firstsubi Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 So i did some searching on the older posts and got some ideas but don't know that they will be the right answer. Just went out to start my car and go get gas. The gas light was on but Im sure I have enough to make it to the station. Started it up, it ran alright then started sounding like the IAC was hunting for an idle, it would cut out and drop till it was so close to shutting off then catch and idle high again, even if i was giving it gas it would still cut out. I decided to get the car moving and see if it would stay running. Well it didn't, died three houses down the road at the stop sign. Cranks and cranks but nothing! also when its cranking the rpm's will jump around. Any thought's.. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 15, 2010 Author Share Posted December 15, 2010 also right before it died there was a good bit of grey/white smoke coming out of the tail pipe, i opened my door and smelled it and thought it smelled very sulfery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 15, 2010 Author Share Posted December 15, 2010 So i just went back outside and tried to start the car again. And it did start for a second and died,, it was almost as if each cylinder fired once and that was it?? And then nothing again after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 Eliminate the obvious: Put a gallon or two of gas in it. All of the next tier of possible causes are nowhere near as likely as lack of fuel. If you do not have easy access to more gasoline, try a replacement fuel such as starter fluid sprayed into the intake tract (but near the MAF). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 15, 2010 Author Share Posted December 15, 2010 I did add a gal of gas. Put the needle back on top of the E at least. Guessing maybe my distributor rotor screw maybe backed out? Gonna check that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 15, 2010 Author Share Posted December 15, 2010 where is the rotor screw? chilton isn't much help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 guessing the screw is on the post under the flat piece on top? that seemed to be fine, cleaned the contacts as they were dirty. sounded like it wanted to start a little, poured gas in the throttle body and it would start rough for a sec and die out... any suggestions the timing belts are like new so im really doubting they jumped a tooth. Thinking maybe fuel filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 moisture freezing in the fuel lines? running the fuel that low would introduce moistue into the fuel lines/pump, and a low volume of gas would promote moisture condensation in the tank. try HEET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 The last time i filled the tank i added seafoam to the gas. The seafoam says it will get rid of water in the fuel if there is any. Would a bad CTS prevent the car from starting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 any ideas?? I let the car sit for a little while last nite and tried starting it after it sat and it did start so i gave it gas and kept it around 2.5k for two or three seconds but as soon as i let off the gas it died again and wouldn't start. Sound like its just not getting enough fuel? like a clogged fuel filter? And is there only the one fuel filter in the engine bay(EA82)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 So weird, so this morning after letting it sit in the garage all nite, tried to start it and it just cranked and cranked( only tried for 5 sec) but it woulda started after the first two cranks. I was gonna take the fuel filter off and bypass it for a min to see if it would start to pinpoint the filter. tried getting the hoses off but they were pretty thight so i figured i'd do it after work so i don't smell like gas. Tightened the screws on the clamps and saw the the fusible fuses weren't on the coolent overflow, i just moved them half inch back to the coolent holder and tried starting the car, and IT STARTED RIGHT UP!!! WTF think its ok to drive now? lol don't want it to die away from home. But it sounded fine! Drove it around the block twice and it was just like normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 I thought after this morning maybe it was ice but it wasn't! Drove it to work ran fine, started right up during the day and again after work. Drove about 7-8 miles down the road it starts bucking and cutting out but wouldn't stop because the car was running. It did die on me but i pushed the clutch in and started it again. Got to my friends house and it died for good right as I was out front of his house. Bypassed the fuel filter, and pulled and cleaned the plugs. It will start more often but won't hold an idle. I kept the revs at 4k and it would still just cut out and die but catch at maybe 100rpm. Im thinkin maybe IAC, or ECT????? But really have no idea. Any help would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor pole Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 If it started after you moved the fusible links back to the coolant bottle, I might suspect corrosion or a broken wire. I would look at the wiring going to the fusible links and move it around and see if that changes the condition especially if it is running like its supposed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 I did that again and it didn't seem to make a difference. I was reading some other posts and think maybe its a bad output wire on the coil?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 when the car isn't running I hear a clicking and when i put my finger on whats maybe the purge solenoid? I don't know right now the car is stuck at my friends house and i cant do it right now but its in that area from looking at my diagram. It clicks like a turn signal. But i've heard that before and the car ran fine..?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 So at the end of the night I'm thinking the two most likely are the coil and the MAF with the IAC and CTS being third and fourth on the list.. but MAF is really seeming like a good possibility just because the fuel seems to just cut out out of nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Newbaru Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 (edited) Yes yes it could be any of those sensors or senders or switches...I think you've named most everything so far. You would be helping yourself if you owned a book for this vehicle, and a multimeter. You could then reference the book and it would tell you what to look for. I may not be of too much help, but I am a master searcher and have found you this thread. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72411 The poster mentions a clicking relay or something in his first post, and the whole thread is about his 91 loyale not starting. I have not read through the entire thread. If you have a multimeter you could search for how to check various electrical components, that is what I usually do because I never remember what the voltage is supposed to be when the whatever is doing whatever. I would of course make sure the obvious is taken care of which it sounds like you already have. Has fuel, pump runs, all fuses and links and wires are visually checked. I will try to come back to this tomorrow. Edited December 17, 2010 by 93Newbaru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 I have a chilton and voltmeter and was going to try to get back to the car today to try to check the resistances. Not trying to have it towed and have the garage try to figure it out and charge 400 for labor and 200-300 for parts. That would basically total the car lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 The last time i filled the tank i added seafoam to the gas. The seafoam says it will get rid of water in the fuel if there is any. yes, and then you let it get empty again, which will introduce more moisture in the tank in the form of frost. best to NOT let the tank get that low in very cold temps. as for the CTS - yes it can prevent the car from starting if it is bad, as can several of the other items mentioned in this thread. did you happen to notice CEL at all when it started to give problems? if so, getting the stored code would be most helpful. if not - then basics - fuel? air? spark? you mentioned wondering about the fuel filter - filters are relatively cheap so change it if it is suspect. same with air filter check the MAF - is it clean looking or dirty? have you really checked the spark?? should be strong & kind of bluish white in color - if it is weak and/or more yellow, that will also prevent starting. Also - how old are the plugs and/or wires - if they havent been changed in some time, perhaps it is time to do so. Is the gap on the plugs correct? What kind of condition are the plugs in? Spark plugs can tell you a lot about how your vehcile has been running. easy way to check spark - pull one of the sparkplugs, plug it back into the wire (get the wire pulled loose from the holders so it will reach) and using either heavy gloves or some sort of plastic holding tool (plastic kitchen tongs work well here) hold the sparkplug on one of the strut mounting bolts and have a friend try to start the car - watch the spark - should be a strong, bright, blue/white color. if all of the above check out, then it is time to start checking connections/fuses/relays. also check battery and alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 the plugs have about 3k miles on them not sure about the wires tho. Haven't actually checked for spark but pulled the plugs and cleaned them, removed the air filter just to see if it was to restrictive, and also bypassed the fuel filter in case it was clogged. The check engine light has always come on but doesn't blink. I won't let the gas get that low again just in case it is the moisture. But i definatly think it is something sensor related. I can get it to start sometimes but no matter what I do to try to keep it running it feels like im turning the key back to off, it just cuts out and dies, sometimes it will catch its self at the last moment just to die. Also something unrelated but I went to add a little oil and when I pulled the cap off there was thick cream colored stuff stuck on the bottom of the cap. It was almost like greese? Never saw anything like it, sort of thought it smelled a little like gas. But im not worried about that right now just want to get it to start so I can drive it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WASHroad Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 if not - then basics - fuel? air? spark? Add one more to list- Compression Another good starting point is compression. Yep, pull all spark plugs and run a compressioin check to verify all cyclinder are in good working order. Alot of this sounds like a weak cyclinder. If one is down to 80 or less compression it will do strange things.. I fought one for about 5-6 weeks before I finally ran a compression test. There was my trouble. Plus it is alway nice to know all valves/rings/head gaskets are all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 so it wouldnt run on 3 cylinders? idk how to do a compression test so guessing maybe it should go to a garage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 I just called the mechanic and he said it didn't sound like compression but he suggested I check the fuel filters. I told him I bypassed the fuel filter and that wasn't the problem. He said there is another one back by the fuel pump, but when I looked in the chilton it only mentions the one in the engine bay. Is there another one back by the fuel pump? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 18, 2010 Author Share Posted December 18, 2010 So I think I fixed the problem and wanted to thank everyone that posted a reply for trying to help me figure this out. After about 5 min I got the car to start. Seems like it was a dirty MAF sensor. So for anyone else that is having a problem starting/idling I would suggest cleaning the MAF real quick and see if it helps any!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsubi Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 So it wasn't just a dirty MAF sensor, but I still don't know whats wrong with the car. Started a few times fine after that then as I was driving I could feel it stumble a little bit just one stumble at a time and it did it maybe 3 times. Got to where I was going shut the car off went to start it again and it did for a second and died right out. Just turns over but won't start; when it does run it runs fine and you would never know its hard to get started. No idea what the problem is. Thinking maybe the coil, or ignition switch? Would the ignition switch cause it to stop running once its started?? Bout to have it towed to a garage soon. But don't wanna spend so much on something I feel should be a simple fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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