95 svx won't start
 

car has been running great then a couple of days ago the check engine
light faintly would come on for like 10 seconds then go off. now the
car won't start, it will turn over. Has it happened to anyone else? Alan

A number of things can cause the CEL to illuminate, but if it only lights up briefly and then goes out, it is sometimes just an imtermittent O2 sensor code. I noticed it happening more often when my SVX was parked outside on cold and humid nights and I just start up and drive off under light throttle, but it would go away when I let off. The is not the only cause of an intermittent CEL, but it is a common cause from what I've seen.

As for the non-start condition, was it cold and humid last night? Have you tried the flood clearing mode? Floor the gas pedal, then crank the engine a few times for 5-10 seconds and let of the gas immediately when it catches. If it starts, then it was probably flooded. If not, then you've at least eliminated one possibility. Some people also recommend changing the engine temp sensor for hard start problems, but it doesn't work for all cases, at least not in mine.

KuoH

Pull the code. Instructions in the SVXipedia on http://svx-iw.com

Most likely it's the engine temperature sensor (code 21).

When mine had this problem it would only start if I didn't touch the gas. It would take a while and when it eventually started I had no high idle and the engine fans were on all the time.

There are really only two sensors that will stop a subaru EFI engine from firing. They are the crank sensor, and the Cam sensor. These two normally only fail when hot, normally after driving to operating temp and then park it for 10 mins, if it don't start, it's one of these. Pour water ontop them to cool them down while still cranking it, you will be AMAZED when it fires!!! I KNOW this is not your problem, just sprouting!!:D
I would not say coolant temp sensor at this stage. From what you are saying, I would be looking for spark, injector pulse and fuel pressure. Nail these down and you're halfway there!! You got no Inj pulse, cam or crank, you got no spark, cam or crank, etc etc....
Cheers HTH
Sixpack Subaru

""Ign-EFI relay""??.
Big Brown sucker under the dash, (over here). Another of the 'Only Things' that will stop a Suby donk from starting!!LOL!:D

knock sensor
 

Subaru said it was a bad knock sensor, and bad battery. (put in a red top)
now my remote doesn't sound right. Thanks to everyone for the input! Alan

Which one? Left or right? As I understand it, from what I have learned at Subaru Eng Management courses etc, (which I have the reference material for right here:D), there is only one thing the knock sensor does. It uses a piezoceramic crystal/element to generate it's own signal. The ONLY job it does is to retard the 'learned' Ignition map by up to 5 degrees. THAT'S IT!!:D
So get them to tell you how it stopped it starting? I have had engines start with 20 Deg of retard on the timing, they WILL start, but the WILL run like crap. Basically what you need to do is this. Test the resistance at the knock
sensor with a multi-meter, you should have 560K ohms to ground. Check that the harness does not short to ground.
Check for a control voltage of 3-4 volts.
If you have all these things within spec, they have ripped you off.
Cheers mate
Enjoy
Sixpack Subaru

what if...
 

they only changed the knock sensor because the code listed at as that? I agree with you because today it was very hard to start this morining,after sitting all night. but the rest of the day it was fine. what really makes me mad, is that they gave me back the car without resetting the alarm. (its reset now) It also might of been the battery. at the time it wouldn't start, I lost 2 cells in my battery. so from trying to start it, the battery went dead.
(now have a new red top battery) I went with the best battery I could find.

Like I mentioned today, could be as simple as a temperature sensor. Never had one go bad in any of my SVXes but others have, and it causes hard starts among other issues.

Tom

Like I was always taught, don't just believe the scan tool. DO the tests on the bench, confirm the fault actually exists in the component and not somewhere else. Assuming they did all this, then you are OK.
Doesn't explain the hard to start though. Coolant temp sensor will not 'normally' throw a knock code but purge solenoid will, having said that purge solenoid won't normally make it hard to start either!LOL! :(
I would be a bit skeptical on the knock sensor code. Normally not a fault at all, just a memorised code from a 'glitch' in my experience.
Cheers...(this is a good one:! :) )
Sixpack

knock sensor
 

from checking the codes, to doing the knock sensor would that be a 2 hour job? Alan

A bad MAF sensor can also keep the car from running.

Have you re-run the error codes since installing the new battery?

I thought the manifold had to come off to do it....???
In my experience, it 'could' be done in two hours, if you didn't clean all the crap out of the manifold and make everything 'nice':D I'm a huge believer in match porting...........:D, BTW; I always flow tested, sonic cleaned & retested injectors at this time, (normally while looking for other issues :eek: ),
Although if it was my car I woul have done the tests to eliminate them first, but at a dealership, it's someone else's money and we are more frivolous with it!!!
If you can do THAT in two hours...........LOL!
Cheers
Sixpack