2002 Chevy Express Van won't start

Rob can you turn the ignition on and listen for the fuel pump

Find the Fuel Pump relay and exchange with the Ac relay if they are the same just to try

Hey Rob

I assume that your van has the 5.7 liter cast iron LT based motor? It sounds like you might be having one of two problems. One would be an ignition problem, the other a fuel management problem.

Does it only smell like gas after you crank the starter for a while, or just when you key the ignition to turn ON.

Can you tell us the last time this van was serviced? Spark plugs / wires...

I suspect that you might need new plugs wires. I love NGK plugs, tridium core myself.

As well as a fuel treatment to clean your injectors, which I believe are dirty. If you can get a hold of some where you are, try 44K from BG. It's the best money you'll ever spend on a tune up.

These two things take care of most of my problems if I have a hard starter.

clogged fuel filter

Wes is right, Start with the simple stuff. Tune that puppy up! If you have no check engine light on it is usually ignition wires / plugs. Fuel mamagement problems usually trigger a trouble code.

Rob have you pulled on of the plugs to see what they look like? I know it's kind of a pain on those vans having to go through the cabin area. Also, what kind of plugs are you running? I've run a few different plugs in the past, E3's, split fires, bosch. Many of them claiming better power or MPG, but they usually gave me more problems than stock. I really think you're having an ignition problem. Maybe even a timing issue.

Do you add the Sea foam to the fuel tank or the intake to clean out the carbon?

Rob

I would recommend NGK spark plugs. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I use the ones with the Tridium Core. They should last you 75,000-100,000 miles, and yes I run them that long with no problems. They can be $6-8 per plug depending where you buy them from, but they've been worth it to me. They should be pre gapped for you already, but I always check plugs when I do my own.

I'm sure you do this already, but use anti seize on the plug threads and put a little silicon grease on each terminal. You'll thank yourself if you ever have to do plugs on that rig again.

Question, what sort of ignition set is on that van? I doubt it's still running the old distributor set up. Do you have multi coil or coil on plug ignition?

Lastly, if you can find it where you are, grab some 44K from BG to put through your fuel system. I use it on all my vehicles ever 3,000-5,000 miles. Basically every time I do an oil change. Try it, I know you'll like it. I still use Sea foam myself, but only really through the intake to clean out carbon.

Keep us posted.

Even though your check engine light is not on, doesn't mean there are not codes in there... I would have some one put a tech 2 on it.

Rob

I know that you're not throwing any codes right now, however I don't think for your year and model a computer check will result in a whole lot.

Your computer should be an OBD II PCM system which won't really help in the neighborhood of specifying ignition problems or air and fuel mixture problems. Other than a bad reading from one of your O2 sensors.

To me this has to be an ignition problem. If it was a fuel pump issue, the motor wouldn't run at all. They either work or they don't. If it was a clogged filter it would idle but not perform well at high speeds. I know that one from personal experience. If it was dirty fuel injectors it should still run, but would suffer from poor MPG. The only thing it could possibly be in the fuel system is the fuel pressure regulator. It might be dumping too much fuel through the injectors, but you would have all sorts of problems if that was the case. Something like that would probably set off one of the O2 sensors and throw a code.

Rob, before you throw down any money( hopefully you haven't just yet) inspect all the ignition components for wear and corrosion. I did a little research and from what I gathered it looks like you're running a cap a rotor type distributor ignition. If that's the case, you have a few more areas to look at to find your problem.

I'm still curious when you pull a plug what it look like. Burn color, smell, wear, stuff like that.

You might also look at your wires. Check one or two with an ohm meter for resistance. If you need help with that or what to look for, shoot me a PM, I'd be more than happy to go over that process with you on phone.

Good luck!

Oil on the plugs... Sounds like the rings are worn. Might as well plan to freshen up the lower end with new pistons and rings.

Hi Rob
With fuel injected vehicles its not the same when you step and hold down on the accelerator pedal, the (ECM) is programed not to start to avoid flooding. If your vehicle is not firing up do the basics checks. Check for air, fuel spark. Air filer clean, fuel is at the injectors, a strong spark present. I would do the following first which are also the simplest 1) turn the ignition key one step before the start and check if there is any check engine lights on (after all have turned off) there might be a trouble code stored in the ECM's memory and can be very valuable in this diagnosis. 2) be sure theres fuel in the tank 3) check all fuses 4) check the battery and be sure it has a good charge. then if the vehicles been well maintained id skip the air filter check, but I would check the oil filler cap and make sure its on and tight, you can have someone turn the ignition key to the ignition position and listen close to the tank to see if you can hear the pump energize..but that sometimes is hard to determine, I would check the fuel pump relay to be safe theres a lot of chevy's that had a problem with the contacts but its not something for sure. I would check for spark you can buy a spark tester at harbors or through snap on or mac or matco or do the good old style pull the coil wire and hold it near ground ( piece of bare metal) BUT NOT TO THE BATTERY!!!, id then do a visual check in wires, vacuum hoses. The reality is many things can cause your vehicle not to start ill list a few (TPS) throttle position sensor, (MAP) manifold absolute pressure (pretty much a vacuum sensor), (MAF) Mass air flow meter, Ignition coil, not 1 spark plug but all have to be bad, Ignition wires, fuel pump, fuel pump fuse, fuel pump relay, fuel pump safety shut off switch, ignition by pas ballast, bad hall switch, ignition control module, (ECM) Electronic Control Module, Crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, an incredible large vacuum leak, a blocked exhaust, A hydrostatic block, the list can go on and on, bad timing or wrong firing order if it has a distributor some models wont turn fire if there is no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The last or first choice (depending on your patience ) might be to take it to a ASE certified technician who has very good experience in diagnosis in fuel injection or the dealer. With all the toys you have and buying leverage i would invest in a snap on scanner, voltmeter, vacuum gauge, fuel pressure gauge, and service manual. i hope this works if it doesn't let me know.

Also I dont think a fuel treatment will help yet, id first diagnose then do the treatment and good high quality fuel on the regular basis should keep the injectors clean. Spark plug replacement is not a bad idea but I would not buy new ones ...at least not yet and theres a lot of hype on spark plugs I being a past technician will honestly tell you all fuel treatments that guarantee you better mileage is pretty much marketing hype, however I do believe in fuel injector flushing and spark plugs are pretty much the same although precious metals are used to make the electrode last longer they will not do miracles although there is hype on the Pulse Plug I still have not finished testing and research. In order for this van not to start all plugs would have to be dead =broken (depending on cylinders). I strongly believe this is a ignition and or emissions related problem. I do agree on hooking up a scanner and seeing if i can run a diagnosis test.peace

Oops i just read the whole column I based my opinion on thinking the truck wouldnt fire up. Glad to hear your results. To much oild being burned up? try doing a cylinder balance test, or a leak down test. Could be worn rings or worn valve stem seals, might be time for a rebuild. oh check the PCV system make sure thats all good and cleanpeace

Rob,

It's good to hear that you're making progress. If it's truly oil that is fouling the plugs, there might not be a whole lot that you can do to right what's going on in the motor. Save a whole rebuild. As others have stated it's possible that your rings are not sealing properly and allowing oil into your combustion chamber. You could probably confirm this by smelling the motor oil on your next change, or just pulling out your dip stick. If it smells like gas, then you're probably getting blow by into the crank case. However, I would venture to guess that it might be your valve guide seals leaking on the top end.

Does the van give out a puff of smoke upon initial start up?

In either case you might try putting some Lucas Oil Stabilizer in with your next oil change. I've used it to help slow or completely stop oil consumption in my vehicles that need it.

YES, I know that there's really no such thing as a miracle in a bottle. Trust me, I've tried hundreds of things throughout the years. Only a hand full of products have even come close to giving me the results that I expected from them.

That being said, I'd still be curious of your results if you tried that BG 44K fuel treatment and or the Lucas Oil additive. I wouldn't recommend them if I hadn't had good results from them in the past.

Also, as sbsscn mentioned, take a quick look at your PCV system. I've seen some cars burn oil because this system hasn't be properly maintained.

One last thing, you said that it's running good now but not perfect. Just curious, what do you mean by not perfect?

Again, nice to hear that you can start making money again from that rig.