poll: K/KE-Jetronic Starting Behavior

87 328 - starts quickly, no throttle.

 

1980 and later 308 and 328 (and Mondial / Mondial 3.2) can vote in the 3rd and 4th categories, correct, or no?

 

Hi Steve,

My particular situation is that the car always starts without the use of any throttle. When cold, it starts up immediately (less than 2sec), always. Also, the warm up regulator (or equivalent) seems to kick in and throttles up to about 2k RPM.

However, when hot, the startup experience ranges from normal (less than 2 sec) to a more drawn out (3 to 4 sec) starting process. In this latter case, I still do not use any throttle, but it just seems to take a few additional seconds for the engine to "catch".

So I'm a "Never any throttle, fast start when cold, slower start when hot" category.

BTW: I have never had the car actually fail to start when hot.

 

My 1989 TR with the KE Jetronic, cold starts after sitting for a few days takes about 3-5 seconds, warm starts immediately in about 2-3 seconds. Each time no throttle at all. By depressing the throttle at start up....just what does that do to help? The only thing I can think of that is affected is that little microswitch on the right side throttle body has something to do with it?

 

I voted #3.

Fires after around 2-4 seconds of cranking. Once I used the throttle during turnover and it seemed to mess up the process. Not firing, just turning over. I tried again without touching the throttle and it started fine. Now I never touch the throttle on startup.

-F

 

I have posted about this before. I have about a quarter million miles on K-jetronic and have never had a single problem ever. Not one. This includes my little 1980 VW Scirocco that I drove daily from when I was 17 until I turned 31. I then swapped driving it with a 87 Scirocco 16V every other day for another 6 years beginning in 99. Then there's my 308 I have had for 10 years.

All I do is buy brand name gas, premium always ( I have knock sensors on both VW's) and pour in some Techron about 5 or 6 times a year and drive a lot. That's it.

Basically until I bought my Touareg in 05 I never drove a car without K-Jetronic since before the summer of 85.

It may be a piss poor foundation to build performance on but don't try to tell me it won't work forever if you treat it right. I am walking proof it will.

 

Agreed. When cold, the throttle seems to get in the way, so I don't touch it. I do blip it after a few seconds once started to kick the alternator in. I voted #3.

 

Correct I voted for 4th, 84 QV

 

When first starting, no throttle. After warm-up, a quick blip on the throttle starts the motor right up(seems like <2 revolutions)--maybe Ferrari set some of the earlier K-Jetronic cars up to feel like a carb car. I suspect that Ferrari wouldn't have changed to fuel injection had emissions not been in the picture(remember, the US market represented a huge portion of sales).

 

Exactly. My 928 started *easily* hot or cold, idled fine, revved fine, ran fine.

You and I also saw Pratt at the Helena car show with his Boxer, and he wasn't having any trouble getting started, now was he?!

But...Pratt's Boxer had less than 5000 miles on it since new. That's just crazy. He'd just done the full engine-out service some 1000 miles ago. 'Sup with dat?!

People are afraid to put miles on those cars.