Wednesday 26 October 2011

Malibu 02 backfire problems and fuel problems.?

I asked this question before but I am revising it.

I think my fuel injectors on the car are going bad as it starts poorly in cold weather, it has new spark plugs and plug wires, it has 90 premium fuel where manual calls for 87. Every now and then before it starts the car backfires I believe. Every now and then when it doesn't start when you turn the key on, you hear the fuel pump start the gas gauge goes up and then fuel pump shuts off as normal. If you try to start it after a few seconds of trying to start it the gas gauge drops to empty, the empty %26quot;idiot%26quot; light comes on, the ABS warning light comes on and the brake warning light comes on(no others). Sometimes at that point if you try a couple of times yet again you flood the engine but it does start. I know the engine floods because you smell burnt fuel when the car starts for a few seconds. Sometimes the only fix is to let it heat in the garage overnight and thaw out. Once I pushed it for 10 minutes in the garage and it started right away. It does this when temperatures are below 0-5F.

I also sometimes smell fuel inside the car for no reason. Sometimes while idling, the car's check engine light comes on and the error code comes on with misfire in cylinder X or Y. It is never in a specific cylinder, always in one cylinder, no pairs, and sometimes, the code might come on and then the engine light goes off by itself. I mean you just sit in a parking lot and the check engine light comes on as the engine is going.

I got quoted $285/injector+ 2 hours of labor to change all 6 injectors by a shop who said this is the likely problem. This was at a independent shop not at the dealership. The car's blue book is around 3-4000$. I would hate spending $2000+ on it just to discover it's actually something else.

Any advice?Malibu 02 backfire problems and fuel problems.?This might sound too simple...but have you done a basic tune-up yet? I had a friend with a Malibu also. It was running rough, hard to start, poor acceleration. When I checked it it was 3 quarts low on oil, and the plugs were in bad need of replacement. After plugs, PCV valve, airfilter, fuel filter, and an oil change it ran fine. She probably shortened the engine's life a bit though.



If it were my car and the plugs were fine, air filter and fuel filter are good, I'd run some fuel cleaner through it. I forget what it's called but it's made for water cantaminated fuel. It can also make a difference where you are getting your fuel. I've never liked any fuel from Costco, AM/PM / Arco, or most Unocal stations. And with your car I bet a qulaity 89 octane would do fine.



Edit

5 or 6 years just sounds too early to have leaking injectors too me. Unless they are really clogged from poor fuel.
Malibu 02 backfire problems and fuel problems.?
try starting the car with the gas pedal 3/4 to the floor, not all the way floored . if it starts better then have your engine coolant temp sensor looked at. if the temp sensor is bad it will think the car is colder than it is and add more fuel, opening the throttle will create the extra airflow needed.this condition will always make the car run rich unless you are driving full throttle all the time.