STRANGE!!! Problems with 1995 WRX.....
 

Gettign really puzzled now.

Problem - Last week the car cut out at traffics lights and engine light came on.
I limped (jumped) home and called mechanic.

Lst wek it started but then just died after 1/2 secs.

Now It just doesnt start at all?

We have tried and checked:
MAF,
Crank Sensor
Water temp sensor,
Idle control valve
checked timing, no teeth have slpipped or anything

The ecu is ready engine temp @ 10c

There is a spark, and there is fuel.
(It also had a new fuel pump fitted 3 weeks ago)

Everything mechnical seems ok?>

ANy idea's at all please, very strange and stuck, the mechanic works for subaru and knows his stuff, but is stuck on this !!!!!

Any help would be grateful.

Thanks


Jon

lamda sensor maybe?

Have the 1995 wtx got lamba sensors?

Its got a decat on at mo.

not sure, i would guess so my 96 sti has one and its decatted.if you take off your turbo heat shield you should see it there.i had issues with mine and it turned out to be dodgy wiring on the sensor.worth a quick look.have you tried the ecu check yet to see if that throws up any codes?

are you positive the new pump is workin,i fitted one to a mates car the other day and it played up.worth double checkin seeings as its something you've changed recently.

yea we checked the codes and it said MAF, so we out on a MAF and it still didnt start,

then put original MAF back on and code didnt come up then?

And now no codes are coming up at all!!!!!

Coudld the ecu put f**ked?

ANyone?

sounds like a bit of a bad problem you got there, basically i think you should rule out anything like sensors or maf if it wont even start. you can take the maf off a car it will still run, it will just jump around everywhere. sensors aswell as most of them are temp sensors they will just say the cars hot or cold as to how much fuel and air to add in. again if one of those has gone it will just jump around.
i would say fuel, injectors, sparks plugs or coil packs. something is stopping the car from atually starting in the fist place.

start by unplugging a fuel line and turn the engine over, if petrol leaks out everywhere then thats one ruled out. then check spark plugs and coil packs.

Thanks woody,

Yea we have checked fuel, there is fuel coming out, and there is a saprk too.

What do you need to do with coil packs?

when you tested the spark was the spark very clean and bright blue or a dirty orangy colour? if you are getting fuel and you are getting air then there is no reason for ignited mixture not to burn. Have you tested all the coils? admitedly the car will run on 2 quite well, but lumpy.
Its not impossible for the ecu to go belly up, you could try borrowing one and seeing if that works. I have an ecu from mine that i am not 100% sure is ok but it works and the car runs, so you can try that and see if it starts.
Test your coils, and the ignitor, each coil should get a min of 10v with the ignition on, the five pin side if the ignitor should get between 0.8 and 3.5v while cranking ( it wont start as its not plugged in) it really does sound like you have an ignition problem, if your getting fuel and air then all that leaves is the ignition.

Thanks Mikey very sound advice.

In what way do you mean ignition problem?

But would an ignition problem of caused the check engine light and conking out, and strugglying to drive (before I got it home 2 weeks ago)

It started to juddle a few days before the problems all started.

Please advise

Thanks again

its a difficult one to diagnose really, the problems i had with mine led to one thing and it turned out to be something totally random and the only link was the wiring loom.
You need to check for codes, once you have that then you have a kinda base to work from. You also need to check the voltages, if everything is getting the right voltage then it must be something before that.
with ignition problem i mean that there is no spark, or not enough of one to light the chamber, it will most likely turn out to be something quite simple, its just a case of finding it!
If the ecu has gone, then it will put on the cel light, make up random codes and if its really bad then it might just not play the game at all!
Does the car crank? does it even sound like its going to start? does it make a weird noises? does it sort of start then die within 1 or 2 revolutions of the engine??? need as much info as you can get mate, will keep my eye on here!

I had the same probs, uneven runnning, cutting out altogether, check light on/off then refused to start, after all the usual suspects maf, bcs ect turned out to be ECU, well a dodgy bit of soldering on the extra DIL socket by yours truly :brickwall , only found out when the Mrs slid the passenger seat right back to stop which made it start :confused: , then found if i tapped the ECU cover while it was running the revs would rise and fall :wonder: Fitted secondhand one and prob solved :lol1:
So poss could be ECU esspecially if its been fiddled with :freak3:

i have an ecu which will work, but i wouldnt use it long term as i dont know if i damaged it, but it will work so you can rule out the ecu then, pm me if you want and we can sort something out.

have you checked for fault codes yet? connect the 2 black wires under your dash, then turn the ignition 2 clicks but dont try and start the car. the check engine light should flash. if it goes on and off 1 second at a time then everything is ok. if it goes one then off fast and slow then you have a problem. right down the sequence and then check the codes. you can search on the internet for a error code list.

have you checked cam belt,

Thanks for the feedback everyone very helpful.

The cambelt is only 5 months old, so that should be fine. My mechanic opned the cam covers and checked the teeth on the belt and lining up and it was all fine.

With the faults quite a few came up (as the guy had a machine form subaru), then the MAF came up, so tried another one and still didnt start, so MAF is fine.

It goes to start, so I think everything mechanically is OK(i think), there is fuel, a spark etc etc...

Thanks Mikey2 and others you are being extremely helpful and I am very greatful.

The other week(just after probelms started) the car started and then dies lieterally after 3-4 sces or 1-2 revlutions.

Now it doesnt start at all. On one try though it 'nearly' started as though it was really trying, but then still nothing.

Thanks again
It seems to wanna start Ok etc..m but there is just no last gasp to get running.

Could it be anything to do with compression, or HG? Or if the car has ran to lean?

yes it is a possibility, but i think there would be other indicators, and both hg's must have gone badly to cause the car to not get any compression. Do a compression check and see how you get on. It sounds daft, but have you checked ALL your fuses?? there are big important ones in the front. There must be something!! if its trying, then the ecu ismost likely fine, but may be playing up. will have a think and get back to you

Mikey, just reading another thread, could it be the injector 'o' rings leaking?

i wouldnt have thought so to be honest, if they were all leaking then i think you would have excessive fuel in the engine bay. i had a look in the manual yesterday, it seems there are a few things that could cause the engine not to start, you say there are no error codes? thats kinda weird. Is everything pluged in? are there any fuses blown? in particular, check the crank and camshaft sensor, cos that can cause the car not to start, and the crank sensor can fail, and i know that defo causes starting issues.

Hi Mikey thansk, Yea the crank sensor has been checked and is new too (been on car for say 7 months)

And my mechnaic tried camshaft sensor too.

When he plugged in the machine, AFM came up but so did loads of others, i think also was the air/inlet temp sensor ? if theres right?

We tried those and did machien again and nothing came up then?!!!

Weird:( and annoying!!!

the iat wont stop it starting, but the maf might. I will have a look into it in a bit, am just trying to find the problem with mine!!

so far, everything is pointing at the ecu, if you got no codes then thats the way i would go, see ifyou can borrow one or get your hands on an uprated one, like the z4. I would try that route first, then if you have no joy start scratching again! am happy to look stuff up for you if need be.

you havent got a split pipe somewhere between the filter and the inlet manifold have you?......nmight have been smallish explaining the original problem and then grown to give you the non-starter you have now??

Thats also an idea, where abouts do I have to exactly look?

Thanks

Have you got fuel pressure? I know you say you have got fuel, but fuel coming out of the pipe when removed, does'nt mean that there is pressure behind it.
It's possible that that when the fuel pump was changed that a pipe may not have been fitted back properly, i've seen this on more than one occasion. When this happens, the pump does'nt supply a constant feed when under load, and give the symptom you describe of almost starting, but not quite.

It would be worth checking.

Doesn't the fuel pressure regulator control fuel pressure he said he had a new pump fitted recently so maybe his fpr aint giving a good enough pressure??

i think the fpr controls the pressure, not creating it, if its not there in the first place then the fpr cant do anything about it.
you can check the fuel pressure coming from the filter, the black cannister near the passenger side front suspension well, release the fuel pressure and put a pressure guage inline with it, should be about 177-206 kpa. Might be worth getting a garage to do it though, could get messy!!!

OK thats another option, as it has only been on the car for 2 weeks previously.

Will look into that.

what has the FPR? I assume its still working right? it hasnt adjusted itself somehow?
When you crank it a few times does the exhaust stink of fuel? maybe to the point you are getting fuel out of the exhaust?
see if you can get hold of another ecu, it might or might not solve it, i only say that, because in the manual, when there is a starting error, and no codes, it points to always changing the ecu!!