Weird Engine Noise

Alright when I got into my car tonight to go out to dinner I started it up like usual. Now usually what happens is that it takes about five seconds of straight cranking to turn over and sometimes if you just hold the key down and do not pause it will not start at all.
The best way to get my car to start is to turn the key and let it crank about two times and then stop wait a sec and then turn the key again and it will go right away.
Now after I get the engine to start there is some hesitation and almost stalling when I press on the gas pedal for about 4-5 seconds and then it stops and does not happen at all when I am driving. However sometimes when I start the car this "stalling" does not happen untill I have pulled out of my driveway and accelerate down my street in drive.
The origional prognosis (which was never treated) was that the valve on the fuel pump which keeps some gas up in the line and prevents it from all falling back into the tank was broken. I dont know if there is any truth in it and I havent looked in to it.
Anyway so I started the car and wanted to warm it up quickly so immediately after it started I pushed on the pedal and gave it a fairly healthy Rev. The engine sputtered as usual but this time there was a loud ping or knock. It only happened once and after it happened it ran fine.
What was that pinging/ knocking noise?
What causes it?
What needs to be done to fix it?

Sorry for the lengthy description. O I have a 1998 I6 with a little over 1K. it has less then a month old spark plugs and this sputtering problem was there before the plugs were replaced.

My 87 would start after a lot of cranking and then it got so bad that it would barely run unless you were at idle. After dealing with this for 2 days I started checking common problems ( TPS, CPS, DIST) When I got my head out of my assgas: and went back to the basics I found I only had 19psi of fuel pressure in the rail. DUH Replaced the fuel pump runs like a champ.

O and you should not REV a cold engine or the noise you will hear will be a bearing spinning on your crank. Then......:repair:

That valve that was diagnosed as faulty is a check valve. Prevents gas from flowing back through the fuel supply line into the tank (keeps pressure in your fuel system). Its common for those to fail. Otherwise, have you replaced your fuel filter? Lack of fuel will cause pinging/knocking.

The fuel check valve is on the fuel rale.....above the intake.....easy fix!

so it you defiently think that it is fuel related?

Sounds like it I would check the check valve. Sounds like it is pretty easy to get to. You could also check fuel pressure at the rail. I know when my pump went out I had some pretty strange noises coming from the engine. It turn's out I was running way lean ( not enuff fuel pressure) even my cat started turning red. Who'd thunk it huh.

I thought a red cat would mean running way rich (IE: unburnt fuel being dumped into the cat)

Also check the vacuum line, maybe the L connectors are cracked too.......never know.

Blaine B. said:

The fuel check valve is on the fuel rale.....above the intake.....easy fix!

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I think the Check valve on the Fuel rail is for TO MUCH pressure, If theres to much it lets its back down the line to the tank. The one that keeps pressure in is on the fuel pump itself. Went through this whole thing exactly.

Oh really, I'll slap the guy that told me otherwise....heh.

Blaine B. said:

Oh really, I'll slap the guy that told me otherwise....heh.

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Do that, because elfwizard is right.

I didn't say he (elf) wasn't, because I flipped my plug order around and everything was fine.......I still have to slap that douche, though. He denys it now though :laugh: