Tries to start, but won't

1999 Suburban LT, runs well, but:

Intermittently, the Suburban refuses to start. The battery is charged, and the starter turns, but it won't catch. When I turn the key off to stop the starter, the car kind of starts (catches) for a second or less, then stops. Repeating to try to start the car gives the same result each time until the battery is too low to turn the engine over.

After several day, I tried the car again and it started like there was nothing wrong.

A friend mechanic said he thought the problem was a Crankshaft Sensor. I replaced it but several weeks later it hapenned again.

Any ideas?

Nathan

Have you figured it out yet...My 2001 Suburban LT doing exact same thing. Replaced starter and no help...









1999 Suburban LT, runs well, but:

Intermittently, the Suburban refuses to start. The battery is charged, and the starter turns, but it won't catch. When I turn the key off to stop the starter, the car kind of starts (catches) for a second or less, then stops. Repeating to try to start the car gives the same result each time until the battery is too low to turn the engine over.

After several day, I tried the car again and it started like there was nothing wrong.

A friend mechanic said he thought the problem was a Crankshaft Sensor. I replaced it but several weeks later it hapenned again.

Any ideas?

Nathan

need more information. Hows your fuel pressure?

Never checked it. if it wouldn't start again, I would then check it. Since it is running "well" now, I would guess the fuel pressure in OK. My thinking is that my fuel pump is "going' but not gone, so it intermittently works well and then doesn't work well.

did you get an SES light?

You need to start your fuel pump with the car off on the OBD II connector and see how noisy it is. If its whinning real bad it probably is your Fuel pump. It should be a real soft and suttle hum that you can barely here. If i were you though i would first change my fuel filter.

its hard to tell the condition of a fuel pump by its sound. in my experience gm pumps are pretty loud. the best way is to test volume/pressure.

My 99 did the exact same thing about a month ago, turned out to be the cap and rotor. It had a lot of carbon tracing inside the cap.

Jeff

1999 Suburban LT, runs well, but:

Intermittently, the Suburban refuses to start. The battery is charged, and the starter turns, but it won't catch. When I turn the key off to stop the starter, the car kind of starts (catches) for a second or less, then stops.

I'm thinking there could possibly be an issue with the ignition, or security system. Check out this post...

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=495545

If your fuel pump is making a loud whirring sound going up and down or you can here the pump from inside the car, your pump is going out. Check the pressure and everything if you know how to. It could also be your fuel regulator, a lot of times if those are going out they will try to start the engine just as you shut off the starter. Its crazy sounding but it wants to start just as you know "I shouldn't crank the car this long". Make sure you get spark to the plugs. Let us know how it goes.