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cold start stall/hesitation


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now that the weather has finally cooled off, when i go to start my lovely sube in the morning, it starts fine, revs fine, usually wont stay running unless i give it some gas, and if i try to drive off too soon, the engine will stall and wont start up again unless the throttle is wide open. then it will chug at around 50 rpm for while and then eventually picks up. other times it doesnt stall, but will be very hesistant and i have trouble getting up to 35mph until the engine is up to full operating temp.

 

any input on where to start would be awesome, thanks guys!

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any ideas guys? might it be ignition timing? the frustrating thing is that the problem magically disappears once i hit operating temp. this morning when i tried to warm it up, with the gas pedal slightly depressed, the engine would rev to about 3k, then fall down to about 300, and then back up to 3k and back down. after a while it stopped, and ran like a top. this is killing me!:mad:

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Sounds like its still not getting enough fuel. Have you fiddled with the idle mixture screw yet? If not, then try it. Anticlockwise will give you more fuel at idle. when the engine is warm set the trottle screw so that you have about 900rpm. Then turn the idle screw anticlockwise untill the rpm starts to drop, then wind it back in a little.

 

Do you have a workshop manual?

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i have set the idle mixture screw. and a correction to my last post, today even after it was warm it ran like crap. seems like the carb isnt getting fuel at the rate it should to stay full. when i accel quickly in 1st, its ok, then when i shift to 2nd, it runs like crap. if i accel very gently (only revving to about 2.5k) and dont gas it too much, it is ok for longer, but then starts to hesitate and run bad, if i push the clutch in and let the engine speed drop for a bit, and then resume, it is ok for a bit, and then acts up again. i plan on replacing the fuel filter soon. that was replaced when i got the car ( about 9 months ago) but it seems like there is a blockage/lack of flow from the tank to the carb. fuel pumps are pretty much go/no go right? can they go bad in a way that they would just have reduced flow?

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so i just replaced the fuel filter, and its all better! the gas coming out of the in side of the old filter was a rather unpleasant rusty orangish reddish color. is there any way of cleaning out my tank aside from taking it off and getting it steamed? or should i just keep replacing filters every time it does this?

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I had the EXACT same issue. I have an 88 GL Wagon, EA82, 3AT transmission. I fixed it by (firstly listening to the guys on this site):

 

COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR!!!!! - That was the majority of the issue, once it was replaced, the cold start issue disappeared. She fires right up every time, and I don't have to give it gas to start it anymore and there's no more holding the throttle open all the way anymore either if it stalls. - I bought a multimeter and pulled my CTS out and it had ZERO reading. Pulled the wires off of where they connect to the screw/thermal piece and found that one wire was disconnected - hence no reading from it. Replacing the sensor was a HUGE differnce for me and aparently it's a common issue.

 

IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE!!!! - Mine was gummed up so it was idling all over the place. I just took it off, cleaned it out with carb cleaner and haven't had an issue since.

 

AIR INTAKE!!!! - Mine had a bunch of goo in it, so cleaning that out with carb cleaner also stopped it from running rough.

 

Before I did these things, I learned how to read the ECU codes which also confirmed the CTS issue. I would suggest pulling your codes, identifying your Coolant Temperature Sensor and testing it first...if thats your issue then you will be suprised how much of a difference it makes to have a working one.

 

Good luck!

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There really isn't a good way to clean it out while on the vehicle, but if you get it off there are a lot of options. You could try electolysis(google it), You could wash it out, maybe put some nuts and small bolts in the cleaning solution then slosh it all around to knock the rust off. Then coat with POR-15 or other tank sealer so it doesn't rust up again. It may be easier to just replace the tank too.

 

Do you fill the tank all the way every time you get gas? Allowing some space above the gas at all times is a bad idea. Moisture builds in that space and rusts the tank.

 

It may have just been normal build up too. to be sure, change the fuel filter again at the next oil change and see what comes out. Since it's carbed and has a low pressure fuel system, you could use a clear plastic filter between the pump and tank.

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i always fill up all the way. it is carb'ed, so i dont think i have a IAC, and the choke is working. i will check the contacts on the cts, where is that located? also, the starter on my soob died yesterday after it stalled on a busy street:mad: so i am going to replace that this weekend, and might just replace the cts while i am at it. it has trouble starting in the cold mornings, itll start, i have to gas it a bit to keep it going, and then it seems to be running fine, but if i go to start moving it dies, i have to crank it giving it no gas for 30-60 sec, then it turns over and is fine to go (a bit down on power, but that is expected when it's cold). any ideas there?

 

thanks for all the help!

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i always fill up all the way. it is carb'ed, so i dont think i have a IAC, and the choke is working. i will check the contacts on the cts, where is that located? also, the starter on my soob died yesterday after it stalled on a busy street:mad: so i am going to replace that this weekend, and might just replace the cts while i am at it. it has trouble starting in the cold mornings, itll start, i have to gas it a bit to keep it going, and then it seems to be running fine, but if i go to start moving it dies, i have to crank it giving it no gas for 30-60 sec, then it turns over and is fine to go (a bit down on power, but that is expected when it's cold). any ideas there?

 

thanks for all the help!

 

Seriously...that sure sounds like what was happenning when my CTS was bad. Mine is located right under/beside the thermostat housing. Mine has a light green connector that has two wires running from the connector to what appears to be a bolt. I can't upload an image otherwise I would...

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