03 V6 hard start when cold

[sojasan]

I've got an 03 V6 that hesitates during startup when cold. The engine seems to stuggle to turn over slowly - almost like it isn't going to fire up, but then it does and all is fine after that. I'm in Seattle, so its never lower than 40 deg or so these days. Once the car is warmed up, it starts like it should - no hesitation.

Thought it would be a weak battery, but the battery indicator (colored indicator on the battery) says its still ok. I'm not sure, however, how reliable this little indicator thing is. Anyhow, anyone else have this issue?? This is the original battery, so i'm tempted to ignore the indicator and get a new one.

Thanks...

 

[tkr128]

Most likely the battery, I've had a few of those "maintenance-free" batteries that have the indicator die on me but still showed they were okay on the indicator.

I'm on my third battery on my 2003. I replaced the stock one in 2007 and just replaced it again a month ago. Each time it would begin cranking slowly after sitting overnight, so I just replaced them as a preventative measure. Starts right up with a new battery installed.