marc_w

My girlfriends car started acting up two days ago. Any time it sits for more than a few hours, it's hard to start. The car is an '00 Olds Alero, 3.4L V6. 78K miles.

You have to crank for 10 seconds, let up, and try once or twice more before the motor catches. Once it fires, it runs and restarts just fine.

I just threw new plugs in it two weeks ago. The fuel filter was changed late last summer, maybe 15-20K ago. She does like to run the car down on fumes on a weekly basis, so I'm not sure if the thing is picking up a lot of crap from the tank. Air filter is nice and clean, airbox intake tract is clear. Plug wires are factory. There are no codes.

She does have a nasty problem with mice in the engine bay and airbox. We both live way out in the sticks, and she parks here car within feet of dense woods on the sider of her house. For whatever reason, mice love her car. The longest the car will sit would be like 48 hours at the max. I do not see any damage they may have done recently.

To me it sounds like a fueling problem. Vapor lock only happens on a hot motor, right? (and it's not common on new vehicles).

Fuel pump failing?

Fuel draining back into the tank, and needing some time to reach the injectors?

I'm stuck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

cstchevy

I use to work at a huge auto auction and I can' tell you how many of those aleros we had to push and pull. I probably drove one after they returned from 3 year lease that ran properly all the other probably 60 were peices of crap and never got to run. I would get rid of it, if the auction who has mechanics and body shop on hand wont fix it becsause it would cost to much then it wouldn't be benificial to slap down alot of money to fix it. Just my opinion and dealing with them. make sure it's warm when you take it in to trade.

marc_w

I hear ya!

The 3.4 V6 is junk with the intake coolant leak problem. I can't believe the thing hasn't popped yet. (It does suck down coolant at a very slow rate right now)

She needs this car for another year, unfortunately. The motor has been perfectly reliable otherwise.

Isn't this car basically a Grand Prix?

FLATOP08

iTrader: (4)

I would change the filter again, being she likes to run it on empty. If that don't work then the fun job of changing the pump assy. The grand am is the same car. We sold 7 pump assy just this year alone for those cars.

marc_w

Grand Am, that's what I meant.

Thanks a lot. I'll report back when I get to spend some time with the car.

LS1NOVA

iTrader: (12)

Pop the line off the fuel pressure regulator and check for gas before you go chasing a fuel pump. If there is gas in the hose, the regulator is shot. Try holding a vacuum with a vacuum guage on the regulator. If it holds, then look at the pump. Also you could put a fuel pressure guage on it and watch for dropping fuel pressure. if it doesn't drop off, its not the fuel system. Good Luck

marc_w

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate it.

I just got done with a half hearted attemp at diagnosing stuff. I tossed on my laptop, running HPTuners. I was able to scan no problem, but I'm not sure if the data I got, can be trusted. I'm working on verifying that with HPT.

If it CAN be trusted, this motor needs some help!

One 02 looks to be stuck at like 8-26mv, while the other is cycling "rather" normally from like whatever low number, to high 800 to low 900. It's cycling quite slowly, and running on the rich side of things.

So I go and try to chase down the Bank 2 02 that's throwing these odd numbers....... and for the life of me, I only see one 02 up near the motor. It's on the rear manifold. I'm not sure if this thing is actually running two 02's in the header area like our trucks are. If it IS only running one, that might explain the odd numbers I've got for that injector.

The B2 fuel trims are MAXED at -75 LTFT and -50 STFT.

B1 is running around 0 STFT and -9 LTFT.

I've got the scan on my laptop. I'll post a screen shot tomorrow morning sometime.