malibu hard start

1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU
155,000 MILES
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BUDDY56
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i have a 1998 chevy malibu 3.1l. in the morning it will start fine. but afterwards it is very hard to start. also i smell a rich gas smell. i recently did a tune up and changed plugs wires pcv valve fuel and air filter and oil change. also when it warms up it has a slight rough idle and it sounds like it has a small vacuum leak but doesnt set a code.
Jan 1, 2012 at 8:11 PM
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FIXITMR
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check/clean MAF sensor.
Jan 1, 2012 at 8:19 PM
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FIXITMR
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what did old plugs look like? dark?
Jan 1, 2012 at 8:20 PM
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BUDDY56
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i do not remember
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:12 AM
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FIXITMR
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pull a plug and see what it looks like. check fuel pressure regulator vac line for raw fuel (leaking).
Jan 22, 2012 at 1:10 PM
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BUDDY56
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i checked the vacuum line and it does not have any fuel in it. also the plugs look a little red
Jan 23, 2012 at 7:22 PM
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BUDDY56
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also i noticed now when the car is at operating temp it has misfires and sounds like a vacuum leak
Jan 23, 2012 at 7:27 PM
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FIXITMR
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you could try smoke test or tube to ear to try and locate leak?
Jan 23, 2012 at 8:24 PM
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BUDDY56
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can the problem be caused by a bad intake manifold gasket? because i am loosing coolant and i know these cars have a problem with the intake
Jan 27, 2012 at 2:05 PM
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FIXITMR
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do you smell any antifreeze under hood? or see any? you can do pressure test to see if it comes out around manifold.
Jan 27, 2012 at 8:14 PM
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BUDDY56
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there is coolant leaking from the lower intake i am getting it replaced on monday. the engine was burning antifreeze so do you think it would be a good idea to replace the plugs too?
Feb 2, 2012 at 6:21 PM
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FIXITMR
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might as well just to make sure you have good spark at all cylinders.
Feb 8, 2012 at 11:12 AM
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BUDDY56
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i changed the gaskets the plugs and cleaned the maf. but it still has the hard start issue. what else should i check?
Feb 10, 2012 at 7:08 PM
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FIXITMR
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if you give it gas will it start better warm? even try holding to floor if necessary? maybe your temp sensor is out of spec?
Feb 12, 2012 at 12:17 AM
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BUDDY56
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yes that does help sometime holding the gas pedal down works. which temp sensor the iat or ect?
Feb 12, 2012 at 7:22 AM
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FIXITMR
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ect
Feb 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM
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LWADE214
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Did you ever get this hard start problem fixed? I am having similar issues with a 1998 chevy malibu 2.4l
Jun 8, 2014 at 4:20 AM
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