i have 2 hold my key 2 start position 4 a while 2 get car 2 start what could this be

allow me to decypher;

Hello, in my car I am forced to hold the key in the start position for an amount of time in order for the car to start fully, what could be the cause?


what year is the car and is it the original starter in it?

my wifes 98 does that too, but its her egr valve sticking open that is causing it. It always does that, she doesnt seem to mind and I dont drive it so its not a priority. could be your problem too.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

its a 1996 and idk if it the original starter i bought it used and when it does start it smells like gas and runs rough for a couple seconds sound like it has big cam in it

pull your egr valve off and see if you can blow through it. If you can then its wedged open with carbon. What your describing sounds like the egr. Another symptom is that if the throttle is pressed to the floor it starts easier. At times it wont start at all without holding the gas to the floor. I would pull the egr and see if its stuck open and go from there.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

where is the egr valve located at on my car

Im not sure what year they switched from vacuum to solinoid valve but
the vacuum one is going to be a 4 inch space saucer shaped with a single vacuum hose attached to the top of it. mounted on the drivers side of the cylinder head (by the master cylinder)
if its a soliniod it will be maybe 2 inch round cylinder with a 4 wire plug going in to the top of it. mounted in the same place.

They both use 2 bolts to mount them , either 2 13mm nuts or 2 10mm bolts


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

think 95 was that last year for the vaccum one. like he said its on the driverside of the engine right be beside the master

this is on my 3800 but in the same area, you can see the brake fluid resivor right be side that is what you should be lookin for.
or look beside my Throttle body just a sma cylinder about the size of a small chubby pop can


JBO since July 30, 2001

thanks 4 all the help guys

I found a pic for you



01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

Two questions. First, I have the same symptoms on my 99 Sunfire but mines intermittent. It'll fire up right up the the next it'll labor and labor could that be the same problem with the EGR? Second, is the EGR valve in the same place on mine? I have the 2200. I know they changed stuff when they changed the motors after 97 and i assume it is but I don't like to assume.

My 04 Ls sedan has been doing that for awhile now, it only does it though when the engines cold like after it's been sitting overnight or all day at work it's also accompanied by a stumble and backfire if i let go of the key too soon. thing of it is though you don't want to hold the key to start too long because the heat could fry the starter which happened to me at least once already cost me an arm and a leg to get it fixed too. Only bad thing is got a new starter in there but the long crank hard start problem whatever you want to call it still exists. Apparently our cars or at least mine anyway i was told has a special unit as far as the starter goes making it expensive to replace when it goes out.

Im pretty sure that 98 was the last year for the egr valves so your problems are caused by something else.
your 04 sounds like a engine temp sensor signal out of range but without having a scanner reading the data while its screwing up its hard to tell. Intermittent problems suck like that.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

^^^^Ya it does suck. Thanks though.

Jo Mx i was thinking the same thing possibly a temp sensor or something gone or going bad, only odd thing is it never messes up like that when the engine is at normal operating temp like 195 or higher just when it is cold. Maybe something is sending a wrong signal to the computer and telling it to shut off fuel to the engine or something who knows, but then that would probably go back to the temp sensor you suggested. In fact since you mention temp sensor, that reminds me of another issue and i mentioned this before and not sure if it has to do with the outside air temp or not but my car sits all day at work for 10 hrs a day in the sun i come out get in it to leave and the engine which should be completely cold having sat that long the temp gauge instead of being right at 100 which is cold will be just above it like maybe 105 or so is that normal or is my gauge screwed up. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the ecos are aluminum block engines.

Don't know how different the fuel systems are between the engines, but the original poster's issues sounds like my issue when my FPR failed. Took forever to start, then ran like crap and smelled like gas. If you held the gas pedal to the floor during starting, it would fire up almost instantly.

we had an older S10 blazer did that we were using starter fluid to get it started the second you used starter fluid, bam it turned right over come to find out later on the stuff is actually just gasoline in a can.