trouble starting

**ls1wallen** · 08-16-2010, 01:25 PM

When my car sits for long time it has trouble starting. on the second try it starts right up. when i drive it around. shut it off and try to restart it right away it starts right up. I have replaced the battery since it was 5 years old. i was thinking maybe alentator?

**cammed goat** · 08-16-2010, 01:30 PM

As in the car cranking but no fire? Or turning the key and nothing at all?

**Too Fast** · 08-16-2010, 01:32 PM

No. I'm thinking fuel pump. When it sits for a long time (over 2 weeks), the fuel system may lose its' prime, requiring more than one attempt at a start. Fits perfectly with your description, that it fires fine later.

What do you mean by "my car sits for a long time"?

**ls1wallen** · 08-16-2010, 02:06 PM

it cranks over but no fire. it can be as little as just a couple hours of sitting. I thought it was the battery at first becouse of the age and when i took it to autozone they said it was dead.

**cammed goat** · 08-16-2010, 04:11 PM

Sounds like either you have a clogged fuel filter or the pump is going out. How many miles?

**ls1wallen** · 08-16-2010, 04:37 PM

Almost 120k changed the fuel filter around 1k miles ago maybe less.

**Too Fast** · 08-16-2010, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by ls1wallen

it cranks over but no fire. it can be as little as just a couple hours of sitting. I thought it was the battery at first becouse of the age and when i took it to autozone they said it was dead.

But if it was your battery, it would not do the "crank over but no fire" thing.

Leaning towards the fuel pump as well. Any way you can get a pressure checker? Should be 58+ psi, right away, with the Key On Engine Off. It will do a 2 second prime, the pressure should be there on the first prime, or the second prime at the most.

**ls1wallen** · 08-16-2010, 04:46 PM

I had a gand am that had trouble like this and it was just a weak battery. That's why I thought it was just that. Fuel pump is the last thing I wanted to hear.

**Cutlass** · 08-16-2010, 05:32 PM

sounds like a fuel pump to me also.

**Frost** · 08-16-2010, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by Cutlass

sounds like a fuel pump to me also.

this^

**ls1wallen** · 08-18-2010, 12:03 AM

I think it might have been some bad gas. I filled it up at a different station and got a new fuel filter. starts fine now.

**Too Fast** · 08-18-2010, 03:57 AM

^^^you can always hope it was that simple. Probably not, but hope so for you!

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