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Starting an Engine

The cold-start sequence: confirm a build, switch on ignition, crank, and let the idle controller catch the engine — without touching the throttle.

What it is

Starting an engine in Engone is a deliberate sequence, just like a real car with a key. The engine begins cold, with the ignition off, in neutral. A cold engine needs extra fuel and a raised idle to catch and stay running; the ECU provides both automatically, but you still have to prime the fuel system and crank it.

The sequence

  1. Pick or confirm a build on the SETUP page. A default engine is fine for your first start.
  2. Press E to switch the ignition on. The fuel pump primes for about 2 seconds — watch FUEL PRESSURE fill. No pressure means no fuel.
  3. Hold R (or hold the CRANK button). The starter draws on the battery, so VOLTAGE sags to around 10 V while cranking.
  4. Don't touch the throttle. The idle controller opens the throttle for you while cranking. After the engine catches, a light blip is fine if it sags.
  5. The state window goes CRANKING → RUNNING. Release R once it's running.

Throttle above 75 % is the clear-flood command

Holding the throttle above about 75 % while cranking tells the ECU to clear a flooded engine: fuel is cut to almost nothing. Don't do it on a normal start.

Why it matters

Starting is probabilistic, not an RPM threshold. Each firing event during cranking has a chance to light, and the chance depends on:

  • Mixture — λ ≈ 0.70–1.05 lights fully; below 0.5 or above 1.25 won't light.
  • Cranking speed — the engine needs roughly 90–250 RPM.
  • Spark energy — which falls with battery voltage.
  • Spark timing at cranking — 0–18° BTDC is ideal.
  • Compression, and plug wetness.

The engine "catches" after several good fires and once RPM passes about 600. If RPM falls below about 150 the state window shows STALLED.

A cold engine relies on cranking enrichment and a raised cold-idle target to start and idle. Too little fuel and it won't catch; catch it but let RPM fall too far and it will stall.

Flooding

Running far too rich (λ below about 0.65) at low RPM wets the plugs, and the state window shows FLOODED. The fix: hold the throttle above 75 % while cranking until it clears, then release. See Cranking Enrichment.

Watch for stall

If RPM drops below roughly 150 RPM while cranking, or sags after catching, the engine will stall. Let the fast idle stabilize it; if it sags right after catching, a light blip of throttle helps.

Cold vs warm

A warm engine starts almost instantly. The engine begins at an ambient 20 °C, and a realistic warm-up takes about 15 minutes of idle. While tuning, use OPTIONS → GAMEPLAY → WARM-UP SPEED (1×–10×) or the SET WORKING TEMP button, which instantly puts the engine at operating temperature. See Temperatures & Cooling.

In the game

Watch the RPM gauge climb as you crank, FUEL PRESSURE and VOLTAGE in the left readouts, and the COOLANT bar in the TEMP box — coolant temperature sets how much enrichment and fast idle the engine gets. A cold engine idles high and drops toward its normal target as it warms: with an 850 RPM base target (the I4), the idle target is about 1100 RPM at 20 °C and steps down to 850 RPM once the coolant reaches 80 °C (see Cold Idle).