Hard Cold Start-190e Engine Backfires..any Ideas
 

Hello All.
Lately, I have been having cold start problems. I have to crank the car more than usual to start the car up. The engine dies 3 seconds after startup. It would basically start up but if I keep my foot off the gas pedal, the engine would drop below 500 rpm and simply dies. I have inspected the OVP relay(ok), Idle valve(ok), fuel relay(ok) and adjusted the fuel mixture. The engine would idle fine when the engine is all warmed up (700 rpm +/- 50) and the engine starts easier. Also many times I have heard the mini explosion (backfiring) coming from the throttle plate as I was trying to rev the car when the engine is not yet warmed up. My guess is that a cold timing chain tensioner is relaxed, thus leaving a bit of slack in the timing chain and results in bad timing. I am going to change the timing chain as well as the tensioner this week. What else could be the cause of this problem?