My 2006 Chevy Malibu will crank up, but it will not engage/or turnover until i press the accelerator…once that happens it works out fine…until the next time i crank it up.
ProTech:
Can you give a bit more info? Crank up, engage, and turnover all mean the same thing so I’m a bit confused. Will it crank but not start?
OK, i would attempt to start up the car but it will not turnover until press the accelerator. So you’re saying the car will not crank until you step on the gas?
Correct. .Once that happens the car runs fine until the next time i try to start up….sometimes it doesn’t happen at all occasionally.
You can have the key in the ‘crank’ position and nothing will happen at all unless you step on the accelerator? And then it will spin the engine over?
Yes.
That doesn’t make any sense at all!! The accelerator pedal has nothing to do with the starter motor engaging. This is very odd.
It will hesitate to turn over until i add gas by pressing the accelerator.
You must have a very strange wiring or electrical problem. I can’t really help you with that one, I’d recommend getting your car to the dealership! The only thing would be if you have a bad electronic throttle body that is causing your problem.
Ok then….so you don’t think its a fuel pump problem or anything.
Definitely NOT a fuel pump. Is the check engine light on?
None…spark plugs are new and everything….i know it idles very high for a moment once it cranks up.
It would surely need some going over, that is a very strange problem. Are you sure you just don’t have a failing battery that doesn’t want to crank the car up?
Fairly new and working battery. Any fuses or relays may be my problem?
It could be a failing starter motor, but it sounds wiring related to me and would need quite a bit of diagnosis time. And, no, fuses or relays wouldn’t be the problem, if they are bad the car wouldn’t start at all.
Ok that’s understandable. One mechanic said it may be a fuel line.
No, it would NOT be a fuel line. And when you push on the accelerator, you are NOT actually giving the car gas at start up. It is not a fuel related problem.
Wow, i didn’t know that.
I’d go with a problem in the throttle body area, that sounds like the main cause, and yes the throttle body only controls the amount of air given to the intake…the fuel injectors push the fuel into the cylinders and are not controlled by the throttle body.
Throttle body area. I’ll get that check and just get a full diagnostic on it. I appreciate the help.
No problem, glad to assist! Have a nice night.
You too….I will be sure to check it out.
2002 Chevy Malibu BCM Programming
I replaced the body control module in my 2002 Chevy Malibu. Was i supposed to have it flashed first?
If you did the job yourself, the car isn’t going to start or run. The body control module needs to be programmed and set up to your particular vehicle, with specific RPO codes that your vehicle has. The theft deterrent would also need to be relearned. The only place that can program the necessary information into the new body control module is a dealership. You’d either have to have it towed to a dealer to have it programmed and set up, or put the old body control module back in the car so you can drive it to a dealer, then have it installed and programmed.
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5 Comments on "2006 Chevy Malibu Will Crank But Not Start"
My email for the 2006 Chevy Malibu that cranks and won’t start unless I press the gas. It has 105k miles. My name is James. Plz email me at
My 2006 Chevy Malibu Lt v6 3.5 L has trouble starting occasionally. At the first start up in the day or anytime it has sat and cooled down for a long time the car starts up instantly. But when it’s warm it will crank a bunch of times really fast and won’t start unless I press down on the accelerator and then it’s starts up right away. Does it whether I use my key or remote start. This has been going on for two years now. In that time I have put 30,000 miles on the car. I’m at 105k miles now. I am really confused y this is happening and why nothing has changed or why the car hasn’t decided to not start at all. Just the same problem over and over again. The car runs fantastic and is well maintained and has no leaks. Completely dry and sound car. The only thing I have replaced is the battery.
My 2011 Malibu LTZ had similar issues. First the car had a code for a bad”throttle position sensor”. The car would have a reduced engine power while driving and the RPM fluctuated erratically, I could have crashed on the highway. So made it to an AutoZone and got the codes. Then I went to the dealer for the GM part, $280 new throttle body kit/assembly, auto zone is 180 but you have to order it – takes 3 days. So I replaced it myself, took 10 mins very easy. My car ran ok no more CEL and no more RPM fluctuation. BUT NOW, the car is having the excact same issue you have above, it only start when I press on the pedal while turing the key. So I have done alil reschearch and I think its a electrical problem. I want to fix it myself so I will keep trying. I’m still anger about spending $280 for the trottle body so I’ll keep trouble shooting. *Note: I have corroded battery wires maybe and hopefully that replacement will fix it but thats another $180. Good luck all
Maybe the codes for the throttle position sensor are actually codes for the gas pedal. That has a sensor in it too. https://www.cartruckinfo.com/chevrolet/2009-chevy-impala-engine-light-and-reduced-power/
2001 malibu 3.1 cranks but no start.