Hey. Since the weather has been cold my car will not star...


Hey. Since the weather has been cold my car will not start up right away if it’s sitting too long. It takes bout 20 mins for it to eventually start. I took it to a shop they said that it’s a electrical problem. But that did not fi...

Hey. Since the weather has been cold my car will not start up right away if it’s sitting too long. It takes bout 20 mins for it to eventually start. I took it to a shop they said that it’s a electrical problem. But that did not fix my issue. I already got a new battery & starter. 2 days ago my engine light came on & i got a diagnostic test for it. & it says i need a catalytic converter. Could this be the issue my car isn’t cranking up right away or is it a electrical problem? Mechanic's Assistant: Have you checked the fuel supply? And are all the spark plugs working? I also got new spark plugs. & my gas gauge isn’t working due to the shop doing something wrong. What exactly is a fuel supply? Mechanic's Assistant: What year is your Spark? They not even a year old yet. Maybe 6 months Mechanic's Assistant: Are you fixing your Spark yourself? What have you tried so far? I had a mechanic do my sparks. But since i had this problem i had to get some fluid that’s suppose to clean your gas tank & that’s bout it. It only doesn’t start when it’s sitting for a long periods of time in the cold. If I’m running in a store or something it’ll start right away. Mechanic's Assistant: Anything else you want the Mechanic to know before I connect you? No i believe that’s it


Am i still be connected to a mechanic?
Automotive Expert
My name is \*\*\*\*\* \*\*\*\*\* I will be able to assist you. I’m sorry that you’re having trouble with your vehicle. Don’t worry though, we’ll be able to figure this out. Thank you for taking the time to let us help you out with this problem and hopefully we can sort it out quickly. Please understand that I do not know your knowledge or capabilities so I may need to ask questions to find out basic information to help solve your specific problem. Sometimes it may take a moment for me to respond because I may have to look up information about your concern. I appreciate your patience and will provide responses as soon as possible. There are many possible causes for this problem. It could be faulty wiring, ignition system fault, module fault, fuel system problem, engine sensor failure, etc. To determine the problem you would need to use a scan tool that can read engine data and record data so you can see what specifically is happening. Is the fuel trim off?, is the crankshaft sensor signal gone?, etc. This would be the only way to figure it out. Without testing I would suspect that you are losing fuel pressure either because of a bad fuel pump or a problem with the wiring/module fault. If the check engine light is on, that would help out a lot because it could identify a specific fault. You would need to have the computer scanned to get the trouble codes stored in the module. If you can give me these codes, I would be able to pinpoint a specific cause for this problem. My goal is to give you the best service possible and to help you. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let me know. If I’m not online at the time, I will respond ASAP when I get back. You can ask unlimited questions to any of the 12,000 Experts! From doctors, lawyers, tech support, contractors, tutors, auto and boat mechanics, appliance technicians, veterinarians, accountants, appraisers, psychologists, engineers, heavy machinery masters, dream interpreters, and more, we've got you covered, 24/7.

I took it to a shop & they said it’s a electrical problem or something with a interrupter. But it didn’t fix my car i feel that it made it worst & now my gas gauge isn’t working now. My engine light came on 2 days after taking my car to the shop & i got a diagnostic test for it & it says codes P0420 & P0430. Could this be why my car isn’t starting right away? My engine light just came on Saturday. My main issue i took my car to the shop because it would take multiple tries for my car to start when it’s been sitting for long periods of time in the cold.
Automotive Expert
If the gas gauge isn't working then your fuel pump is likely bad or it has a bad electrical connection at the pump. I would check the fuel pressure when this happens. If the pressure is low then the pump is bad.

When i took it to the shop my gas gauge was perfectly fine. While they were fixing on my car they were doing electrical work on it. & i went to pick my car up & then that’s when the gas gauge went out. How do i check to see if the pressure is low?fuel pressure
Automotive Expert
You'll have to connect a fuel pressure gauge to the fuel rail on the intake manifold and then try to start it to see what the pressure is.

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