Q: Car not staying started after not starting at all.

asked by on September 29, 2016

My 2007 Chevy Cobalt is roughly idling and then stalling. At first it wouldn't start at all and then cleaned the throttle body. It started but won't stay running for more than 5-10 seconds. More thoroughly cleaned throttle body and then quit starting again. Mass air flow intake disconnected made no difference. Car was fueled about 1 hr prior to not starting the first time. No known issues before that.

My car has 188000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello, thanks for writing in. It sounds like the fuel pump may have failed. This commonly happens after a fuel up, especially if the fuel was low. I would listen to see if you hear a buzzing from the fuel pump when the key is first turned on. If not, then the fuel pump may be bad. I usually test the circuit at that point because I have also seen ignition switches fail and cause this on this same vehicle.

If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.

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