Why the occasional pause when starting?
 

Some ppl have been reporting a short delay between pressing the start button and the engine cranking. So far, no one has been able to figure out what triggers the delay. Does anybody know? Do you have a theory? Please post any answers or guesses.

LMBmikeZ posits that it's the car doing an extra self-check. Sounds reasonable to me, but what is it checking and why doesn't it get checked every time?

does anyone care? :confused:

enough to start a thread, apparently :icon17:

I'd just leave it at self-check and be done :ugh2:

re-booting the mass transducers, and magnamometers.

id be more concerned about nails in my tire without me knowing...

now everyone's paranoid and will check their tires tonight.

fixed

:tup:

:icon18: I know I don't care as long as it starts!

ROFLMAO

So I'm a bit obsessive about these things. Yes, it's not like it really matters, but I want to know. Sue me!

This is a general forum, so just imagine an embedded video by Lily Allen or Cee Lo Green here. :P

The slow start I once thought was because of short trips and the battery not getting a good charge. After 30 minutes on the track I got gas and it happened in front of a stranger who said " Can't be, it did not get enough of a charge"

He did not even know this had happened before.

I have noticed in the last week or so that sometimes I have to press the brake pedal just a little bit harder after I press the start button for the sequence to begin. I don't know if it's a problem with the brake switch or perhaps the brakes themselves? It's not a big deal, but I did start noticing it lately.

As someone speculated on another thread, could this have something to do with removal of the Steering Lock Fuse or bypass of the lock?

That was my first thought, but, according to LMBmikeZ (see link above), the pause is present in cars that still have the fuse.

To create a dramatic startup if you have a nice sounding exhaust lol! :tup:

this only happened to me after i removed my fuse, somewhere around 26,000 miles

Have you checked the blinker fluid? Could be it.

Ah... maybe that's what the delay comes from?:confused: The ECU is busy checking if there are nails in the tires before the safe start??? Good point kenchan.:tiphat:

Maybe temperture too cold.?

Same here.

Kalecoauto.com will have your solution

I had the fuse removed as well, and notice it takes awhile for the start button to respond. It doesn't happen all the time, though.

don't forget to self check for breast cancer... yes dudes get it too

I've noticed that the only time there is a delay in car starting is when you get inside and wait a while before you push the start button.

You may be on to something. I was in my car this evening, door open, fiddling with a laptop. Thought about your post and waited several minutes (at least 2, maybe 5) before pushing start btn. Pause before starting.

Mine started after I removed the fuse but only sometimes. I noticed it yesterday when it took a good 10-12 seconds to actually turn on.

hmmmm All the other posts I've noticed have reported 1-3 second delays. You may have something else going on.

I thought it was just building up suspense before starting.


Like a good movie.

It's the accumulation of matter and antimatter for warp speed in forward motion before pressing the accelerator.:eek:

I too have noticed the occassional delay after the steering lock fuse was removed. Since the delay is inconsistent (most times the car starts just like it did before the fuse was removed) the fact that opening the door and waiting awhile before starting seems to result in a pause when the start button is pushed. I've noticed this once and will attempt to duplicate the conditions. The delay was about a second or two if I recall.

Wait, what color is the Blinker Fluid supposed to be? I think someone put the wrong kind in my car, it is a blueish hue...

But honestly, I wouln't think much of it since it happens on such a random basis..

Thanks for the reply.

Since it seems to affect all 370Zs, not just those that pulled the SLU fuse, I'm not really worried about it, just a gnawing curiosity. I'm not losing any sleep over it, but would like to know why it happens.

It is weird to not hear the unlocking of the steering wheel once you press the start button after the fuse pull. Perhaps it creates the illusion of a delay?

Reasonable theory, but there is a definite delay. Most ppl are reporting 1-3 seconds. Last time it happened to me, I was reaching to press the button again (thought I may not have pressed the button properly) when it finally started.

I blame ethanol :)

In all honesty, I think it is something to do with some kind of software reset, maybe the ECU purges some cache or something; that seems like the most logical thing I can think of.

Sounds like one of the better theories to me. My personal favorite is that the system is doing an extra self-test (but that doesn't explain why it only happens some of the time).

A few ppl have reported that the driver door being open for a long time may trip the delay, but I haven't been able to reproduce it.

Maybe someone will come up with the answer, but I'm not holding my breath.

I experienced the approx. 3 second delay today again. Just got in the vehicle and pressed the start button and the delay occurred. Didn't leave the door open for an inordinate amount of time. I tend to think that SCGOLFER7 may be on to something since the BCM appears to send signals to the ECU to verify some of the system checks. This would explain the diagnostic procedure noted in NTB12-041.
Has anyone had a dealer perform the procedure describe in NTB12-041?

I think what you, I, and golfer are talking about is pretty much the same thing - an extra system startup routine that gets executed for some reason. Whether that is a memory purge or a self-check or something else remains to be seen.

I haven't noticed anyone posting about doing a BCM reflash, but I can't read all the posts.

I just read over NTB12-041 again and I can't tell for sure if the two are related or not. The startup symptoms are the same, but I don't remember anyone reporting that they couldn't shut the engine off with an SLU failure. But I've read a lot of SLU posts and may have flushed that particular piece of info.
It would be interesting to find out if they are related or not. If someone has been unable to shutdown because of SLU failure, I would consider that to be strong evidence for.

probably just going through the usual system checks, checking steering wheel lock and unlocking it, making sure there is fuel in the tank, making sure everything is all good to start without damaging the motor, or ecu delay

its all drive by wire tbh and as much as i like my start button, it just doesnt replace the key-barrel

If you've pulled the SLU fuse your car won't start after 21 Dec 2012.