DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums banner

Occasional hard start

2K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  joe_ 
#1 ·
My '99 ES has about 235,000 miles on it; the engine was replaced and has about 100,000 miles on it.

Most of the time, the car runs great. On rare occasion, though, it won't start; either it won't turn over at all, or it'll start to, cough a bit or struggle at 200rpm for a few seconds, then die. If I let it sit, try again, sit, try again, it eventually starts, then it has no trouble at all until the next time it happens, maybe once every 4-5 months.

My natural assumption is that when its dying it's not getting fuel... dirty fuel injectors? Debris in a line somewhere? I'm not even sure how to troubleshoot it when it happens so rarely. There's no check engine light and nothing recorded in the events after the problem occurs.

Any thoughts, or is this just an "it's old, live with it" situation?

Thanks!

Chris
 
#2 ·
As few and far between as the hard/fail to starts are, it would be really hard to provide an accurate diagnosis. The rough start like that would seem to be a fuel pressure or leaking injector issue, but most often the symptoms of those issues would be more consistent.
 
#3 ·
Just happened again today.

I found a TSB that sounds like my problem (hard start after hot soak) but it only applies to '98s. This is the second engine the car has had; the prior engine never had this issue, but I don't know if that is meaningful. Other leads I'm chasing down include a possible faulty throttle position sensor, or fuel pump.
 
#12 ·
I don't know if there's any actual difference between the '98s and newer ones. If you're having the same symptoms, I'd suspect it's the same problem. My guess is that it's been happening more lately due to the 10% ethanol they put in the gas these days, and that these cars were designed before ethanol was added. They do mention in the TSB that ethanol-blended fuels tend to aggravate the problem.
 
#6 ·
Need a "Sticky" for the proper terminology for a "No Start" condition!

When many people hear "Not Turning Over At All"...that means the starter isn't working or not "Turning Over The Engine". Not that the Starter is working but the engine doesn't "Start or Fire"!
This is particularly true for older people such as myself. Like anyone over 30 years old! LOL!

With that said......

"Engine Won't Turn over" = Starter not working or not engaging
"Engine Won't Fire or Start" = Starter is turning the engine over but the engine will not run.

How's that sound to everyone?

What's the case here?
 
#7 ·
I'm with you on your definitions.

When many people hear "Not Turning Over At All"...that means the starter isn't working or not "Turning Over The Engine". Not that the Starter is working but the engine doesn't "Start or Fire"!
This is particularly true for older people such as myself. Like anyone over 30 years old! LOL!
I didn't know there was another usage. I'm especially curious to know how and why the interpretation may be related to age!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top