# 2011 Cruze turns over; doesn't start until 3rd try



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Bad fuel pump or regulator. 

Did you not have this car inspected before purchase?

What brand of dealer was this car sold to you from?


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## cleatus2015 (Jul 20, 2015)

I bought it from a Toyota dealership. Everything checked out initially. This didn't start unti about two days ago. Thing is, sometimes it starts just fine. Other times it acts like I described. What regulator are you referring to?


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I would be nice to know what the codes are. Many auto part stores will do that. Fuel pressure is a good guess, but it's just a guess without knowing more detail.


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## cleatus2015 (Jul 20, 2015)

I'll see if there are any codes showing; but no check engine soon or other trouble lights are on, so I had assumed there were no codes.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

cleatus2015 said:


> I'll see if there are any codes showing; but no check engine soon or other trouble lights are on, so I had assumed there were no codes.


It depends on the situation. Some codes will set the light only if it's senses a problem right at that moment. But the system will store a number of codes for awhile.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

cleatus2015 said:


> I bought it from a Toyota dealership. Everything checked out initially. This didn't start unti about two days ago. Thing is, sometimes it starts just fine. Other times it acts like I described. What regulator are you referring to?


Fuel regulator. Could even be the circuit breaker for the fuel pump. 

It may be covered by warranty. Has a Chevrolet dealer seen it - or researched its past repairs?


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## cleatus2015 (Jul 20, 2015)

Nobody has looked at it yet, since this has just occurred. However, after looking at when it's happened, all 3 events occurred when the outside temp was >95 degrees F.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Is your negative battery terminal loose? Mine was on day one, no gap in the terminal, so even when tight, was loose, so had to remove and file in between where the bolt goes through so there is a gap. Did it really take Chevy three years to learn this was a problem? Weren't greased either, this is why I looked at it.

Starter has a surge current of close to 1,000 amps, with a loose terminal, bad conductivity, drops a voltage, and all of the electronics goes crazy. Need at least 9 volts when cranking for these things to work. 

Not only this, already posted on the need for a linear voltage regulator, Cruze alternator switches the field on and off 400 times per second so we can use a tiny transistor. Each time developed a high voltage transient that can really screw up the five computer systems in the Cruze or any car for this matter. Every alternator I know of does this. A good battery and connections are required to filter these transients out, computers need a very clean voltage to operate properly.

Tried to do this when OBD I first came out with the introduction of the microcontroller, a lost battle since most automotive companies are ran by idiots, not engineers. Ha, get a kick out of Trump calling everyone an idiot, been doing this for years. But they showed me, moved all this crap to China. 

One guess that three tries, each one causes an arc that can improved conductivity, but an scope on the battery terminals shows this instantly. Idiots that write shop manuals are still trying to troubleshoot with an ohmmeter, couldn't change that either, say a scope is too complicated for mechanics. Worthless. 

Fuel pressure as mentioned is another possible cause of consistent having to crank, but can be found in an instant with a fuel pump pressure tester. With a cold engine, have a cap on the injector manifold, screw it on and should read 45 psi. Each time you hit the key, good to leave it on run for two seconds, this pulses the fuel pump to get that pressure. Most jam the key to start so bypass this pulse. It ain't in the owners manual, also written by idiots, ha, my favorite word it seems. 

Ha, one pleasure I had in life with an access to fuel pumps is to run them on a bench, and watch them burn up, but used water instead of gas, not exactly suicidal. Dang things are made so cheap need gas to cool them off. EPA with evaporative control required three fuel lines instead of one.Three times the problem. Cruze cut this down to two by mounting the fuel pump regulator in the tank. No access plate, so have to drop the tank to replace it. Can really be a problem with a full tank of gas. They don't care about us nor the expense for maintenance, just making more profits. 

Looking at least 210 bucks for this piece of plastic, lowest web price I can find, plus labor.










Pouring in E85 can kill these things in a hurry, I won't even use E10,,averages around a thousands bucks to replace these things if you can't DIY.


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## cleatus2015 (Jul 20, 2015)

Well, there were no codes. The autozone guy checked the battery, and it only showed 10.5 volts. Hopefully a replacement battery fixes this issue. 

Thanks for the advice!


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

cleatus2015 said:


> Well, there were no codes. The autozone guy checked the battery, and it only showed 10.5 volts. Hopefully a replacement battery fixes this issue.
> 
> Thanks for the advice!


Keep us informed.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

cleatus2015 said:


> Well, there were no codes. The autozone guy checked the battery, and it only showed 10.5 volts. Hopefully a replacement battery fixes this issue.
> 
> Thanks for the advice!


10.5 volts because the battery is defective, or 10.5 volts because the battery cannot be fully charged because of a poor connection? There are tests for this, but too tired to write another long post.


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## cleatus2015 (Jul 20, 2015)

Sorry, I was unclear. Load test indicated the battery was crapping out.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

cleatus2015 said:


> Sorry, I was unclear. Load test indicated the battery was crapping out.


10.5 V is too low for "resting" or normal voltage, but a quick google suggests that it is a "good" value for a load test. You may be barking up the wrong tree.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, it only took the experts at GM three years to realize the negative battery terminal was loose, would think at least one dealership would recognize this was a problem.

Not really getting the details of this load test, should last 30 seconds, could ignore testing at 0*F, but the current should be the CCA rating of the battery. If showing 10.5 volts, nothing wrong with this battery. A real stumper for these guys if your battery has a high self discharge rate.

At least my third Chevy dealer new this, service manager was 63 years old, his best mechanic was 52 years old. First two had young kids that would be okay if their brains were as large as their mouth. Replaced my defective battery. First two, nothing wrong with your brake pedal going to the floor, we ain't getting a code. This is the kind of stuff you run into. 

Was around the late 80's, GM hired a bunch of attorneys, didn't want any specs put into the shop manuals, because they would be liable for replacement, so came out with replace with a known good component. How do you know its good if you don't have the specs to test it? Ha, solid state, do not test, this is because the idiots are using an ohmmeter. Least one step ahead of using a hammer. 

When the HEI distributor first came out in 1972, the then Delco division had to supply the complete distributor with the coil and eight silicon spark plug wires for six bucks. Ha, went to my local Chevy dealer, wanted 150 bucks just for the base distributor without the cap or wires. This is the kind of BS you have to deal with. But Delco was sold as was Delphi, and both went bankrupt because GM would never pay even for the manufacturing price of these units. So China took over. 

Just telling it the way it is, been there, done that kind of thing. Never could use a linear voltage regulator, that CS alternator switches at 400 times per second developing huge destructive transients, but the entire automotive industry does this. You have to have a good battery and connections to prevent this.

Don't mean to be critical of that dealer that did give me a new battery, but that stupid 6mm bolt is made of CRS and the threads were already stripped. My car, replaced it with grade 8 bolts with a heavy plating. And you wonder why you have problems.


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