Recently I’ve been having some intermittent trouble starting my 2008 Chevy Equinox LS. The problem only occurs when I leave my daughter’s daycare after dropping her off in the morning…so it’s the second start of the day, after about a 5 minute drive. All other times the car starts fine. Here’s a rundown of the symptoms:
-May 9th or 10th: I tried starting the car (at the daycare) and the engine made sort of a buzzer sound, and didn’t start. Then, after a few seconds, I tried it again and it started right up.
-May 11th: I did some interstate driving (about a 1.5 hour trip each way). On the trip up, after about an hour or so, I received the following warnings: “Service Traction Control” and “Service Stabilitrack.” After I turned off the car the warnings have never come back on (I have no idea if this is related to the starting problem, but figured I would mention it - any advice on this issue independently would also be greatly appreciated).
-May 18th: while sitting at a stoplight, the car was idling roughly - I had to really hold down the brake to prevent the car from lurching forward, and the RPMs were going between about 800 and 1500…haven’t noticed any rough idling since, though.
-May 20-24 & 27-29: Again, when leaving the daycare in the morning, when I try to start the car, it sounds like a machine gun. It usually won’t start the first time, but will the second time after still making that noise. Attached is a video of this, I hope it helps. The odd thing, though, is that it hasn’t done it the last two times I’ve left the daycare (I doubt the problem just fixed itself, but I have no idea).
Thanks for any help or suggestions you can offer!
When I watched your video, the speedometer and tachometer were going to the top of the scale when you were cranking the engine. I had the same problem on a Ford Windstar when the battery was low. One other sign–if your vehicle has a clock, does it keep the correct time or is it resetting when you go to start the engine? When the battery was failing in my Ford Aerostar, the clock would reset when I was cranking the engine.
Your vehicle is 5 years old. If you are still on the original battery, this is certainly something to check.
Yes, with the buzzing sound during attempted cranking, getting a charging system and battery test done is the first order of business. Many big box auto parts and service stores will do this for free.
Thanks guys! I’ll have the battery checked & replaced if needed.
Triedaq: that business with the speedometer and tachometer is just what this car does when you turn the power on…I guess GM thinks it looks fancy or something…
Ok, my battery did need to be replaced, so I did that…however, the problem did not go away. I had the same machine gun sound this morning, and had to try starting the car three times before it turned over. Any other thoughts?
Uh, why did u change battery? Ok, it’s 5 yrs old. Did shop say it was a good idea? New parts are good. Can’t hurt. Your wallet that is.
I did a battery check in December when I got an oil change, and was told the battery needed to be replaced. I figured I would ride out the battery until something started to go wrong, and thought this was it.
Are you still having the idle problems or just starting. The starter solenoid is what you hear. Crank relay under the hood, starter or hopefully not ECM.