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View Full Version : Problem with warm starts in 2001 Miata



kenyon
08-02-2014, 04:08 PM
I recently bought a 2001 NY Miata that needed a new catalytic converter to pass PA inspection. Had cat installed. Since then, it starts fine when cold, and drives satisfactorily. When parked hot, however, it won't restart immediately. Merely cranks and cranks until, after 15 or 20 minutes, it reluctantly catches and then drives normally... except that the Check Engine light comes on and stays on until I take it on the highway at high speed and run a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment through it. Is anybody able to diagnose the problem at a distance? It runs a code but I'm not sure what it is. It isn't the cat, it's something else. Never happened before the new cat was put in. Can you have vapor locking in a fuel injected engine? The car has 76,000 miles on it and is generally good condition. Thoughts?

Hyper
08-02-2014, 05:10 PM
hard starts is usually a fuel injector leak. That means when you shut down, engine is hot the fuel pressure drops at the rail causing the above issues. It could also the Fuel Inj relay getting hot, in the NB is known to have issues.

kung fu jesus
08-02-2014, 05:35 PM
You really need the that code. The rest is just a shotgun approach. Beg, borrow, or steal an ODB2 scanner. I would guess PA inspection may not let you pass with that code hanging around.