5.3 engine starting problems

[donc]

I have a 2014 Silverado crew cab with the 5.3 engine. Ever since new (may 2014) , when starting, the engine cranks quite a bit longer than other fuel injected engines I've owned. Several times I reached the maximum crank time (maybe 8 seconds) and it finally started, sometimes it starts right up.

I went to the dealer a while ago and asked about the starting issue and basically got the shoulder shrug; so I started video taping the engine starting so I could bring something to the dealer that they could hear themselves, but haven't had any long crank times lately so held off.

 

This a.m. I'm at tug hill NY snowmobiling, it's -15 deg. and I go out to start my truck. YES- I was worried, this thing doesn't start good when it's warm.

Just as I reached the point of maximum cranking the engine started . I let it idle for 15 minutes, engine temperature gauge was starting to move up, engine idleing smoothly, reved it a few times, shut it off, went into the hotel for 10 minutes came back out and the engine cranked but wouldn't even fire. After several attempts I called for roadside assistance, while waiting about 10 minutes after the call I tried once more and the truck started instantly.

We can tell when an engine is trying to fire; this thing was dead, either not getting spark or fuel.

 

I usually burn mid grade or high test and the truck gets used regularly so the gas is fresh.

 

Made it home, Calling the dealer but wondering if anyone has had similar issues.

 

Thanks,

Don

 

[redwngr]

These trucks are known to crank longer before trying to fire, but it sounds like yours may be longer than it is should be.

 

http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2971

[2007silveradonbs]

I literally just dropped my truck off today for this. Now that I see the blog, my truck is now normal.....

['01LS1]

These trucks are known to crank longer before trying to fire, but it sounds like yours may be longer than it is should be.

 

http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2971

 

Thanks for the link. Just curious, would all engine brands that have direct injection respond the same way?

[donc]

Redwngr, Thanks for the chart and feedback from others. This is a great place to get user info; I've been thinking about the long crank times on this truck since I bought it and you would think the dealer would have been able to at least say "yeah, that's normal" when I asked, as They deal with these trucks on a daily basis and would have noticed that they crank longer before starting than we're used to.

 

I still plan to call them and have it looked at because something was wrong when it took so long to start after it was warmed up. I think I read in the manual that there's some sort of engine shut off timer when you use the remote start, I think it was ten minutes, I forget the details? I never have used the remote but wondered if somehow that factored into my problem?

 

Donc

['01LS1]

Not sure if anything here will relate to the ops specific issues or not. But worth the quick read.

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/169557-cold-weather-issues/

[redwngr]

Redwngr, Thanks for the chart and feedback from others. This is a great place to get user info; I've been thinking about the long crank times on this truck since I bought it and you would think the dealer would have been able to at least say "yeah, that's normal" when I asked, as They deal with these trucks on a daily basis and would have noticed that they crank longer before starting than we're used to.

 

I still plan to call them and have it looked at because something was wrong when it took so long to start after it was warmed up. I think I read in the manual that there's some sort of engine shut off timer when you use the remote start, I think it was ten minutes, I forget the details? I never have used the remote but wondered if somehow that factored into my problem?

 

Donc

 

10 minutes after remote start is correct.

After the second remote start the ignition must be cycled with the key before the remote ill work again.

[redwngr]

 

Thanks for the link. Just curious, would all engine brands that have direct injection respond the same way?

It would depend on how it is programmed. As I understand it these engines don't even fire an injector or plug until the fuel system has had the opportunity to build the correct pressure.

 

Other engine manufacturers would likely have different fuel system and ignition components and could implement a different start strategy.

[2007silveradonbs]

I dropped my truck off Friday and picked it up yesterday. The extended start times listed in the pdf a few posts up are considered normal in cold weather.

[donc]

15sierrak2, Thanks for the follow-up on the extended start times. I now have to see if they can figure out why the truck would not even fire after it was warmed up. This truck is starting to make me nervous; I usually wait till after a new model has been in production a few years before buying so the bugs are worked out but didn't follow my normal pattern this time.

 

Donc

[fondupot]

I always turn my key to run, I hear the fuel pump prime. then i crank and it always fires right up.

[TBaganATX]

I have the 6.2 and live in Austin Texas, and we do not get that cold often. And my truck really just started doing this for the last month or so. It is scheduled to go in this week, and this in on my list...

[donc]

fondupot,

Good point, I should have tried turning the key on to get the fuel pump running for a few seconds especially while in the extreme cold conditions, with -15 deg. ambient the battery cranking power is already reduced from norm.

But I did try that once this past fall just to see if the engine started any faster and didn't notice any improvement. I'm going to give it another try for a period of time and see if it improves things, especially since someone pointed out that the system won't even fire until a certain fuel pressure is established; seems like that would shorten the time for the engine to have to crank while pressure is building.

 

Donc

[2007silveradonbs]

I tried to cycle my fuel pump. It doesn't work. The truck just has to cycle a few turns before it fires.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[redwngr]

From GM powertrain site:

 

"The direct injection system features very high fuel pressure, up to 15Mpa (150bar), requiring a high-pressure, engine-driven fuel pump in addition to a conventional, fuel-tank-mounted pump. On all Gen V engines, the pump is mounted in the “valley” between cylinder heads – beneath the intake manifold. It is driven by the camshaft at the rear of the engine.

A “soft stop” control strategy for the pump’s internal solenoid significantly reduces the characteristic “ticking” sound of direct injection systems. Mounting the pump in valley, where it is covered by an acoustically treated intake manifold, also helps reduce noise, while also maintaining the tight, compact packaging for which all small-blocks have been known."

High pressure pump does not run until the engine is cranking.