GMC Envoy Start Stall Idle Problems

alabamamaddog

Starting about a year ago, my 2002 Envoy began to idle very roughly when in drive. Once the engine warms up to the normal operating temperature, the rough idle stops.

It idles smoothly when in park or neutral, even when it is first started.

I have used Seafoam and STP fuel injector cleaners, with no noticeable results.

Any suggestions?

See also: Envoy/Trailblazer Stalls at Idle With the A/C Or Heat On

goodfella69

My 2004 Envoy idles fine until I put the heat on. After that it jumps up and down until I turn the heat off or it stalls . Any suggestions???

ophy

I have a 2004 envoy that I love. I have a problem and I hope someone else does also. I have taken the car to the shop 3 times and no one can find a problem. When I am either in a drivethru line or sittting idle in park, my envoy stalls out. I was at a red light in town and the person behind me honked because when the lightt turned green, my envoy stalled out. I can restart it with no problem. The dealership can't find anything wrong. Is anyone else having this problem?

cnkoch1

Same problem here and also a 2004. I noticed as it happens the oil pressure drops. It stops for a while after an oil change then about a month before I am due for a scheduled oil change it starts happening again. Dealership put on computer and could nothing.

cjckentucky

I have a 2005 Envoy mine does the same thing. If I turn the heat or air off it seems to do fine. I also have a problem with it accelerating on it's own.

gmcustsvc

cjckentucky,
I would recommend taking your vehicle to your dealer of choice. Please keep me updated on your situation.
Christina
GM Customer Service

drh09

i have a 05 gmc envoy and i am having same problem with mine when at a stop and ready to take off it wants to stall but catches and takes off. has anyone found a solution for this problem if so let me know so i can fix mine

koko222

My 2003 Envoy had been idling rough for a long time. First I went and had a tune up with new spark plugs - a little better for awhile, then two months later, had the fuel injector service. Still idled rough after a short while. Now my service engine light came on. Took it in and diagnostics said bad thermostat. Had thermostat, engine flush, radiator flush done today. Seems to being running fine. I will post again to see if I have any more problems with rough idle

gmcustsvc

koko222,
How are things going with your vehicle?
Christina
GM Customer Service

ericanwv

I am having the same problem with my 2004 Envoy...If the heat is on or air it stalls out....Then I also have a problem with it giving itself the gas....Have u found out why this is? If so please tell me what u have done to correct it? I have had it hooked to computers and done diagnostics and eerything but it still does this....

jones3173

I have a 2004 GMC Envoy and came onto the problem of the car stalling when stopped in traffic while in gear. This suddenly happen to my vehicle after I had to changed the battery, although this didnt occur to me until after I solved my problems.
I tried the fixes others in this thread have tried as I actually enjoy working on my own vehicles and have a pretty good understanding of how they work. However I could not solve the issue on my own. Fortunately, I had a dealer that I was real happy with when I owned my LS1 Camaro that had helped me with mechanical problem then. Took it to them.
When the vacuum line is activated for the engine, such as when the air or heat was on, the truck would die at idle (when in gear only, would not die if in neutral). I had changed the battery and on the Envoys it resets all previously stored air/ fuel, idle, etc info that the computer had previously gathered about the motor. The truck is programmed with a starter program to get the truck running then it stores its own information according to the individual motor. Each motor is different and requires different parameters to run depend on anything from altitude to your personal driving habits.
The truck is supposed to reteach itself the fine tune parameters within minutes. It was not. The tech said nothing will show up on their computer because the check engine light is not on. The tech has to have some kind of motor knowledge to spot this, not just the ability to read what the computer is telling him. All the tech had to do was let his GM computer overide the Envoy computer to reprogram it. All I was charged was the initial diagnostic fee since nothing else had to be hooked up and done. That was two years ago and I have had no problems since.
This tech also did me right with my Camaro and this is the explanation I got when he fixed my Envoy.

john_952

I just had the same problem after having a thermostat changed, The truck would run fine until I turned on the heater fan switch, then it would stall.

I cleaned the throttle body with a spray cleaner, and cleaned my MAP sensor then changed my air cleaner, now it runs and idles fine..Problem solved. Hope this helps.

Also you will need to reset the computer and check engine light, just disconnect the pos post to the battery for ten minutes the reconnect post and turn your ignition key on and off three times to reset the computer and clear codes.

jeffwall

Hello, I'm hoping you can help me out on this issue, as I've spent a lot trying to figure it out with no solutions as yet.
A few months ago, I noticed that my oil pressure gauge would drop to "nothing" for a few minutes, then pop back up to normal. When it dropped to nothing, I could "rev" up the engine and the pressure would return to normal, let it idle and the pressure would go back down. The only "light" on the instrument panel that would show up would be the "Gauge" light...
I had a tune up, fuel injector cleaned, oil change EVERY 3000, spark plug changed (no wires on this vehicle), radiator flush, transmission flush.... All at a substantial price and no solution still. ALSO, the truck runs fairly rough and continues to get worse. When idling the truck will always die at some point. RPMs measure approx 600-900 idling. Current mileage is 152,000.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

infantrymike

I replaced my battery and started to have the same problem, I reset the computer like you suggested and so far so good.
Just wanted to say thanks

Total cost ( 0 )

heiden

we have a 2004 Envoy and for all its worth I love the truck but at 144,000 miles things go wrong if they don't before that, I am beginning to think we bought someone else's problems. First the headlight housing fixture burned (melted ) and the headlight went out, and they said it wasn't covered under the recall, then water pump went out on it, now the fuel pump, very costly, I think GMC ought to look into these issues as they seem to be happening to allot of people GMC owners and not just one or two, when the fuel pump is going or is gone, the truck will run for about 5 minutes and stall, let it sit and it will run again for about 5 minutes and stall, to check the fuel pump out, do a PSI check on it, the Envoy should be pushing out about 50 PSI or more, ours was only pushing out 15 PSI, it is a pressure test on the fuel pump, also the computer test came back saying there was nothing wrong with it, so be aware of this as we have gone the whole last 4 days without our truck, and the cost is about 850.00 for GMC to fix it, but n their behalf they will also change the fuel filter and check your gas lines as well. Oh and also our hatch wouldn't open when we bought it fortunately it was under a small warranty and had it replaced, the cost of which was 350.00 for the part, they had one in stock when they did our oil change so they fixed it.
Otherwise the parts from GMC cost a small fortune.

purdyjo100

I have a 2006 evnoy denali i have taken it to the mechanic and he says the spark plug wires needed to be replaced it could be 1 or all he is not sure so he suggests to replace them all....... I have no idea what a job llike that costs and i don't want to get ripped off can some one give me an idea of the cost, PLEASE HELP CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

alegrange

I own a 2002 Envoy and have been having idle issues for a few years now. 2 years ago I replaced the plugs with OEM and cleaned the throttle body and the idle seemed to get better but has been really bad for the last year or so. In the past week the oil pressure has become an issue at idle. The pressure is good until the engine gets to normal operating temp. I have noticed that if I keep the idle around 900 rpm the pressure is good but currently the idle is around 600 rpm. I sat in the car and studied the pattern of the low pressure warning. At idle with AC on idle at 600rpm the engine is idling rough but idling then feels like the engine stalls momentarly and the pressure drops the 5-10psi for 1-2 seconds the "Check Gauges" light comes on and "Stop Engine" shows in the display. Then the idle recovers and the pressure is normal(40-42psi) With the AC on this happends every 5-6 seconds, with AC off every 10-12 seconds. I have been reading this forum about this issue so this week I had the engine flushed professionally and the oil changed. After the oil change still having issue. Yesterday I removed and cleaned the Camshaft Actuator Solenoid and Throttle Body and yes I had the battery disconnected for over 30minutes while I cleaned both. I still have the issue!!! The next thing I am going to check is the oil pressure sending unit and have another oil pressure gauge hooked up to see if the pressure is really dropping. Can anyone help with this issue?? Any suggestions?? Thank You in advance for any replies.

thetwirp

I was dring my 2007 Envoy, pulled over to switch drivers got back in and started to go when we lost power and the car started sputtering. Had to shut it off and then re-start. Anyone know what is wrong? Has never done this before. Check engine light is on now too. Thanks

gmcustsvcsarah

I'm sorry that your Envoy is not doing so well at the moment. If you were interested in working with a dealership, please be sure to let us know as we'd like to be available to assist.
Sarah
GM Customer Service

agendavid

We have a 2003 GMC Envoy that is hard to start. It takes 2 or 3 times to start. Once it runs, it usually starts fine within a hour after stopping but not always. We've taken it to PEP BOYS and our local GMC Dealership for diagnostics, they can't find anything wrong . . . and of course it seems to start fine for them after we leave it. I even took a video of my wife trying to start the car 3X in a row and showed it to the service mgr. so he could see what it was (not) doing. Still no luck.
We get home and next day.... it takes 2 or 3 cranks to get it to start. I even asked the service mgr if they'd: check fuel line pressure(s), computer modules, etc. We even had the fuel filter changed... it still doesn't start w/o 2 or 3 tries. Any thoughts? Buy a Ford? We like our Envoy but we're afraid there's an underlying issue that will cause stalling or not starting when we're in the middle of nowhere. Please Help! Thanks!

agendavid

UPDATE: Took Envoy to an independent garage after getting no where with the GMC service at the dealer. Explained the situation to the shop owner and asked about fuel pressure. He said that would be the first thing he'd check based on the age of vehicle & my description of the problem.
Got a call about 2 hours later and he said my fuel line was losing all pressure after they had the engine sit. So we replaced fuel pump. Total cost for parts & labor was $794.
Finally got the issue fixed. Yeah.... a bit costly but it now works. I might've saved a hundred bucks or so if I ordered part online but there's cost & then there's convenience. We needed this fixed ASAP so we paid the bill.

grant84

my envoy is giveing me the same problem only if i disconect the A/C evap can it runs fine. the only time it gives me a stalling / rough idle is when the A/C kicks in. im just woundering if you may have any new information as to what is going on with yours since it sounds similar. the oil pressure issue you have with it going up and down is due to you idle changing so rapidly i belive we have the same isssue any sugestions you have or found out would be helpful please E-mail me at [Email removed]

alegrange

The issue I have with the idle and stalling happens whit the AC running and wothout the AC running. I am still experiencing this issue and dont think I will ever resolve it.... I have cleaned the throttle body and done the reset procedure, replaced the plugs with OEM part, replaced fuel filter and no luck.
As for the low oil pressure , that was fixed by replacing the pressure sensor located near the oil filter. Good Luck!

agendavid

Howdy:
We took our Envoy to a local independent garage because the GMC Dealership service was ineffective (they put it on the machine and found nothing). So I took it to a popular indy garage and explained to the owner what the problem was. He said the first thing he would do is run a fuel pressure test to see if the fuel pressure would stay constant. Said it would take about hour or so to do that. Turns out that the fuel pressure would drop and continue to drop. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Replace Fuel Pump.
Cost including labor: $800 approx +/- with OEM parts.
The owner told me that fuel pressure is a likely culprit considering the age of the vehicle. I had previously had the fuel filter replaced and the fuel line inspected at PEP Boys so it seemed reasonable to consider the fuel pump issue. After the Fuel Pump replacement, the Envoy starts up as if new and has been running fine. You may be able to find a less expensive fuel pump online and get a mechanic to install it for you. But we needed this fixed ASAP as my wife uses the Envoy for her sales rep job and if we had any issues we wanted to be able to bring it back under the 90 day shop guarantee.

Hope this helps!

envoydegarbage

@agendavid said:
Howdy:
We took our Envoy to a local independent garage because the GMC Dealership service was ineffective (they put it on the machine and found nothing). So I took it to a popular indy garage and explained to the owner what the problem was. He said the first thing he would do is run a fuel pressure test to see if the fuel pressure would stay constant. Said it would take about hour or so to do that. Turns out that the fuel pressure would drop and continue to drop. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Replace Fuel Pump.
Cost including labor: $800 approx +/- with OEM parts.
The owner told me that fuel pressure is a likely culprit considering the age of the vehicle. I had previously had the fuel filter replaced and the fuel line inspected at PEP Boys so it seemed reasonable to consider the fuel pump issue. After the Fuel Pump replacement, the Envoy starts up as if new and has been running fine. You may be able to find a less expensive fuel pump online and get a mechanic to install it for you. But we needed this fixed ASAP as my wife uses the Envoy for her sales rep job and if we had any issues we wanted to be able to bring it back under the 90 day shop guarantee.

Hope this helps!

We started to have the same issue around June last year and got our fuel pump replaced as well. Luckily there was a recall on it. If you didn't get reimbursed for it you should definitely look into it. Bring your receipt to the dealership and get your money back.

So after our fuel pump was replaced the issue came back in December. Our first trip to our local GM repair service center, we were told that we needed our throttle body cleaned out ($320) and that seemed to work for about a month. We were in the middle of downtown San Francisco when the issue decided to come back. I had to pull over on a busy street and this cop decides he wants to shine his light on me to get my attention and tells me to move or we can move it for you. I have my whole family with me and waited about 5 mins to start it up again. We continued further in the busy streets of SF and it happened again. This time I waited about 10 mins and was afraid that during our 30 minute drive back home, it would happen again on the freeway. Luckily it didn't.

Our 2nd trip back to the GM repair service center, they had no clue what was going on and had to contact their tech support. What they told me next was not what I wanted to hear. They said that it could be the ECU that's causing the problem, due to high voltage readings and after replacing that if the issue comes back they will need to replace the throttle body. So basically they were telling me that after we replace the ECU we will be putting your family in danger if you decide to drive this vehicle, because we're just throwing darts in the dark here. We ended up agreeing to get the ECU replaced and they tried to charge me over $800 but after some haggling and complaining they agreed to give us some assistance and brought it down to $500. So now the total for this same issue is up to $825.

Replacing the ECU only lasted 3 weeks. This time I was in a drive trough at 9pm with my family and the neighborhood did not look too friendly. There were bums in the parking lot begging for money. I will be bringing the vehicle back to them tomorrow and see what they have to say. This should be interesting.

ladywolf2u

I have a 2004 gmc envoy xuv I am having an issue with not wanting to start have to turn the key multiple times to get it started replaced 2 j fuses that didn't help..I can run the car for a bit and turn ut off it will restart.had it on the computer doesn't show problems.anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?

rj123456

My 2002 GMC Envoy XL has had problems starting. My wife (who normally drives this) gave it up for dead but I was able to start it after 4 attempts. Each time it also makes a strange cranking sound. My wife said she saw the windshield wiper spray on each of her attempts to start it. I am going to drive it around and hope the problem goes away (left the engine running right now!). What could the cause of this be??

dragonrob

Hey guys and gals, I was experiencing almost the same problem. My friends 2004 straight 6 4.2l GMC Envoy with 202k was stalling at red lights and stop signs within 4-7 seconds of idle. Now here's some history on the vehicle first. This car is owned by a woman that thought more oil would fix her low oil pressure problem. I drained 3 GALLONS OF OIL out. She had another 2-3 quarts in the opening where the coil packs are. The car needed a new valve cover gasket desperately. So I changed the valve cover gasket(around 30 bux) and all the spark plugs(another 30). Cleaned cleaned cleaned everything in sight, you can now eat off the motor(table for 2 anyone?). Put the car back together and still the same issue with low oil pressure/stalling. Then I took the throttle body off the car. Saw it was all gunked up. I cleaned it with 91% isopropyl alcohol, a screw driver for heavy deposits, a razor knife for less heavy deposits and about 8 paper towels. I put everything back together and tada, dinner for 2 on a chilly spring night. Car idles at 600-625 with no accessories and 625-675 with everything running. Now I've let the truck idle for about an hour to see if anything else was wrong. I fixed the problem. It does have a very small tick somewhere in the motor. almost sounds like a valve or lifter. I figure a bottle of seafoam or lucas will fix that. total amount spent on diag and fixing..... about a dollars worth of alcohol and paper towels and about 45 minutes worth of my time. this is not including the 60.00 for the tune up. Next, loaded struts from rockauto.

nelson46

it seems every one that own an envoy has stalling problems. i had it on my envoy too. my sugestion is for those who doesnt know.. clean the throtle body real good with throtle body cleaner and the maf sensor. with maf sensor cleaner

cbkenney

I have a 2007 GMC Envoy, last night driving on the highway 60-65mph it just shut down. Luckily I was in the right lane and just coasted over. All lights came on, put it into park and tried to start it up, after a couple of tries it started and stall right away, a couple of seconds later tried again and it started and I drove off to the next exit. Made it a couple more miles and went to turn in to a gas station and it just died. Could not get it to turn over or any thing. Put in to park, turn on the 4 ways and called AAA. While sitting there for 45 minutes waiting on the tow truck it drained the battery completely. Went to get it loaded on the tow truck and could not get the vehicle out of park to neutral or any other gear, plus the keys would not come out. Took it back to the dealership I purchased it from two months ago and the have no luck locating the problem? Ignition switch issue? Pcm and fuses? Any help would  be appreciated? This seems to be a manufacturing issue, is GM stepping up to the plate and making this right???

gabrielle4

My 2004 Envoy idles around 600 when in park..if the air or heat are on and the truck is in gear, the oil pressure drops until I give it some gas..I work with AC systems and I feel like my engine is being smothered..I'm taking it tomorrow to be looked at but I'm going to have them check the diverter door. If it is remaining open allowing the fan to blow air through the heater core, then that explains the hot air. this door is often controlled by engine vac or/and electric door motor closing device. 

Look under the glove box at the passengers feet. A small servo motor that turns hot and cold air valve in the heater box. Pull the small flat motor off and see if the shaft is jammed.. (if jammed, the shaft will not turn when you moved the temperature selector knob from hot to cold. 

You can manually open and close the door, you just have to do so every time you want the heat/air to work..

This link shows how to check the diverter door 
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y4-WlE6-Nkc

Umju

cjckentucky said:

I have a 2005 Envoy mine does the same thing. If I turn the heat or air off it seems to do fine. I also have a problem with it accelerating on it's own.

Hi, was wondering if you figured out the problem. I have a 04 envoy and I have the same problem, its scary. Can you help with a solutuon?