewhere other than the battery. The bracket for the throttle spool, specifically. Yeah, I'll be checking my grounds

For a SWAG, maybe run a ground wire from the bracket to chassis and a similar to the battery negative?

I've been meaning to even just try the jumpstart again, just to see if that works a second time. If it does, who knows...

If hard starting is part of your symptoms, given the carbon on the plugs, it is possible your problem could be due to a bad engine coolant temperature sensor. They do fail and cause driveability issues including an over-rich mixture.

It's buried in this post somewhere, but I've replaced that too. It didn't change anything. But is it normal behavior for the temp gauge in the dash to go to operating temp within a minute of starting the car on a cold (40 degree) morning?


Update from the shop visit - It was useless. He topped off some fluids and changed the plugs. That's again on the plugs, I changed them a month ago but they were practically fouled from running so rich for so long. That helped just a little bit. I had such high hopes.

[jblackburn]

But is it normal behavior for the temp gauge in the dash to go to operating temp within a minute of starting the car on a cold (40 degree) morning?

Yep. 40 deg is nothing for a 5-cyl. It's when you get under 20 it takes longer to warm up.

[erikv11]

Actually I think one minute is too fast. It is exactly 40 now (but I call that a warm morning!) and I am about to go out, I will see what my 95 R does. But anecdotally, I would say more like 4-5 minutes to inch up to operating temp (3 o'clock).

Too bad about the shop experience.

EDIT:
39 degrees on the car temp sensor, car has not been started yet today.

1:00 (1 minute 0 seconds) - no movement at all from the temp gauge
2:45 needle on gauge starts moving
4:00 needle at 4 o'clock
5:00 needle settles in at normal operating temp (3 o'clock)

[bmessina]

I tried the "ground the same place to the battery" suggestion, and unfortunately it did not produce the same results as when I jump started the car.

I'm going to organize to start checking the sensor readings at the ECU connector... Very carefully.

[erikv11]

Does the temp gauge really suggest the car is warming up in 60 seconds? That is definitely not right.

[bmessina]

Yup. Also, it does not high idle for a minute on cold startups. Goes right to 800rpm.

[erikv11]

Since it is physically impossible for the car to warm up that quickly, I'd try another ECT. I also wouldn't hold my breath given what you've been through, but worth trying.

[bmessina]

I think I'm going to check the reading at the ECU harness before I go down that road again. The ECT I replaced when measured at the ECT harness tested fine. The new one tested fine.

[abscate]

It took 5 minutes for my 1999 V70 T5 to warm up to mid range on the TEMP gauge from cold start,ambient 40F

[bmessina]

Car finally threw a code I could read (before I could measure at the ECU harness) - You guessed it, P0117, ECT signal low. I'm going to thoroughly inspect the harness at the ECT this weekend and cross my fingers.