2001 suburban check engine soon light

I just turned 100k on my 2001 Suburban. In the morning, the engine runs
pretty rough but with smooth out after it warms up.

When it did this first, my CHECK ENGINE SOON light would flash but turn
off after it warms up. But later, the light just stayed and would not
go off.

I took to the dealer and they could not figure out what was wrong and
reset the light. They said that the trouble code that was recorded was
a bad catalytic converter. After a few days, the light came back on but
turned off after being on a few days.

But now, the light has gone back one. Anybody got an idea what to look
for? It sounds like I have a lousy dealer and I can not afford to keep
dropping it there with the hassle of getting a loaner car, etc.

In case it helps, I occasionally get a puff of white smoke but this
only happens once in a while.

Leaking injector, gas pooling in an intake runner, fouling that spark
plug on startup. Rough running/miss. And finally Cat unable to cope with
the raw gas. If this is the case, you might try some of the 2-stage fuel
system cleaning processes offered by some of the service centers. Then
hope there is no permanent damage to the Cat.

KenG

wrote:
> I just turned 100k on my 2001 Suburban. In the morning, the engine runs
> pretty rough but with smooth out after it warms up.
>
> When it did this first, my CHECK ENGINE SOON light would flash but turn
> off after it warms up. But later, the light just stayed and would not
> go off.
>
> I took to the dealer and they could not figure out what was wrong and
> reset the light. They said that the trouble code that was recorded was
> a bad catalytic converter. After a few days, the light came back on but
> turned off after being on a few days.
>
> But now, the light has gone back one. Anybody got an idea what to look
> for? It sounds like I have a lousy dealer and I can not afford to keep
> dropping it there with the hassle of getting a loaner car, etc.
>
> In case it helps, I occasionally get a puff of white smoke but this
> only happens once in a while.
>

The ONLY way to determine the problem is to have the computer codes read and
analyze from there. You can guess all you want and not fix it. If it is
under warranty and the dealer can't fix it find another dealer or park it
on his service line until he does. There are a lot of things he can check
with the OBDII tester to help determine the problem.......


> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just turned 100k on my 2001 Suburban. In the morning, the engine runs
> pretty rough but with smooth out after it warms up.
>
> When it did this first, my CHECK ENGINE SOON light would flash but turn
> off after it warms up. But later, the light just stayed and would not
> go off.
>
> I took to the dealer and they could not figure out what was wrong and
> reset the light. They said that the trouble code that was recorded was
> a bad catalytic converter. After a few days, the light came back on but
> turned off after being on a few days.
>
> But now, the light has gone back one. Anybody got an idea what to look
> for? It sounds like I have a lousy dealer and I can not afford to keep
> dropping it there with the hassle of getting a loaner car, etc.
>
> In case it helps, I occasionally get a puff of white smoke but this
> only happens once in a while.
>

Sounds interesting. I had the injectors cleaned TWICE in the last few
months. In fact, the dealer charged for their method of cleaning even
though I had some kind of drip cleaning process done about 4 weeks
earlier from a local shop (done for PM and nothing else). I figured the
dealer must be a better method so I went ahead and paid for it again.

Assuming it may (is) a leaking injector, is there a way to test these?
Is there a way to determine which one it may be. I am an old school guy
(44 yrs old) and do not have experience with fuel injectors an how to
diagnois them.

Check your spark plugs. If one is leaking, the plug will likely show
some signs of a rich condition. It might no be so clear if more than one
is leaking. On a more ominous note, I just reread your original post...
You mentioned a puff of white smoke occasionally. This is important....
was the smoke white (coolant) or blue (oil). Both are bad but have
different actions needed. Please describe the circumstances you get this
puff of smoke. Basically there are 3 sets of circumstances.
1. White smoke at startup only none at any other time.
2. Puff of blue smoke after decelleration for a stop light, at the
moment you step on the gas again.
3. Blue smoke all of the time.

1. Indicates the dreaded intake manifold gasket leak. There are some
more serious manifestations of this issue. White smoke all the time, or
worse yet water in oil.

2. Indicates worn valve guides and/or bad valve stem seals.

3. Worn rings.

Coolant being burned in the combustion chamber can damage both O2
sensors and cataleptic converter. #1 usually shows up earlier than 100K,
but is about right for #2, #3 would be about 80K+ too early.

Until you figure this out keep a close eye on your coolant level, and
your oil. Both could give you an indication of what's going on.

KenG

wrote:
> Sounds interesting. I had the injectors cleaned TWICE in the last few
> months. In fact, the dealer charged for their method of cleaning even
> though I had some kind of drip cleaning process done about 4 weeks
> earlier from a local shop (done for PM and nothing else). I figured the
> dealer must be a better method so I went ahead and paid for it again.
>
> Assuming it may (is) a leaking injector, is there a way to test these?
> Is there a way to determine which one it may be. I am an old school guy
> (44 yrs old) and do not have experience with fuel injectors an how to
> diagnois them.
>

I think the smoke issue falls under #1. It seems more white than
anything else but I don't notice it all of the time but that might be
because of the direction of the wind. I certainly do not fall under
option #2 or #3.

My engine has always burned oil since I go though a quart every 3000
miles.

When I first brought my car in to the dealer for this starting problem,
they replaced all of my spark plugs, I will inspect them to see if
there any color difference.