1998 Chevy 1500

[schmoe147]

I started to notice that my pickup turns over for a longer period of time than usual, even if the engine is warm it turns over good but takes a little for it to fire. It has a brand new battery in it. What would be causing this.

[Jmnhunter]

fuel pump getting weak perhaps. if you get to a point where it doesnt turn over at all, have someone try turning it over while you tap on the fuel tank with a rubber mallet

[Macgyver55]

Could be a weak pump, partially clogged fuel filter or the fuel pressure regulator getting bad. If it hasnt had a filter in a while do it no matter what, then check the fuel pressure and you should be able to tell from that.

[deadeye]

Fuel filter is super cheap and definitely worth a shot. It wouldn't hurt to run some Heat through there too with the cold weather we are having.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There is no reason to run "heat" through a vehicle in MN.

If you notice the extended crank more after a hot soak (drive for 20 minutes shut it of for 5 minutes then try to restart) than there is good chance your loosing fuel pressure.

Fuel pressure regulators leaking usually have a short ruff idle time right after they start to to the extra fuel in the intake.

The pump can also let fuel pressure drop when the key is turned off.

A fuel pressure gauge will serve you well to confirm or eliminate these two possibilities

A fuel filter will rarely cause a driveability complaint. I have never had a customer requested fuel filter solve a no start, extended, crank, rough idle, or any other complaint. If it has never been changed it will do you good to get it done. It may even double the life of your pump. If its really plugged up you'll be replacing the pump within three months.

[Macgyver55]

A fuel filter will rarely cause a driveability complaint.

This is one I see frequently enough to have to respectfully disagree. Many of our GM (P35)delivery vehicles put on as much as 50 thousand miles a year. We sometimes have them come in with a "shifts hard into 2nd" or "winds out too much before shifting" complaint (usually winter) that is rectified with a filter. Even with 25,000 mile intervals we sometimes still have problems in between. The main problem is these vehicles are in and out of heated buildings several times a day and build up a lot of condensation in the tanks. I have actually found totally plugged filters that would let nothing through at all. Talk about driveability problems.......

On a diesel, you will find a driveability problem caused by a clogged filter far more often and far more exaggerated than on a gas engine though.

[deadeye]

There is no reason to run "heat" through a vehicle in MN.

If you notice the extended crank more after a hot soak (drive for 20 minutes shut it of for 5 minutes then try to restart) than there is good chance your loosing fuel pressure.

Fuel pressure regulators leaking usually have a short ruff idle time right after they start to to the extra fuel in the intake.

The pump can also let fuel pressure drop when the key is turned off.

A fuel pressure gauge will serve you well to confirm or eliminate these two possibilities

A fuel filter will rarely cause a driveability complaint. I have never had a customer requested fuel filter solve a no start, extended, crank, rough idle, or any other complaint. If it has never been changed it will do you good to get it done. It may even double the life of your pump. If its really plugged up you'll be replacing the pump within three months.

I have had a couple of times where Fuel Filter causes a slow start problem. It is uncommon though (of course it happened to my own vehicle). It is probably the most neglected filter on the vehicle so it never hurts to change it (especially since a 33481 fuel filter is 5.99) It definitely extends the life of the pump, a good thing to do on those trucks.

As far as heat goes, your right for sure, its probably not necessary with the ethanol content of gasoline we got. I have had my fuel lines freeze once (granted it was -38) so heat is something I still use when its really cold.

A fuel pressure test would nail down whats the problem for sure.

[schmoe147]

airjer it does seem to be worse when the engine is warmed up. So you are saying I need a new gas pressure regulator ??

[Macgyver55]

I believe thats what he was getting at. It is a common symptom of a bad regulator, and not at all uncommon in that series of motor.

[deadeye]

That sounds just like the fuel pressure regulator to me. Its a very common problem with those trucks. The last time I sold one it was around 60$.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Fuel relies on pressure to keep from boiling over. At 60psi or so it will take a lot of heat to get the fuel to boil in the fuel rails. High pressure fuel injection systems have virtually eliminated vapor lock that was really common with lower pressure carburated fuel systems.

When fuel pressure bleeds off in a modern vehicle such as yours the fuel will boil in the fuel lines when the engine is hot. Fuel injectors don't work unless there is liquid fuel in the lines. It takes a while for the vapor to make its way out of the fuel lines after a hot soak. The result is an extended crank.

Fuel pressure regulators and fuel pumps are the two common sources for extended crank. Fuel pressure regulators more so and since the leak raw fuel into the intake they are more noticeable and/or can take longer for the vehicle to start since it needs to "deflood" and push the vapor out.

[Jeremy airjer W]

It is probably the most neglected filter on the vehicle so it never hurts to change it (especially since a 33481 fuel filter is 5.99) It definitely extends the life of the pump, a good thing to do on those trucks.

I towed in a chevy truck one time with over 200k on it. The owner asked what my initial thought was and I said probably a fuel pump. I asked him how many he has replaced and he said its the original pump but he changes the filter on a regular basis.

Its no secret that chevy pumps seem to like the 80 to 120k mark for failure and 9 out of 10 times the filters are plugged solid. With regular filter replacement he easily doubled the life of his pump and saved well over $600 in the process!

[WingDing2]

I believe the fuel pressure regulator is under the intake manifold on that model year? or am I mistaken?

[Macgyver55]

Its located under the upper intake cover. You dont need to remove the entire intake to access it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

If you know where to look you can use an inspection mirror stuffed down the throttle and see if it is dripping. Or you can let it hot soak for a couple of minutes and then, with the engine off, open the throttle and take a whiff. There should be a gas odor but if it overwhelms you its probably leaking.

[schmoe147]

Wondering if this is something I can takle myself or should I bring it into a shop?

[Supercrew]

It's a Chevy......

[Jeremy airjer W]

Bring it in!