I have a hard starting problem on a 2.2 swap we just did.

 

Here is some history:

 

96 outback wagon, automatic, bad 2.5 engine, 2 cylinders burning oil and then lost a pulley and kabam....bad engine

 

found 95 2.2 automatic bad body, good engine

ran the 2.2, it ran well even after having sat for about 6 months

 

pulled the 2.5 out of the 96, pulled the 95 2.2 out and gave it the new head gasket,timing belt, water pump, pulley set off ebay. Even had to replace the plastic timing cover as both were trashed. Gave the dealer the vin off the 95 car with the 2.2, go the new cover put it all back together.

 

Had a helluva time gettign the motor to start. Finally When we started the car, it smoked for like an hour. We thought, that old motor must have been burning a ton of oil and it was deposited in the exhaust system.

 

Now it starts hard. I serched on hard start and came up with a list to consider.

 

We did swap the temp Sensor off the 2.5 and it did not make a difference.

 

Here is my list from the search:

 

• change Crank and or cam position sensor
  
• check for intake vacuum leaks or carbon deposits in intake manifold
  
• Temperature sensor- there are two, some people reported that the temp sensor for the dash was replaced in instead of the one for the engine.
  
• Old or new plugs in engine can cause a hard start.
  
• old tank of gas will cause a hard start if it has been sitting too long
  
• check fuel volume and pressure when car is stone cold to see if it is a fuel pressure regulator issue.
  
• swap coil from other motor
  
• leaky injectors flooding engine – donor engine did sit for a bit
  
• battery is bad
  
• bad fuel filter
  
• over advance timing
  
• car is just a piece of s.... and should be crushed- just kidding
  
• Check the Idle air control motor. It may need to be cleaned out.
  

any other obvious or not so obvious ideas are welcome.

 

Thanks in advance!!!

Did you intsall a new PVC valve?

 

Also once it starts, how does it run in general?

double check to make sure the timing belt is lined up properly. if you need help ican take a poke at it.

 

usually a bad crank or cam sensor(cm sensor in my case with a 95) will cause starting issues once the engine is warm.

 

if you need a spare part i have sensors from my 91 legacy engine. the napa on state

did you switch or at least compare the 2.2 and 2.5 crank gear to see if they are the same?

crank/cam gears don't need switched on these older engine swaps, i've never done it.

 

hard starts after engine swaps are often vacuum leaks. spray some starting fluid all around the engine bay, if it fires up while spraying you have a vacuum leak.

 

i would also double check timing belt installation and plugs/wires.

 

if you put aftermarket wires on it, that might be your issue. these engines should only get Subaru wires, they're not forgiving. i've seen brand new aftermarket wires make a car undrivable before.

i have done one of these swaps before, hollar at me if you want me to poke at it. i'll do it for my own entertainment and a cup of coffee. 414-793-7728

Thanks everybody. I will let you know what happens.

Here is an update:

 

rechecked the timing belt -installed new belt- no change

 

dropped some injector cleaner in and a fresh tank of gas -no change.

 

Once car starts and is warm, runs great

swapped temp sensors from another motor- no change ordered a new one to try tomorrow just for kicks

 

swapped injectors from another motor-no change

 

installed different ECU- no change

 

will install a different know working coil just to see if that helps

 

Fortunatley, I have lots of free or cheap parts lying around, but this is getting old.

 

I am open to ideas here. Anyone got any ideas what to try next. My mechanic is ready to throw his hands up on this one and he has never not been able to fix a subaru for me.

Did the donor engine run?

 

Hard start and smoking, this should be a no brainer. Stop just replacing parts and think about it. It is hard to start, cranks for a while, and smokes once it starts. Runs fine when warmed up.

 

How about a bed negine temp sensor. It is flooding on startup, hence the hard start and the smoke.

 

 

nipper

Thanks for the response Nipper.

 

The donor engine started right up and ran well and did not smoke in donor car.

 

The engine does not smoke any longer at start up or running.

 

I think the reason it smoked so bad after the engine swap was that the previous engine was burning oil like a pig and for quite a while. When we pulled th eold 2.5 out of the car, the cyclinders on the right side were showing signs of lots of oil consumption. With the new engine in, it smoked for 30-45 minutes until it stopped.

 

I think that I agree with you though, either bad temp sensor or bad wiring to the sensor.

 

The only other thing I can think of is perhaps a fuel or timing problem.

 

Any else have an idea. This car has been in the shop forever.

did the cat go bad?

I am wondering, wouldn't I get a CEL if the cat were bad?Also, How would that effect a hard cold start?

I am wondering, wouldn't I get a CEL if the cat were bad?Also, How would that effect a hard cold start?

 

no not all ways pull it down & look if you cant see threw it or if it looks melted you'll know if it is good