I have an 02 ss monte. For about 6 months now it has been kinda hard to crank on cold starts. I can push the accelerator down a little and will help and it idles a little low and sometimes will die all of a sudden. I took it to the shop and the replaced the fuel filter and they said the fuel pressure got better but still not up too specs and said its the fuel pump. I dont believe its the pump because its been doing so long and has not gotten any worse. Could it be the regulator?and also my interior lights have about a 15 minute delayed turn on time can this be associated with the problem some how also?

 

does it crank slow? or does it crank at a nomal speed and not want to fire? a way to check what commonly happens to the fuel pressure regulators is to pull off the vacuum line and if gas comes out its bad. also, your coolant level ok? they can get a coolant leak inside the intake resulting in a hard start, and running rough especially just after starting, the regualtor can also cause this. if a coolant leak is bad enough though it can hydrolock the engine. i dont wanna freak ya out, but if your losing coolant its a posibility.

 

It cranks normal speed just hard to fire unless i press the gas pedal a little. And often will die sunddenly after cranked. Sometimes the rpms will drop real low and then jump way up if they dont drop low enough to die when idleing. I pulled the vacum line off while the engine was off and no gas was found. I havnt really had any coolant problems but about 3 weeks ago the check engine like came on and autozone said it was something about the coolant sensor but it was just after a cold night and figured it was just from the cold because it hasnt came back.

 

hmmmm, the way it acts makes me think its a fuel problem, but for it to be the regulator it should be dumping fuel, and the fuel pump... i think its pretty uncommon to have them go out on these cars, but its possible.

does keying the ignition before starting help? turning the ignition to run for a second or 2 b4 starting.

one other thing, i'm not sure if it applies to all cars with a 3.8, but know that atleast some 3.8s dont like to restart after being off for a short period of time and just require a much longer crank than normally would.

 

Yes letting the key stay in the run for a few seconds does help and it actually seems like it cranks better when cranks are closer apart and when like in the morning it acts up.

 

well, keying the ignition a couple seconds before starting, if that helps and the problem isnt the regulator. i'd be thinking pump. theres a chance it could be a leaky injector but then i'd expect it to run bad all the time, especially at idle. if you can get someone with a scanner to look at it for ya, take a look at your fuel trims, if its very far positive(adding more fuel) i'd suspect fuel pump, or disconnect the fuel filter and hook up a gauge, key it, and then after the pump stops running if pressure drops off right away the problem is the pump.

and theres a chance your shop has already done this.

 

Perform a fuel system pressure test. again....
Do you remember what the pressures were when they tested it
How many miles are on the car.
Is the car driven for short trips.
How low do you let the tank get before refueling

At the end of the fuel pump is a sock (its like a fuel filter). This can get dirty and start to clog up. It shuold be replaced at the same time the pump gets replaced.

 

I'd put money on it being the fuel pump. Sounds just like it. Fuel pumps go out quicker for some people than others. It's a rather simple job, just make sure your gas tank is empty.

Not to be a pain or anything, but I've never heard of the 3.8 having intake leaking problems or having trouble starting after being shut off for a bit. The 3.4's I know had problems with the intake.

 

01BlkSS - for all the problems ya had on yours its almost hard to belive intake wasnt one of em, its a big enough problem that aftermarket companies make upper plenums for em.

 

92000 miles
short and long trips
little under half a tank closer to quater before I refill
They said the pressure was at 47 I believe and they replaced the filter and it went to 50 I believe. Is the tank hard to drop and also is it safe to rule out a leaking intake yet?