trouble starting
 

First I thought I may have DBS but I am starting to think that isn't the case here is why.


So My car has sat for a few days in the garage. I get in today and it fires right up instantly. OK GOOD. So I drive about 4 miles to eat, park go inside for 10 minutes to eat. Get in the car and it does not fire up instantly, it takes maybe an extra 1.5 seconds to crank (has been as much as 2). My battery is about 3 weeks old. Its not been that cold today, high 40s. Sometimes the car fires up instantly and other times it takes a little longer but it DOES always start, it has never NOT started. I turn the car off the same way every time by shifting to Reverse. No lights are staying on that I can see but they would time out after 20 min anyway with the feature of the c6 to protect the battery from drain.

Am I not building up proper fuel rail pressure ? The starter doesn't sound sluggish at all. If fuel pressure is a non issue for this year, or not a common problem I am going to the dealer to check the service records and see if I need a re flash.But surely 10 minutes inside subway wasn't enough to drain a battery to make starting take longer.

If this started after installing new battery, sure sounds like battery's likely defective.
Doesn't have necessary charge to start, explains delay.
Load test it.

Of course it could be starter cable condition, loose ground(s) etc. Similar symptoms, all.
Just sounds like a bad battery's behind a starting problem w/ an ordinarily reliable car.

sounds like this is the fix, i installed a battery and my terminal cables were a bit corroded so the car actually wouldn't even crank sometimes, replaced the terminals and cables and it's been starting up fin ever since

If the engine is turning over at a normal rate, then the battery/starting circuit is okay.

If indeed this is the situation, then you likely have a fuel or ignition problem.

Exactly.
I always have a problem when someone says their vehicle won' t start but are not clear on:

• turning over and not starting
• won't start cause not turning over

check all of your electrical connections first. a loose terminal will do this same thing, experience taught me well.

this issue is what prompted me to have my battery tested. It tested that it was in its last 1/4 of life, so I just bought a new battery.

I will double check my connections.


EDIT: I cleaned the terminals really good but they were in pretty good shape. good and tight. Car started up perfectly had been sitting for 24 hours. Noticed my windows indexing is off, I wonder if thats because of the battery being disconnected for just 5 minutes; I reset them with the install of this new battery . . also Wouldnt low fuel pressure prompt a CEL ?

Well this issue went away for a bit and is now back again.

i always shift to reverse and lock the steering wheel when exiting

i spoke with the dealer service dept and they have never heard of DBS but did give me a service print off of everything that had been done to the car since 2005. Any idea what the code or description is for DBS regladh if they did do it? Looks like the car got a new battery at 8k miles. But there are a ton of codes to look at, car had about 12 things done over the years.

Driving 4 miles is not going to charge up your battery to make up for the drain from the first start. I think the slow second crank just indicates a lower state of charge.

The window indexing is normal, have to re-index them every time the battery is disconnected.

time to break out the multi meter i guess.

My mind keeps going back to low fuel pressure in the rails on start up. Do we not have an "on" thats more than accessory? I used to have to "prime" the rails on my Mitsubishi just by turning the key to on and waiting about 2 seconds before cranking.

Transaction history.

ZREG - Battery Replacement 8.2k miles
ZFAT-Field Action Recall: Inspect and install clip into SWPS Connector 28k miles
ZFAT-Field Action Recall: Install UBEC Jumper Harness 44k mile


Does not look like an ECM flash..

From #PIC4188G
• Is the radio still on? There have been reported cases where the radio stays powered up after the vehicle is shut down. This has been an intermittent complaint and it only occurs on cars equipped with the Bose systems which are the multi-disc player and the Nav radio. Only service the radio if this concern can be identified.


Yes, my radio stays on until I open the door and then it turns off, is that what that means? I have a Bose system.

Could be a faulty fuel pump allowing the fuel pressure to bleed off or even a dirty filter. Any odor of gas under the hood or any where? Good luck.

I don't know anything about diagnosing modern cars, but there are plenty of guys here that do.

The fundamentals haven't changed: It's likely either a fuel or spark problem and is probably easier to pinpoint on a modern car than an old car -- given a knowledgeable person and the right tools.

Where are those guys? http://i63.tinypic.com/1z15l53.gif