huminbird51

99 Astro hard to start in morning, cranks good but has trouble starting. Once I get it started, it runs fine and then starts fine the rest of the day. I have had trouble with the battery in the past. Put a new battery in June 08. Had to replace it in Oct 08 was completely dead. Had alternator checked. Was told it was good. Can hear fuel pump come on when I try to start van. I am unemployed and really need help with this problem as this is my only transportation. Thanks.

old_master

Check fuel pressure and leak down rate. Most auto parts stores have fuel pressure testers for under $30, Harbor Freight has them for under $20. Quick, easy test checks the entire fuel delivey system. Key on, engine off, fuel pump running, pressure must be 60psi to 66psi. Must remain above 55psi for 3 to 5 minutes after the pump shuts off. Post your results.

huminbird51

Battery went completely dead again. It was still under warranty since I just got this one in Sept. 08. I put new battery in and van started right up. Had alternator and starter checked again and was told they are both OK. Was it just my bad luck to get two bad batteries or is there something draining my battery?? I checked the battery connections and don't see any obvious problems there. Should I still try to have fuel pump checked? I don't have the money for the tester and am not sure I could do that by myself. Would have to take it to mechanic for that. Thanks for your help. I would like to figure out what is going on. Don't want to have to get a new battery every 4 months.

old_master

Hold off on checking the fuel pressure until we get the battery issue resolved.

Checking parasitic draw will tell if there is something draining the battery when the vehicle is not running. If you take it to a shop, they will most likely charge you for a half hour labor. (It actually takes about 10 minutes.) The test will not determine what the problem is, it will only tell what the amount of draw is. If it's more than 1200ma, there's a problem...somewhere. If it's less than 1200ma, no problem. Post the results and we can help diagnose it.

sschober

I had a similar problem back in OCT when it was damp out had trouble starting and some times had to wait a bit for things to dry off replaced plugs wires cap and rotor... well a few days later it rained and would not start had to take a hair dryer and piont it toward the back of enginge for a few min at a time try it and if it did not start a few more minLOL.. come to find out the coil was bad working fine since them