Camaro Starting Issues

[Project84]

What about a carbon'ed up throttle body? That ended up being the solution to my g/f's Grand Prix starting issues.

Hers would crank/start just fine then have erratic idle and stall within 3 or 4 seconds. I talked to some Grand Prix forum guys and they all said remove throttle body and soak in Purple Power then brush any remaining carbon/gunk out, lube moving parts and reinstall. Solved the issues.

All along I had thought plugs/wires, vac leak, fuel filter, fuel pump...

[bowtieguy]

good thoughts guys. the regulator is a little difficult to get to, but i'll try it.

the throttle body is well maintained(regular manual and additive cleanings). might try to clean again, even tho idle is fine.

[add|ct]

Amsoil power foam worked nice for the VX for top end cleaning , but there's no real way of knowing if a burn out and subsequent 'sitting' of engine will affect your problem in any way. I did it for fun too, and knew it wouldn't hurt for just a few bucks.

The Stratus, on the other hand, has a problem blowing a fuse labeled 'ign switch', which may be related to the fuel or not. I hear the gas pump prime when I turn the key to the on position. What I've found through other Stratus owners around my year model('99), is that old oil has settled on the connectors at the starter and long story short it needs cleaning. I haven't done this yet, but it seems to happen more frequently in cold weather and only started happening after I had my V.C.G. replaced by a mechanic and a lot of oil oil was blown from the top of the engine(oil was actually on the top of the engine as the seals/rings for the spark plug seats were shrunk). This may have put the car 'over the top' for what was tolerable on the electrically connectors on the bottom area, behind the engine near the starter. We'll see, but it could be worth a shot if you have any oil caked on anywhere nearby electrical wiring connectors related to starting the engine. Solenoid/starter areas?

[Sport/Truck]

Originally Posted by Project84

What about a carbon'ed up throttle body? That ended up being the solution to my g/f's Grand Prix starting issues.

Hers would crank/start just fine then have erratic idle and stall within 3 or 4 seconds. I talked to some Grand Prix forum guys and they all said remove throttle body and soak in Purple Power then brush any remaining carbon/gunk out, lube moving parts and reinstall. Solved the issues.

All along I had thought plugs/wires, vac leak, fuel filter, fuel pump...

Now that you mentioned that my Land Cruiser had a similar issue with the TB.
Didn't require removal just just some cleaner on a rag to clean the TB's butterfly. On another car I had, using solvents ruined the TB's seals and allowed vacuum leaks. So now I don't hose them down or worse soak them.

I don't think the top end cleaners will keep the TB clean, it might help but just the normal function of the PVC and the EGR valves tends to crap it up or at least on the Land Cruiser.

[ben98gs]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy

the clincher is that their car has a 3800 chevy V6--same as our camaro! hopefully, this is it. thanks for your help guys.

It is technically a Buick V6, not a Chevy.

That said, the coolant leak is more than likely due to the LIM gaskets. They are made of plastic and tend to warp/break down over time. If you replace them order gaskets from a 2005 Grand Prix and they should be metal gaskets and will NEVER have this problem again.

I agree... Change the regulator out and see what happens

[add|ct]

Originally Posted by Sport/Truck

Now that you mentioned that my Land Cruiser had a similar issue with the TB.
Didn't require removal just just some cleaner on a rag to clean the TB's butterfly. On another car I had, using solvents ruined the TB's seals and allowed vacuum leaks. So now I don't hose them down or worse soak them.

I don't think the top end cleaners will keep the TB clean, it might help but just the normal function of the PVC and the EGR valves tends to crap it up or at least on the Land Cruiser.

You are right, but that's why I use it. Over time, it will not just be coating the throttle body as varnish but could become carbon deposits. I started a rule for my vehicles that could use the top-end cleaner, to treat them at least 1 time a year. For less than $10 a can in any application, you aren't going into a bottomless pit and they actually work. To what degree? That depends on how well you use the product and just how 'bad' your top end is caked with varnish/the time that has elapsed since the last TB cleaning of any kind.

I suppose whether a foam cleaner or just a shop rag slightly dampened with xylene, something to get 'somewhat' clean. Interesting you point out the TB gasket potentially getting ruined, but it could have been 'already on the way out'. In reality, cleaners should be used away from rubber; or older/brittle plastic for that matter, though.

[bowtieguy]

bump!

well after replacing the fuel pump, MAF sensor, the intake gaskets, along w/ plugs and wires previous to those, the issue went away, so we forgot about it.

but now, there's gas in the motor oil which leads me to believe leaky injector or bad regulator. there's no leak at the regulator hose, so if it is a leaky injector it will have to wait. the car burns a little oil such that i have to fill it between changes, so the fuel leak cannot be too bad.

i've done alot of work to this car in the past year, so my wallet needs a break. guess i'll keep an eye on it and top off w/ 40 weight oil in the mean time!

[theholycow]

There's a variety of ways to investigate the injectors.

To start with, use a mechanics stethoscope (or a long screwdriver with the handle pressed to your ear) to listen for proper clicking in each injector.

Also thoroughly check the injector wiring for shorts and such. I had an injector stuck open thanks to a shorted wire.

Also check fuel pressure. It should stay up after the engine is turned off. If not, it could be leaking out a stuck injector. If it's too high then it could be, as you mentioned, fuel pressure regulator.

You don't want to ignore gas in the oil, since it's probably from a leaking injector and possibly washing all the oil off a cylinder wall.

[trollbait]

You don't want to ignore gas in the oil, since it's probably from a leaking injector and possibly washing all the oil off a cylinder wall.

If that's concern, some 2 stroke outboard oil can be added to the gas. I can't recall the spec, but boat oil burns cleaner and is safer for the cat than the stuff for the lawnmower.

[bowtieguy]

thinking out loud...

a while back we had a canister purge valve solenoid code. it was a cheap part, so i bought a new one. strangely enough, the new one did not look like or fit like the old one(but it did fit).

could it be possible that i have the wrong part, and that gas vapors are making their way into the intake and oil, giving off the smell of gas? beyond what should be burned off?