Sue's son has a 99 Cav automatic with 120,000 mi on it. 3 weeks ago it started acting up. He called it a starter problem. I went to see it last night. When car sits cold for 5 or 6 hours and you turn key it almost sounds like the old rump,rump sound when the starter was turning an old small block that had jumped time. Starter sounds likes its working like hell just to turn it over.It always starts. It almost sounds like intake backfire on the first start but youd have to wait another 5 or 6 hours for cool down to try again. He did plugs and those connectors. Air filter. Injector cleaner. New oil change. We did fuel filter last night. Took it and had it scanned, nothing. When its hot its usually no problem. Oh yea he did the battry last week just to see. No difference. On road it runs well has good power and shifts well. Sorry for the long post. Anyone have any ideas. If it was timing would it throw a code if chain had streched or worn.
Thanks
Bill

 

Forgot to mention its the 2.4
Sorry
Bill

 

sounds like a spark issue
is it cold where you are like around freezing

 

No ,right now its about 45 days and 30 at night. The car needs to sit for 5 or 6 hours to really act up. Last night we took the starter out and had it bench tested . it checks out. Yea it sounds like spark to me too. I disconnected the connector to the coil packs at the spark plugs and it still sounds the same. Almost like it comes up against compression/spark to early but is able to over come it. But what would change when its warm. If the timing chain is streched can the ecm compensate when its warm started?? That doesn't make sense to me. It has all kinds of power and runs right up to red line on tach. Tomorrow night i'm hoping to be able to get the car and have it cold and remove the plugs and crank it over and see if that makes a difference. Problem is Sue's son lives 25 miles from us and its hard to get the car and get it cold(without being driven for 5 or 6 hours).
Bill

 

Didn't want the previous post to go long. Been doing this about 5 weeks . weather has been into 50's& 60's. it just needs to sit to aclimate to outside temp. then it acts up.
Bill

 

We pulled the ign fuse when cold and pulled the plugs. 1 plug inno cranking problem. 2 plugs in problem. I crossed the solenoid at the stsrter and still had the problem. Battery voltage was 10.7cranking at bat and 10.4 cranking at starter. Even though the bench test at auto parts said starter was good all indications said it wasen't . we replaced the starter and fixed the problem. I'm just posting this for info. problem solved.
Bill

 

That would do it , thanks for the update.

I don't have much faith in the auto part stores bench testers and the guys that operatethem. I had brought a starter in that was faulty and the first test showed it was good , I had them do it a second time and they said it was good . Low and behold after a third test it tested bad.