xviper

I may stand corrected but I think "reformulated" gas just means that it has a component (some form of alcohol - ethanol or methanol) that will act as gas line anti-freeze. During the coldest months, I purposely get "Mohawk" gas which contains 10% ethanol year round. I do this every 2nd or 3rd tankful in the winter. The car seems to do fine with it.
We'll be able to tell more as the weeks go by as we transition further into winter.

Road Rage

There are several reasons for re-formulation. One is to provide the proper volatility for good performance in colder weather. It is not uncommon for problems like yours Xviper during the transition months, esp since some gas stations will buy gas formulated for a different season because it costs them less as the mfr's want to unload it.

The other reformulation is dictated by emissions standards - my Cobra buddies in the Northeast hate the winter, because the re-fromulated fuel that is mandated to deal with emissions is lousy for the supercharged 4.6, in part offsetting the tremendous power pickup that those intercooled V8's maintain when the cold air hits them.

Yes, they are alcohols, and is another reason they stink - their specific output in BTU's per quantum is less than "normal" fuel. That si why ethanol is such a rip. Also, ethanol and other oxygenates can leave nasty injector pintle deposits, which is another reason i recommend a dose of quality injector cleaner every time you do an oil change.

In fact, guys I know who use multi-bank Diablosports chips actually have had separate tunes done on the dyno:
Summer, Track (aggressive sspark for race fuels), and Winter. They can switch between them with a toggle switch.

SkipX

This is normal. Both my MY01 and MY03 stall at initial start on cold morings. 2 possible fixes.

1. Go with )-20 or 0-30w oil in the winter (not recommended)
2. Insert key and turn to IGN. Allow the RPM gauge to swing from 0-9000 and back to 0. Count to 5. Disengage the clutch, depress the start button, continue holding the clutch in for at least 10 seconds until the air pump engages. (Works every time!)

Enjoy!

Skip

jguerdat

I just let it stall so the ECU learns. Doesn't happen more than twice before the ECU has it donw cold (so to speak)...

Jasonoff

My 2000 does this too. I just let it stall. Then start it again.

It seems a fan kicks in just before it dies.

6sigma

Very interesting. Seems to be a somewhat common problem. Mine has not done it yet, but it's only been down to high 20s so far. I suspect it is a mixture problem, due to the very cold MAF sending the wrong signals (just a guess though). If I recall, the MAF functions by heating an electric wire and measuring the resistance change as air flow cools it and thereby determing mass air flow (again, not certain on this). Maybe the cold MAF incorrectly signals lots of air, which causes an overly rich mixture and it stalls.

xviper

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jasonoff
My 2000 does this too.