Gv Difficult To Start Once Stood And Stalling At Low Speeds - Related?

[steviec2000]

Hi, over the past couple of weeks out of the blue my 2005 3.3l petrol Grand Voyager is having difficulty starting when left stood for a while (e.g first thing in the morning and say after 5 or so hours later if left). The engine turns over but doesn't fire, after 4 or 5 attempts it will fire and does not have a problem starting again until it is left to stand again for several hours.

 

I'm also having a problem in that once the engine is warm (only when warm never when cold), the car will intermittently stalls when at low speed, e.g. at traffic lights or slowing down for a roundabout). When it happens, the engine just dies without warning. When I check the fault code I get a P0171, which I see is the system is lean. I'm unsure if the two issues are related or separate?

 

I've checked the battery and it is fine, I wasn't sure if the issue was the fuel filter, O2 sensor or something else.

 

Any ideas

 

Thanks

[soupstone]

EGR? I'd probably start with that purely for the cutting out at roundabouts and traffic lights. 
Don't know how accessible it is on the petrols, but I'd try giving it a good clean first and see if it helps. 

[steviec2000]

Sorry I just realised I forgot to include something on the original post.

 

The car is also LPG converted, when running on LPG it never stalls at all. Only when switched to petrol mode and the engine is warm.

 

Thanks.

[bignev]

Hi Steve,

The difficult to start when effectively cold would confirm lean running, but not sure why it wouldn't sort out the mixture, unless it's an O2 sensor out of plonk so it can't get it right.

 

But slightly strange on the cutting out only on petrol because as far as I am aware the LPG systems still use the same sensors and piggy back to the LPG ECU.

 

Also, not remotely as bad as tours, but mine sometimes takes a bit of turning over unless I have primed the fuel pump a couple of times when the weather is really cold.

[Woodie106]

I'd start by checking the fuel filter. I had a similar issue although mines a diesel & it turned out to be a dodgey fuel filter.

[steviec2000]

Thanks all, which you would look at first, the egr or fuel filter? With the car working fine on LPG I'm thinking fuel filter but wanted to check in case my logic is flawed.

[Semmysonic]

I would go with the fuel filter for starters, must be something that is only on the petrol line (so not engine related)

 

Mine did a similar thing a while back but it did it on both gas and petrol (turned out to be the coil pack).

 

Lpg is less combustible so any issues tend to show up more on lpg than on petrol.

[soupstone]

 Just throwing ideas out there, just incase.

 Injectors? Richer mix fed in when cold, still hard to start, but starts and seems fine. Gets leaner when warm, giving you the cutting out?

Only briefly flirted with the idea of lpg years ago, thinking it's delivered differently to the engine than through the injectors?
 

[steviec2000]

I think I'll go with the fuel filter first. I've been reading my manuals and had a look online and an unsure if it is a little too much for me to do.

 

Can I ask have many had experience of changing a fuel filter on the 2005 3.3l petrol and how difficult they found it?