Vibe started and turn off today. Worried about my baby :(

[cptnsolo77]

Just as the topic states. I started it today , it fired up for a split second and turned off. Tried it again and it did the exact same thing. Third time no problem and has been fine all day since then. Now I'm worried. This happened about a year ago but I wrote it off as a fluke since it didn't happened again.....until now. What could this be a symptom of ? Vibe has all scheduled maintenance to date save for cleaning out the IAC valve. It does idle a lil low in cooler temps and that's when I changed the intake manifold gasket. Still does it occasionally in cold whether. I haven't cleaned the Maf sensor or throttle body in a while though, but I thought with a dirty Maf and throttle body I would have rough idle first then have more serious problems. Since I have haven't cleaned the Maf or throttle body I will go ahead and do that and see if maybe I have leaks around the air filter. Any suggestions guys ? My worries may be a PCM recall and be stranded.....car has 191K.

[gtv237]

It's very difficult to diagnose this type of problem over the internet. Do you have any DTC's set?

[cptnsolo77]

not throwing any codes

[vibrologist]

How old are the spark plugs?

[Caretaker]

I'll give you a very unscientific answer. My Vibe has also done it over the years. It happens when my car sits for a day or two without being driven. The sensation is like when you go to start your lawn mower and it fires up for a second and then dies. Almost as if there is not enough gasoline primed into the chamber to continue combustion. Once the pump is woken up and provides the steady stream of gasoline, the car is fine. Has your car been sitting unused for awhile when the symptoms occur?

[cptnsolo77]

Plugs were changed at 117K and I started it probably a half hour from the last time i started it. Yes, Caretaker you described what i experienced perfectly. Today took a 4 hour drive and the Vibe drove flawlessly. I hate intermittent problems. I dont have a clue to what happned

[vibrologist]

I suppose measuring fuel pressure on start up after a long resting period could be revealing. Just a guess.