cold weather starting

i have been having trouble starting my '99 intrigue for that last few days. the temp has been around 5 degrees in the morning. service engine light came on, had the spark plugs and wires changed. service engine light still comes on. people say that the car is not getting and gas. put in heet to keep lines from freezing any clues. please help getting very frustrated!!!!!!

Have you used any dry gas?

Is the engine getting enough juice from the battery? Usually when it gets really cold out, low battery ampage is more apparent.

Also, what engine do you have?

Have you used any dry gas?

Is the engine getting enough juice from the battery? Usually when it gets really cold out, low battery ampage is more apparent.

Also, what engine do you have?

Dry gas? new battery was installed a few months ago. the car started this morning it was in the garage. it ran for a few minutes. turned it off and it sat for 4-5 hours same thing. i been putting quick starting spray inside of the air intake and it has been starting. shakes real bad then goes into a smooth idle. could it be a clogged fuel injector(s).

Dry gas? new battery was installed a few months ago. the car started this morning it was in the garage. it ran for a few minutes. turned it off and it sat for 4-5 hours same thing. i been putting quick starting spray inside of the air intake and it has been starting. shakes real bad then goes into a smooth idle. could it be a clogged fuel injector(s).

it is the 3800 series.

The first thing I would do is check the PCM for trouble codes. If that was inconclusive I'd put a fuel pressure guage on it and watch what's happening during startup and warmup. Keep us informed, I'd like to know what fixes it!

find out what the PCM codes are. Some auto parts stores will do it for free.

Mobile 1 Synthetic Oil will make your car turn over alot easier or try adding a 1 or 1/2 quart Marvel Mystery oil to. +5 Deg F really isn't that cold for starting a V6. Bad gas? Use fuel injector cleaner once in awhile?

You can always get a crankcase (engine block) heater for pretty cheap and plug it in.

Try swithing to Mobil 1 or Amsoil synthetic type motor oils if the PCM codes don't add up to much.

+5 is really warm for cold starting even if that is Farenhiet. There must be something else wrong, because the battery shouldn't have any problems in that weather. Our intrigue is starting in -49F no problems or hesitations and we have the old battery still that is weak. I would say try putting the Synthetic oil in first since that is a cheaper thing to do.

To help narrow down the problem.....

Does the engine turn over fast enough? Does it seem like a problem with cranking speed?

From the original description I was thinking lack of fuel or fuel pump pressure.

Does the car start normally if the engine is still fairly warm?

Have you had any emissions codes? Any problems with the brakes?

It could be a diffrenet thing with the Intrigue, but I went round and round, and about $1000 and 3 mechanics when I had a 94 Chevy Lumina, 3.4L DOHC motor that I had a hard time starting when the engine was cold.

Mine was a vacuum leak on the intake manifold. It caused an EGR error code (only happened twice in a 4 month period, and mechanic never found anything wrong with the valve), I had very little or no brake use until the engine reached operating temp, and my fuel economy was down.

Took a good mechanic to relate all these seemingly individual problems to one mechanical problem. Once the gasket was replaced, my car ran great.

Hope your's is much simpler though. :)

i have been having trouble starting my '99 intrigue for that last few days. the temp has been around 5 degrees in the morning. service engine light came on, had the spark plugs and wires changed. service engine light still comes on. people say that the car is not getting and gas. put in heet to keep lines from freezing any clues. please help getting very frustrated!!!!!!
A year ago I had the IDENTICAL problem ( I have a '99, 3.8 Intrigue). Went around through a few mechanics, none knew what he was talking about but was charging me money. Finally, a new mechanic at the dealer said the fault is with a part that is supposed to keep the pressure in the tank (he said that that's what the extra cranks do, build the pressure which was lost because of this faulty gizmo/valve). Anyway, he replaced it and it worked like a charm. Now it started to do the same thing again, with the Service Engine light ON. I have to find out what part was replaced (anyone knows??). Also, anyone knows how to turn the Engine Service light OFF?

The Service Engine Light goes off if the computer does not register a problem with part affected anymore, meaning it was an intermitten failure, or the part had been replaced. My 99 does that. Also, I was told the code is reset automatically over time if the problem does not come back. I have not verified that information, but my codes seem to be gone for problems I had last year with my cam and crank sensors.
If the light does not go off, get a diagnostic, find out what is causing it to run in open loop mode. If you have fixed that already, you will need to have a dealer reset the code, as most auto stores that do diagnostics will not (liabilty issues) reset the light.

It is my assumption, and has seemed the case for vehicles I have had in the past, if it was a pressure or fuel problem, it would occur at all temps, and all speeds. Depending if the car does it under certain conditions, you could narrow down possibilities. (IE cold weather, cold engine temp, damp weather, rain, etc).

Do any mechanics these days back up their work? Geez, if we take in a car to get something fixed, and what they do does not fix it, we should be able to get the problem fixed without forking over extra money for parts that do not even fix the problem. (My rant for the day)

Keep us posted.


A year ago I had the IDENTICAL problem ( I have a '99, 3.8 Intrigue). Went around through a few mechanics, none knew what he was talking about but was charging me money. Finally, a new mechanic at the dealer said the fault is with a part that is supposed to keep the pressure in the tank (he said that that's what the extra cranks do, build the pressure which was lost because of this faulty gizmo/valve). Anyway, he replaced it and it worked like a charm. Now it started to do the same thing again, with the Service Engine light ON. I have to find out what part was replaced (anyone knows??). Also, anyone knows how to turn the Engine Service light OFF?

If you haven't ever changed the battery in the car it may be time now. Battery performance drops as temperature goes down, and when it gets old and cold its capacity can get below a level that other electrical systems stop working when the starter motor draws sh!t load of current out of it when it cranks the engine, preventing a successful start. Most fuel injection system quit at 9V, and at this voltage the engine still cranks but no fuel gets injected into cylinders :banghead: . Before you shell out for the battery you may want to have the car scanned and find out what the codes that lit the check engine light are. :2cents:

A year ago I had the IDENTICAL problem ( I have a '99, 3.8 Intrigue). Went around through a few mechanics, none knew what he was talking about but was charging me money. Finally, a new mechanic at the dealer said the fault is with a part that is supposed to keep the pressure in the tank (he said that that's what the extra cranks do, build the pressure which was lost because of this faulty gizmo/valve). Anyway, he replaced it and it worked like a charm. Now it started to do the same thing again, with the Service Engine light ON. I have to find out what part was replaced (anyone knows??). Also, anyone knows how to turn the Engine Service light OFF?

The part is called a Fuel Pressure Regulator. It is located on the fuel rail on top of the intake manifold. They are usually fairly easy to replace and cost around $50 from a parts store.

The main symptom of a bad regulator is that the engine needs to crank longer than normal (usually about 2 seconds or less of engine cranking is considered normal) to start after it has been sitting a while. It can cause worse, but not necessarily bad fuel economy. Sometimes it can cause the computer to store a P0442 (EVAP system small leak) code triggering the SES light to come on.

The part is called a Fuel Pressure Regulator. It is located on the fuel rail on top of the intake manifold. They are usually fairly easy to replace and cost around $50 from a parts store.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's the one (I think) I was looking for. Now, I need a bit of education: How do I find which one it is and how to replace? I can take my motorcycle apart with my eyes closed, but in the automotive arena I am below a Beginner level.
Many thanks.