'new' 2010 Sierra Sputters On First Start?

mastablasta · January 11, 2011

Truck is a new 'leftover' 2010 Sierra w/ 5.3 and a little over 400 miles on it.

Symptoms: First start in the morning, or anytime it sits for 6-8 hours, the truck will fire up and immediately the rpms bog down and it nearly stalls for a split second and then the idle goes back to normal immediately. It feels like it has a slight sputter to it and will then run perfectly. It never does this if it doesn't sit for very long.

I'm beginning to wonder if the battery is weak or there was some bad gas in it from sitting on the lot so long. Has anyone heard of this on the newer trucks?

I took it to the dealer but they were unable to replicate it since it doesn't happen unless it sits for a long time, not to mention it doesn't throw any codes when it does. Overall the truck runs great, but there is that 10 second window first thing in the morning where it feels like it bogs down for a second and has a slight stutter for a few seconds, then all is well.

I asked the service dept. if they thought it might need reprogrammed and they said no on that as well.

redvett · January 11, 2011

Take it in and let them have it over night and make sure the Tech goes out and starts it not a car jockey.

gforce_15 · January 11, 2011

i have the EXACT same symptom in my truck since new...let me know if you find a solution!

mastablasta · January 11, 2011

gforce,

have you taken it to the dealer? If so, what was their response?

tonygxp · January 12, 2011

my guess is fuel systm is losing presure when it sits, or bogging one cylinder down (leaking injector?) with too much fuel that clears right up. internally or you'd more than likely smell it from inside/outside.

Eddie 70 · January 12, 2011

What kind of gas mileage are you getting with your truck? Mine dropped down to around 14 MPG on the highway when the fuel pump was dying. Mine would be hard to start the first time and would run fine when it did run. I think what kills them is they are set on on the lot for a long time with very little gas in the tank. People start them up and drive them for short distances and shut them off. Next person comes along and does the same thing. The lot keeps just enough gas in the truck to keep it at the minimum to sell. The fuel cools the fuel pump. IDK, just an idea. They replaced the fuel pump on my 07 with 45K plus miles on the warranty. No problems since.

I found mine by checking the fuel pressure, key on engine not running and key on engine running.

gforce_15 · January 12, 2011

I havent taken it into the dealer yet. I have to take my truck in to get an evap sensor replaced in a couple weeks so I'll ask them then...also might have to get them to start an AFM 'overactive lifters' log

ChevyTech77 · January 12, 2011

Poor quality gas.

ljburns · January 12, 2011

Mine started fine for the first few months. Then I started having the same problem after cold start: engine would start, bog down, then flutter for about 5 seconds. Then it would run smooth as butter. I figured it was bad gas that I got from Thortons, I know but my regular place was down for the day, so I put some STP fuel treatment in the tank at the next fill up. That helped out a lot. No more flutter and it seems to start fine no matter how cold (low as 8F so far) or long it has been.

ColoradoSkiCountry · January 13, 2011

Stick to the Top-Tier fuels, folks. Less problems later on. Yes I know there are those of you who use the cheapest fuel you can find which have no additives in them and you do ok, but most of us here have had enough experiences with the "cheap" gas (not talking octane rating, talking non-top tier fuels) that we'll never fill up at a cheapie station again.

Mulaka · January 13, 2011

Stick to the Top-Tier fuels, folks.

What's considered a top-tier fuel? I've never really thought of it before. Do you mean stations like Exxon and Shell vs. Conoco and Off Brand places?

Pyggy · January 13, 2011

Stick to the Top-Tier fuels, folks.

What's considered a top-tier fuel? I've never really thought of it before. Do you mean stations like Exxon and Shell vs. Conoco and Off Brand places?

Top Tier Gas Retailers.

THE BIGPUNN · January 13, 2011

during college when i worked at shell, cashiers from bp would get gas in uniform, in there personal cars from us!

qualicas · January 13, 2011

Back in the day, gas marketing was my game. There are very few refineries around. If you have a local refinery, you can almost bet that all the gas available in that area came from the same refinery. Also, there will be a pipeline from most refineries to local cities up to maybe 800 miles. All gas will again come from the same refinery. In my case, there are a couple of refineries a couple of hundred miles away, there is one pipeline and two distribution terminals in my city. So I know all gas comes from one or the other refinery.

Now, individual stations may keep their tanks free of water or not. Always a good practice if you see a tanker dropping fuel at a station, drive by or come back in a couple of hours after all the sludge and water in the bottom of the tanks has had time to settle again.