What is the reason why the Cruze is difficult to start after stalling when hot?
2 Answers
The reasons why the Cruze is difficult to start after stalling when hot are as follows: 1. Fuel injector leakage: The fuel injector's normal operation is to spray fuel, but leakage constitutes additional fuel supply. The more severe the injector leakage, the richer the air-fuel mixture becomes, leading to difficulty in starting when hot. 2. Canister purge valve failure: During hot starts, fuel atomization is already normal and does not require additional fuel vapor. If the carbon canister continues to supply fuel vapor to the intake manifold, it will cause an overly rich mixture, resulting in difficulty starting. 3. Fuel quality: Fuel is highly volatile, which can lead to high vapor pressure in the fuel rail. When this pressure exceeds the fuel system's supply pressure, vapor lock occurs, causing the fuel injector to spray overly lean fuel vapor, making it difficult to start.
I encountered the same issue when driving my Cruze. After the engine was hot and shut down, it just wouldn't start no matter what. It took me several attempts to figure out the reason. The main problem was the fuel pump becoming unstable under high temperatures, causing the fuel in the lines to vaporize and create vapor lock, leading to poor fuel delivery. Additionally, the crankshaft position sensor tends to misread signals when hot, and the ECU fails to receive correct data, resulting in no ignition. Aging ignition coils are another culprit—poor contact due to thermal expansion can prevent the spark plugs from firing. Excessive carbon buildup in the fuel injectors also adds to the trouble; they might work barely when cold but fail completely when hot. Later, I checked the fuel line pressure from the tank to the engine and found no abnormalities, so I decided to replace the fuel pump to fix the issue. Regular cleaning of the injectors and spark plugs can prevent this, but for severe cases, it's best to visit a professional repair shop.
