[Bissa]

Hi,

After owning a MiTo and forced to sell it about 1,5 years ago my girlfriend surprised me with an old 156 that has a few... age related issues.

One of these issues is that, on a cold engine and in first gear, the acceleration just won't happen. To help solve this, I need to disengage the gear, engage it again and then it works mint. It seems as if the Clutch just won't properly engage and disengage on a cold start.

One we have lift off, I can accelerate all I want and it seems to have no issues any longer. It's an absolute dream to drive.

On a sidenote: I will be doing a full service on the car soon with new spark plugs etc, is there anything I should be thinking about such as resetting service intervals? It's a 1999 model; so i'm unsure if it has a service alarm. It was never maintained by a garage but by an older guy who worked on his own cars, pretty much like I did on my BMW. Unfortunately, my girlfriend did not keep his contact details and his online ad dissapeared after I got the car...

 

[Bissa]

Noone?

 

[gazza82]

1999 won't have service alert .. before 2001 they don't have much in the way of special parts ..

Try disconnecting the MAF sensor ... part way along the intake pipes .. the engine management light will come on but don't worry. Then see if it runs from cold. Mine did it soon after it was delivered back in 1998(!) and went in under warranty and I'm sure they told me it was the MAF .. but it could also be the lambda as this affects the fuel mix ..

Try the 90-second trick too ...

1. Turn on the ignition, but don't start the car, and leave for 90 seconds
2. Turn off the ignition, and leave for 90 seconds
3. Start the car WITHOUT touching the throttle pedal and leave to idle for 5-10 mins. You may hear the idle speed change ..
4. Turn off the car, then restart and go for a drive.

 

[Bissa]

1999 won't have service alert .. before 2001 they don't have much in the way of special parts ..

Try disconnecting the MAF sensor ... part way along the intake pipes .. the engine management light will come on but don't worry. Then see if it runs from cold. Mine did it soon after it was delivered back in 1998(!) and went in under warranty and I'm sure they told me it was the MAF .. but it could also be the lambda as this affects the fuel mix ..

Try the 90-second trick too ...

1. Turn on the ignition, but don't start the car, and leave for 90 seconds
2. Turn off the ignition, and leave for 90 seconds
3. Start the car WITHOUT touching the throttle pedal and leave to idle for 5-10 mins. You may hear the idle speed change ..
4. Turn off the car, then restart and go for a drive.

Lambda sensor replacement could be done as im replacing the pipes come saturday. But I will try your tip. Thanks for the intel!

 

[gazza82]

Make sure it's a BOSCH lambda ... others aren't right ohm rating for car ...

Been there, done that, have the T-shirt ..