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1997 intrep ES starting problem

697 views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  jedgxe 
#1 ·
I have a 1997 Intrepid ES w/autostick and 3.5L engine. I have done the following work on it over the last 2 yrs or so that I have had it:

Minor engine repairs with gasket replacements and cleaned injectors.
timing belt and water pump replacement
fuel pump replacement
wires fixed on fuel pump
tie rods and bushings
trans mount replaced
O2 sensors replaced(all 4 of them)
struts replaced

Now, I am having a starting problem. The car seems to run fine after warming up a bit, BUT, when I start the car after I stop at a store, it starts and runs ruff and almost stalls. I try starting it the next morning and it will not start. Get it to the dealer via AAA and the dealer jumps in and it starts. WTF???? so, I drive it around for the day again and the next morning it does the same thing. goes to dealer and it starts again. I am at my witts end on this and the dealer does not know what the problem can be. I have no check engine light on and need to fix this the correct and cheapest way so it will not happen again. With the exception of this current problem, the car runs like new. Can anyone advise?????
 
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#5 ·
I doubt it at this point.

If that is the case, then why does it start on a flat surface and not at a slant? or why does it run fine, nice and smooth for a while then runs ruff almost stalling then runs smooth again and has no more problems till i try to start it again 24 hrs later?
 
#9 ·
This is my primary car and don't have the tools to do anything. I signed up for this so I can learn more about my car and get some idea what could be the problem.

From what I can tell by the way the car runs, the fuel pressure is fine. I had a similar problem and the dealer determined that it was a couple of loose wires that were taken off the fuel pump incorrectly. They fixed that and 2 weeks later the car quit starting and would hesitate after driving a while, then would run fine.

So, the car is at the dealer now and will be looked at tomorrow. I will pose some questions regarding the cam sensor, fuel pump and filter etc....

It has just become a lot of frustration because now it has start to nickle and dime me and costing me money for towing.
 
#10 ·
the car I just worked on does a lil trick kinda like this sometimes. Runs fine, then rough, then won't start. I have decided it must be something with the fuel system. When it won't start, I stick the gas peddle all the way to the floor(shuts off gas) and crank it. Starts right up. Just a cheap idea of how to try to deal with it. Ofcourse you don't keep the gas peddle on the floor once it starts. I back it off to about 1000RPM for about 10 seconds, then let the idle take over. Just something to try.
-Taaf-
 
#11 ·
WB6vpm, you were partially correct. It turns out to be the fuel pump altogether. Dealership had it for almost 5 days and could not figure it out and decided to take it someplace else and the car stumbled a couple of times while he test drove it. So, He will replace the pump and filter. Cost me a small fortune of $672: parts, labor and diagnostic time. The pump that is in there is a aftermarket pump and found out that you cannot run aftermarket pumps in these cars. Thanks for trying to help.
 
#12 ·
Phlebvam said:
WB6vpm, you were partially correct. It turns out to be the fuel pump altogether. Dealership had it for almost 5 days and could not figure it out and decided to take it someplace else and the car stumbled a couple of times while he test drove it. So, He will replace the pump and filter. Cost me a small fortune of $672: parts, labor and diagnostic time. The pump that is in there is a aftermarket pump and found out that you cannot run aftermarket pumps in these cars. Thanks for trying to help.
That's a fact about aftermarket pumps. My brother is a (non- dealer) mechanic. Every time his shop wouldput in an aftermarket pump, they would fail within about 2 months. So they started buying pumps from local dodge dealer, and never had any failures with them ever since.
 
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