Starting problem on the 98z

[camaro2you]

Just started yesterday, after the car sits for a long period of time it has trouble starting. It will take a couple turns of the key to prime the pump and a about ten seconds of cranking before it finally starts up. The car still runs great and if the car has been running and you shut it off and try to start it back up everything is fine until the car sits again. I am thinking maybe the fpr or the fuel pump car has 111xxx on the clock, thanks in advance.

[Ian]

I'd say its probably the pump. do you have a fuel pressure gauge? easiest way to tell is to hook it up, start the car, shut the car off, go eat a sandwich, come back and look at the gauge. if it drops down below spec., its time to drop the tank.

[redbanditZ28]

Thats weird, I had trouble starting my 98 Z28 Camaro too yesterday. I was worried because when I started it, it was making this droning noise and sounded like it was accelerating while in park, but the gas pedal wasn't stuck or anything. After running it for about 5 mins, the droning went away, as did the acceleration noise. I would guess the problem is that I haven't started it for over 5 weeks during the cold weather. I really should get out to my garage more often. I am usually busy with school.

I got to wondering if maybe the oil froze or something. Every once in a while when I don't start it, either the accelerator may get stuck for a few seconds, or I'll get that droning noise. But once it runs for about 20 mins and the temperature gauge gets to a certain point, the car is absolutely fine.

Do you start your car often in Winter?

[camaro2you]

I start it and move it out of the garage atleast once a week, I'm going to grab a fuel pressure gauge from advance today and try that out, ill post up my results.

[camaro2you]

Fuel pressure checked out great and funny thing is the car started right up today, went out to it and put the guage on it and turned the key and it fired right up. That was the first time i touched it since last night.

[redbanditZ28]

Glad it started for you. Maybe we just had an extremely cold day this week or something. I am no mechanic, so I couldn't tell ya whats wrong. All I know is that I should start my car more often than I do. 2 days ago was a rude awakening of how much I've neglected my car in the garage because of school. Hope you don't have anymore probs. IS it possible that maybe something happened with oil circulation or a bad starter?

[camaro2you]

This problem is something id like to find out more about, I dont want to be somewhere and get stranded cause the problem gets worse or the battery goes dead from cranking. Oil can get very thick in cold weather depending on what weight it is and a starter will not keep the car from fireing, only time a starter will stop the car from running is if the solinoid is going bad and it doesn't turn the motor over all the time or it doesnt have enough power to turn it fast enough.

[camaro2you]

Car is haveing the problem again, but if i put the gauge onto the rail the car will fire right up. WTH is going on lol, oh how I despise fuel injection problems.

[camaro2you]

Car is getting worse, its getting to the point where I have to crank it so long the battery is going dead.

[ins0mnia24]

If you have a Voltage meter ..
Next time it doesnt start unplug your coil packs from the main harness and check for voltage with the Key on but not running..
If no voltage or low voltage then I would check the Ignition switch behind the knee bolster...
You can only do that if it isnt starting..

Then if you have a test light you can check for a trigger signal at each coil while someone cranks the engine over..

[camaro2you]

Ok, thanks for the advice next time she won't fire ill do this. I would also like to add it has a weird idle sometimes, she will jump all the way up to 2grand and stay there then come back down. I took the tb off cleaned that and also cleaned the iac then put all that back on seafoamed the car and it ran great and took it out for a spin let it sit for two hours and came back and it started right up and ran great. Then last night went out to start the car and it did the same thing wouldn't fire over tryed for a good minute or two nothing at all i could smell it flooding out. Let it sit for about a minute and then it fired right up and ran fine.

[Pampered-Z]

Buddy had the same problem and after throwing allot of $$$ at the problem it turned out to be an intermittent problem with the VATS. He got a VATS bypass from Baker Electronix on ebay for $30.

Here are the things he checked, swapped or replaced before finding the problem.

1. Racetronix plug & play pump with hotwire kit
2. Fuel pressure regulator
3. Fuel filter (twice)
4. Fuel rails
5. Fuel injectors
6. Crank position sensor
7. Cam position sensor
8. IAC motor
9. MAF
10. Throttle Body
11. Battery
12. Coil packs
13. Spark plugs
14. Tune

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by camaro2you

Ok, thanks for the advice next time she won't fire ill do this. I would also like to add it has a weird idle sometimes, she will jump all the way up to 2grand and stay there then come back down. I took the tb off cleaned that and also cleaned the iac then put all that back on seafoamed the car and it ran great and took it out for a spin let it sit for two hours and came back and it started right up and ran great. Then last night went out to start the car and it did the same thing wouldn't fire over tryed for a good minute or two nothing at all i could smell it flooding out. Let it sit for about a minute and then it fired right up and ran fine.

Next time it doesn't start, pull the IAC valve out and push it until it bottoms out (full open) and put it back in. Then see if the car starts. It sounds like it's not retracting or something like that, which may be why you have that erratic 2000 RPM idle. I had a similar issue with my GP.