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2007 Tahoe Hard To Start When Warm,3rd Trip To Dealer

igbig

By igbig
in Ask A GM Technician

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igbig Enthusiast

igbig

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Been a while since i've posted on here. I used to have a 2000 Silverado with the 5.3 that had the fuel pressure regulator problem that just about everyone with a Silverado has had. The truck was a fairly good vehicle, but after replacing the transmission at 98,000 miles (i never towed anything) and the knocking cold start engine and of course the ABS brakes that didnt like to stop over bumpy roads. Yes i had every one of those problems that GM considered "normal". I have been a GM man my whole life, but I promised myself I would never buy another GM product! Never!

 

Never say never! In September of 2007 we picked up a new Tahoe LT3, white with ebony interior, and 20" wheels. BEAUTIFUL truck! Well right at about 3500 miles the truck started having hard starting problems. it would take a good 3 or 4 seconds of cranking to start, and sometimes it would start and then die. The first thing i thought was FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR like my old truck. I told my wife no big deal we will take it in and they will replace it and it will be better then new. first time to the dealer they replace the fuel pump solenoid. didnt fix it. we took it in a second time and i asked them why they didnt replace the FPR like i suggested the fisrt time. The service advisor told me these new models do not have an external FPR. he said "everything is in the tank along with the fule pump" so on the second visit they replaced the fuel pump. still didnt fix it. Does any one know if these vehicles have FPRs like the older 5.3s?. Has anyone experienced this problem? It is not an occasional thing, it will do it 5 out of 7 starts a day. it mimmicks the FPR problme my old truck had EXACTLY!

 

I will be taking it in on Monday for the 3rd time. I told them if they do not fix it this time I am going to start filing paperwork with the texas dept of public safety so I can have it certified as a LEMON and have GM buy it back. And this time I will be heading to the TOYOTA dealer with check in hand!

 

has anyone had this problem ? any techs out there have any ideas??

minibike132 Senior Enthusiast

minibike132

Posted
Posted

Your fuel system is returnless the FPR is part of the pump assembly. There is alot of things that can cause this. I'm assuming there is no codes to go on. First thing I would do is a fuel quality check. If the ethenol content is a little high it will cause that symptom. There are other fuel quality issues that can cause this. Before taking it in you could try running a full tank of a differnt brand than usual and try a fuel stabilizer. If fuel quality turns out good there can be alot of things to look at. We would probably snapshot it and see if anything is not quite right. Improper readings on coolant, mass airflow, manifold pressure, throttle position etc. can be an issue. At very low mileages I would look at fuel first. On the fuel note If your truck is E-85 compatible it could be that an improper fill cycle was completed somewhere along the line and the E content is miscalculated that will cause an issue too. I would try to have some patience and work with them. When someone comes in flipping on me I chalk them up to spring loaded to the unhappy position and I don't really go out of my way too much. If your reasonable I will go out of my way alot. Everyone works different though. On the lemon note be careful and do some research first. On top of everything else that is a pain with a lemon case at the end of the day you WILL loose money on the deal.

igbig Enthusiast

igbig

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We have used E85 maybe 6 times total. We have not used it for prob 3 months or longer. Only standard reg unleaded. And as far filling up, we rarely ever use the same gas station or brand, we fill up any where and everywhere. You are right as fars a "codes" . Dealer says no codes are showing and the computer sofware is up to date.

 

The service advisor is a great guy he is doing everything he can to help and we have been talking on a regtular basis. He knows i am frustrated and not happy but I do not talk down to him or use an angry tone. I learned along time ago, you catch more bees with honey (which makes no sense but you know what i mean).

 

We paid $38,000 for this vehicle and I will not accept a "its normal" answer from GM this time. I will not keep this vehicle if the problem is not fixed. I am not looking forward to filing lemon paperwork and all the hassle that comes along with it, but i am more than prepared to go as far as i have to resolve this problem.

 

I really appreciate your help and i hope it turns out to be something as simple as a fuel problem, because i really like this truck and so does my wife. I will keep you updated after the next trip to the dealer.

minibike132 Senior Enthusiast

minibike132

Posted
Posted

If you did ever use E85 I would be heading off the make sure the vehicle knows what it has in it first thing so good luck to you. I couldn't tell you where to find it in your owners manual but I do know that there is alot of confusion among customers about refueling this type of vehicle so let me run over the highlights. I'm not saying you performed an improper fill or that it is your issue, just for anyone out there with E85 these need to be fueled correctly. Actually I think I'll put this in another thread and link you there because it is common to not know what or why refueling events need to happen properly every time.

igbig Enthusiast

igbig

Posted
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Got the truck back from the dealer yesterday. This time they replaced all eight injectors. They said one of them (or maybe two, i dont remember) was not holding pressure and was "dripping" fuel. into the intake. So basically the engine was being "flooded".

 

So far it has started fine and has not reproduced the problem. The true test will be this weekend when we drive the truck around quite a bit while we run errands. While i'm glad this has hopefully fixed the problem, I am not happy that I have had both my fuel pump and all eight injectors replaced on a truck with less than 6000 miles. every new vehicle I have ever purchased has been a Chevrolet. I hate to say it but this will be the last one!

 

Thanks you for all your help!

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