I started up my car yesterday (my chevy driving neighbor was outside and heard it....how embarrassing..) but anyway, the engine sounded like a diesel, and not a good one at that...

my guess is bad gasoline...but I am not sure...

any thoughts?

-vq

 

Dealing with teh same issue. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow.....again. Maybe this time they'll actually fix it.

 

Was it the chain crunching, or was it running "choppy" ?

The timing chain will crunch in cold weather. If it runs choppy, you may have clogged injectors, or water in the tank (from crappy gas)

Get a $13 injector cleaner (yes the expensive one) and run it with a full tank.

G

 

I get the Chain Crunch in cold weather too.....

I NEVER buy anything but Chevron Supreme 93 Octane for my baby.
Do the math: avg. of a buck fitty more per fill-up will keep her from coughing blood in the mornings!!

Could be water in your fuel line as well, so try the injector cleaner first and if that doesn't work - do the HEET treatment. $5 fix

gr

 

Did you just fill up? Like the night before, then it could be bad gas.

BTW, DON'T EVER fill up when a gas station is getting their tanks filled or if you know they were recently filled. Leave and go somewhere else. There is an acceptable amount of water allowed in the stations tanks, from condensation or other sources, before they need to have it removed. When the tankers are filling those tanks it stirs up all that water and some sediment from the bottom of the tank. Filters will get most of the sediment before it comes out the pump, but the water…

The other thing is when the temps swing like they do this time of year it's better to keep the tank close to full or put a bottle of Heet in at fill up. A tank that is half or less full has a lot of surface area for condensation to form and after a few days it can add up. Cars that are garage kept shouldn't have this problem as much.

 

Don't know about Vqman but my knocking has nothing to do with cold weather. It's still over 100 degrees here. I've tried the different gas but it doesn't help. Besides I only have 9k+ on the odo. Sounds more like valves on an old clunker when you start out in a high gear.

 

did you accidently put diesel in it?

my cousins (2k2) Max also has a similar knocking once in a while... when he starts up or is driving he noticed it for a while asked the dealership about it they told him to ignore it as its normal and thats what he has been doing since... i notice recently that i dont hear it as much.

My 2k3 doesnt have as much noticable knocking but if you start her up and stand outside you can hear it sometimes. especially when its cold. since all of the other cars have done same in the past i just ignore it thinking its normal.

 

What does that Heet stuff do to the performance? very little, or does it raise the antiknock qualities (like ethanol as an additive)? (I know Iso-Heet is isopropyl alcohol, which can help water & gasoline mix together instead of separating)

 

It does nothing for performance. It doesn't add octane so it can't do anything like that.
What it does do is help the engine handle small amoults of water that may form in your tank or come in the gas you buy. I'm not sure about the water/alcohol and gas mixing together but I know the alcohol and water do. I don't know if water mixed with alcohol is still heavier than gasoline... Since the water would be on the bottom of the tank after sitting for a while it won't be there for long after you start the car.

 

the next time I filled up I went to the only station in my area to sell 92 octane, and filled up with that...

I don't know what it was, but it is gone now.

the weather has been around 65-70 here lately...so I don't think that qualifies as "cold".

thanks for the input.....

-vq

 

You misunderstood me. When it gets to 65-70 during the day and drops at night to like the low 50's or 40's is what I'm talking about. When the temps drop at night to well below the dew point, and the car isn't in a garage, condensation can even form in the tank not just on the car.

Glad your prob is gone though. Sounds like bad gas...

 

ahhh..

yes, it had been getting into the upper 40's lower 50's, and this DID happen when I had to park outside for a couple of nights when I was doing major yard work, and there was crap all over my garage...

So when this happened one morning (car is now back in the garage) it didn't hurt anything, it just sounded wierd for a moment, and everything should be fine...no?

thanks

-vq

 

Yup, you're OK.

This time of year and thru the winter just try to remember to keep the tank full before parking outside over night or add some Heet to the tank.