# 2001 Chevy Prizm-Starting problems

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** prizm, chevrolet\
**Created:** [February 3, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502 "2014-02-03T00:16:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drwho7154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@drwho7154](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drwho7154)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502/1 "2014-02-03T00:16:12Z")

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Hi,  
Í’ve got a 2001 Chevy Prizm(160,000 miles) Starts right up-after I drive for awhile and turn the engine off.  
It won’t restart at times-I have to wait anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes till the engine will start again.  
The engine cranks-so it’s not the starter or the battery-  
Does anybody ever had that problem-and figured out what it was?  
Thank you

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502/2 "2014-02-03T05:22:22Z")

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Could be a leaky injector. Or the fuel pump. Or the fuel pressure regulator. There are tests that can be done to eliminate these as a cause. Ignition system components can cause this too, as they are sensitive to heat. Is the check engine light on? Have you had the diagnostic codes (active and pending) read out? That’s probably the first place to start.

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**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502/3 "2014-02-03T19:23:51Z")

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_“Starts right up-after I drive for awhile and turn the engine off.  
It won’t restart at times-I have to wait anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes till the engine will start again.”_

That’s about as confusing as it gets. Perhaps you meant to say “It starts right up after it’s been sitting a long time. But then if I drive it for a while and turn the engine off, sometimes it won’t restart. I have to wait …” Is that what you meant to say?

The next time it won’t restart hold the accelerator firmly to the floor and turn the key. Results?

I’m also wondering if you might have error codes. Is your check engine light on?

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502/4 "2014-02-04T04:53:32Z")

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I think the OP here is referring to a hard to start under “hot soak” conditions. OP might Google “Toyota hot soak” for some other ideas. Holding the throttle valve open as you mention @Cigroller is a good idea. Might provide a work-a-round and would provide a clue to the actual cause. Besides those ideas mentioned above, an engine coolant temperature sensor on the fritz could cause this too, and is relatively easy for a mechanic to check.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-chevy-prizm-starting-problems/83502/5 "2014-02-04T05:15:39Z")

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The problem might be caused from a bad Crankshaft Position Sensor.

[http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=373058&cc=1368413](http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=373058&cc=1368413)

These sensors can start to fail from heat. And since the sensor is mounted on the side of the engine on your vehicle it’s exposed to a lot of heat.

If the signal is lost from this sensor, the computer won’t operate the fuel and ignition systems because the computer isn’t detecting that the crankshaft is rotating as you try to start the engine.

Tester