Expert: Gary Malone - 10/31/2009

Question
Hi!!!   I have been having an issue that has progressively been getting worse over the last few months. A lot of times lately I have to give my 1998 Chevy Cavalier gas to start it. And when it starts it has a pretty rough idle for a few seconds then seems to "clear" itself up, and runs great.  All the power it should have, and idles perfect after this "clearing".  Any ideas???  No codes are thrown.  It has the 2.2L 4 cylinder. Oh and in the morning is the worst.  You have to literally "floor" it to get it to start, and then after it idles rough for about 10-15 seconds it runs perfect.

Thank you for all your help and time!!


Josh

Answer
it sounds as if you have an injector leaking. Let the vehicle sit overnight then crank it over(do not hold the throttle open)for just a second or two. After that remove all 4 spark plugs and see which one is wet. If you have one or two that are wet those injectors are leaking however if all 4 look the same you have other problems. So check your plugs and let me know what you find.