Chevrolet - Malibu :: 2000 - Does Not Start On Incline Where Gas Tank Is Lower Than Rest Of Vehicle
Aug 31, 2011
I've got a Chevy Malibu with roughly 120K miles on it. It runs relatively well - when it starts - which is why I'm here, obviously. The battery is brand new with all the connections seeming to be great, so I doubt it's an electrical issue in that regard.
Furthermore, in cases where the car doesn't start, almost always it's on an incline where the gas tank is lower than the rest of the vehicle.
When it's either level or higher than the rest, it seems to start up fine, which has led me to wonder if it's something to do with the fuel intake (note that the car doesn't stall at all - it simply won't start in the adverse conditions I said here).
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My wife's 2010 Chevy Traverse has 85,000 miles, and has run great over the years. The past 4 or 5 times we filled up the tank, the vehicle won't start right afterward. It turns over, but seems like it's either flooded or starved of fuel. Then, after a few tries it gets going and starts up fine until the next fill-up. The "Check Engine" light has not come on during this. At least one time it was way down on gas, and at least one of the times it had almost a quarter tank - same result. I called 2 of my repair buddies and they don't have the answer.
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I've only had my F150 for about 3 weeks and I think I've discovered a design flaw-
If you park on a 20% or steeper incline and the tank is less than about 1/8th full - the truck won't start. It has the 36 gallon tank - and the fuel pickup is located in the center.
The service rep told me that they have the same problem with the showroom trucks when they park them on a grass hill in front of the dealership. They have to roll them down onto the street to start them if the gas tank is too low...
Boy, I tell ya, there's no disclaimer sticker telling me to not let the gas get too low if you live in an area with lots of hills. I don't think I would have bought it if I had know this. The service guy described another owner of an F250 having the same problem...
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I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu LS 3.1 V6, the car is burning oil, and I want to know your opinion.
The car had thermostat problems and was overheated, after I changed the thermostat the engine started smoking and every body told me it was the head gaskets, but the car is not burning coolant, is actually burning oil.
When I start the car, first is the steam coming up from the tail pipe, then when the car is warm, the oil smoke stars to come out from the tail pipe.
I checked the spark plugs and all six showed a lot of oil on them, so my question is, is this because the piston rings or the engine is getting oil from somwhere else beside the piston rings. There is times when is not smoke at all, and then again a lot of smoke.
In the past I saw cars burning oil from probably one or two piston chambers, but no from all of them at the same time, and on this one when I checked, all the spark plugs were wet in oil.
I was researching about this particular engine, and looks like have some issues with the head gaskets due to overheating and the fact of the heads being made from aluminum. What can I check before taking the engine apart.
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The whistling sound is fairly straightforward but there are little details that are weird.
I noticed maybe 1 or 2 weeks ago that the car would make a whistling sound, not a high pitched one but a fairly middle-high sort of tone. It would make this sound when I put the car and drive and maybe just start to gas it but NOT all of the time. By the time I am at a regular speed it has gone.
But sometimes when I slow down the sound will return and go away when the car has come to a complete stop. But this is not a constant pattern. It is on and off. Only recently could I say it has become more frequent but even then I hesitate.
Also the sound seems to definitely be coming from under the hood possibly from the back of the car but I think front may be more likely.
I read briefly on a few car/car repair forums that it could be anything from an AC compressor going out, a vacuum leak, fan belt, bad water pump, among others. I tried turning the AC on, which I have kept off for pretty much the entirety of the Summer and I heard the sound only once when I resumed driving. BUT, when I revved, the engine seemed noticeably louder; almost like it was laboring though the car drove just fine.
One other thing. Before it sounded as if the origin of the whistle was coming from the passenger side of the car. Just as of today it sounded as though it originated from the driver's side. So I'm really confused now. The car seems to drive just fine and the engine the day before sounded good if not great. I'm hoping it is nothing related to the engine.
*Few Notes:The oil was changed in June. The tires were replaced recently. Though the sound started before this. I was however driving on a really bad passenger side tire for a while.There is a short on the panel that contains the left turn signal. The bad bulb was changed and I plan to find a new panel as soon as Monday.
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I have a 2000 chevy malibu that has not had a/c the past 2 summers. I'm trying to diagnose what the problem could be. When I start the car and then turn on the a/c by pressing the button in the car nothing seems to happen.
When I went to look at the compressor motor I could see that the clutch is not engage and the middle of the compressor is not turning. What to check without taking to a mechanic??
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I just went into my garage and noticed pieces of my rear coil spring on the ground. 2000 Chevy Malibu LS. Question is, do I have to replace both rear coil springs? They seem to sell them in pairs.
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I have an '02 malibu that got hot and now won't start I have pulled the plugs and there isn't any water in the cyliders. And none in the oil, what to check next?
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I have a 2002 Chevy Malibu that likes to refuse to start every couple of days or so, throughout the day, but never the first start of the day. It's not the fuel pump and it's getting a spark. It happens in all temperatures. Three different mechanics have not figured out what the problem is. From what I've read online, I suspect an issue with the theft deterrent module or something like that it's called.
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My car will start but die. it either wont turn over or if it does, the engine goes right off. The radio and lights work though. the throttle & iacv were all good. i got it towed and the mechanic brought it in his garage at end of the day. He said it wouldn't start so they left it for monday. The thing is that my ignition sometimes gets stuck and leaves radio & interior lights on. So when they tried starting car on monday, it was dead. They put different battery on & it started right up. they said everything else was ok. they charged my battery & I had no problems. until today, 3 months later, same problem. both times it happen when I am leaving work & both times it was raining & cold. Could my battery be bad? also wonder if place really checked everything out likethey said.
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I have a 2001 malibu , my cars engine light has been for about a week. This is the second time it has happened. lately I have been having trouble starting my car. Does this have anything to do with my car , or because of the cold weather? How important is it for me to get my car checked out?
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I have a 2004 Chevrolet Classic (Malibu). Every summer, the air conditioning button dies (the button that you push to turn the air conditioning on and off). We'll have the air conditioning running, and it will start turning itself off and on again, and keep flickering back and forth. The fan keeps blowing, but it's hot. I've taken it in, and the mechanics have replaced the button, I think. It usually works the rest of that summer, but then the next summer starts dying again.
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First off, its a new battery and I checked my battery connections which are tight and clean. Sometimes it starts up and sometimes it gives me nothing and takes a few times before it will crank. For a few days before that started the clock was resetting sporadically... sometimes i would get in my car and start it and it would be fine - and sometimes i would start it and it would reset to 12:00. Today it started to die, twice when i was stopped at red lights it would completely just lost all power - but I was able to crank it right back up and it started right away.
Last year I had the clock resetting thing as well, it lasted over a month - then one day after a long trip I pulled into a gas station and the car just wouldn't crank up - the battery was dead and I bought a new one. So the battery I have in there isn't even a year old yet. Funny thing is I had that battery tested and the guy said it was good - now I wonder if it was my battery last time at all. Seems like its something electrical, something somewhere. The a/c goes on and off on it all the time, but that has happened for a few years now.
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I have a 2007 Chevy Malibu with around 190000 miles on it. Recently, first thing in the morning then I start driving, that car will not shift into 2nd gear for a bit. The engine will rev up the 2000 RPM and stay there. After a while it will finally shift. The fact that the engine stays revved that high for that long makes me nervous.
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My 1998 malibu starts most of the time, there is a continual light on the dash and according to the maintenance book from chevy, they are saying check your emissions system. Also on the times when the car does not start right away, the oil, battery light also goes on; the sound is rrrrr, weaker and weaker, wait 5 minutes and can start the car. This has been the pattern. Diagnostics say it is the crank shaft sensor..... I have already read your stream about crank shafts sensors.
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This might be a dumb question but I see trucks where they aren't lifted much and the tires look like they are out so wide. Idk how to explain it. They look like the front and rear end are wider than the rest of the vehicle aND sticks out farther. What this is or how to make my truck look like that? I assume it's some type of extensions for the front and rear end....
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I have a 2011 Malibu that will die while driving. In the past it started up right away but now it won't start. No codes. No warning. Dealer found nothing in the past. Now its at a local repair shop....nothing.
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My 2004 Chev Aveo has recently developed a strange misfire pattern. I am hoping to get some clues before I take it to a mechanic. It only misfires when at an idle and then again between 50 and 55 mph going up an incline. Above 55, it runs fine. Between 5 and 50, it runs fine. It has 109,000 miles and had the timing belt changed at 90,000. What would be causing this?
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I put a new battery and the fuel tank is full but the car always has trouble starting. the other day i sat trying to start it, pumping the gas for 10 minutes or so. Nothing. I noticed some dripping under the car but it looked like coolant. Could this be something bigger? I have a new battery in. Do I have to go and start it every week and let it run for a few minutes? Any portable car jump start?
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Every time I go to fill up my gas tank it has trouble starting. It doesn't matter whether I use 91 89 or some other premium fuel. I have to crank it 4-6 times for about 6 seconds each time and then at the end of the last crank it will barely start. It will idle kinda rough for about 10 seconds and then until I go to fill up the gas tank it will run flawlessly, 27-31 mpg depending on driving style, starts up right away with out filling up the tank. The only other issue I have is an "emissions workshop" every time I start the car but I think that's just because of a bad check valve the I'm throwing a code for.
The car in question : VR6T 4 door 1996 golf
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I have a hyundai accent, 2002, I have the typical hard to start when filling up the tank. My understanding is there are 2 Fuel Vapor Purge Valves, one in the rear next to the charcoal canister, the other is in the engine compartment attached to the intake manifold - is that correct?
Which purge valve is the culprit to the hard start after fueling the car? Why can I only find the rear purge valve when looking for parts - is the one up front a dealer only part?
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