occasional stalling problem
 

Hi guys,

Mods - PP chip, Fulll decat, FMIC, Induction kit, Dump valve.

Having nothing but problem with the impreza just lately. It has started stalling occasionally, ie - when coming up to traffic lights, or coming to a stop.

Did it twice today, once when pulling into a layby, and the second after giving it some beans and slowing for a roundabout. When it stalls, there is also the strong smell of fuel. It starts back up fine. The revs do occasionally dip very low, but then rise back upto 1k which is what it always idles at.

Have done a fault check using the plugs, and it came back all clear. Any ideas?

check the maf first of all mate.

Wouldnt a failing MAF throw up a CEL during the reset procedure? Ive not long fitted a new MAF, which i know was a good working one... must admit though, from what ive found doing a search it does sound like a MAF issue.

not always mate. a mate had an issue where the car jmust stalled, he was toldit was this/that & the other if the maf is recked, it wont advance or retard the engine for the cooler air, and can course it to stall.

might just need cleaning.
other thing, if you have a mate with the same sort of maf. ask to use it, to see if this stalling stops

Thanks mate, I fitted the J1 resistor today... Im so glad i can turn it back to the PP map. I completed the fault check and it all came back clear so i guess thats a bonus :thumb:

Have been reading about the Bailey dump valves causing some stalling issues, so im also gunna ditch that and see if that makes any difference. Will check Lambda and MAF with a multimeter.

a lamba will make the car run rich, but can not see it stall
but come across agood couple with the maf at foult.
and no cell

Sounds to me like you car needs mapped to take account of your mods. When was it last mapped? Has the FMIC been fitted since it was mapped? What other work has been done since it was last mapped?
What model and year? It may be possible to make adjustments to the idle control valve to keep it running but that is not the whole answer. It needs mapped for the current mods.

Well done Musso, that's one headache sorted.:thumb:

I would strongly advise that. Personally i would remove it and block up the hoses, at least that way you will illiminate the DV as a problem all together.:thumb:

Yeah point taken mate. I know Musso has replaced to MAF recently. So, probably wrongly, i dismissed it as a cause.;)

As Harvey says.

Also,
What is a PP chip? Since you refer to jumper J1 - i bnelieve this is on the ecu board to swap between the 2 rom sockets - then it would be a ScoobyECU clone or the jap originals ( Mines etc. ) or possibly the later live mapping board.

This PP chip is still a generic map for a set of mods and raised bost etc..


Also as said above, MAF sounds most likely fault. Swap with a mate's, to check.
Also, on idle, pull off the electrical pulg and see what happens.
No change, MAF is poorly; stalling then MAF was generally OK.

You can clean with carb degreaser spray by squirting down the tube, when it is off the car.

VTA dump valves also mess up the air/fuel ratio as you dump out the measured air so the ecu puts in too much fuel ( thinks there is more in that you just let out! ).

Swap back to std or aftermarket recirc dump valve and try.

I'd ditch all of the mods untill you get an esl board or a decent mappable ecu to cater for the mods as your running on borrowed time. Is the induction kit bolted on to anything to stop it moving, if its not this will fcuk every maf you put on due to the vibration... You cant stick mods on these cars unless you get the map tweaked for every one...

P.s edited to say ignore the post above where he tells you to unplug the maf, this is sh1te, dont do it. Its pish...

Don't bother with the unplugging MAF Musso, it's a myth and proves nothing.

The chip is quite capable of handeling the mods, it is well tried and tested.


Good point, i would ditch the IK for the OE box any day.

The mods have not just been 'stuck' on. The PP chip caters for them with room to spare.

Totally agree. :thumb:

i wouldnt say its the chip, but would say, was it mapped for the cars setup?
or generic map.

im not saying the chip isnt up for it, but if it was never put on the rollers, and set up proper. theres no such thing with scoobs, all being the same
no 2 cars are alike in the scooby world.

B13bat, everyone to there own but chips are sh1te. They were maybe ok in the 90's when fitted and checked on a dyno with a set of cans, But no chip no matter where it comes from caters for and adjusts the safe engine parameters of the ecu..

there was acouple out there that did work.
but once mapped, you need to replace the eproms & again put on the rollers, and setup again

esl made an earler board, and there was the scooby ecu form scooby clinic.

but genearic maps arenot trusted in most cases, specialy if more mods have been done.

That's a very narrow minded statement. Have you any first hand experienced to back this up??

And what makes them any different in 2010 if checked in the same way??

Again, what have you back this up?? Bearing in mind of course, this chip was originally developed by Subaru, and started life being fitted in the Group N Subaru's.

I have never seen a thread titled "The Chip I Fitted Fcuk'd My Engine". They can and do cause issues, but this is usually due to the fitness of the car/engine prior to fitting.
There where 100's if not 1000's of ScoobyECU chips fitted, then the same amount of PP chips and the chips continue to be sold and fitted to this day.
Just because you have a mappable ECU fitted and mapped by Andy F does not automatically mean that all other routes are a no go.
I have had a PP chip fitted for well over 3 years now. I monitor my AFRs, knock and all other variables myself. I can assure you, Scott.T and all others involved in the development (including Subaru) did a fine job and there is still a good margin of safety.

well thats why subaru put the port in there ecu.
there in no way rubbish, im using the live map board know. and the engine runs mint

but again, these need to be set up proper.
but once setup/mapped. needs to be put on the rollers again and setup for mods
saying that, aftermarket ecu's also need a remap too.
this was only on the 93/96 models.
esl are keeping to this method and working on ones for the 97/98 models.
same basis. and as said, the standard ecu's subaru have, are really the best ecu you can use on your scoob. as they do really work

via the 3 main sensors: maf/lamba & knock sensor.

Well my car has had the chip fitted for 4+ years and its never had any problems. Maybe its not the best way of doing things when compared to a live map etc... but i do believe that the Polar Performance Chip is a safe and cheap alternative for some extra bhp.

Im gunna check the MAF later today, do a dump valve delete and see where that gets me. Thanks for the input guys.:thumb:

pretty sure it will be nothing to do with that chip in anyway.
will be something silly in the end mate.

i have a PP chip (cheers Steve). And it ROCKS!!!

not bad at all my firend, still havent got round to videoing my exhaust, i'll blame the cold weather : )

I have did a 250mile round trip in the cairngorms yesterday and the car was faultless. even with the colder weather i hold a steady 1.1 bar all day long now.

for the OP, tried cleaning the iacv? when i ran a baileys and had some dodgy idle i took mine off and the shut valve thing was just covered in gunk. once cleaned it idled perfectly.

otherwise could be MAF.

and for someone to say chips are sh*te is just madness!! just because its old and everyone now gets ecutek or whatever doesn't mean its crap!
pp map i though was conservative just like........prodrive ecu. are they mapped for every single car? or is it a dealer fit and forget item.......

All sorted now i think. Removed the Baileys and fitted a bung, and also found a tiny pin hole in the pipe from the boost control solenoid to the turbo. Car is ticking over nicely now, and the boost is a LOT stronger to the redline, full boost by 3.5k.

Thanks for all the help.:thumb:

if it helps at all i run a 2mm restrictor. i used a ballpoint pen nib, funnily enough with the calipers on its 2mm bang on!

the 1.2mm restrictor caused slower spool for some reason

Do you mean the restrictor thats in the pipe on the bottom of the BCS?

Good good.;)

Nah, i'm not havin' that. You're a hardened Aberdonion, a bit of cold is nowt to you lot.

Exellent, some nice road around there. I basically learnt to drive around there. Was up in Lossiemouth and use to go out in Aberdeen, Inverness and Aviemore (apres ski only, if you get my drift :norty:) I use to love that A95, i actually bent the rear beam on my Golf on that road.:brickwall Great fun.


Good point well made Peter.;)

Proper job Musso, glad she's running better now.:thumb:

Oh, and your welcome.;)

hi i have just fitted pp chip have same mods and now have same problems as u had what excactly did u do to sort the problem ? thanks danny

hi all, new to this flat4 turbo stuff. picked my 93 wrx import up friday advertised with a cutting out loss of power problem. and this is the case, can get about 10 minutes of driving out of it before it starts dropping revs on its own, very intermittant and does cut out most of the time when this happens. was told by a mechanic friend to disconnect the mfa and see if it still cuts out. so did this and it runs very lumpy but doesnt cut out as at.............

does this mean I have a broken mfa?

also what do the colours mean? mine has a blue sticker on it with a letter C. whats the difference between this one and the other colours out there????

any help would be really appreciated.

hi mate ur better off starting ur own thread ur get more replays :)

funny u should say that i had a baileys dump valve on my focus rs....started stalling every time i wud cum to stop at lights or junction etc...or if i wud accelerate hard then cum to a stop....ended up being the dv..so had recirculating 1 fitted and it was fine..