1100 miles in... had its service... from day 1 it has been a pain to start... I wait for the fuel pump to prime, all the whirring to stop, then turn the key to start.... from cold this morning it took 15 seconds to fire.... any one else have similar problems or should I start to worry?

Richie (already worrying).

 

Silly question, do you push the clutch in as you start it? It can ease the pressure AFAIK.

Does it do it ALL the time or just on and off?

Take it back and get subaru to check over all the points, plugs, wire etc.

 

... always started in neutral, with clutch depressed. The time to start seems to be proportional to the length of time it has been turned off. Leave it overnight and it takes 15 seconds or so.... leave it for 3-4 hrs turns over for about 6-8 seconds before starting.

Richie.

 

My standard MY00 did this once or twice and my STi 7 did it for the first time last week. Speaking to several other STi 7 owners, this is a problem for them also.

Matt.

 

This has always been a problem on my STi7 Type UK, right from the day I collected it last May. The dealer has fitted a new battery but this has not helped.

Chris

 

Another thought, do you press the accelerator before you start it, and hold it on whilst starting?

You should not if you do.

 

nope, dont press anything, other than clutch with car in neutral. I have noticed that if I stop turning the car over, wait a sec or 2, then start again it fires instantly.

Richie.

 

P20SPD,

I never press the accelerator.
I always depress the clutch.
I wait for the fuel pump to prime.

I even stick my tongue out....the car is still reluctant to start!!!

The only way to ensure that it starts well is to make sure the service manager at the Subaru dealer is listening to it at the time!!

Chris

 

LOL

Just checking, as my wife used to do that, and some people do forget!

Why do cars work well when you wish to display a problem?

Ask for a loan car, leave it with them a few days, and see if they can replicate it?

 

Thanks, I have tried this but needless to say, the dealer said it started faultlessly!!

I believe it is due to have a new fuel pump fitted as it does have the PPP, so I'll see if this makes any difference. The engine has always been uneven in its power delivery and I wonder if all these things are connected.

It's interesting that the STi8 owners are having similar problems with the starting though.

 

I used to have the same problem with my STi7 when the outside temperature was below ~10 C. It dissappeared after fitting of a sports cat exhaust system, uprated fuel pump and Ecutek remap at PE. This included some Subaru ecu mapping mods to prevent the pistons melting and some ecu mods similar to those in the STi8.

Someone else I know of who has had similar mods except for the Subaru ecu and Sti8 ones still has the starting problem. So I deduce that it was the Subaru ecu mods that cured my starting problem.

Alan

 

Hi Alan,

Thanks for that info - I'm not sure what you mean by 'some Subaru ecu mapping mods' or whether this could help my car. It already has a sports cat and revised ecu as part of the Prodrive kit.

I knew I should have gone down the Ecutek remap route instead of the PPP!!!

I would be surprised if the new fuel pump would make that much difference to the starting problems. Where do I go from here?

Chris

 

Lemmy,Can you expand on that?

Matt

 

Mine starts fine every time, first turn of the key in about 1-2 secs

 

Steve and Matt

When Merv at PE did my Ecutek remap he flashed in two lots of Ecu programming in addition to the PE remap for more power. The first was some Subaru code developed, as I understand it, for European STi7s to stop them melting pistons. There seem to been more STi7s blowing up in mainland Europe than in the UK. I did not ask exactly what the code was, but Merv did say you might be able to get the same mod from your dealer if you really made a fuss.

The second piece of code is similar to, but not identical to, the Ecu code changes made for the STi8, which PE have worked on for Prodrive. I do not know if he was refering to the standard STi8 ECu or the PPP one which is Ecutek based. What these changes are I do not know but I believe that the turbo on the STi8 spools up sooner than on the STi7.

If you want more info on the above you will have to contact Merv.

The above mods completely cleared up my cold starting problem and also affected by SECS unit which wouldn't recognise the ECU anymore. However, the PSI3 chaps fixed that straightaway with a replacement SECS chip for free - great service.

Another STi7 owner had the PE exhaust and Ecutek remap about 2 months before me , but without the above extra ecu mods, and his car still exhibits the cold start problem. Therefore I deduce that the extra mods are the cure for cold start problems. There again it may be due to something else since I believe not all STi7s and 8s exhibit this "feature" anyway.

I have just remembered one other thing that Merv told me about my STi7. Evidently there is an ECU parameter which indicates how "happy" (Merv's terminology) the ECU is with the way the engine is performing accordingly to the ECU inputs. Before the Ecu remap mine had a hapiness rating of 11 out of a maximum of 16, indicating that it was not entirely happy. After the remap the rating was 16. Perhaps this affects cold starting?

Hope this helps.

Alan

 

Cheers.

I'd heard a rumour of these ECU Map bug fixes but could not get anything concrete. I'll have a chat with Merv next time I see him.

Ta,

Matt

 

try switching the ignition on, waiting for fuel pump to cut off, switch off, then do same again, just to build up sufficient fuel in the system, as if the fuel has vapourised in the pipes over the engine, it is going to take a while to refil sufficiently to enable a clean engine start, one breif prime of the system from the fuel pump is not sometimes enough fuel replacement to make it start clean without misfires.