Cold Start Valve

Looking at an e30 to buy and the owner says the cold start valve needs replacing. So is there any way that I could start it to test/drive it home and how much would a valve set me back to replace? I think I read somewhere that people used high octane sprays like start ya bastard to get the engine going?
Incase it would help, it's winter in australia so I don't have the option of waiting for a warm day...

I've had mine disconnected for over a year. Even on 0* days here in Ohio, I never really had a problem. I would just treat the car as though it were carburated. Feather the gas on start up. The valve only works for like 10 sec anyway.

Well is there a way to bypass it when I go have a look at this car? Other than pull it out

mine went out a long time ago and it was causing raw fuel to constantly leak into intake and made the car run horrible. what i did for a while was just use a pair of hose clamp pliers and clamped it off and magically the car ran fine. it never did need it to start up. it would just require a little bit longer cranking in extreme cold. mine has been chipped so it runs a little more rich anyways.

Originally Posted by dannyb86

mine has been chipped so it runs a little more rich anyways.

Normally these cars run Rich at WOT and we lean them out for more power
At cruising the Lambda sond runs at stoichiometric, which is too rich- but nothing you want to do about that
Chips to change timing too, but that is not the point here.

To 'bypass' just pull the wires off it or its controlling sensor. It wont help if its leaking though as it is connected to the fuel rail.

I just pulled the wires.. you can bypass the fuel but I don't think it really matters. Im thinking about using my cold start valve as an extra injector with nitrous. Put it on a WOT switch with the nitrous solenoids, that way more fuel more nitrous more power.