What wrong with my 91 caprice?

Question

The last few morrings it has been at least 5 degrees and lower.When I go out to start my car it wont start. The starter turns over but my car wont fire. After I try about 5 or six times the battery dies and when i try to start the car, the starter makes a clicking sound. later on in the day when it warms up to around 15 degrees my car starts, but it idols rough then cuts off. When i restart it, it runs fine. My car is a 91 Chevy Caprice, and it is fuel injected. I took it to get the battery and altenator checked today and the guy said they where both fine. I put that Dry HEET stuff in my gas tank evreytime I fill up. I also noticed that my gas tank was under a half of tank. What is the source of the hard starting in the cold?

Answer 1

The cold is the primary source of the problem. A cold battery just does not have the capacity to provide the amount of current, in Amps, to run the starter as it should. If there is any kind of computer control system in the car the low air temperature is probably out of it's range to properly start the engine. Here are a couple of tricks that will help you. First thing to do, carefully hang a 100 watt lamp in the engine area during the night. Place it so that it cannot melt any of the hoses under the hood. This will keep the engine warmer so that it should start better. Just remember to remove it before driving away. The other thing to do is to for a second or 2, turn on your headlights. This will cause the battery to heat up so that it can deliver it's rated current to the starter. The "clicking" noise you hear is because the battery has been drained to the point where it can not run the starter. This is normal, and the people you had check the battery and alternator were telling you the truth.

Answer 2

Very likely it is the battery, test the battery under load, and it will not pass most likly. when you test a battery by itself its only reading the voltage itself is producing, but when you add the starter into the equation, you're putting a lot more strain on the battery. It could be a charging system issue too. the alternator might not be completly recharging the battery, and the battery becomes weak. I would have it towed to a shop, if it does not run and have and AVR test preformed. If the battery is old the acid level ends up diluting itself and the batter becomes more wattery then when its new. if thats the case the battery may be freezing also causing a no start. there is voltage coming from the battery but not enough to handle the strain of the starter.

Answer 3

Hello there Heather, This is what you (or someone that knows about this) have to do: 1. Replace the spark plugs, in your case a V8 has eight, so when you go buy them you know how many you need. 2. The wiring for the sparkpluggs. 3. The fuel filter, by now it must be clogged. Some cars have them inside the gas tank, so for this make sure where your car has it, and if it is inside the gas tank don't fill up when taking it to get done. 4. Change the oil and oil filter. 5. If possible change the antifreeze coolant on the radiator. 6. Make sure all the gaskets are good, no leaks. A car that has been sitting for at least 8 months needs most if not all of this done to work properly, not to mention to not be embarrassed in the middle of traffic. So good luck girl, sometimes buying cheap things can wind up more expensive (believe me I know about that!)

Answer 4

I love these answers, He said he uses Heet every time he fills up so that would eliminate the water in the fuel problems.

Fuel filter would not be the problem, if that was it you would probably be able to idle pretty good but would fall on its face when you tried to drive.

Depending on how long you crank on your engine, you are fixing to need a battery. Never crank longer than 15 seconds and allow a little time between cranking

check the EGR, MAF, TPS

Answer 5

I look at car problems like this. It's gotta be fuel, fire, water, or air. Start with basics: Fuel filter, spark plugs, coolant, air filters.

Most problems I have seen in cold temperatures relate the following three items:

1. Gasoline must be vaporized to burn and it evaporates slowly in the cold. (Sometimes people spray ether into their engines to get them started - ether evaporates faster than gasoline in cold weather.)

2. Cold oil gets stiff - making it harder for engine parts to move (a block heater can warm up the engine block), and

3. Chemical reactions in cold batteries are slower so the battery produces fewer electrons - making it too weak for the starter motor.

Also, quit adding heat to every fill up.

Answer 6

I would guess you need a battery with more cold cranking amps (cca) If it is very cold , like you state, the engine takes so much from the battery there isn't enough left for the ignition. Get a battery in the size for your car with the highest cca you can find. Wal Mart has good batteries at reasonable prices. Don't get hooked for a high price big name. Most have the same warranty.

Answer 7

i own a repair shop,and part of the problem may have been condensation in the tank,may have made it freeze the gas line up on it,,id try keeping more gas if its going to be real cold,,and always add the dry gas,when its got more than a half of tank of gas or more in it,,other than that,,It may just be the cold weather,,some cars wont start good in cold weather,,but you might want to have the spark plugs checked in it,,this will affect the starting of it a whole lot,especially when its real cold out,,good luck,i hope this help,s.

Answer 8

What weight oil do you have? I have to change the weight of my oil when I go home for the long weekends for it is colder up north than it is down in the south. My truck hardly runs at all with it so cold for the oil does not circulate as well at the heavier weight oil than it does at the lighter weight
it could also be your spark plugs and the type of gas you use. The older cars do not start up like they used to do
I bet you will find it is the oil by the sounds of it...

Answer 9

Check your air and fuel filters, also, you may have some water in the fule lines, which is freezing when the temp drops low, try some gas line antifreeze. Personally, I would stop adding stuff to the tank next fill-up and see if anything changes.
Also, check your spark plugs and see if they are dirty, check your wires and maybe have your injectors cleaned.

Answer 10

When was the last time the plugs and wires were replaced?
Filters would not keep it from starting and the electrical starting system seems to work, untilll the battery wears down, its just not firing.
I'd start with ignition system and clean the engine grounds.