Bought a 2001 Suburban, start problem when very cold

[scstables]

Hello,

We bought a used 2001 LT Green suburban this past fall. It had one owner and was very well taken care of. Problem is when it gets below 14 degrees, it will not start at all. Around 14 to 15 degrees F, you can get it to turn over, it runs for a second then stalls. If you keep at it at this temp, you can get it started eventually but it is hard on the starter to do this. What is going on with it?? It has a v8 6.0 liter engine.

It is not often that the weather gets this dang cold, but for a gasoline engine to do this something is certainly wrong.

Thanks for the advice. I really like this truck and it has some nice chrome rims.

 

[scstables]

Bumping thread. I hope someone might know what causes a gasoline engine not to start when the temp drops below 15 degrees.

 

[MO Viet Vet]

Get a fuel pressure gauge and check that at the injector rail, has a shrader valve to easily attach. You want to see if holds pressure after shut off. Also want to see how fast it builds pressure when trying to start if shows no pressure when first starting.

 

[scstables]

Thanks. So will brutal cold affect fuel pressure?

 

[MO Viet Vet]

Brutal cold can effect so much. makes batteries weaker, oil thicker and therefore harder for battery/starter to spin the crankshaft, moving components move slower, lubricant is stickier and therefore slow down what it is lubing, harder on older vehicles that have lots of time/mileage on components, electric motors can move slower-like the fuel pump but what you seem to be describing is a fuel delivery problem but components that work with that fuel may also be effected by the cold. Time for basics and that starts with fuel pressure based off of your story.

 

[scstables]

Thanks. So basically what is happening is not enough fuel is getting to the injectors? Someone else told my husband they think too much fuel is, but how can the cold flood a vehicle? I disagree with that, I feel no fuel is getting there, even if I pump the gas pedal (tried that did not work). Also wouldn't the extreme cold mess with the computer that controls this?

 

[MO Viet Vet]

The colder it is the worse a lot of things can be. You need a starting place for this to figure it out and the fuel pressure is the best place to start because it is so easy to check. There was a guy on here yesterday that was having the same type of problem and he found a new fuel pressure test kit at Harbor Freight that looked pretty nice. Around $25.

 

[scstables]

Thanks will definitely get the kit and look into this. Probably will wait till it warms up a little and test the fuel pressure.