Someone help me. I am ready to junk this car. It will not start unless you use ether. It's a gas model. If you do not use a shot of ether at startup you will crank all day. Once the car starts it runs fine and might start again if attempted right away. I tested the cold start injector and I am not getting voltage to the injector. So I guess that means either the computer or the sensor that controls the computer is bad. Does this sound like the correct assumtion. I did overheat the car once about a year ago. It seems like this issue has gotten worse with time since then. Could one of the sensors that controls the cold start injector have gone bad due to the temperatures of the overheat? Someone help, I am starting to hate this car.

"Progressively worse" could be a dirty fuel filter. How long has it been since your's was replaced? If over 50k miles try a new one.

I changed that, along with the plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Several spare fuel relays and a spare computer. I also tried a used air flow controller and that actually seemed to help for a short period. Then it was back to the same old thing;.

Has a compression check also been done?

I agree with the previous reply. But you have narrowed it down some. If it starts with starting fluid, then suspect a fuel delivery problem.

Ian't there a check valve in the fuel pump to provide fuel at start up? If that's not working, then maybe there isn't enough pressure for startup. Try dosconnecting the fuel feed line at the fuel rail with the key, etc. off and the engine's not having run for a few hours. There should be plenty of pressure, I believe.
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Steve--88 765T, 84 764T, 87 744 (RIP), 84 242 (RIP), 52 Volkswagen, 34 Plymouth

Have you checked out your fuel pressure regulator yet? That is the first place I would look.

I checked all of these items including the fuel pressure regulator. Not sure why a compression test would be done. The car runs like a top once it's running. The engine is in great shape 135K oil changes every 3000 faithfully. The pressure regulator was a used part, but it came off a car with reasonably low milage. The tac moves when it turns over which suggests the crank sensor is working. Changed fuel relays, checked radio surpressor, swapped computers and none of this worked. I'm at a loss.

How are you putting in the starting fluid? I wonder if you have a lack of air issue and by opening it up you are providing the air needed for startup when you go to inject the fluid. Maybe once it's going and you have vacuum, things change to allow it to run from there.

Actually by adjusting the cable running to the throttle body corrected the start up issue. It actually starts now unassisted by ether. But, the idle seems smooth for a bit then becomes erratic and choppy then usually stalls. If I shut the car off normally I can restart with no problem and no ether. If I let it stall it will not restart without ether. Basically I have a funky idle issue right now. I changed the fuel pressure regulator again and also the air flow controller to no avail. Any ideas?

By tightening this cable you are opening the throttle slightly creating an air passage. This also will activate the throttle position switch which closes the IAC. Maybe try disconnecting the output tube from the IAC and readjusting the cable back. This will bypass the IAC valve. It looks like those IAC's aren't opening. Maybe the wireing is bad? You should have 12 volts between the center IAC pin and one of the outer ones when you're starting the engine. The voltage should switch to the other outer pin when the throttle is opened.

"The voltage should switch to the other outer pin when the throttle is opened."

Not true. The other (non-idle) contact doesn't make until WOT (wide open throttle).

And the TPS does nothing to the IAC -- it just tells the ECU whether the throttle is closed, open, or wide open. The ECU controls the IAC based on relevant inputs such as RPM, engine temp, AC on/off, etc.

It seems like this new cable "adjustment" and it's effect would suggest that a "Base Idle" adjustment (see FAQ) is in order, followed by a TPS adjustment, then re-adjusting the cable to make sure it doesn't affect anything until the accellerator pedal is pressed.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

While I agree the TPS does not control the IAC directly, isn't it true that when the ECU sees the TPS is closed (idle), it immediately opens the IAC, and when TPS is open (off-idle), it immediately closes the IAC? Understood that how much it opens is based on the criteria you described.
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David Armstrong - '86 240(350k km?), '93 940T(270k km), '89 240(parts source for others) near Toronto

Since you did this adjustment. Have you cleaned/adjusted the TB? Or maybe an intake leak..

The fuel pump should have the pressure up to operating level in seconds, so a bad check valve might slow starting a little, but not by minutes and wouldn't keep the car from starting.

I think it would be very helpful to you to take a long look at the 700/900 FAQ under SELECT LINK at the top right of this page. There is very much trouble shooting and component information there that may point you in the right direction.

But for starters, I don't think you should be concentrating on the cold start injector. That injector is only supposed to activate when it is really cold; like 0 F. So if you are trying to start the car when it is 30F, no voltage at that injector is perfectly normal.
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Andy in St. Paul - '91 745 213K mi, '91 745 210K, '90 744 183K, all Rex-Regina - past 240s