Hello. Please forgive me, I'm not good with cars, and I'm desparate poor college student

Anyways, my question is this: just this morning, my Cavalier has become hesitant to start. I'll have to crank it a couple times before it does, and sometimes when it finally does, it revs the engine really high once, and then acts normal, and drives just fine. Later, I asked a neighbor who's good with cars to look at it, and when he revved it up, it would top off at about 4000 RPM before starting to "buck" I guess. It sounded like in car games when you just held the gas it would just pulse or something. He thinks it's a sensor, and I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas. I'm thinking if it's a simple sensor that's easy to replace, maybe I can do it (or my neighbor) and save the diagnostic/labor charge. I appreciate any help! Thanks.

 

Most cars now should have a rev limiter on it. All that does it keep the engine from reving to high and blowing up. It may be that. As far as starting it try to trun your key to run then wait for the radio to come on, then start it. That will let the fuel system pressurize before you start it. Fuel injected cars have to have more fuel pressure to run then carburated cars, which is why if you know how to start a good carb well it will always start a little faster than a fuel injected car.

 

Thanks for your reply. I tried what you suggested, but it still hesitates, almost to the point of not starting. Would a bad rev limiter cause this, or is it perhaps something in the fuel system? I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, because I've never really listened, but when I turn the key to on, I hear the fuel pump "charging" the engine I guess you could say, it sounds like ... how to describe it ... like air bubbles or something in the line??? I'm not sure if that's what it is, but that's what it sounds like. Could this be a problem?

 

forget about the rev limiter

that sounds like it is working fine


once u start the car and drive it around for awhile up to operating tempature
turn it off and try to start it again
and when u do does it start faster or the same as ur complaint

 

After I drove it home from work yesterday (25 minute trip) I turned it off and restarted it, and it was doing the same thing.

 

Check your spark plugs, if they are getting bad they will do that.

 

So the spark plugs would account for the starting and the 4000 RPM thing? I'm taking it in tomorrow to have it diagnosed. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

the 4000 rpm thing is normal its a safety device

 

Hey, thanks for all your help. Turns out it was a weak battery[&:]

Anyways, thanks again!