# Car Not Starting ?



## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

hey guys, i got a 99 tahoe. i was out on a internship in MT for 2 months and drove it from wibaux to glendive (30miles) daily. Ran awesome. Got back to bismarck parked it in my garage on feb 26th. Went out to start it march 12th and it would turn over but not start. got the battery checked it's good, put 5 gallons of gas in and added seefoam to help remove water. It stll doesnt start but turnover and sounds like it wants too. any thoughts?? i thouht maybe a fuel pump, timing belt, iggnition coil, but again it ran fine and sat for two weeks and now wont start???? is it possible something went out as it sat there????


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

If you turn the key on without turning it over, do you hear the fuel pump running?


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

put spark plugs in it


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

yep fuel pumps running, ill try the spark plugs. never thought of that.
Thanks!


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

any miles since last tune up


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

Got a lot of miles. Still need to check the plugs. not the most "mechanilcally" gifted person on the planet. Ill get back to ya if the plugs dont work.
Thanks Guys


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## fox412 (Mar 18, 2005)

Fuel Filter?


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

fox412 said:


> Fuel Filter?


 thats what i'm thinking. open the hood and find the fuel rail. there should be a a valve there that looks like a tires valve push the button and see if gas comes out.


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

Not the plugs!! ill admit i didnt look at all of them but the ones i did were working.but it does sound choked for gas like it is not getting enough!! fuel filter was my next guess and just got done researching how to replace it. 
my only thought is would a fuel filter cause it to not start or mearly just run "rough" or bad.? Sorry for the questions only know what i constantly fix on my cars.
Thanks guys!


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

Is the gas cap screwed on tight? I have heard of this happening (serious).

Not trying to ask if the muffler bearing has been checked (can reduce exhaust flow)or a muffler gasket (increased air flow); I switched to synthetic exhaust lube after my first set of bearings went out.


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

The fuel pump could be running and not pumping enough fuel. Without a gauge to hook onto the valve mentioned ealier, you won't know. Even though the plugs looked ok and you say working, they still might not fire the fuel mix.

My wife drove her Ford Ranger with 90,000 miles to work, ran fine. After work, ran fine. She stopped at the store, wouldn't start when she got ready to leave. Would crank, try to fire, but nothing. Put in new plugs, ran like a top.


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

as far as the gas cap yeah shes on tight im one of the OCD guys who checks it like 10x after i fill!! as afar as the plugs again yeah i think it would be wise to replace anyway and try from there. I plan on replacing the fuel filter as well.

Ill get to those later this week and let you guys know. Im not opposed to hauling in in either, but i live off a busy street in bismarck and it's a one stall driveway with no where to turn it around at!! hopefully my 5 ft snow barriers melt so i can use some of my yard to help turn it around. 
Thanks for all the help guys ill let u know how she turn out!!


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## 1Shot2Kills (Mar 11, 2010)

I'd bet my money it's the timing or clogged fuel filter. Have you been pumping the gas when you try to start it; this will make a clogged filter even worse. I'd also check your air filter; for ****s and giggles to see if an animal made a home in there, found that issues on FixYa.com lol!


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## fox412 (Mar 18, 2005)

I am not sure but if your Tahoe was like my 96 Chevy the fuel filter is on the inside of the frame rail right under the drivers door. It is about a 8 inch cylinder. You will see the a steel tube going in one end and one coming out the other. Should take about 10 minutes or less to swap them out.

It would be easy to check your fuel pump while you have it off. Have someone turn the key on and it should shoot right out just have something to catch the fuel when it shoots out and be ready to yell turn the key off.


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Lots of good things mentioned to check out on your tahoe. Another thing you might want to do is find someone with a code scanner and get them to hook it up and see if anything pops up. It could be that a sensor went bad, or maybe a wire came loose or is grounding out somewhere. I remember an oldsmobile car that I had at one time had the same symptoms as your tahoe and it ended up being a sensor that had went bad.


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

Thanks guys i still havent had time to work on it since monday! ill keep u updated!


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## wingaddict (Sep 16, 2009)

Let me guess, about 125-150k on it? I'll bet anything its fuel pump. Gotta drop the gas tank as thats where its located. Looking at about a $500 bill to have it done.


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

about 125-150k on it?haha i wish

282K chevy, built like a rock! i have a feeling your right becuause i usually get hit pretty hard with murphy's law, what can go wrong will go wrong!!!

still havent worked on the car since monday, racking up the miles my my toyota camery.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

Funny how a long list of deletions can lead to the remedy..... hope it is just the pump.


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## 9manfan (Oct 22, 2008)

wingaddict said:


> Let me guess, about 125-150k on it? I'll bet anything its fuel pump. Gotta drop the gas tank as thats where its located. Looking at about a $500 bill to have it done.


my thoughts also, still might be making sounds but not enough to pump the fuel, good luck,,,,,,


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

jwdinius1 said:


> about 125-150k on it?haha i wish
> 
> 282K chevy, built like a rock! i have a feeling your right becuause i usually get hit pretty hard with murphy's law, what can go wrong will go wrong!!!
> 
> still havent worked on the car since monday, racking up the miles my my toyota camery.


I have had to replace 4 fuel pumps in chevys 94 sub 150xxx 97 chevy pickup 130xxx 2000 sub 141xxx and a 02 yukon denali with 91xxx. have not had a chevy yet where i didn't have to replace the fuel pump. The yukon really sucked because I was on my way back from the cities and was in Sauke Center and had to spend the night to get it fixed on monday and they soaked me for $850 for the pump and had to spend another $75 for motel. They didn't have a pump in stock and had to get one from a neighboring town and that cost me an extra $75.

It may just be the relay under the hood but I have never been that lucky.
Twice they have died at stop lights and the other two times in parking lots.


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## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Aug 25, 2008)

If the pump is in the tank, disconnect the fuel line first and put a gauge on it to see if you're getting any fuel. If you aren't, you can do the job if you have a buddy who has done some mechanical work. Dropping a tank isn't a ton of work, but get the right tools first and a haines manual is always a great idea.

Past that, at 282k, your injectors could have easily crapped out by now also. And here's one last thought, I've never trusted those battery tests. I had a battery test done before and had it showed good too. I said screw it, before I start tearing into it, and decided to try a new battery first. What do you know... I'd suggest signing onto a GM forum. I moderate a fantastic site to get help from, gm-trucks.com. That would personally be my number one stop before I tore into anything on my own...


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

spray some ether in it, if it will run on that for a few seconds then die you know its a problem with lack of fuel for sure, also turn the key over to let it prime then smell in the spark plug holes for the smell of gas


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## HugeBurrito2k6 (Oct 25, 2011)

I bet it is either the computer, the fuel pump, The spark plugs But i would bet money on the computer.


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