Hard starting hot

[surfer93]

Car will start, but it struggles to run. Running very rough and idling about 300-350 rpm and after a second or two it will run right.
It starts almost immediately, but when I sit in traffic, I smell coolant, could I have a blown headgasket?

Having a REAL bad month.

 

[vetteoz]

Pulled the codes?
Loosing coolant?

 

[Hib Halverson]

While the symptoms are pretty limited, based on that small amount of information, on the hard starting, I'd run the fuel pressure tests in the service manual. You may have a leaking injector.

As for smelling coolant, before you assume a head gasket failure, I'd look for a coolant leak, either from the engine or the heater.

 

[surfer93]

FI's are Bosch III's and they are about 2 yrs old, going to check FP and forgot, the car idles about 750-800rpm. I have replaced all vacuum hoses and no leaks. Intake, TB gaskets are new.

 

[John Robinson]

If you smell coolant you have a leak somewhere. Best guess from what you say about the start up harsh idle is the water pump is leaking onto the opti. On top of the opti is an electrical connector and if the water pump bearing seal is going bad it will leak onto that connector.

When I had my 93 water pump go bad I found a coolant stain on the power steering fluid reservoir and the leak was just a very fine mist and hard to see.

 

[joshwilson3]

If you smell coolant while sitting in the car, maybe you should check the heater core?

Though, the only time I've smelled coolant is when I stick my head somewhere around the compressor. But I figure that is normal since the overflow bucket is nearby.

 

[John Robinson]

If you smell coolant while sitting in the car, maybe you should check the heater core?

Though, the only time I've smelled coolant is when I stick my head somewhere around the compressor. But I figure that is normal since the overflow bucket is nearby.

If the heater core leaks it generally fogs the windows inside of the car

 

[joshwilson3]

If the heater core leaks it generally fogs the windows inside of the car

The other sign is if you smell coolant while in the car. So, the first thing I'd check is a heater core leak. Usually when you can smell coolant inside the car, it is a leaking heater core.

 

[John Robinson]

The other sign is if you smell coolant while in the car. So, the first thing I'd check is a heater core leak. Usually when you can smell coolant inside the car, it is a leaking heater core.

Not always if the coolant leak is hitting a hot manifold on the passenger side of the car the fumes can be pulled into the cabin through the fresh air vents

 

[surfer93]

No heater core and only smell coolant when engine is hot.

 

[joshwilson3]

Not always if the coolant leak is hitting a hot manifold on the passenger side of the car the fumes can be pulled into the cabin through the fresh air vents

Right, you could smell coolant from the engine bay. But the 9 times out of 10 when someone says they smell coolant while sitting in the car. It is the heater core, so worth checking out at least.