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Starting an Engine

The cold-start sequence: confirm a build, switch on ignition, crank, and catch the engine with a blip of throttle.

What it is

Starting an engine in Engone is a deliberate sequence, just like a real car with a key. 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 crank it and feed it some throttle.

The sequence

  1. Pick or confirm a build on the Setup page. A default engine is fine for your first start.
  2. Switch on ignition with E. This powers the ECU and fuel system.
  3. Hold the starter with R to crank. The ECU adds cranking enrichment while the starter turns.
  4. As it catches, blip the throttle with W to help it settle.
  5. Release the starter once it's running on its own.

Why it matters

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

Watch for stall

If RPM drops below roughly 150 RPM while cranking, or sags after catching, the engine will stall. Give it throttle and let the fast idle stabilize it.

Cold vs warm

A warm engine starts almost instantly with little or no throttle. A very cold engine needs more cranking time and a richer mixture — that's the enrichment system doing its job.

In the game

Watch the RPM gauge climb as you crank, and the coolant temperature readout — it sets how much enrichment and fast idle the engine gets. The idle will be high on a cold engine and drop toward its normal target as it warms.