2002 Cranks but won't start/stalls

[soggytoast]

I've been having this issue intermittently for the past six weeks or so.

I turn the key to the ignition and it cranks:
*On some days it starts just fine.
*Sometimes it just chokes along and doesn't start.
*On another attempt it will start but the engine will quickly die down and stall.
*After a couple of tries it will start. I can hear it almost die but then it revs up and idles properly. No other issues until I try to start it up again.

A week ago I had a scary incident where when I finally got it started, it would chug along and misfire and stall if left idle - it was barely driveable. I managed to make it to a garage for maintenance. Mechanic said the problem was that a vacuum tube for the air intake had popped out. He clamped it firmly in place, and the car seemed fine for a while. But now the issues with starting it are back. I suspect that the bad starts somehow caused that tube to pop out.

Just want to see what your opinions are.

[DASHAWN1234]

Check and clean the (MAF)mass air flow sensor, as well as clean the(IAC) idle air control valve. They are both located on the (TB) throttle body and can be cleaned with mass air flow cleaner or throttle body cleaner

[vogie01]

Check and clean the (MAF)mass air flow sensor, as well as clean the(IAC) idle air control valve. They are both located on the (TB) throttle body and can be cleaned with mass air flow cleaner or throttle body cleaner

Just went through this myself as well. Even the smallest issues with the MAF will cause it not work right. I would suggest you clean the entire throttle body as well as what is above and see if you can find another car with a good MAF to test it. I am not sure if my IAC was bad or dirty, but cleaning all of it seems to help a lot.

[DASHAWN1234]

[soggytoast]

Thanks guys.

How tough is that throttle body to remove? Is this something that a novice like me could attempt? Is there any other guidance about the throttle body on this site?

[vogie01]

Thanks guys.

How tough is that throttle body to remove? Is this something that a novice like me could attempt? Is there any other guidance about the throttle body on this site?

I didn't take the TB off when I cleaned it. Take off all the sensors, spray and wipe it down really good. Search around on Google and there are some nice writes on some other 3800 sites on how to clean a TB on and off the car. I can't find them for you right now.

[DASHAWN1234]

But be careful not to mess around with the (TPS) throttle position sensor because if you install it incorrectly it will cause your car to idle really high. The TPS is the sensor that is close to the thermostat housing and doesnt need to be cleaned only replaced

[soggytoast]

Hey guys, I'm back. I had the car serviced recently but it didn't fully correct the issue. I had a garage replace the serpentine belt because it had a crack in it. The mechanic said that the belt was slipping and creating a bunch of problems. Since it has been replaced, I have been stalling less on startup, but sometimes I still really have to crank it to get it to go.

I wanted to look at the throttle body myself but I can't figure out how to get that thick rubber cover out of the way to get in there. The one side has a screw-in crimp that I can easily undo and pull off, but the other end seems to be fit tightly around the intake end of the throttle body. I'm afraid if I just pull that off it's going to be hell to try to get it back on there tightly. Any suggestions?

[00Beast]

It just pulls off, a flat-blade screwdriver helps to pry it off if it's been on a while. It's not too hard to get back on.

It is best to remove the TB, since carbon can build up on the backside of the throttle plate, and that way you can get into the IAC passage and get that all cleaned out.