99 Suburban Doesn't Idle at Startup

[rsmith8411]

My 99 Suburban 5.7L is refusing to idle at startup. It starts fine but when I let off the gas it shuts off. It starts right back up. I can keep one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake and get it going, but it will stall again until it warms up, then it seems to be fine. At this point it is intermittent. The service engine light is not being set by whatever the issue is. Any ideas are appreciated.

[max07]

I have the same problem. Did you find a solution?

[swb1]

Add me to the list :-( However, my suburban is an '89 and the 'Check Engine Light' comes on. Is this going to be a major repair $$wise??

swb1

[rsmith8411]

Since I originally posted, I have made two repairs, which I'll post in order of simplicity:

1) I had a loose battery cable. The side attachment screw was actually cross-threaded, so the bolt was "tight" but the cable was loose. I confess to being the idiot who did this. The problem never happened after this was fixed, but the next repair was done within a week or two so I'm not sure which fixed it.
2) The fuel pump died and had to be replaced.

Both of these were done about a month ago, and the problem has not recurred. Hopefully you all will find loose battery cables...

[swb1]

My battery canles look fine. I don't know the condition of the fuel pump or fuel filter though. Was the Fuel Pump replacement expensive??

swb1

[rsmith8411]

You can buy an aftermarket fuel pump for about $250 or so at the chain auto stores. A lot of people swear by AC Delco on this item, though, so read the other posts before you start. Be sure to get the "pigtail" to go with it - it is apparently the issue. I thought it was easy - other than draining that humongous gas tank. Once you get that done, the rest is easy. The Hanes manual tells how. I think the whole job for me was about 5 hours, and I'm an average speed mechanic.

Again, I'm not sure that's what cured my original stalling problem, but it started about the same time my fuel pump was in the throes of death and healed afterwards. But, don't curse me if you replace the fuel pump and it still stalls!

[Old Dave]

The cost of the Delco pump for my 97 Suburban from the dealer was $155. I bought a lifetime warranty pump made by Airtex from Car Quest for $75. It's been two months now and not one problem with it. My problem was low fuel pressure (53Lbs. min. is 55lbs) which was causing a hard start problem. New pump pressure is 59Lbs. and it fires right up now.

[max07]

Mine turned out to be a plugged up fuel filter. A tune up would probably help as well...

[glenncof]

AIC valve (air idle control) sets idle by bypassing throttle plate.

I have had them become unresponsive causing hard start on a 1997.

Cleaning with carb cleaner helps sometimes. Replacing works even better.