Cars & Trucks Logo
Dan King Posted on Jun 05, 2009
Answered by a Fixya Expert

Trustworthy Expert Solutions

At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.

View Our Top Experts

1989 Corvette starting and idle problems

My 60K mile Corvette has begun to start only when it is cold. Or if you bleed off the fuel pressure at the rails, it will start when hot. Strange?
Prior to this starting problem, I was (am still am) having an uneven idle with surge. Working the idle problem, I replaced the Computer control, the EGR valve, the O2 sensor, fuel filter and air filter. I cleaned the throttle body and the idle control motor interiors. I have had the plugs, wires and the distributor checked. I checked for vacuum leaks and found none. 17-21 lbs. of vacuum. Four professional mechanics and two jacklegs have tried to help. No joy..

Can you help??????????? Please.
Dan King

  • Dan King Jun 05, 2009

    Thanks Thundergod and Edward,
    Fuel pressure is 37 with pressure regulator connected and 41 without. I replaced the coolant temp sensor this morning with no positive results.
    I appreciate your input and will consider any other ideas you may have.
    Thanks again,
    Dan

×

6 Answers

edward80

Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Sergeant:

An expert that has over 500 points.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

  • Expert 160 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 05, 2009
edward80
Expert
Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Sergeant:

An expert that has over 500 points.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

Joined: Jun 08, 2008
Answers
160
Questions
0
Helped
70032
Points
504

Replace the coolant temp sensor, not the coolant temp sending unit

Anonymous

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

  • Contributor 1 Answer
  • Posted on Sep 19, 2009
Anonymous
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Joined: Sep 19, 2009
Answers
1
Questions
1
Helped
6126
Points
4

My 89 corvette is hard to start when it is cold, and runs very rough for about a minute. replaced the IAC and Maf sensors had the throttle body cleaned, now it idles very high and emits the same problems. i also had the injectors cleaned.

Ad

Anonymous

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

  • Contributor 1 Answer
  • Posted on Nov 25, 2009
Anonymous
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Joined: Nov 25, 2009
Answers
1
Questions
0
Helped
6126
Points
2

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND TURNED MY IDLE ADJ SCREW DOWN BUT THE IDLE STILL GETS STUCK I ABOUT 900 RPMS AND I HAVE TO TAP THE GAS PEDDLE DOWN TO GET THE IDLE TO DROP TO 600 CAR IN DRIVE AT A STOP I THINK I HAVE TO CLEAN OUT MY IAC BUT I AM NOT SURE THIS THIS HAPPENNED AFTER I CHANGED MY BAD INJECTORS I RESET THE TPI TO 0.54 VOLTS ALSO DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS

Anonymous

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

  • Contributor 1 Answer
  • Posted on May 26, 2010
Anonymous
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Joined: May 26, 2010
Answers
1
Questions
0
Helped
6126
Points
1

I have a low idle problem on my 1989 corvette

Anonymous

Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

Scholar:

An expert who has written 20 answers of more than 400 characters.

  • Expert 82 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 15, 2009
Anonymous
Expert
Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

Scholar:

An expert who has written 20 answers of more than 400 characters.

Joined: Sep 15, 2009
Answers
82
Questions
0
Helped
25241
Points
250

I have had the exact same problem. The fuel pressure regulator is to blame. It acts fine and gives the correct pressures, however when you stop the engine, the pressure within the fuel system pushes past the regulator and leaks into the intake throught the regulator vacuum hose.

I replaced and the difference was so obvious, the car dont run like it is on choke all the time now.

Now the car is fun to drive again.

Anonymous

Level 3:

An expert who has achieved level 3 by getting 1000 points

Superstar:

An expert that got 20 achievements.

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

  • Chevrolet Master 6,982 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 05, 2009
Anonymous
Chevrolet Master
Level 3:

An expert who has achieved level 3 by getting 1000 points

Superstar:

An expert that got 20 achievements.

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Joined: Nov 07, 2008
Answers
6982
Questions
0
Helped
2647608
Points
22782

Get yourself a fuel pressure gauge and check pressure. Sounds like a pressure regulator problem but without testing that's only my best guess. Temperature sensor can also sometimes do that if it keeps sending computer "cold"signal when hot.

Add Your Answer

×

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

×

Loading...
Loading...

Related Questions:

0helpful
1answer

Why does the truck start up and idle for about 10 seconds and shut down like it is out of fuel?

fuel pressure bleeding off 2 things can cause this bad check valve in pump or leaking fuel pressure regulator.
0helpful
1answer

1989 tracker. hard to start when cold but starts fine when warm.

89 has the old stand alone spark distributor.
the ECU is spark free, (no player here)
so here is the list for this engine 1.3 or 1.6L
the 1.3 has a carb. (last one) and is NOT EFI ,
you never said which engine it has. so ill guess at the 1.6L
This engine will have hard starting for the fooling reasons.
we dont guess at it we just do the tests.
  • Bad fuel.
  • Never tunedup this decade or every 60,000 miles per opr. guide.
  • low engine compression 150 good, if all are very low the cam timing belt slipped., (they all do , ignored) and is 60k service point.
  • CEL dead key on, bad ECU or lamp bad.
  • CEL glowing running, its telling you what is wrong, get the flash codes (DTC's)
  • Too high fuel pressure. (bad regulator in front of TB)
  • ECT bad. the 2 pin engine coolant temp sensor is bad. test it.
  • The injector leaks in the throttle body (look with eyes)
  • You find that adding 5-10% throttle cranking makes it more easy that is a bad, IAC valve, the valve at the base of the throttle body is stuck closed and kills all cold start air supply. making cold starts very hard, unless tricked with right foot. yes?
  • when any gas engine fails to start cold, i check for too much or too little starting fuel. and for very good spark.
  • Good engine, good spark the good fueling, there are tests for each, ASK?
3helpful
5answers

1989 corvette runs rough, wants to stall even after new plugs and rotor.

i want to give you the right answer but the only thing i think of is the mass air flow sensor.
2helpful
1answer

Have been reading the reports on the idle and starting problems on the '89 Vette, and that is the problem we are having also. We've checked the timing and vacuum leaks, etc. etc. Need to try the advice for...

I also have an 89 corvette that had the same problems.Ill tell you what fixed my problem. I also changed the fuel pressure regulator(its under the plentum in front of the distributor)This was not the problem but I replaced it anyway. The problem with the idle was my injectors.The factory multecs that are in there were original to the car and are not compatible with the blends of gasoline that are sold at most stations.Too much ethanol. I replaced mine with a set from fuel injector connection.(FIC) They are rebuilt with a three year warranty. Thats better than new ones. They are bosch 3.The car has run perfect every since.As far as the long starts it helped that too but if you do a little research on the 89 corvette youll find that GM put some crazy software in the computer that year. It requires the engine to turn over two times or about 3 seconds before the injectors fire.Thanks and good [email protected]
1helpful
1answer

Rough idle

The cam or crank sensor is going out when driving at high speeds. I would have those parts check, and have the fuel pressure check , fuel filter change to be on the safe side.

Good luck
0helpful
1answer

Cold starting problem

you could have a couple differnet issues. cold start misfires, an intake air leak, poor compression with engine cold,or a fuel pressure issue with a leaking injector or fuel pressure is bleeding back due to a faulty pressure regulator. my recommendation is to buy a fuel pressure gauge and monitor pressure overnight. you could also pull the fuel rail and see if an injector is leaking at the same time. you can spray the intake system with a highly volitile liquid(with engine running) to see if idle speed changes to check for an air leak
Apr 27, 2009 • 1999 BMW M3
0helpful
1answer

1989 Dodge Ram / Cold Start Trouble

clean out the carb and fit an inline fuel filter between the pump and the carb .
0helpful
3answers

1989 Cabriolet Fuel Delivery problem

yes,it's your computer module
it's dying or so.
it's the one cutting off the fuel system
i've seen that more than once
the fixer it's to replace the module.
but first to be sure.
unplug it for about 10 minutes.
then plug it back on
and test it and see what happens, if it runs fine for a while then definetly that's your problem.
or have your computer checked.
Not finding what you are looking for?

6,136 views

Ask a Question

Usually answered in minutes!

Top Chevrolet Experts

ZJ Limited
ZJ Limited

Level 3 Expert

17989 Answers

Ronny Bennett Sr.
Ronny Bennett Sr.

Level 3 Expert

6988 Answers

john h

Level 3 Expert

29494 Answers

Are you a Chevrolet Expert? Answer questions, earn points and help others

Answer questions

Manuals & User Guides

Loading...