i got a 2000 ex coupe 5-speed, and starting i guess about 3-4 months ago, when i start the car after sitting awhile and cold, it starts kind of rough. 67,000 miles on car.
i changed the spark plugs roughly that time ago also i believe and i was wondering if this could be due to that? when i bought the plugs, the guy said they were already gapped at the correct amount, but i wonder about that. kind of hard to explain, car starts but it is not a smooth quiet start. doesnt happen all the time, but i would say 75-85% of the time.
like coming home from work this morning, i had to turn key and it was trying to start but i had to keep it ruend roughly 3-5 seconds until it fired up. first time it has taken that long, usually rough but starts right up.
the weather is getting colder up here in new york also, may have caused the delay today.
i still have my old plugs, i plan on putting them back in and see what happens.
just wondering if this may cause this to happen?
thank, jr

 

well i changed and put the old plugs back in today and no change. still a sudden harsh/rough start

 

go to the parts store buy your self a new set of ngk plugs and wires then clean the tb and make sure the gas is good if you have not filled it up sence it was sitting that long and has not been filled up yet. give those a try if that dont work let us know and we'll give you some more ideas. good luck

PS> dont mess around with old plugs they are dirt cheap

 

check engine light on ?
does it run ok when it warms up?

 

how do i clean the throttle body?

runs fine after it is started and warmed up.

 

a rough start is usually due to starving your cylinders of air on startup... hows ur IAC motor operation? you're going in the right direction as far as cleaning the throttle body. the best way to do this is the long way..disconnect your intake tubing, remove the four bolts from the throttle body, disconnect the wiring harnesses, and the 2 coolant hoses from below (assuming this is a y8 motor), once you have it removed, get urself a rag and some throttle body cleaner, and have at it.. be sure to clean around the plate as much as possible, as well as the passage for the IAC.... give that a shot and let me know how things work out.. good luck!

 

I'm having a similar issue. Your car is 2000 and I almost guarantee that it's not your Throttle body being dirty. You only need to clean your TB on really old cars. We're talking '80s. I was going to clean TB on my old '97 car. I opened it up and TB was spottless..

It has to be something else. Not sparks or spark wires (since I recently changed mine). Any other suggestions?

 

goto autozone and buy a fuel additive,injector cleaner. i bought a bottle called nos the bottle is in a box and it works great cleans injectors,rough starts,octane booster, how much have u drove since u had this problem???

 

I tried [and currently trying again] with the fuel additive. This time a got a BIG [20+ ounces]. See if this helps any.

Car only does this sometimes and only on cold engine.