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2000 Forester dies after approximately 5 miles.


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Here is the situation. I have a 2000 forester, automatic, that i just did a 2.2 swap in, and after the swap, which was finished yesterday, it started and ran every time i hit the key. Got it done, cycled the antifreeze, got ready to take it for a drive, got about 4 miles, stopped at the gas station, got gas, restarted it, got about a mile, it died with no warning. Cycle the key, no fuel pump sound, turn it over, no spark. Disconnected the battery, reconected the battery, it starts, goes about a mile, dies again. Tried disconnecting the battery several times, no results. left it sitting on the side of the road approximately an hour, go back, starts right up, goes about 5 miles, quits, wont restart. I tried cycling the key 3 times, just to see if the security system was acting up, no luck. I dont have a remote for it, but i did try to program the remote from my 99 legacy, with no luck. It wont even go into programming mode. I tried to find the button under the dash to disable the security system, and cant find one, and then was told that year didnt have that button. Each time it dies, it acts like the security system is disabling the fuel and spark, but, the security light on the dash never comes on, not even to blink, and disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it, the lights dont flash, and the horn doesnt sound, so i am at a loss as to what could be causing this.

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Perhaps something is heating up and stops working.

Could be the ignition control module.

This is also a typical symptom of a failing crank/camshaft position sensor.

 

Double check all of the wire harness connectors and sensor connectors to make sure they're plugged in all the way.

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I would doubt it is the Ignition control module, only because, i pulled the original 2.5 3 days ago, and it was running fine with the old engine, but knocking bad, which is the reason for the swap, swapped the cam and crank gear, put in a new timing belt, components, and water pump, but i didnt swap the crank or cam sensor, but, if it was one of those, wouldnt that cause a code to at least be pending? The last time it died, i just left it on the side of the road, and havent went back and got it yet. I didnt even unhook the battery this last time. But, would a bad cam or crank sensor cause it to lose spark and fuel?

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Yes it could. The ECU needs input from both to determine spark and injection timing.

Signal from only one or the other and it won't know what to do.

 

Also, if you unhooked the battery before checking for codes, any stored codes would be erased.

 

Electronic components like the igniter usually fail due to heat cycling causing a break in one of the solder joints or traces on the PCB. Then when the part heats up, the broken trace/ solder joint opens up and breaks a connection to power, ground, signal, etc.

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Ok, some clarification. I only unhooked the battery the first time it died, and then the second time. Since then, i havent unhooked it. I have started it at least 15 times, drove it about 5 miles, it dies, then let it sit, drove it about a mile, it died again, which means, in total, it has died on me 7 times since i started driving it, of those, i only unhooked the battery the first 2 times it died.  As for the igniter, i am leaning away from that, only because before i pulled the engine i didnt have any issues with it. The cam and crank sesnor though, are the ones that came with the 2.2 when i got it. I got a used 2.2 from a car that i knew ran well, but then got wrecked, and i never asked the guy who owned the car if he had any issues with it. For all i know, the cam or crank sensor could have been bad, and it died on him, and caused it to get hit, so, i will swap them in the morning and see what happens. Is there an easy way to get the crank sensor out without fighting with it though? Everytime i try to take one out, they break.

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Latest developments with this issue, as well as some more info. I used the 2.2 bottom end in this swap, changed the crank and cam pulleys from the 2.5, and the intake and wiring from the 2.5. I went to pick the car up this morning, drove it home, ran fine, no issues, pulled in my driveway, shut it off, restarted it, was running, and then it died. Changed the crank and cam sensor, new oem crank sensor, known good cam sensor from old engine. Will not start, acts like it is getting no fuel, and isnt showing a spark. Went to see if it had any pending codes, and it shows P1510, P1512, P1514, and P1516, all IAC codes, and no other codes. What is odd is, the way the car dies. Except for the one time in my driveway when it died at idle, the other times it died, i was between 25 and 30, the second time was right around 55, the third time, i was doing 40 going up a hill, and the last time, i was doing 15 just starting up a hill. Wouldnt the IAC only cause it to die at idle, and not under load? What it will do is, lose power, slowly coast to a stop with the engine surging between 250 and 600 RPM's, and, also, chug kind of like a diesel does, and then would just quit, and not want to restart, unless i let it sit at least an hour or more.

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Ok, latest update. Cleaned the IAC, still wont start. Checked to make sure they were the only codes showing, cleared them, shut the key off, turned the key back on, and without even trying to start it, the codes came back.

 

Ok, latest update. Cleaned the IAC, still wont start. Checked to make sure they were the only codes showing, cleared them, shut the key off, turned the key back on, and without even trying to start it, the codes came back.

 

Yes, it's an expensive part. Sorry.

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Ok, i figured it out, as well as learned a very valuable lesson. Lesson 1, dont let anyone help who doesnt know cars. One of the main harness connectors wasnt all the way connected, and, he broke the cam sensor connector, so it wouldnt stay connected. The harness connector that wasnt all the way connected, is why the IAC was acting up. The other thing i learned, if you are swapping the 2.5 bottom end with a 2.2 bottom end in a 2000 to 2004, swap the cam and crank sensor, crank and drivers side cam pulleys, all from the 2.5, over to the 2.2, as well as the temp sensor, and complete intake, especially if the 2.2 bottom end that you get is used. It will save a lot of headaches in the long run, if you swap those parts ahead of time.

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