QuestionI have intermittant starting problems where I'll crank the engine, but it won't catch. I'll give it 10 cranks, then wait 20 minutes, then crank it 'til it starts. It will always eventually start, but it's made me late for work more than once. This only happens when the engine is cold, once it starts, it runs fine. Strangely, though, this only happens in the summer when it's humid. I never had any problems in the winter. Sometimes it backfires as I try to start it. My routine when it's humid is to go down to my parking garage and try to start it an hour before I go to work. After I get to work, I'll go out to the parking lot every couple of hours and start it briefly. If I don't, it may revert to the crank/no start state. I had my starter replaced, changed plugs and wires, and had Hyundai scan it, with no error codes reported. My battery is three years old and I have 160,000 kilometers on the engine. Because my problem is intermittant, Hyundai wants me to leave my car with them so they can check it when it's not starting, but I need my car for work. It would be a very long bus ride. Any ideas?
AnswerMy top guesses are the fuel pressure regulator and the coolant temperature sensor. But without performing actual diagnosis, these are still low percentage guesses, so I'm reluctant to advise you to go replacing things. If you're able to test your own fuel pressure, that's a good place to start. If not, you'll probably need to bite the bullet and leave the car overnight at the dealer so they can perform diagnosis and testing when the problem is occurring.
Many dealers also rent vehicles. Perhaps ask the dealer if they'll loan you a vehicle free of charge or give you a good price on a rental.
