I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu with a 3.1 with about 164k Miles on it. If I just put the key in and immediately crank it, it will turn and never start. However, if I turn the key to run and let it sit for about 3-5 seconds and then crank it, it will start fine.
It has died on me two other times since then. The two most recent times it has died, I have had my foot on the gas. I have replaced the fuel filter, PCV Valve, and I checked the fuel pressure, which is holding steady at about 44 psi when the key is turned to run. The Air Filter is clean and new, and the battery is brand new.
I have noticed is that sometimes when I pull up to a stop sign first thing in the morning, I can see my lights dim sometimes like it's lost most of it's power. However, once it's warm it won't really do this, and it doesn't always do this when it's cold. Only occasionally will this happen.
The only other issue I have found is that when it is sitting idling, the engine will run with a kind of pulse or surging high low high low in rapid succession instead of running at a steady pace.
I have no engine codes and the check engine light has never come on during this time period where this has started happening.
The battery is about 4-6 months old. I have had one person suggest that it could be a "crankshaft positioning sensor" and another suggesting that it may be the EGR Valve. Any thoughts on those two?
How about the ignition switch? They're kinda famous for having issues.
A properly operating fuel pump will supply more than adequate pressure and volume almost instantly. If fuel pressure builds slowly or bleeds off rapidly after the pump shuts off, there's almost always a problem. Fuel pressure will bleed off on some sytems, like the old TBI systems in the late 80's and early 90's GM trucks for example. In that case fuel pressure should build almost instantly but it's normal to bleed off after the pump shuts off. By the description given, it sounds very much like a fuel pump going bad in the OP's vehicle. The basics seem to have been covered as far as tune up items. If the fuel pump checks out okay, I'd want to look at the voltages coming out of the ignition switch as those switches are prone to failure.
Would the theft light have anything to do with any of this? I have had trouble with the light before, and I had to have my key replaced, but when that was happening I was having to wait 10 minutes to try to start it again.
However, now I'm seeing that light on and only that light on when it's cranking and not starting. When I turn the key off an back on, all of the regular lights come on.
Please help if you can!
Okay, fuel pressure specification is 52-59 psi while the pump is running, engine off. You may have to cycle the key a few times to get an accurate reading but if you're outside that 52-59 psi window, you have to start there. Once you've established what fuel pressure you have, does it hold? Pressure shouldn't drop off more than 5 psi in 10 minutes. You said you have 44 psi. Way too low. Probable pump going bad. If your fuel pressure gauge has a bleed off tap, put that hose in a suitable container and with the engine running, open up the bleed tap. What that does is show if you have adequate volume as sometimes pressure is close to spec, by that I mean you'd be close to 50 psi, like I said 44 is way low. Anyway, if the engine stalls when the bleed tap is opened the pump is no good almost guaranteed. You could always have a pressure regulator sticking open but I'd only suspect that if pressure dropped off when the pump shuts off.
Second thing that I'd want to look at would be your voltages out of the ignition switch. When the dash doesn't light up, and most important, the check engine light isn't ON with the key on and engine off, something isn't right. If the PCM isn't commanding the check engine light on with the key on engine off, the PCM probably isn't powered up properly. Voltage to the PCM would be most suspect but grounds are equally important. If you have a volt meter, you want to check your PCM ACC fuse in the left junction block for 12 volts with the key on. Make sure you have a good ground connection for the meter and test at the fuse. If the ignition switch is bad, you'll usually see somewhere between 3 and 10 volts though it is possible to see nothing it's not likely. The switch doesn't fail that way too often. I guess it would be good to mention testing the battery voltage first, as the fuses I'll mention should be that voltage. If the battery measures 12.4 volts for example, you want to see that figure or very close to that at the fuses. Check the PCM IGN fuse in the underhood fuse block. PCM BATT fuse in the underhood fuse block should be battery voltage at all times. The F/P-INJR fuse should be checked in the run position. It's in the underhood junction block. The ERLS fuse in the underhood junction block, check it in run position. The IGN MOD fuse feeds the ignition module, won't hurt to check that. It's in the underhood junction block.
Jiggling the ignition key isn't really doing much though it's possible it may seem to have an effect, it's unlikely it really does. The ignition switch, when it fails, it's failing internally, at the contacts within the switch itself. When you jiggle the key, you cause minimal movement of the lock cylinder which engages the ignition switch, however the cylinder to switch mating area isn't a real solid fit so any movement that actualy makes it to the switch is very minor. It's even less likely to actually move anything at the contacts within the switch where the problem is.
As for the theft detterent causing the stall, once the vehicle is running, the most theft deterrent will do is cause the theft light to illuminate telling you there's a problem. The PCM is fail enabled at that point so it doesn't let you sit. Once you turn the engine off though, the fuel continue password has to be received again for the injectors to pulse and deliver fuel. The stall is either loss of fuel or loss of power almost always. There's members that claim they bypass the theft deterrent system with a resistor. Personally, I've never tried to do it, maybe someday if I'm in the mood, I'll give it a shot. If you do try to bypass the system, make sure your connections are clean and solid, don't just twist the wires. Crimp or solder the connections. If you put an ignition switch in, put a passlock sensor in while you're there and if you put a passlock sensor in, do the ignition switch at the same time. Saves you a dash tear down. Sure it costs you more up front but the peace of mind is worth it as you just ruled out two common causes of breakdowns.
A bad crank sensor can cause no start or stall if the signal is corrupted "dirty", which means it's not a nice clean square wave. There's 2 crank signals. A 24X and a 7X. The 7X signal is what causes the ignition to fire the spark. You just don't see them fail real frequently on these engines. Wiring problems sometimes, maybe from being misrouted during previous work, mice chew the wires. Been years since I put a crank sensor in one of these engines. If you lost the cam signal, the engine would run, only thing the cam sensor is doing is telling the PCM where cylinder 1 is for injector timing since these engines are sequential injection and not batch fired like older cars.
EGR code. What was the code? P0404? P1404? Something else? Pintle position sensors were common to go bad back in that era. Sometimes the valve got hung open by carbon and unless it got stuck all the way open, the most you'd see would be a rough idle, maybe a hard start cold. If it was stuck all the way open, it might not start but the only way you'd fix that would be pull the valve off and clean it up.
Check this stuff out and get back to us with your findings. Any questions? Feel free to ask, that's why we're here. Good luck.