Problem starting
ttaylor61
05-26-2009, 10:37 PM
My daughter's car suddenly began running very rough last weekend then quit. She called a friend and they got it re-started but it was still running rough. She finally decided that she should call me to come fix it (she still thinks I am a miracle worker when her "friends" can not do it). The engine turns over very rough like it is out of time. It did start one time and was noisy enough that I shut it off immediatley. As an after thought my daughter decided to share with me that they had added about a gallon of water to the radiator before I got there.
This is an 02 with the 3800 engine. I have not got it back home yet to start looking at it. This will be my weekend project (and I was so worried that I would not have something to do this weekend). Any thoughts or suggestions where to start looking. I am thinking the timing chain may have slipped a tooth but that does not answer all the noise when I had it running for a few seconds.
This is an 02 with the 3800 engine. I have not got it back home yet to start looking at it. This will be my weekend project (and I was so worried that I would not have something to do this weekend). Any thoughts or suggestions where to start looking. I am thinking the timing chain may have slipped a tooth but that does not answer all the noise when I had it running for a few seconds.
JonJon68
05-27-2009, 05:31 AM
Check the oil to make sure it's not a milk shake color and if it looks over filled. If it is, this would indicate a UIM and or a LIM gasket leak allowing coolant into your engine.
richtazz
05-27-2009, 05:49 AM
I would also pull the plugs and look for coolant in the cylinders. This would indicate a UIM/head gasket failure and she could have hydrolocked the engine due to excessive coolant in the cylinders.
tblake
05-27-2009, 05:47 PM
x2 Rich. Doesn't sound very good. You might not be in this prediciment if you daughter would have called you before all her friends.
ttaylor61
05-27-2009, 09:38 PM
Thanks for your input. The oil was still clean when I checked it the other day. I am still leaning toward a head gasket problem. I'll know more when I get the car home Saturday morning and pull the plugs out. Wish me luck. Thanks!
tblake
05-28-2009, 12:23 AM
Best of luck to you.
Freind of mine warped his UIM on his 3800 bonneville. He said it started to missfire like crazy so he kept the rpm's up and drove it home. Once home he found coolant filling the cylinders 5 & 6 mainly. He just replaced his UIM due to it being warped and UIM and LIM gaskets and problem was solved.
Hoping you have the same outcome.....
Freind of mine warped his UIM on his 3800 bonneville. He said it started to missfire like crazy so he kept the rpm's up and drove it home. Once home he found coolant filling the cylinders 5 & 6 mainly. He just replaced his UIM due to it being warped and UIM and LIM gaskets and problem was solved.
Hoping you have the same outcome.....
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