Stumped | 1999 Chevy Cavalier 2.2l | Starting Issues
 

Hi, first time poster here. I'm having troubles with my Chevy Cavalier and getting stumped at this point as to what the next move might be.

I'm not super savvy with cars, so I'm not sure if I am giving enough details, but I'll try to provide more detailed information if you need it.

The Car: 1999 chevy cavalier 2.2L OHV 2-door coupe

Background: Had this car for about 5 years now and it's been steady and reliable. It's never started up right away, usually taking a try or two before starting up. But, that's never been a big issue. Recently however, the startup has been rougher and the engine shook a little more violently. Finally, it wouldn't start at all last night, simply turning over but never starting up.

The Fixes: We replaced the starter and that helped get it started, but it still took 5-6 tries to get it finally running. It seemed to be idling high, so we kept going. The fuel pump seems to be in working order. So, we decided to replace the spark plugs and fuel filter. That seems to have made the car run better overall and the idling is less rough.

The issue: It also starts up better than ever... Only, not all the time. It'll either start up right away or simply take several attempts to get it running. It seems to idle better now, but it'll still dip slightly. The engine light will also come on sporadically. I'll likely take it to AutoZone today if the engine light comes back on, but until then, I was hoping to see if any experts had some insight and knowledge that might be useful.

Thansk in advance!

Since messing with the fuel supply made it better, it's possible your fuel pump may be heading south. "The fuel pump seems to be in working order", doesn't mean much. You could hear the pump run, but that doesn't mean it's putting out/holding sufficient pressure. While at Autozone to get the car scanned for error codes (the best next step), get a fuel pressure gauge from their tool loaner program and test your fuel pressure at idle, while the engine is running, and also check to see how long it takes for pressure to drop off after you shut down the engine. If you're getting a rapid pressure drop after shut down, it could be either the check valve in the pump isn't holding, or you could have some leaky fuel injectors that are dribbling into the intake. Either one of those can cause a stubborn cold start.

Thanks for the quick reply and good advice.

The car had been running great the past 24 hours, but I was in the drive-thru this morning idling and suddenly I noticed the engine light came on, immediately the car began to idle higher and then stalled out. It turned right back on but the engine light maintained and it idled rougher.

I'll check out the fuel pressure at AutoZone today!

I would have to agree.. I just ordered my new fuel pump on ebay for 68$ as comparison to 250$ at Oreily's. My car ran great till bam all of a sudden took a while to start and ran a lil rough. I changed my relay and my fuel filter and plugs and wires. I would say your best bet and more common that not problem is gonna be your pump. Check your fuel pump relay as well, if neither of those I would then head to the fuel pressure regualtor, which is normally very unlikely in comparison to the pump. But all in all a possibility. And if your check engine light is coming on then first place I might look is the coil pack. Hope this helps