The weirdest problem with a Cobalt yet!
I was on my way home today and coming down this hill that was like three miles long. So being the hick I am, I turn the car off and then kick the key forward to get the speedo and keep the wheel turning while I am free wheeling. So all is well, i am coasting, thinking how smart and suave I am for saving gas... bwahahaha. So as the road swings back up another hill, I go to start the car. It starts but the gas gage plummets to empty. The LOW FUEL message comes up and then the tach dies. Then the DIC goes away. And now all I have left is the speedometer. So I get home with only the speedo working, completely pissed off. I go inside, call up the dealership where my brother works and make an appointment for the car. I go back outside to move it on to the lawn where I can wash it. I start the car and the tach, gas gage and DIC are working just fine!

I was like, OK. This is a good thing.

So anyways, any of you folks have ANYTHING like this happen? Or am I just special?

Scott
05 Cobalt base coupe

 

lol you had to go the extra mile... just putting it in neutral isn’t good enough?

 

I suppose it's possible that the computer just reset itself after you got home and completed the "trip". I wouldn't worry about it unless it comes up again for no reason.

 

You know you're a Redneck if....

 

actually it takes more gas to start your car then to idle for like 10 minutes, just to let ya know lol

 

Very true....

 

Lol..... He did say he was a redneck didnt he? sorry i had too, nothing meant by it...!












_____________________________

05 Black SS - Red inserts

 

nope
average car, meaning with a stock fuel system
2 ounces to start a car, 1 ounce to idle per minute
i read a study done on it

 

I'm not a real redneck, i just play one on tv.
I wasn't aware of that study... I guess you do learn something every day. I used to do this all the time with my Cavalier, and the cars before that, except the automatics.

At least it's good to know that it wasn't anything serious or that I broke anything.



Thanks for the answers, ya bunch a wiseasses!

Scott

 

You are completely correct. In fact the difference is usually much larger than that. It takes about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of fuel to start a car engine, and about 1.1L/hour to idle (0.29 gallons per hour for the Americans).

So...idling for like 5 minutes would be about 92 ml or 18 teapsoons of gas. So idling for 5 minutes is about 36 times worse than shutting your car off.

I guess this is why they slap you with a $105 ticket in Toronto if you're caught idling for more than 10 minutes...

 

So the other day the fog in the morning was bad. So I had to manual turn on my headlights since the sensor doesn't pick fog. (Stupid thing). So I get to work and
turn off the car. Well I left the headlights on, Strange part was a always get everything
out of the car I need after I turn it off and open the door. No bell ding, nothing.
Come out at 3pm, car keyless entry won't work. I'm like hmmm? So I put the key in the door and got in and put the key in ignition. No start. I'm like, Frickin great. Now, I turn the key back, and it won't come out. That's is fricking retarded chevy! Like I want to leave my
car, unlock with all my keys on the ring, in the ignition and go find help. So I called Chevy assist, great people. In the meatime, got a hot shot. They told me I need to charge up the battery (before turning it over to start the car) for 15minutes. WTF??? So I'm driving on the Beltway and I look down and the speedo says 110mph. And people are passing me.
I get to a red light off a ramp and the speedo reads, 31 mph at a dead stop. Check engine light was on. Turned car off for an hour. Engine light went off. Put speedo still screwed up. So I had to take it to the dealer again and have the Comp. Reset. So if your battery dies by accident, this will most likely happed to you.

 

the subject to this thread is "one weird problem" the problem is the user. Saving gas with the engine off going down hill? IN A 4 CYLINDER?!?!?!?! Dude we get good enough gas mileage, to start. And turning off your car in motion is stupid. I think the breaks get really stiff and hard to stop after 2 or 3 pumps....risking a accident just to start. No offense man but it amazes me what people on this forum do to their cars...this is one of those things.

 

IMAO i would never turn off my cobalt while driving, breaks and turning don't work worth a **** without power. And i have turned my headlights on manually and the car dings at you when you take your keys out to tell you they are on.

 

What!??!

 

wow thats a retaded law....

 

How on earth did you find this thread? Its been inactive for 15 months.

 

LOL

Good question, i didint even notice the date LOL

 

for ***** and giggles, one day when i was coming down a HUGE like 10 mile hill, you literally don't have to press the gas the whole way down, i put the car in nuetral and coasted all the way... my dic said 99mpg...