ytownls1

I have a 99 z28 70k miles auto.

just recently when i go to start my car it acts like its about to turn over and start but it wont, did this for 5-10 secs and gave up because no start..I instantly let go of the key and then tried to start my car again..Starts up RIGHT away, and everything works and running how it should??

What could this be, Battery, spark plugs, fuel lines?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Probably just need a good ole' MAF cleaning....they get dirty and thats exactly what happens first.

Go buy a can and spray the hell out of it. DO NOT touch any of the wires with anything inside of it though, just hit it hard with the spray. While you're at it, spray the IAT sensor thats in your lid.

If the TB blade is dirty, hit that too.

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ytownls1

did that i would say this past summer when i installed my slp lid with K&N

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

AH HA....get rid of that damn K&N filter.....the oil on them kills MAF's. The second it rains out or is just misty or foggy, or just wet roads, that moisture reactivates the oil and it blows right onto the MAF sensor wires. From that second on, you drive around with LESS than optimal performance.

Get a paper filter man....those K&N's do NOTHING for performance, well, they might give you .01 HP gain......but they definitely DO NOT protect your engine as good as a paper filter.

I suggest a Mann filter...they are the best by far. www.rockauto.com

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jarheadtex

iTrader: (2)

interesting, I picked up my 99 TA last week and immediately threw the paper filter out and put a K&n.....

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Marketing gimmick....they do nothing but let more dirt past, which equals a TAD more airflow, which allegedly shows up on THEIR dyno runs as a power gain.......never, ever has an independent test confirmed any power gains. Dynos are not that accurate to be able to have to identical pulls back to back. So all they do is a bunch of runs till a run shows a few HP more than the last, then they say its because of their filter. NOPE, its dyno variation from pull to pull. I guarantee you they've put a paper filter in a car, then did a pull...then put their K&N filter in and did a pull and it showed a little less power.......Do you think they reported that, hell no.....lol

K&N filters are a joke.

There's also a write-up somewhere, which I wish to hell I could find again. ((K&N probably paid this site to remove it. lol)) A professional road race team ran 3 brand new engines....1 with a paper filter, 2nd one with a K&N filter, 3rd with a paper filter again. The race was the same length, a long endurance type race, same track. Same bunch of cars on the track. They compression checked all 3 after each race and the K&N showed the largest drop, the two paper filter engines were still fine. Proving the K&N filter allows allot more debris through to the rings, which is mainly what an air filter is designed to protect.

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Metal Muscle

Wow. So all this K&N stuff being terrible is true? They should have products like this in a stickied list labeled, "Mods that you should absolutely not do."

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

K&N really screwed my car up at one point and I only do paper now. IMO - their only place is on a race car. They are bad news for a daily driver because they don't capture as much dust as a paper filter and they shed oil on to the sensors.

... but I don't think that's the problem here. I'd start with a basic tuneup, plugs, wires, fuel filter, oil change, etc. (BTW - Make sure you are running 5W30 for the winter. 10W30 will make for harder starts and could damage your engine with the temps in Ohio.) After that, I'd take the battery to a parts store to be tested. (It could be going out on you.) A carbon cleaning will also do wonders.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

There's so many, companies would go nuts and probably sue LS1tech.com for ruining their sales.....lol

Almost everything off-the-shelf thats supposed to miraculously fix engine problems is complete fraud and does absolutely nothing.

Simple rules......never, ever add anything to either engine oil or to tranny fluid. NO ADDITIVES. They only temporarily, if that, mask noises and slippage and other symptoms....they cannot fix a mechanical problem.

Additives in the oil are perfectly fine if its done at the time you are doing an oil change however, just as a cleaner to get MORE of the old oil out. I do that at every single oil change. Colored additives are ok to find leaks.

Protect your engine..(paper filter)......not worth the .0000001 HP gain for super-duper nifty products out there like K&N crap.

And there's a handful of products that are used for totally different reasons than they were actually designed for....that people over time have figured out works on certain things.

K&N is no better than that stupid Tornado gizmo........but people fall for marketing by the millions. It cracks me up too....K&N sells so many air filters, they thought they would make an oil filter and slap their name on it, getting millions to buy them.....lol
If K&N produced a liquid bottle of "Horsepower" to pour into your gas.....people would buy it....

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FiredUpZ28

+1 for K/N being junk. I've seen car dyno .25 horsepower more with NO air filter installed. K/N does NOTHING for power. Its OKAY if your getting it just so you don't need to buy any more, but they are so easy to over-oil they just aren't worth the hassle. Stick with paper, change it every 10-20k and you'll be fine.

Also, wouldn't hurt to check your fuel pressure key on engine off with the engine cold.

I'd also do a FULL fuel system cleaning. Clean out the injectors, clean the carbon out of the intake/pistons, and clean the throttle body. When cleaning the throttle body, the most important part to get is where the blade meets the housing and the IAC passage. A little carbon anywhere else wont hurt anything. We do them at my dealer. Its a little steep on pricing (like 180 bucks) but does a better job than seafoam ever will.

ytownls1

when i bought the car i had them put in brand new. Soft plugs..wires.. heater core and radiator, all hoses.. flush the trans fluid.. oil... and battery

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Did you clean the MAF yet........?

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wssix99

iTrader: (5)

OK - So you have the spark side of the equation covered and we've discussed the air side. How about the fuel system and the fuel filter? What kind of condition was the car in when you got it? (If it was abused as a young car, a carbon cleaning treatment is probably in order.)

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

this honestly doesnt sound like a maf problem at all especially if it runs fine after you get it going. The car doesnt even use the maf when its cold when its in open loop the car uses a predetermined tune in the pcm thenas it gets up to operating temp it switches to closed loop which uses the sensors to run the engine.

This sounds like a fuel pump issue your pressure regulator maybe going bad or the check valve in the pump maybe going bad causing a leak down in pressure at the rail when the engine is off. Next time you go to start the car turn the key to the on position but dont turn the engine over you will hear the fuel pump begin to whine as it kicks on, after you hear the fuel pump stop running try to start it, if it starts up fine you have a fuel pump issue.

HAZ-Matt

iTrader: (8)

These cars absolutely do use the MAF in open loop. Open loop vs closed loop is whether or not it is correcting the calculated fuel mixture based on the O2 sensor data. In open loop the car predominantly uses the MAF to determine the airflow, whereas the VE tables are secondary.

I agree though that this might not be a MAF problem. Is it always hard to start, or does it only happen at certain temps? For example, my car is hard to start in a certain warm temp range, but never cold or at operating temperature.

I agree about looking in to fueling. Are you giving it time to prime the fuel lines, or are you just turning the key from off to start instantly? You can turn the key to on, listen for the fuel pump to prime, and after it stops then turn to start and see if that makes a difference.

How strong is it cranking? The battery could be getting weak.

Cooldude5231

iTrader: (6)

2 things to try
before you start the car, turn the key on.
let it set.
you can hear the fuel pump kick in.
after it stops try to crank the car.
if it still does it its probably a maf.

also try seafoam.
it really works wonders.

ytownls1

car was in perfect shape...was a 1 owner car by a guy that bought it when he was in his mid 50's now in 60's. lived in Florida and didnt drive it a lot. only had 55k on it. and it doest it at different times.. and usually just get in turn key all the way and go.

Metal Muscle

Still, it's an older car. It's the years that take their toll on some parts of the car.

Also, I think a car being driven boosts its reliability to a degree. When it just sits, things go bad

BANDITCAR

I had the same exact problem with my CETA a few months ago.

I would get in the car and turn the key to on, could hear the fuel pump start then stop. Turned the key to start and the car would try to crank but wouldn't fully turn over. I could do this a few times and then as if by magic it would start on the next turn of the key. I thought it was the battery,VATS, fuel pump, starter, etc.

thanks to LS1tech I figured it out and I'm returning the favor now in hopes that it cures your problem. I searched for the same problems posted here and came across one that stated the exact same symptom and gave me the solution

The ignition relay

It only costs like $13 at Autozone for a replacement
part #19307


I replaced the relay and the T/A starts up with no problem everytime now. \

Hope that helps bud.

ytownls1

ok ill go get one and see if it helps... next question how the beep do i install it lol.... work and school both full time so not much free time available here