04 lesabre long crank time before start.

[Sl1mm80]

I have an 04 lesabre with 143000 miles. When I start the car it will crank for 2-3 seconds before starting. Once it starts it runs fine no problem. Makes no difference if hot or cold. It has 50psi fuel pressure when I turn key to on then start cranking still holds pressure, fires up still at 50psi. Turn off holds pressure over night. I just put a new acdelco fuel pump in no change. I cleaned throttle body and iac sensor, New PCV, map, and maf no change. New plugs and wires 2 months ago also new ignition control module, new upper intake plenum 1 year ago. I've had a couple people look at it and say "huh that's weird".........

 

[squirrel]

does it have a leaking injector that lets it get flooded, and cranking it clears the excess fuel?

I guess it wouldn't hold pressure over night if that were the case?

this is just a wild guess, I'm much better with carbs that I am with EFI.

 

[BossHog39]

bad crank sensor or dirty tone ring will cause long starts too

 

[-Regal-]

Series III 3800? Any codes? What's the mileage? My Series II could take even longer to start and I thought maybe it was the cat, but then the car was hit and written off. It had almost 170k miles.

 

[Alan 55]

I have an 04 lesabre with 143000 miles. When I start the car it will crank for 2-3 seconds before starting. Once it starts it runs fine no problem. Makes no difference if hot or cold. It has 50psi fuel pressure when I turn key to on then start cranking still holds pressure, fires up still at 50psi. Turn off holds pressure over night. I just put a new acdelco fuel pump in no change. I cleaned throttle body and iac sensor, New PCV, map, and maf no change. New plugs and wires 2 months ago also new ignition control module, new upper intake plenum 1 year ago. I've had a couple people look at it and say "huh that's weird".........

Welcome to the group! I think you did a good job of describing your concern and listing what you have done thus far to solving the issue. It seems like you have got the fuel system covered and have done a number of things regarding the ignition. This is going to be a long shot but here goes. Let’s focus on the cranking speed of the engine during those 2-3 seconds. If a person had a battery not quite up to par, or a starter motor that was not operating just right or a connection that was not perfect, the cranking RPM would be low. If this were the case, the engine might not start as quickly as it should. The engine might sound like it was turning fast enough while cranking but could be off just enough.
Auto parts stores often have some modern charging, battery and starting equipment that is used to assist customers with troubleshooting issues. The cost would be free and you could have an evaluation with printout of the speciation.
Hope this helps but please ask additional questions as needed. Also, please let us know the solution when you find it.

 

[Sl1mm80]

Series 2 motor 143000 miles. It did have a code for the evap large leak but left battery unhooked to long and it cleared. That was also before the fuel pump swap. Haven't driven since that to see if it returns.

 

[imidazol97]

I had an 03 that I traded at 210K mi. It sometimes went through periods of long crank before firing like you're
describing. I wondered about injector spray patterns being affected with wear and the deposits on the back
of the valves where the fuel was sprayed. Other factors might be CPS, and valve timing with chain wear.

My suggestion would be to pick a good product and inhale it through the brake booster vacuum hose to flood
the back of the valves with cleaner. Then run that in gasoline each tank for many tankfuls so that the valves get cleaned.

I was using various brands of fuel at the local grocery store and quick market which get their fuel from an area
fuel depot but probably add the required minimum cleaners. So I'd recommend using lots of Shell premium or
other name brand fuels where the premiums have multiples of the required minimum additives. And I'd use their
regular with the quality cleaners in between fill ups with premium. That is in addition to the additive you add to the tank
of your choice.

After a couple of months of this, see if your firing times are quicker.

BTW the local quick market fuel has the same additive added to the premium as they add to the regular.
I assume the local grocery store with fuel pumps does the same.

 

[Texas Shade Tree Mechanic]

I have a 2005 Buick LeSabre which has also had issues with starting. I think the problem is a design flaw. My solution is as follows: When you turn the key to the "On" position without cranking the engine you can hear the fuel pump engage. Wait 10 seconds and pump the accelerator to the floor twice. It starts right up. I don't know the cause of the problem, but I suspect that there is a transient drop in fuel pressure for some unknown reason, but the above technique works and that's all I care about. Try it out and tell me what you think.

 

[M I A WLDR]

I have a 2005 Buick LeSabre which has also had issues with starting. I think the problem is a design flaw. My solution is as follows: When you turn the key to the "On" position without cranking the engine you can hear the fuel pump engage. Wait 10 seconds and pump the accelerator to the floor twice. It starts right up. I don't know the cause of the problem, but I suspect that there is a transient drop in fuel pressure for some unknown reason, but the above technique works and that's all I care about. Try it out and tell me what you think.

This actually works, but the question is what is the cause, throttle body perhaps?

2003 Buick LeSabre 3.8l

No codes, had a code for crankshaft position sensor.

Replaced:
-ICM
-IAC
-Injectors
-Coils
-Fuel pressure regulator
-Fuel pump
-Crankshaft sensor
-Harmonic balancer
-Coolant temp sensor

Checked:
-Fuel pressure, pegs at 62 then drops and holds at 52 after a few seconds, idle between 50 and 52.

-Plugs, changed in the last year.

-Vacuum points on intake.

-Battery connections, grounds and voltage supplied by the alternator.

 

[02LTD2.0]

The person that you are asking has not been around for over two years so I don't think you'll get a response.