Issue with the Cobalt recall fix...it isn't fixed

[diabeticman]

Well, we had one of the recalled Cobalts and it finally got fixed last month but I need to take it back. My wife drives the car the most and after the replacement of the ignition switch ( and putting in a new battery because when we first took the call to deal with the issue the first dealer claimed our issue is a battery one and not a recall problem.) My wife is noticing issues.


When my wife got in the car one day about a week after the switch was replaced; she found the engine didn't turn over quickly. She didn't think that much about it she just thought it was getting use to the new key and ignition shaft. However when she got out of the car after driving a faint smell of gas in the car and when she got out it was a little more insistent but she had just gotten gas and just figure ir was the smell from that.

But the issue is getting worse. Yesterday my wife took my mom to the mall after they had been in the mall they came out and my wife had to turn the key 3 times before the engine came on and after driving my mom home who notice the gas smell in and out of the car and when she drove it back to our place my wife said the smell in and out of the car overwhelmed her.

Today she had not driven the car at all BUT when I did open the car to get a bag for her I was overwhelmed by the scent of gas.

My wife is taking it back up to the Chevy dealer tomorrow.

any suggestions other than we should have done this sooner...

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. I'd have the dealer come tow it to their shop and give you a rental. That's scary!

[Electric Monk]

2. You wrote Colbot (twice) but I'm pretty sure you meant Cobalt. You might want to fix that. nt

[diabeticman]

3. fixed. sorry I probably say it wrong too.

[madokie]

4. Make them come get it

gasoline is highly flammable and will burn you up

[BlueJazz]

7. Amen to that. Smelling very strong gasoline can be a BIG deal.

[bhikkhu]

5. It would be a problem with the evap system

and completely unrelated to the recall. The fuel delivery and vapor recovery system is a whole different part of the car, and replacing the ignition switch doesn't require work anywhere near it, or affect it at all.

The fuel system, gas tank and the evaporative recovery system should be 100% sealed and release no fuel vapors. Several things can go wrong with them, and usually shops use a "smoke machine" to inject pressurized smoke into the gas tank or test port so they can find out where the is. Most of the time its a hose somewhere, but expect to pay a diagnostic charge (unless its under warranty) and get a call with an estimate. If the dealer is too expensive, a lot of independent shops have smoke machines too.

[diabeticman]

6. That is helpful. Thanks. We still have the problem of the car not starting as soon as the key is

turn. would that be part of the problem with the Evap system?

[bhikkhu]

8. There's a check valve in the fuel pump that retains fuel pressure

and usually the fuel pressure regulator hold pressure in the lines on the engine side. Pressure loss there would lead to a fuel-starved starting problem. That wouldn't ordinarily be a symptom of an evap leak, but there are also various valves and solenoids, depending on the exact system, that might let pressure bleed off, or that could soak the charcoal canister and cause the opposite - a too-rich mixture at start-up. The diagnostics are fairly easy on newer cars, usually.

[diabeticman]

9. Thank you. With this info I will take it to our family machanic who is cheaper and does work we

trust. The dealer wasn't all that nice.

[bhikkhu]

11. That's probably a decent way to go

If he doesn't have a smoke machine it can be harder to figure out, but there's other ways of doing it. If he's been around for awhile, diagnosing fuel and evap problems is pretty much old-hat, not too hard usually. Good luck!

[Takket]

12. It probably isn't an accident this started

Right after OP was at the dealer for something else. They probably sabotaged the car to get more money in more repairs.

[tkmorris]

10. I'm just surprised there are Cobalts still on the road

I can't remember the last time I saw one.