My wife’s 2010 Chevy Traverse has 85,000 miles, and has run great over the years. The past 4 or 5 times we filled up the tank, the vehicle won’t start right afterward. It turns over, but seems like it’s either flooded or starved of fuel. Then, after a few tries it gets going and starts up fine until the next fill-up. The “Check Engine” light has not come on during this. At least one time it was way down on gas, and at least one of the times it had almost a quarter tank - same result. I called 2 of my repair buddies and they don’t have the answer. Any suggestions?
I would suspect a problem with the evaporative emissions control system. When you fill up, gas vapor from the tank is being forced through the charcoal canister. If one of the purge solenoids is stuck open, the vapor (and liquid gas if the canister has been flooded by overfilling the gas tank) will be forced into the engine intake as well, flooding the engine with fuel and making it hard to start.
Have the purge solenoid(s) checked. You also might need a new charcoal canister if the existing one has been flooded with liquid gas due to overfilling. If you routinely top off the gas tank after the pump shuts itself off, this is likely.
@dfitchett, do you fill the tank until the auto fill clicks off or do you continue filling the tank?
After the next “no-start”, put the pedal to the floor and try again. This should turn off the injectors. If it starts better, you’re getting too much fuel. Could be emissions related or the fuel pressure regulator or leaking injectors or…