Startup Ritual

[ill-legal?]

Back when I had my '07 STi a friend of mine convinced me that I should turn the key to the "On" position and wait a second or two until I heard the fuel pump "prime" or kick in, and only THEN continue to turn the key all the way to the "Start" position to fire the engine. He said this was better for the fuel system and the motor and the way it was explained to me at the time seemed to make sense, so it became a habit.

My most recent car prior to the Z was an automatic with a push button start, so I fell out of the habit with that vehicle...

Since getting my new Z though, I thought back on this and so a couple weeks ago I basically didn't engage the clutch, pushed the start button twice...heard the subtle whine of the fuel pump, then pressed in the clutch and hit the button a third time to start the car. I'm curious if anyone else does this, or what your thoughts might be as to whether there any benefits to doing this with our vehicles?

 

[staying_tuned]

My Father (mechanic/iron worker) taught me this when I learned to drive and if I have a key in my hand to start anything, I roll the key to prime first. I’m convinced it’s based on legacy EFI gremlins back in the day. That said it’s rare nowadays to not have push to start.

I never do this with push to start unless I’m in post mod first start prayer/pucker mode after installing a mod and I’m worried it will blow up. My internal car dialog says “don’t worry my awesome Z, take your time and get you all the fuel you need and get settled cause man here we go. I made a change that you may struggle with and I’m sorry in advance if you don’t like this so please no rush”. At this point I squint and push again to start. I do this regardless if it’s a trivial intake or DIY forced induction install on a previously N/A car. Heck I did this on my catch can install a few weeks ago.

I’m convinced that with modern EFI this is actually a waste of time unless you’re specifically priming lines post injector/pump/fuel filter install and even then I’m not certain really helpful given the pressure and speed fuel flows nowadays.

That said, I will never be so bold as to smite the car gods and stop this process on post-mod first start. I just don’t think it’s beneficial at all for day to day.

 

[RobotAZ]

If there’s a mechanical advantage somehow to doing that, I’m sure programming addresses it in even a contemporary past 10 years model. Could have been mitigated in the 80’s or earlier if we’re thinking about the same issues. I’m pretty sure fuel injection and real ECUs forced solutions to pump lag and pressure differentials.

But keep in mind the control scheme is with a stock system. It seems logical that you’d have to program out startup lag due to multiple issues if you were modifying anything remotely related to the fuel system. Not all pumps respond as quickly as others. Bigger lines and pumps, fuel injectors, all of that stuff changes your control system, especially by changing volumes and subsequently pressures for some amount of time at startup. In that case it makes total sense to wait 1-2 seconds.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea. In 36 years of driving, I’ve had cars way back where I did it for other BS poor-guy, dumb-guy reasons like pressure loss, failing pumps, faulty injectors, etc. from driving around in a poorly maintained sports car and truck.

Actually now that you mention it, I think it’s a good habit to have. lol

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

Do you notice a difference on start up? Does it start faster after priming compared to no prime?

 

[Mugzilla]

I don't do that, but I DO let it idle for about 30 seconds before going. (To let the oil flow everywhere...)

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

I don't do that, but I DO let it idle for about 30 seconds before going. (To let the oil flow everywhere...)

I let my car idle down. Its about 30 secs and then I go. Sometimes I idle longer while shuffling through my playlist

 

[ill-legal?]

Do you notice a difference on start up? Does it start faster after priming compared to no prime?

I let my car idle down. Its about 30 secs and then I go. Sometimes I idle longer while shuffling through my playlist

I definitely do this as well, wait just a bit until the idle rpm's settle, check phone one last time, dial in the tunes, then go.

As for faster startup, next time I take the car out I'll try both ways to compare...

 

[thesilverbullet]

I do this with my tacoma (keyed switch). the pump is loud and i start the engine before it stops. logic is that it may be under a higher pressure while the pump is running.

didn't think about doing this with the push button but going to. Thanks for the thread.

back in the 70’s before fuel injection you would have to pump the gas pedal a few times before starting or it would take awhile to start.

I had a brand new $4K 1978 Chevy LUV MIKADO (aka isuzu) and you just needed to press the gas pedal to the floor one time and it would set a fast idle and stay set until you hit the pedal again. The truck would run 40 mph and i would drive it like that for a few miles on cold winter mornings.