01 Tahoe 5.3l Won't Start Up.. Plz Help?

[Slayer33]

Hi All.

 

My first post here, too bad its not a "happy" one.

 

I have a 2001 Chev Tahoe LS. 5.3L V8 4x4 (120,000 miles). Over the past 3 years maybe 3-4 times I have run into a problem where the car just wont start. There's tons of cranking power but it just never fires. The past few times this has occured, I have tried a few times, cycling the key on and off to ensure the fuel pump is working. I can hear it going but it just never fires up. After a few tries it just starts and i'm fine for a few more months til it happens again.

 

All other times it just fires up right away. Hot or could outside doesn't make a difference.

 

Last night tho, it finally decided to not start for me and I tried so many times in the span of an hour and a half that i killed the battery.

 

I had the truck towed to my house.. there's 1/3 of a tank left of gas (so the guage says). The tow truck driver opened the gas tank and asked me to turn the key to the on position.. he said it sounded like I was out of gas. The pump was making a gurgling sound like a straw at the bottom of an empty glass.

 

I shouldn't be out of gas tho, 230 miles so far on this tank sounds about right with 1/3 left. I had the fuel pump/filter replaced about 2 years ago (8,000 miles ago). I had the tahoe tuned up, fuel pressure checked etc and everything seemed good on Oct.30/09.

 

The security light doesn't light up like some have described due to "aftermarket" remote starters and alarms.

 

I don't know what is wrong.. or where to start. Can anyone chime in with any ideas? I'm gonna fill it up with 4 gallons of fuel when i get home and try to see if that is the problem, but I don't see that being the problem..

 

just noticed the "ask a GM technician" section of this forum. I will post this there as well. Sorry for being a noob!

[hpracing10]

Will it turn over at all or does it not do anything when you turn the key? If it doesn't do anything, it could be your starter. If it is turning over but just won't fire, I would check to see if you have fuel pressure. If you have no fuel pressure at the engine then it is more than likely the pump. On the passenger side of the engine about mid-way on the intake there should be a little device that looks like a valve stem on a wheel. It has a black cap and screws off and inside is just like a valve stem. If you push the little deal in, fuel should spray out. If no fuel sprays out at all, then I would say your pump is bad.

 

If fuel does spray out, then your pump is working fine. The next thing to check would be if you have spark at the spark plugs. That should help you pinpoint whether it is a fuel system problem or an ignition problem. Hope that helps you out a bit.

[nomoduc]

I had/have similar problem in the past. Never found out what it was, but like you, it will turn over but not fire...I checked fuel pressure. It was fine,filter changed just in case... After trying, I would try a again a couple hours later...started right up...It happened when eng was cold and after it was run...A while back people mention a few thing. 1)Harness in column was tight,not enough slack so tilting wheel would disconnected wire somewhere 2) pass lock relay (anti theft) wasnt working right and cutting fuel or spark...cant remember.... This problem would happen out of the blue...sometimes months or even years... It's been like 5 years since it last happened....GREMLINS!!!!!

 

Now I think I'm having starter issuues... Reading other posts now to get ideas.. Good Luck

[JJP442]

Hi All.

 

My first post here, too bad its not a "happy" one.

 

I have a 2001 Chev Tahoe LS. 5.3L V8 4x4 (120,000 miles). Over the past 3 years maybe 3-4 times I have run into a problem where the car just wont start. There's tons of cranking power but it just never fires. The past few times this has occured, I have tried a few times, cycling the key on and off to ensure the fuel pump is working. I can hear it going but it just never fires up. After a few tries it just starts and i'm fine for a few more months til it happens again.

 

All other times it just fires up right away. Hot or could outside doesn't make a difference.

 

Last night tho, it finally decided to not start for me and I tried so many times in the span of an hour and a half that i killed the battery.

 

I had the truck towed to my house.. there's 1/3 of a tank left of gas (so the guage says). The tow truck driver opened the gas tank and asked me to turn the key to the on position.. he said it sounded like I was out of gas. The pump was making a gurgling sound like a straw at the bottom of an empty glass.

 

I shouldn't be out of gas tho, 230 miles so far on this tank sounds about right with 1/3 left. I had the fuel pump/filter replaced about 2 years ago (8,000 miles ago). I had the tahoe tuned up, fuel pressure checked etc and everything seemed good on Oct.30/09.

 

The security light doesn't light up like some have described due to "aftermarket" remote starters and alarms.

 

I don't know what is wrong.. or where to start. Can anyone chime in with any ideas? I'm gonna fill it up with 4 gallons of fuel when i get home and try to see if that is the problem, but I don't see that being the problem..

 

just noticed the "ask a GM technician" section of this forum. I will post this there as well. Sorry for being a noob!

 

Slayer,

Try this.

Leave the key in the "on" position for about 10/15 minutes.

Then turn off & remove the key.

Now re-insert the key and start the truck.

If it starts then your problem is with the factory security system.

Leaving the key on, like I described above fools the trucks ecm into thinking that it is running and with no problems.

It resets itself.

 

Hope this helps,

Big John NYC