Ok, I just purchased a used Maxx on Friday. I drove around in it on Saturday and it was having starting issues. Saturday night, it refused to start, but when I got a jump from my dad's truck, it started right up. My dad diagnosed it as a battery issue, put some fluid in the battery, and charged it for 12 hours. When he started it on Sunday morning, he said that it was running fine, that i just need to give it some gas when starting. I drove it across town, went inside for about an hour, came out, and it was having the same freakin' issues that it had Saturday. It took about 4-5 tries to have it finally turn over. So, my dad went and bought a new battery (Bosch), and installed it. Now, it turns on a little easier, but as I turn it on, I HAVE to give it gas, or it just won't budge.
The sound that its been making was a cranking, sputtering type sound. Sometimes the engine would catch, but then just die out. This is very frustrating, considering I just got the car 72 hours ago.
PS The car has appx 134000 miles on it. When running, runs like a dream.
The sound that its been making was a cranking, sputtering type sound. Sometimes the engine would catch, but then just die out. This is very frustrating, considering I just got the car 72 hours ago.
PS The car has appx 134000 miles on it. When running, runs like a dream.
It's kind of hard to tell on a used vehicle. They went to electronic throttle control in 2004 and thus the PCM is in control of the throttle plate opening. By stepping on the gas pedal (overriding the PCM) you're finding the sweet spot instead of the PCM and it's programming. Thus, the problem may be as simple as a dirty throttle body or something much more complicated that requires a shop visit. You or your dad can first see if the throttle body needs cleaning (they have spray cans for the throttle body).
