This happened last year and the dealer couldn't find any problem. I've got a 5.7L 8cyl, 4WD. It acted like this twice today. Starts up, chugs and shakes, then shuts off. I then started it up and it did it again. But the third time was a charm, and it ran fine. Is this a battery problem? Ethanol gas?

 

I'm guessing a fuel supply issue. Possibly a small amount of moisture in the fuel.

 

Is it only cold weather? i wonder if its not an icing throttlebody or a sticking iac

 

It actually does it at all temperatures, even near 100 degrees like last summer.

I'm thinking maybe it's the cheap gas after all? I filled up with "Circle K" 87 octane last time.

 

EGR valve not closing, causing exhaust to choke out engine? Then the valve finishes closing on the second time cranking? My old 89 pickup used to do the same thing sometimes, but it always has this really long crank that I couldn't figure out either. I didn't really care enough to figure it out though.

I guess you'd have to have a fuel pressure gauge on it to see what's going on when it stalls out like that.