Whats wrong with my 2003 alero? ingition switch?

[tinkgirl]

i have a 2003 alero, v6 3.4 L with 40,000 miles. it has been in and out of the shop and still no answers. my local chevy dealer with two master technitions, had the car for 18 days and couldnt pinpoint the problem! their best guess was the ignition switch.
the car started out with being hard to start when warm, would crank then all of a sudden start after 3-4 trys. as the temperature here in ohio is getting warmer, the problem is all the time. the car had also stauled while driving once. started right back up and i was able to get it to the dealership.
no lights have ever been on. no security, check engine, anything.
i had the fuel filter changed, pressure checked, spark plugs checked, crankshaft sensor changed, and it seems like everything possible has checked out ok.
to get the car started, 80 percent of the time it will start if i turn the ignition to start without letting it crank 5-8 times then start it. thats even getting harder to do with the temperature getting warmer. would the ignition switch cause the car to act up when its warm? any ideas?

[scoopy03]

Originally Posted by tinkgirl

i have a 2003 alero, v6 3.4 L with 40,000 miles. it has been in and out of the shop and still no answers. my local chevy dealer with two master technitions, had the car for 18 days and couldnt pinpoint the problem! their best guess was the ignition switch.
the car started out with being hard to start when warm, would crank then all of a sudden start after 3-4 trys. as the temperature here in ohio is getting warmer, the problem is all the time. the car had also stauled while driving once. started right back up and i was able to get it to the dealership.
no lights have ever been on. no security, check engine, anything.
i had the fuel filter changed, pressure checked, spark plugs checked, crankshaft sensor changed, and it seems like everything possible has checked out ok.
to get the car started, 80 percent of the time it will start if i turn the ignition to start without letting it crank 5-8 times then start it. thats even getting harder to do with the temperature getting warmer. would the ignition switch cause the car to act up when its warm? any ideas?

Inspect Fuel Filter Clogged or dirty fuel filter Inspect Fuel Injector Plugged, dirty or poorly connected fuel injector. Inspect Fuel Injector Cold Start Valve Faulty cold start valve or circuit. Inspect Fuel Injector Pressure Regulator Faulty fuel injector pressure regulator or circuit. Inspect Rotor - Ignition Damaged, worn, or corroded ignition rotor. Inspect Throttle Position Sensor Faulty throttle position sensor or throttle position sensor circuit. Inspect Valve Burned, worn or sticking exhaust valve(s).

Inspect Air Charge Sensor Damaged or faulty air charge sensor or air charge sensor circuit. Inspect Air Cleaner Temperature Sensor Damaged or faulty air cleaner temperature sensor or air cleaner temperature sensor circuit. Inspect Battery Insufficient battery voltage/amperage

[jr6078]

Well, scoopy, no offense, but this info is very basic ignition/fuel system troubleshooting for hard starting, but unfortunately a lot of it doesn't apply to tinkgirl's engine...

Her post already said that the fuel filter had been replaced, and the engine doesn't have a distributor, so it can't be the ignition rotor. It also doesn't have a throttle position sensor to the best of my knowledge, but does have camshaft and crankshaft position sensors.

Anyway, Tinkgirl, the problem you're describing could be caused by any number of things, and that may be what scoopy was trying to suggest. Pinpointing this type of problem that's intermittent can be very tricky as your mechanics have made evident by the length of time they've had the car and their lack of a definitive cause to the problem.

Could the ignition switch be the problem? Yes, possibly, and so could a number of other things, but most of the other things would produce a light on your dash and an associated trouble code in your computer, which you say hasn't happened. I don't know that the warmer temps have anything to do with your problem or are simply a coincidence and the defective part is just gradually getting worse with time and repeated use.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.