I recently got a 1988 gl-10 wagon all wheel drive, turbo, Multi port fuel injection with a 5 speed manual transmission, the car had been sitting for at least 3 years. I siphoned 2 gallons of old "gas" out of the tank, and put about 3 gallons of super in with some injector cleaner, and octane booster and I got it to start, but i had to keep the throttle to the floor to keep it running at 1000 rpm, for a while, once it warmed up it would run fine. I changed the fuel filter after getting that gas out of the tank, and just put in about 5 more gal of super, but every time I start it cold it needs the throttle wide open till it gets warm. I have never had a Subaru or turbo car before so i have little idea of what it might be, is there a sensor that tells the computer to inject more fuel when it is cold?

 

Also the fuel pump is making some intermittent noise, but it doesn't seem to be related to the cold start issue, are the pumps on this particular car known for this or is this a good time to get a new one?

 

Finally, the rear hatch indicator light is always on, and courtesy lights will stay on, but i can't find a sensor, or switch associated with the rear hatch can someone tell me an approximate location so i can fix that as well.

 

Thanks - Bryan

Coolant temperature sensor may be the culprit if it runs fine once warm.

Otherwise, intake boot leaks, bad MAF, bad TPS, timing off a bit (cam or spark) are my primary guesses.

 

IIRC, the switch is in the latch. There's a couple wires you either cut or tie together to shut it off, not sure since I haven't done that myself.

thanks, it gives me a better starting point.

i've had a MAF cause that problem, or a mis adjusted idle speed.

 

is an '88 GL10 going to have a MAF or a AFM though?

it will have the MAF.

 

Its the same one nissan and someone else used.

nippon denso or bosch or that other brand that escapes me now?

 

ninja edit:

better yet what car/engine did it come off of?

I had a chance to look it over, I was checking the MAF and the harness, the br, and b terminals are supposed to be less than 10 ohms, br was at like .6 ohms, the b (black wire) terminal was at something like 23k ohms. i tried to trace the wire but i can't keep track of it. Can someone tell me where the wire should end up so i can try to fix the continuity issue. Thanks

If it won't run cold unless you have throttkle open, then I woiuld bet the culprit to be the AAV, Auxilary air valve, located ontop of the thermostat housing. Stuck closed, or with a plugged line.

Thanks. I was wandering what that was, what is the best way to check it and free up the AAV, or is it a replace only deal. Also I have hooked a air fule meter up to the O2 sensor and it is reading rich all the time. I am fairly sure I have multiple problems at this point. I know the wiring to the MAF has bad continuity in at least one wire, I just don't know where to go looking for the bad connection. Is there a good source for schematics that i can look into, the Haynes manual has some but they seem lacking

I would take a look at the codes, it might help to pinpoint the problem.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49918

I had the battery out of the car so I ran it for a bit and it read code - 44 Wastegate Duty Solenoid. It only posted 1 code,. Could this be the only problem it, had given the symptoms it has?

Also where can i get a replacement, or how can i fix the problem.

Never heard of one of those going bad.

This year has a hot wire MAF and they can get dirty/oily.

Buy a can of MAF cleaner at one of the chain stores, remove the MAF from the filter housing and hose down the tube where the wires are.

I cleaned the MAF, it was dirty, but it did not help, the MAF code did post when i had it running longer, i was checking the wiring on it the #2 wire (what according to my diagrams and books is the voltage supply) only showed 1 volt, it should have read what my battery had about 11.7V. can I just run a wire from power to the supply wire to see if that improves the engine performance?

I think (THINK!) voltage supply should only be 5volts. Could be wrong though.

my Chiltons says it should be 10+ volts I don't always trust it being that it covers so many years and configurations. i am thinking of replacing all the MAF wires but I don't know where they all run. do you know where the power side for the maf starts? It could be some corrosion causing all this trouble.

I finally had some time to play with the ol' wagon, i pulled the connectors on the computer to check the contacts, i reconnected it and then started it up it ran good, except there was a little smoke out the exhaust, it still smelled like bad gas, i think that is the cause of the smoke. I shut it off for a bit and then started it up, it was running ok then it started with the hesitation, and a couple of misfires, i checked the codes it read code 42 Idle switch, and 44 waste gate control. Could the waste gate control code be because of the misfires? Where is the idle switch is that on the throttle body, or part of the throttle position sensor, I have been looking but I am having a hard time finding something that compares to what the books I have say I am looking for. I think I am going to drain the fuel again. Thanks for any help or advice you may have -Bryan

I've had two turbo subarus, and all I can say is your in for it!

Nothing but electrical problems! Take the time to clean ALL electrical connectors you can find under the hood. Remove and clean all ground wire connections(scratch paint off to insure a good ground). Add a few ground wires too, one from intake to case(block), one from case to body. Remove all sensors and clean them, and the threads they screw into, including rad fan swith in the radiator, and O2 sensor. Since it's been sitting, check your injectors. Does it miss at idle? Carefully remove one plug wire at a time and see if the engine stumbles, if so, that cylinder is ok, if it doesn't change, that cylinders injector may be clogged/bad. You do not want a lean fuel condition with a turbo! Clean, replace cap and rotor, replace wires, clean/replace spark plugs, etc.