Northwest Members WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, SD, ND

Help with 99 Suburban running issue

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 16, 2008 | 11:59 AM
  #1  
Rawr256's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
20 Year Member
Photogenic
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 747
Likes: 18
Default Help with 99 Suburban running issue

Have a friend with a 99 Suburban with the 5.7L Vortec with about 120k miles on the thing. He is having a problem with the truck running for about 10 minutes to the point it warms up and it will die off. After it dies and we try to start it back up it just cranks over and over. We sprayed some starting fluid into it and could get it to fire up for a quick second but it would die again.

Hooked up my scanner to it and watched it and seems like when it was dieing the Narrowband O2's had a long delay before any information really changed, up to 4 seconds sitting at 80. Went through this cycle about three times and than it died looking back at the scan. MAF was getting a signal and the truck isn't throwing any codes. Fuel pump is new and can turn it on with HPT and can hear it pump up and the schraeder valve spews out gas, doesn't drizzle out so pretty sure it isn't a problem with the fuel getting to the engine. There is also spark so that eliminates any speculation on any sort of crank sensor or anything ignition related being bad. Only thing I can think of is that something for the injectors is overheating. I was wondering if the O2 sensors could be bad but I would think if they were bad the truck would just run like crap and not just die.

Anyone have any suggestions of other places to look. I am pretty sure it is something Injector related but not sure what it could be. Like I said, fuel is getting to the manifold but for whatever reason it isn't getting to the cylinders. Pretty sure they are not plugged, if they were I would expect it not to fire back up after it sits for a couple hours. Anyone else experienced something like this?
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2008 | 12:10 PM
  #2  
NWDragRacer's Avatar
10 Second Club
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 702
Likes: 0
Default

You're diagnosis is spot on. When I started reading the post my first thought was the O2 sensors.

Start by replacing them and see how it runs.
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2008 | 07:22 PM
  #3  
Rawr256's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
20 Year Member
Photogenic
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 747
Likes: 18
Default

I was trying to remember if the car has a safe running mode if they fail but I couldn't remember for sure. I know that the MAF can run the car still half assed if it is unplugged or dies... just a dramatic drop in performance.

Think both of them being bad could cause it? Was thinking it was Bank 1 because it was the one that seemed to have the longer delays in the scans.
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2008 | 09:27 PM
  #4  
Ackattack1's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,602
Likes: 0
From: Valley Center KS
Default

How do you know there is spark?

I had to replace the ignition coil on my old 97 Tahoe right about 120k miles
Reply
Old Jul 17, 2008 | 08:34 AM
  #5  
Rawr256's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
20 Year Member
Photogenic
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 747
Likes: 18
Default

Originally Posted by Ackattack1
How do you know there is spark?

I had to replace the ignition coil on my old 97 Tahoe right about 120k miles
Pulled out a plug and hooked it to a wire and grounded it on the engine and got some pretty blue flashes.
Reply
Old Jul 19, 2008 | 10:04 AM
  #6  
tjwong's Avatar
FormerVendor
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
From: Portland Oregon
Default

If you got spark and fuel then it has to be something with the injectors. But you MUST verify that the fuel pressure is OK. The main reason is because you have a 5.7 Vortec which uses a poppet style injector inside the intake plenum. This style injector needs at least 55 PSI of rail pressure and no less than 50 at idle to run properly. If it doesn't have 55 to 60 PSI it won't start properly. If you verify that you have the correct pressure and that spark is getting to every spark plug then its the injector pod.

Also the other main igition problem with the Vortec engines of that vintage is the distributor cap, they will burn through inside from the center electrode and short between the different cylinder contacts. This is a very common problem with these, also inspect the coil wire. When you replace the cap, don't go CHEAP here get the best cap you can such as a OE AC Delco piece, Blue Streak, NAPA Gold Series, most parts house carry a el-cheapo line of ignition parts, don't go there.
Reply
Old Jul 20, 2008 | 10:57 AM
  #7  
Rawr256's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
20 Year Member
Photogenic
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 747
Likes: 18
Default

Will check the pressure on the fuel lines before we do anything big. Thanks for the info Tom.
Reply
Old Jul 20, 2008 | 10:20 PM
  #8  
firehawk618's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Marysville, WA
Default

Hey, Had a suburban roll through here years ago with the EXACT symptoms you described. Ran fine for a little while then would kinda stumble and die. Then it would not restart till cooled down.....

Wire from coil to distributor was bad! It would get so hot that it started melting.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:45 AM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE