Friend has problem

[JamesBaumann]

My friend is having a problem with his 89 N/A 2.3 A4LD. In the morning when it's cold it doesn't like to start and when it does it dies within seconds after starting. Say it has been sitting for a few hours since being on, so it is cooled off, but not cold, it still dies 30 seconds to a minute after he starts it. I was thinking the fuel filter or pressure regulator, sounds to me like a fuel starvation problem. What do you guys think?

 

[140cilx]

I would clean the IAC and adjust the TPS. Run a search for directions on how to, if you are not familiar with them.

If this does not remedy the problem, from there I'd check for vacuum leaks.

 

[JamesBaumann]

How would you clean out the IAC? Isn't it just an electronic sensor? TPS I can understand.

 

[140cilx]

You take it off the throttle body, and shoot the mechanical portion w/ some contact cleaner or similar until the plunger inside that moves via the solenoid is nice and clean between the two ports. They get sticky, they get junk in them that won't let them seat completely. Fairly common, should be done routinely anyway.

 

[Ray III]

the IAC is not a sensor, it is a valve that the computer uses to feed air into the engine to rev it up.

Sounds like the correct cold mixture is not being fed to the engine, maybe the ECT is bad and the computer thinks the motor is still hot? Tell him to give it a little gas, maybe that will make it start