Gmc - Sonoma :: 1998 - Hard To Start Intermittently?
Jul 29, 2014
The Sonoma is basically the same as a Chevy S-10. It has a 4.3L V-6, auto trans. and 148K miles.
About half the time it will crank and crank and crank before it finally starts. Other times it will start with the first cylinder to hit TDC. I have found that waiting with the key on until the security light goes out will SOMETIMES make a difference. If I don't wait for the light to go out, it always takes several attempts to start. I hope that symptom is not entirely in my mind. I don't think it will start at all if I just continue to grind on the starter. Doing it in 3-5 second bursts sometimes works, sometimes not. It does not seem to matter if it is the first start of the day, or after the engine is warmed up.
The fuel pump appears to have been replaced at some time as some idiot sawed a hole in the bed to do it rather than dropping the tank. There is no way to know how old the pump is, but I suspect they may have been fighting the same problem, and should be shot.
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I have heard that it is the ign switch but I have changed it twice already whats my next step??
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The brake lights on my truck are not working all the fuses are good, the bulbs are good, I have changed the brake switch. They still do not work, altho all the other lights at the rear work even tail lights.
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Just bought a 1995 GMC Sonoma. Needs some TLC but the brake and clutch pedals are unusually hard. They are still 100% operable, but they are both pretty stiff. Any trial and error ideas I should try to attempt to resolve this issue? Yes, fluids are topped off.
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I have a 1995 GMC Sanoma, 2.2 Lt, 4 cyl, 5 spd. It has about 130K miles. Each day I drive it back and forth to work (about 30 miles one way). About 6 months ago I noticed that at about 5 miles into my drive to work it would stutter but then catch itself and go on the rest of the way with no problems. On the drive home it would do the same thing at about 8 miles into the drive. This didn't really bother me until one day instead of stuttering it stalled but I could restart it right away while coasting. It had steadily gotten worse to where I had to pull over on the side of the road and restart because it wouldn't restart right away. Nowadays I hardly drive it at all because I'm afraid it will stall and not restart at all. I have replaced the air idle control, fuel pump relay and the positive battery cable. The symptons now are basically the same but different, I can start it (anytime, morning or evening) and it will idle fine for about 5-10 minutes. It will then start to stutter and try to catch itself, the idle will then rev up to about 1500 and then come back down and stutter some more before stalling. After that it will not start back up until maybe 10 minutes after, (it acts like it is not getting any fuel) but once it starts it runs fine, I drove it around for about 20 miles and it ran real strong. The next day it went through this same cycle again.
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What's wrong with my 98 ranger. automatic trans, rebuilt last year. over the summer i've replaced the battery and the alternator. oh, the radiator too, though why that would matter i don't know. believe it's the 4 cylinder, 2 wheel drive.
without any rhyme or obvious reason, sometimes it won't start. always after driving somewhere then parking. like after i go get groceries then go to return home. sometimes when i'm parking it'll stall out too.
electronics and ac come on when i turn the key, but no mechanical sounds at all. headlights aren't dimmed when i turn the key or anything. no clicks, no starter trying to rev, nothing. check engine light is not on. recently got it inspected (state inspection) and had the battery tested during an oil change at walmart. no problems found.
i discovered over the weekend that if i shift it into neutral and roll it a foot, come to a full stop, return to park, and try to start it, it works like nothing is wrong.
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I have a 1998 Honda Accord that intermittently won't start. When the issue occurs the dashboard lights, radio, etc all work just fine, but the engine won't turn over (no clicking, no noise at all). It's standard vehicle, but I definitely have my foot all the way to the floor to depress the clutch safety switch. The issue only seems to occur when the car is warm (i.e. it never happens on the first start in the morning), although it's been known to happen even after 2hrs of cooling down. The issue used to only occur 1 out of 100 starts, but now it's getting closer to 1 out of 4 times. I'm able to get the car going by jump starting it, but that's getting old.
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I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima. I just had both top and bottom valve gaskets replaced due to oil seepage. About a week prior to this repair, I noticed the car would have trouble starting, but it was very intermittent.Now I am experiencing the starting issue 50% or more of the time when trying to start.I'm horrible at describing the actual issue, but I am going to try. I turn the key and it has trouble turning over quickly. No tinking or clicking or anything like that. I have had the battery and alternator checked and both are fine. When i had the valve gaskets replaced, the shop i used checked the starter and told me it was o.k. I'm really having a tough time figuring this out and don't want to get "taken for a ride" money wise.
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My 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan has intermittent trouble starting. The starter has been replaced twice, and the WIN Module (and key) have been replaced. The same issue has been occuring, but never duplicates for the dealership. Their computer scan brings up no issues. The battery has been tested and is in good condition. It doesn't matter the time of day, or driving circumstances, the van will not always start.
It will have one click (and I can close the windows, turn on radio) but the van will not start. The Chrysler Dodge corporate office is getting me nowhere (big surprise there) and is not standing behind their customers-and Lampe Dodge is no better-so now I'm compiling information on my own to figure out the issue (since they are at a standstill with the van). What should I do now?
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My 98 cherokee sport(xj) 190k has always been reliable but now its hard to start. I must press on the gas pedal and rev it up so it doesn't die. Never has done this, after a few revs it seems find. Is my fuel pump bad.?
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I am having a problems with my intrigue... Hard to start when warm i checked the pressure reg vac hose found no fuel so im not sure if that is the problem. I have the 3800S11 engine. sometimes it will start when warm other times i need to push the gas a little to get it to start.
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My 245 is running great. Love this car to death. I have been experiencing something weird. The car will start hard after sitting intermittently. It'll crank for 3 seconds and if I press the gas pedal it will fire right up. If I don't touch the pedal, itll will continue to crank...eventually sputtering and then firing. It will usually fore up right away if I don't let it sit for hours. I haven't exactly narrowed it down to a fuel prime issue, but that's kind of what it seems like to me. Are there any check valves or anything like that I could look into?
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I have a 98 chevy astro thats been acting up alot these days! just a few eeks ago while checking tranny fluid it kinda smelt burnt. but topped it up anyway. mind you alot else is going on too. in the last year the horn has stopped working, the wipers work when they want to. the stereo stopped working. there was this wierd clicking noise that drained my battery, it was coming from this little black square looking thing under the dash on the drivers side, I removed it and it never happened agian. still haven't replaced it yet seeming as it ran fine without it. it wouldn't start when it was raining so considering the other electrical problems I was having I had a wire kit done on it and it didn't work. it turned out to be a cracked coil, which was replaced. just this last week the heater stopped working and now it started doing this this morning.
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Been having this problem since this past Easter when our mechanic installed new valve cover gaskets.
When the van is hot (normal operating temperature) and you turn it off just for a minute, like to get gas, and try and restart it acts like it’s not getting enough gas. It will cough and sputter and balk. It will finally start though and after 30 second all will calm down and it will run fine.
One big problem is, is that is intermittent – meaning it won’t mess up for the mechanic and putting it on the computer shows nothing wrong.
One mechanic said it was a cracked distributor. Replaced that for $400. and same problem. I’ve also cleaned the Mas Air Flow sensor and changed the fuel filter.
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Simple question: Is it possible that battery problem/corrosion in battery cables would allow car to crank but not start on first try when cold? (Car normally starts on 2nd or 3rd try). I've read some places that if car cranks its not a battery problem but I'm not convinced.
Background:I have a 98 Ford Mustang (approx 140,000 miles) that occasionally has trouble starting. Car normally takes 2 to 3 tries to start first thing in the morning or if it has been sitting for a while. It always cranks but doesn't turn over. I had it in the auto repair shop, they said it had to do with IAC valve being stuck open. They recommended to replace throttle air by-pass valve. The repair was done and when I came to pick up the car I heard it take three tries to start before they brought it to me from the back. I asked about it, so the service advisor said he would go and talk to the tech, he said he talked to the tech and that there was a lot of carbon that he had cleaned out and maybe remaining carbon in the system caused problem, I got the idea that they seemed to think everything was fine if I had any problems I could bring it back. The car became even harder to start, now taking up to 8 tries. I brought it back and they said that the new IAC had to be adjusted to allow more air. I picked up the car, they said it was fine, but now it still takes 2 to 3 tries to start it first thing in the morning.
In the past, I have had trouble with battery and battery terminal corrosion, have had new terminal ends put on my battery a few times, last time was probably about 6 months ago. Terminal ends look very corroded again. I'm thinking about just asking them to replace the battery cables and see what happens.
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On cold and/or wet days weak engine cranking. After a couple of attempts to start, I only hear a click about the 3rd attempt. If I wait about a minute or two, it still cranks slow but starts. Battery was replaced about 6 months ago. Electrical systems test good indicating no problem with battery, altenator, or starter. I don't seem to have any problem on warm days. My car is 4-cyl with about 85,000 miles and is kept in an unheated garage. Mechanic thinks trouble is likely the starter. Problem is intermittent, I'm not sure replacing the starter will fix the problem.
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Just got myself a gently used Econoline E-350 7.3 Diesel and was loving it when she ran:
E-350 7.3 Diesel
Recently I have been having some charging issues. It started with it intermittently having a hard time to start, especially when it was warm. I carried a jump box with me and that always seemed to work. Then I noticed the voltmeter on the dash dropping. It went down to the 8 and I was like something is wrong.
Checked the battery voltage, it was at 9.6v. OK, maybe alternator isn't charging. Advance Auto tested the alternator, said it was bad. I replaced alternator. No difference. I pulled the battery and ran it on a conditioner to bring it up to proper voltage. It's now at 12.6v resting. Starts the van no problem. When running though the voltage doesn't increase to 13-14 volts like it should though telling me the alternator isn't doing it's job. Increasing engine RPM actually decreases voltage? Checked all the obvious things like bad grounds but everything seemed clean.
The only thing that was fishy was when I pulled the three way plug from the alternator, one of the pins had corrosion on it. I cleaned it up before installing the new alternator. I didn't do a diode test on the new alternator because I figured it was new, but hey maybe I got a lemon?
Anyway I'm going crazy trying to figure out where the problem is. All fuses are ok. Is there an external regulator or something I should be on the lookout for? Is there anything else that could be causing a non charging issue? The battery was manufactured in 2014 so it's relatively new.
And on a random note my ABS light is now on?
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I'm having a weird issue with my 1998 Ford ZX2. The car is very hard to start when cold and it runs extremely rough, but only through my first acceleration under load. In other words, I can rev the engine a few times while in neutral, and it will run very rough, and once I start driving, it runs really rough through my first acceleration, but then it smooths out and runs fine from then on until I stop it and let it call off for 30 minutes or more. If I restart it within 30 minutes or so, everything is fine, but any longer that that and the problem reappears.
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I have a 98 chevy silverado c1500 extended cab has 5.7 350,and i think a 4L60E transmission. Driving around town my truck shifts fine, but when i get on the highway for a little while it will start jumping hard from 1st to 2nd, but if i kill the truck and start it back up it will usually shift fine.
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I have issues with engine starting when cold outside or after rain. This only happens when engine is cold and has not been started for a day or 2. Distributor cap does not have any condensation inside but does seem to corrode on contact points. Engine turns over fine, has fuel and spark. When this happens engine will not fire and after awhile it will start to fire and lock up when it fires then continue cranking. After repeated attempts it will start and run fine, can be shut off and start right back up with out any issues. It could take a few tries to a few hours of trying before running though. I'm leaning toward a distributor or timing issue. Am I on the right track? 98 Suburban K1500 5.7L ....
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Car: 1992 GMC Sonoma 2.8L Manual,
Miles: ONLY 197,000 miles...
Symptom: Sometimes won't start (not even turn over) when engine is warm. It doesn't die or anything it just won't start if i've been driving for more than an hour and I say, stop to get gas or something. It doesn't make an sound, not even a click. This has only happened to me about 3 or 4 times in the last 6 months.
Fixes: I have not had a mechanic take a look at this yet. They usually complain about other things when I bring it in. Little things like "your brakes are almost gone" (big deal, I don't need breaks because it is a stick shift) or "your tires are showing their metal wire" (big deal, I've had a front tire blow out before at 70 mph... on this same truck come to think of it).
Current workaround : The following three things work to get it started every time:
1. A jump starts it right up
2. Push start starts up real easy (I've done it by my self on flat pavement
3. Wait for an hour or two (not always an option)
Feeble attempt to diagnose: My feeling is that the starter motor is beginning to go but are there other things that can cause this before I pour money into fixing the starter?
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