2009 silverado 5.3 rough idle misfire 7

Asked by Shawna Oct 29, 2023 at 11:04 AM about the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Crew Cab 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My truck sat for almost a year because i ran over something and it busted my
gas tank and i had another car so i didn't need it. my husband took the tank
off and then stopped working on it and then he passed away from a car
accident which put me in need of the truck. I put the tank on it wouldn't start
so i replaced the pump and it didn't get good fuel on the rail and check
engine light was on. It said that i needed fuel module so i changed that. It
worked and I took it and go a tune up, it ran fine for about a month.
Now its started running awful. When its idling its missing when i shift it into
drive and hit the gas its giving a funny kind of knock but only when gassing it.
It got so bad that i couldn't drive it in D I had to put in it manual and drive it
with rpm pegged a 2000. I checked the codes and it was giving me misfire on
7, and 2 codes for cats. It felt like it wasn't taking gas right so i got a bottle of
injector cleaner and it ran much better.  As the tank got closer to empty it
began with the funny knock again. It not got as bad as it was before but its on
its way.
Yesterday i checked the codes again to see if anything had changed and it
was now giving me misfire on 7, mass air flow code, one about emission
small leak, and the cat codes are gone. Does anyone know what could be
causing this? I dont have much money right now and really cant afford to
take it to dealership. Thanks

4 Answers

307,255

This sounds like a fuel quality problem, before spending any money on repairs fail the tank with Chevron mid grade fuel and drive it around and see if it improves. As the system had been open for so long there could be corrosion in the lines, so just hope it is minor and the Techron in the fuel will work. When you’re ready to fill up again go back to regular gas. No reason to spend money on higher octane when the engine doesn’t need it.

155,245

The EVAP system code could be a vacuum leak. Check your vacuum hoses for damage or being disconnected. If your truck sat outside for the year you didn't use it mice or a squirrel could have moved in and chewed up a vacuum hose. Also, the EVAP system is involved with the gas tank and fuel pump assembly. So you could have a loose vacuum hose there. With the one cylinder misfiring it could be a sticky fuel injector from sitting. They can get gummed up. Hopefully the Chevron Cleaner will get it working again. In the meantime make sure cylinder number seven has spark. If it does, compression test that cylinder. If compression is good, around 150 PSI or higher, then it's going to be the fuel injector. Oh, check the spark plug wire, if applicable, going to cylinder number seven as well. Rodents like to chew on wires too! Hope that helps! Jim

202,415

If you've been driving it for that long, I think it's gotten enough fuel through it to clean up anything in the lines. When vehicles just sit unrun for so long, things happen to sensitive parts, like electronics. Now you do need a mechanic. Have a good mechanic diagnose the problems, show you the codes and explain what's related. That shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks, but then you'll have all the directions you need to do the work yourself..... Sorry to hear about your predicament, but this will be the least costly way to go and the quickest way to get the truck back to running right.

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