My Subaru has the ea82 SPFI motor in it. The car starts, however once you start it, it'll stall 3 seconds later. I can hit the throttle and it will run continually but runs rough when you try to accelerate. You have to find the sweet spot. Also when I put sea foam through the vacuum system it runs smoothly on idle and acceleration.

 

Another question- there are two solenoid valves on the top of the motor. Are they both egr vacuum solenoid valves, or what are they? I know one of them is the egr solenoid valve, any help is appreciated

Plugged fuel filter?  poor fuel pump pressure? bad gas?

How many miles and did the vehicle ever sit for an extended period of time (1 year or more without being driven)?

 

Do those have engine codes like MPFI, i think they do, if so read them immediately.

 

Obvious starting point is tune up stuff: are the spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor original 30 year old parts?

 

are the timing components also original? They could easily be compromised. Pull the side covers and look (3 10 millimeter bolts, takes 15 minutes to check)

 

Idle control valves often stick. Clean first then replace.

 

CTS are often problematic as well.

1 solenoid is the egr enable / disable. The other is part of the vapor recovery system. Neither will cause noticeable drivability problems. The ecu will give a code for those if they fail.

 

What the others wrote, gas, wires, filters, cts. Read the codes.

 

Yes, the ea82 has an ecu. Remove the plastic panel above the pedals, and you can see a red led blinking through a hole in the edge facing the drivers seat.

Also, check for vacuum leaks.

I have replaced the whole fuel system- pump, filter, tank, tank cap, injector, IAC Valve, TPS (properly adjusted to specs)

 

The car has only 160,000 original miles on it, and yes it has been sitting for 6 years. Hence why I replaced the fuel system. I have not replaced any distributor parts. I have replaced the timing belts and they are correctly timed. The throttle body is completely spotless of dirt and debris. The fuel pressure regulator has been replaced, and is working fantastic. 38 psi of fuel pressure coming from the fuel pump. Clean fresh fuel. I have not replaced the CTS, should I try doing it?

Try cleaning the contacts inside the distributor cap.

 

Test the CTS. It's resistance varies with engine temperature. There is a chart in the fsm. I have posted readings on another thread. I don't have access to them atm.

Obvious starting point is a fuel pressure check.

38 psi is much too high.

SPFI should be around 21 psi.

Better double check the regulator and return line.

Ok. Sounds good.

Naru- I rechecked the fuel pressure. After replacing dampers, I've discovered that it has 23 psi of pressure on the fuel system

Why would the CTS control the idle/rpm issues it may have?

I'm still trying to keep it simple...

Take off the air box and spray in some starter fluid? Does it run longer than 3 seconds?  can you keep it running by spraying in starter fluid? <don't get crazy with it>

 

What else haven't you told us you've done to it?

Yes- it'll run off starting fluid all day long

Sea foam through the vacuum lines makes it run great as well

But it's injecting the fuel properly. It's gotta be a sensor problem

 

Why would the CTS control the idle/rpm issues it may have?

 

Because the computer adjusts fuel mixture,timing and idle speed according to the coolant temperature.

Try running it w/the CTS disconnected.

 

23 psi is a little high,but,I do not think it would result in severe running problems.

The cts in some ways is used to tell the ecu to adjust the mix like the choke on a carburetor engine. When it is cold, it takes a lot more fuel to run. Once it is hot, that same amount of will be too much. Either way, it will run crummy if at all when the temp is not matched to the fuel delivery.

Thank you Dave. I'll check it out