So about a month ago, my car wouldn't start. My uncle, a GM mechanic, looked at it as it sat in my condo's parkling lot and said it was probably a bad fuel pump. So I had it towed to a reputable auto repair place (Autotire for those who know of it), in which they told me the battery was dead, and was so dead that it wouldnt take a jump (yes I did try jumping it). They replaced the battery and everything worked fine until Friday. I experienced the same exact problem, my car wouldnt start. Again I had it towed to the same place, and this time apparantly my car ignition security got reset and they have since reprogrammed it and said they have tried several times and it starts each time (I havent picked it up yet so I cant verify it). The thing I am uneasy about is both times my uncle thought it was the fuel pump, and both times it wasn't, but he seemed pretty sure that there was a problem with it and I trust his judgment (in regards to the first time he said that sometimes a big bump might get the fuel pump working again (like the kind it might sustain while being towed) and that is why it worked fine (my car is 5 years old so probably could take a battery anyway)). I am still nervous that there might be something wrong with the fuel pump and am looking for any suggestions on how to economically check it to see if it is indeed ok.
Vital stats for the car: 2003 Chevy Malibu, V6 engine, 50k+ miles.
Lisa: Poor predicatble Bart, always picks rock Bart: Good ole rock, nothing beats that
This is *not* an expert talking by any means, but someone who has dealt with a car problem or two back in the day.
When you go to start it, does it "try" to start? Does it make noise and try to turn over? If so, the fuel pump *could* be part of your problem.
When you go to start it does nothing happen (no sound)? If so, it *could* be the alternator is not charging your battery properly as you drive. It could also be that the ground wire on your battery is not attached correctly. I've had both of those happen to me, the former of which is much more expensive than the latter. Of course, your car is probably newer than the car I had the ground wire problem with and that might not even be an issue with today's newer cars (Again, I'm no expert).
Hope this helps or at least gets someone who does know something about it to respond and shoot down my amateur stabs at it.
It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them. P. G. Wodehouse (1881 - 1975), The Man Upstairs (1914)
Originally posted by DrewDewceThis is *not* an expert talking by any means, but someone who has dealt with a car problem or two back in the day.
When you go to start it, does it "try" to start? Does it make noise and try to turn over? If so, the fuel pump *could* be part of your problem.
When you go to start it does nothing happen (no sound)? If so, it *could* be the alternator is not charging your battery properly as you drive. It could also be that the ground wire on your battery is not attached correctly. I've had both of those happen to me, the former of which is much more expensive than the latter. Of course, your car is probably newer than the car I had the ground wire problem with and that might not even be an issue with today's newer cars (Again, I'm no expert).
Hope this helps or at least gets someone who does know something about it to respond and shoot down my amateur stabs at it.
The car does try and turn over. I picked it up last night and it is working fine but in the back of my head I worry that I may have to go through this again a month from now.
Lisa: Poor predicatble Bart, always picks rock Bart: Good ole rock, nothing beats that
wow insane, i have a Chevy Malibu 2002 with V6 engine, 70k miles and i had the exact same problem 3 weeks ago.
I had the same issue in that the battery was older and had been jumped before, and that the car would turn over and over but not engage. It turned out to be the fuel filter and the fuel pump that needed to be replaced.
now, there is a semi easy way to tell if you need the fuel filter changed (a $20 or so part) or if the pump needs to be replaced ($400-500 part). If you can find the fuel tank, try hitting it a couple of times to see if you can remove any blockage if this happens again. since your car has started and you have it back, it seems that all you need is the filter. In my case, i got stuck in a grocery store lot 5 minutes from my house, and when the tow guys brought me back to my house, the simple jostling of having the car come off the lift almost started it.
Mind you, I am not a mechanic, but after getting it serviced by friends who are mechanics this is possibly your issue. for your wallet's sake, I sincerely hope that all you need to get done is the filter.
If you're going to have someone take a look at the electrical system, just make sure it's a specialist. Electronics in cars are a bit funky, and a lot of mechanics have trouble identifying the problem or repairing it. I had a problem with a sensor that went undiagnosed for a couple months because a mechanic just did a stop-gap solution like yours did.
Originally posted by Tenken347If you're going to have someone take a look at the electrical system, just make sure it's a specialist. Electronics in cars are a bit funky, and a lot of mechanics have trouble identifying the problem or repairing it. I had a problem with a sensor that went undiagnosed for a couple months because a mechanic just did a stop-gap solution like yours did.
I'm with Tenken. I had a similar problem with a motorcycle of mine back in 2000. It would need a fresh charge every day or so and I went through a few batteries. I took out my volt meter and discovered it was a dead rectifier.
It changes the AC power from the alternator to DC power to recharge the battery. In essence, my headlights, starter and blinkers were killing my battery w/o a good rectifier.
And I think you're taking this "simple space opera movie" a little too seriously. There's nothing wrong with having more knowledge about a given subject. That's fairly admirable (as long as it's not taken to ridiculous extremes).