bluebirdvision Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 1999 Buick Regal LS N/A - 3.8L Series II - New Plugs, wires, fuel filter At times my car cranks for quite awhile before it finally fires. It happens at strange times, and for no apparent reason. It is REALLY bad if I shut the key off and restart the car right away! My Grandma's 05 Lesabre does it too, is it something that all 3.8s do, or is it something I should have checked out? No check engine light.... No stored codes. The only reason I ask is, if its starting a little hard in 50 degree weather, is it going to start when its 2 degrees out? LOL Example: I have put 300 miles on my car so far, and all is good. Everything works quite well, and I'm happy with it. No idea what I'm getting for fuel economy yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEN1Z34 Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Seems to be starting normal to me.. Could be needing a fuel filter, or a slight sign of needing a fuel pump one day.. Seems ok to me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GtpKo Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Can't watch YouTube at work... If you turn the key to RUN and hold it there for like 5 sec before starting, does it start quicker? Gives the fuel pump time to raise pressure before starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jprice90 Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 doesnt seem like it takes a while to start in the video, my Aurora was really bad when i first bought it, and was like that for the 1st 6 months i owned it ..i literally had to spend at least 2 mins a morning trying to start it, only happened when it was cold, which was weird..but it turned out to be a bad fuel pump, it never fully went though lol your issue really isnt a big deal, but i can seee your like me with your cars, it may be a fuel pressure issue, what it seems like..get the pressure checked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oilpatch197 Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Mine starts on the second crank-over of the motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95 vert Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Mine start immediately-as soon as I crank it, hot or cold. All three, 97 S/C Bonneville SE, 97 SSEI and my Vert (S/C 3800 from a 00 GTP) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebirdvision Posted October 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) Can't watch YouTube at work... If you turn the key to RUN and hold it there for like 5 sec before starting, does it start quicker? Gives the fuel pump time to raise pressure before starting. Yes it starts better if I turn the key on and wait. Once its been running it starts on the 2nd or 3rd crank of the engine. If I shut it off and immediately start it, it cranks forever. Edited October 23, 2011 by bluebirdvision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfetterer Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Alot of times it's your crankshaft sensor thats going bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skitchin Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Could be running too rich - if you apply you give it just an ever so slight amount of throttle does that help? My fuel pressure regulator went bad and made my car run rich - the extra throttle just allowed more airflow in to compensate for the excess gas. What you described with turning it off immediately makes me think of a flooded engine, and the fact waiting a moment to start helps also points to overall fuel pressure. Unfortunately, the crank sensor is another possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white4d96 Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Clean your throttle body and UIM and see if it helps. IIRC the 3G's are known for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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