hey guys,
I'm new here, hoping you could shed some light on an issue I'm having when I start my truck cold.
When I engage the key, I can hear the ignition beginning, the engine will catch and then kind of stutter roughly to a start. Almost like a coughing. It's only coughed and died twice in three thousand miles.
The other thing is that if I stop, kill the engine and go and do something and come back in 30 minutes or so it starts right up, no coughing or shaking. thanks for any information you can lend.

 

Start with the easy stuff. Pull the plugs are they wet (coolant leak), smell like fuel (leaking injectors), or oil fouled. Clean the deposits off the cold start timer, and engine coolant temp sensor and the coolant passage they mount to.

 

Yes, like Co says^^^ and temp sensors and the threads where they mount on should be cleaned to bare, shiny metal.
After all that Wallytoo, others and I have done I'm still experiencing the intermittent rough idle after parking for a few minutes. I don't remember if I cleaned the thread fo this temp sender that's on top of t-stat housing so I'll have to double-check:


Also search "cold start rough idle".

 

This is one where being up close and in person is great.

Could be all most anything

What kind of shape is the starting system in??

The charging system??

Just what do you hear when the ignition begins ??

The engine cranks fine ?? Once it starts it runs very rough till things smooth out ??

Just how long does that take ??

All the normal Tune up parts have been done??