Thanks for your help before on a previous issue, now another problem has developed. I have a 98 Felicia 1.6 GLXi.

On these cold mornings in winter when I go to work and finish in the evenings. On the first start attempt, the car doesn't start, during the second attempt it will start, but add gas and the rev counter drops and the car stalls, this can happen on the third attempt and then it might stabilise and the car will be fine, ie it has warmed up.

Is this a coldstart issue or something else.?

sounds like a dodgey coolant temp sensor to me!

sounds like a dodgey coolant temp sensor to me!

TeflonTom - Could you elaborate further on that at all?

yeah, ok! the coolant temperature sensor measures the temperture of the water in the cooling system and tells the ecu (brain? ) that the engine is cold (or hot!) using this info it adjusts the amount of fuel injected into the engine,

when the engine is cold it requires more fuel because a cold engine doesn't vapourize the fuel completely in the intake and consequently some of it condenses in the intake manifold, hence more fuel is needed to keep the thing going.... so if you coolant sensor is stuffed, it has trouble working out the correct quantity of fuel to inject...

the coolant sensor is located (as you stand facing the engine) on the right hand end of the cylinder head, and it is clipped into the black plastic thermostat housing, it has 4 wires attached to it