Weird problem, need some help!

[pointdexter02]

I have a 99 cavalier and have had this problem for the past three winters. It seems that when it gets cold, say below 45 or so, the car will crank and start fine for about 2 seconds and shut off. This will happen a few times, and if I then wait a couple minutes and try again it will start fine. Today I tried for about 45 minutes before giving up, so I need to find a fix.

To get more detailed, it has only happened when the car has been sitting for a while and the sun is not hitting it. It may have happened once or twice during the day when it was extra cold but for about 99.9% of the times it has been late at night or early, when the sun hasn't gotten to it. I want to say I can rule out a spark or fuel problem because once it does stay running, it's as if there was never a problem, and during these instances when I'll try 10 or 15 times to start it, I can rev it up to redline and it still stalls out in that same 2 seconds or so. There is no discrepancy in the timing, it is the same amount of run time before stall every time.

I figured there maybe a sensor or something gone bad and giving weird readings but cannot pinpoint it. All I do know is that it is temperature related. I think it did the same thing once over the summer when it was about 110 out.

If anybody has an idea or something to test I'd appreciate it because since it is only ever very early or very late, and only if the car is cold, I can't show the problem to anybody to diagnose it, and don't have the money to let somebody loose on it at a shop.

[Classicrocjunkie]

You might have some water in your fuel tank. From the drastic changes in temps going from really warm to cold. Try adding some dry gas to you tank, or it might also be your fuel pump on its way out.

Could be some other things too, but seeing were in winter months thats probably the culprit.

[pointdexter02]

This is the third winter in a row this has happened. I haven't gone and fixed it because I'm in florida and there aren't that many days in the year that it is a problem. I would assume that if that was the case, the problem would have worsened. Instead it has been exactly the same.

[Classicrocjunkie]

Your car might just hate the cold, end of story... Lol..

Its either a fuel or spark issue. Next time when you go to start up and its cold. Turn the car ON, but don't start it for 5 seconds letting everything prime itself. If it doesn't do it after that, then you have A fuel pump on its way out or a clogged fuel filter.

[pointdexter02]

Well I have tried letting it prime and it makes no difference. Also as I said, this is the third winter in a row that I've had this problem and the fuel filter has been changed in that time. If it was the fuel pump, wouldn't it have gone out or at least gotten worse in the past 2 years?

[shakewell]

As long as your tune up items are in good order you probably will have a hard time figuring this one out. Could be something wierd like the crank sensor moving out of position when it's cold. Whatever it is, it'll probably be something goofy like that.

[spudracer73]

if it is not a your ignition, i would say that it is just carbon on your valves. The carbon acts as a spong and soaks up the gas from the injectors and this is can cause hard starting and stalling issues in the cold weather. If you got a lot of miles on the car try some high concentrated fuel system cleaner.

[55rai]

Just a couple of thoughts. Faulty air charge sensor or vacuum leak? Either problem can be exposed with different environment conditions.