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Will not start on first try!!!

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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 04:03 PM
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Default Will not start on first try!!!

2001 Trans Am M6: filter,lid,catback,tb bypass,ud pulley

stock tune - to my knowledge

Okay this has been an ongoing problem since I bought the car last year. The strange thing is that it only seems to do it when it is warm outside. Like 80 or above. I turn it to the no position and wait for the fuel pump to prime the system then turn it to crank. It will then just crank and crank and crank but not start. If I stop and try it immediately again it will then start up right away.

Any Ideas?
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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 04:49 PM
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Fuel filter? Maybe?? Odd.. That's an odd thing to track down or pinpoint.
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Old Oct 28, 2010 | 06:23 PM
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yep i THINK i know. i bought my car almost 2 years ago now. everything was fine then then fuel pump went bad i replaced it with oem one 2 months later this happened. when i leave the car over night and crack it up it wont work the first time or it will take 5-10 seconds to work but if i let the fuel pump suck gas 2-3 times by putting ignition on ON then OFF it works directly. its your fuel pressure regulator. well i never changed mine yet since i couldnt find it here locally and my credit card wont support online purchase gd luck with yours. let me know if it solved the problem.
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Old Oct 29, 2010 | 01:20 PM
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Check your connections to the fuel pump. I saw the same problem once and it turned out to be a hose was partially off it's connection to the fuel pump. It was secured and the problem went away.

In that situation the fuel pump was known to be good. In your case I would also check fuel pressure with your pump. Or just swap it if possible to eliminate the possibility and chalk it up to preventative maintenance..

Good luck with your problem,hope you get it fixed!
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Old Oct 30, 2010 | 07:32 PM
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Yeah the fuel filter has been replaced about a year ago. I even thought it may have been an electrical issue so I switched out the fuel related relays and fuses with different ones. I was hoping it wasn't the fuel pump, because that seems like a pain to change out. I can check the fuel pump connections tomorrow.

Is the fuel pressure regulator easy to change out?
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Old Oct 31, 2010 | 02:43 AM
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^ yes it is. am pretty sure its causing the problem. its located under the hood on the driver side fuel rail.
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Old Oct 31, 2010 | 08:45 AM
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Sounds like fuel pump..
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Old Nov 1, 2010 | 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted by omarrakeen
^ yes it is. am pretty sure its causing the problem. its located under the hood on the driver side fuel rail.
I thought that thing was the fuel pressure "pulsation damper," and that the fuel pressure regulator is part of the fuel sender assembly in the gas tank??
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Old Nov 1, 2010 | 08:01 PM
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Well I checked the fuel pressure yesterday and found something interesting. While the car was running the fuel pressure was 58psi, normal. When I turned the key to the on position it would hit 58psi and then immediately fall down to 10psi. So it seems clear to me that the problem is with the fuel pressure "regulator". Funny thing is that the dealer doesn't call that a fuel pressure regulator even though it resembles one. They called it a fuel pressure "pulsation damper". Basically what runtwrestlin said. From what my Chilton manual says the fuel pressure regulator is in the fuel tank.

Have any of you replaced one of these?
How easy is it?
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Old Nov 2, 2010 | 06:49 AM
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i had the exact same problem on my ws6 and i just fixed it last month. i tried the ignition switch, didnt work. i tried fuses, didnt work. your problem is the starter.. it gets hot and doesnt want to put out the power to start the engine. i found a new starter on ebay for $80 and i havnt had any problems since. (I feel your pain it pissed me off so bad when i was in a hurry to get somewhere and it wouldnt start) but yea i would have to sit for about 10 sometimes 30 min to get it to start. thats after i put up with it for awhile. fix it now it will only get worse. also does it do it after you drive the car or only when you first get in it after a long period of time?
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Old Nov 2, 2010 | 10:19 AM
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Originally Posted by runtwrestlin
I thought that thing was the fuel pressure "pulsation damper," and that the fuel pressure regulator is part of the fuel sender assembly in the gas tank??
I think you guys are right but still some people call if regulator, if you go check on ebay and right regulator you will find the pulsation or whatever they call it.


Well I checked the fuel pressure yesterday and found something interesting. While the car was running the fuel pressure was 58psi, normal. When I turned the key to the on position it would hit 58psi and then immediately fall down to 10psi. So it seems clear to me that the problem is with the fuel pressure "regulator". Funny thing is that the dealer doesn't call that a fuel pressure regulator even though it resembles one. They called it a fuel pressure "pulsation damper". Basically what runtwrestlin said. From what my Chilton manual says the fuel pressure regulator is in the fuel tank.

Have any of you replaced one of these?
How easy is it?
same thing here! it took me half an hour to explain then i just showed them the part then it took them like another 20 mins to look for part number to figure they dont have it. lol hope it worked for u i think installation is pretty easy..never done it but heard some guys doing, u dont need to remove rails and injectors just unbolt it from there.
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Old Nov 2, 2010 | 12:08 PM
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To omarrakeen it doesn't look that difficult to replace being that it is right on top of the engine attached to the fuel rail. I have a friend that is going to help me. What is confusing me is that I have heard from people that say its the fuel pump and from some that say its the regulator. I know the fuel pump is in the fuel tank and if I'm not mistaking I think their is a fuel regulator in the tank which is apart of the fuel pump assembly.

Is this true?
If so, how do I know that the problem is not located there?

It will hold good fuel pressure while the car is running. It will not hold fuel pressure prior to start up when the key is turned to the on position.

BTW: The starter has already been replaced. It made no improvement.
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Old Nov 2, 2010 | 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by TR111_WS6
i had the exact same problem on my ws6 and i just fixed it last month. i tried the ignition switch, didnt work. i tried fuses, didnt work. your problem is the starter.. it gets hot and doesnt want to put out the power to start the engine. i found a new starter on ebay for $80 and i havnt had any problems since. (I feel your pain it pissed me off so bad when i was in a hurry to get somewhere and it wouldnt start) but yea i would have to sit for about 10 sometimes 30 min to get it to start. thats after i put up with it for awhile. fix it now it will only get worse. also does it do it after you drive the car or only when you first get in it after a long period of time?
All the bad starters I've seen did not crank. When a car cranks repeatedly, its usually not the starter. I think you're confusing two things.
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Old Jul 28, 2012 | 03:08 PM
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To cknoma2005,
I have a 1998 Z28 and I am having the same exact problem! I've narrowed it down to either the FPR or the Pulsation Dampener. I was curious if you ever resolved the problem? It would be great to hear that the Puslation Dampener was the cause of the problem... I'm not too thrilled about going into the gas tank..
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Old Sep 3, 2013 | 12:43 AM
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did you ever fix the problem?? cause im having the same problem and i just replace the fuel pressure regulator and the problem is still there, any ideas on what it could be??
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Old Sep 3, 2013 | 02:47 AM
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I saw the same problem once and it turned out to be a hose was partially off it's connection to the fuel pump.



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Old Sep 3, 2013 | 09:34 AM
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Sorry for not updating this thread, but I did fix the problem.
I ended up installed a racetronix fuel system.
It appears the problem lye in the fuel pump.
The problem has never resurfaced.
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Old Sep 3, 2013 | 09:57 AM
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the problem I can only assume is the same as GM trucks...the pressure check valve in the bucket assembly is a piece of **** and the system has trouble holding it's prime so it won't start

cycling the key will get it to prime properly and let the engine start, only fix I know is to replace the whole pump assembly or install an in line check valve

my truck has done this for about 2 years, I just got used to cycling the key because I'm too cheap to replace a working fuel pump for another high dollar one if this is the only issue
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Old Sep 3, 2013 | 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by thunderstruck507
the problem I can only assume is the same as GM trucks...the pressure check valve in the bucket assembly is a piece of **** and the system has trouble holding it's prime so it won't start

cycling the key will get it to prime properly and let the engine start, only fix I know is to replace the whole pump assembly or install an in line check valve

my truck has done this for about 2 years, I just got used to cycling the key because I'm too cheap to replace a working fuel pump for another high dollar one if this is the only issue
This is exactly what my buddy explained to me.
Since I had high horsepower dreams we ended up installing the Racetronix fuel system with the hot wire kit.
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