is my svx dying?

[tiv0]

occassionally when starting the car in the mornings it will just barely catch and then die immediately
its starting to get cold out and im curious as to whether or not this plays some role in my dilema

this morning my car died twice when starting
turn key...catch...die...turn key...catch...die..

so, while i was turning the key i moved the selector into neutral and revved it a bit and it caught and idled roughly

so i began driving and was really noticing that between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd (auto trans), when i would press the accelerator and the car would stay at a constant speed. i would press it a bit further and it would remain at that speed until a certain point and then the car would lurch forward

what is going on?
any ideas?

thanks,
trevor

[SoCal LS-L]

Could be the throttle position sensor. You you have a multimeter ? You can probe the terminals and see if the resistance moves freely between low to high.

[tiv0]

thanks
ill give that a check

[Sean486]

Originally Posted by tiv0

so i began driving and was really noticing that between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd (auto trans), when i would press the accelerator and the car would stay at a constant speed. i would press it a bit further and it would remain at that speed until a certain point and then the car would lurch forward

To me it sounds like it needs the bead crush mod. Mine was hesitant/lurching like this when it was cold, but the bead crush took care of it. Not sure if that is your problem, or if the ecutune makes it a moot point.

[tiv0]

Originally Posted by Sean486

To me it sounds like it needs the bead crush mod.

what is this bead crush mod, or where can i find the info on it?

thanks

[Sean486]

Originally Posted by tiv0

what is this bead crush mod, or where can i find the info on it?

thanks

Take the ECU out. Locate the black bead on one of the resistors and crush it with a plyers, it will crumble and fall out. Put the ECU back in and voila hestitation problems disappear. I don't really know much about the ecutune stage 1 ECU. I think the ecutune modifies the stock ecu so it would make sense that if the ferrite bead is still there, it might help the hesitation if you remove it. (Maybe one of the more knowledgable guys here will chime in.) I know this mod is for a stock ECU and is recommended by Subaru to fix hestitation. It is also easy to do.

Here is the thread that I used to reference it when I did mine.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...ght=bead+crush

and the document in the how to section:
http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/How-To/14363.pdf

also this might be relevant with your stage 1
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...ght=bead+crush

[tiv0]

so, i took out the ecu just now only to find that there is no bead to crush

time to put it back in...

[Sean486]

Originally Posted by tiv0

so, i took out the ecu just now only to find that there is no bead to crush

time to put it back in...

Sorry, it was worth a shot.

[tiv0]

Originally Posted by Sean486

Sorry, it was worth a shot.

oh no, sorry if it appeared as if i was upset with you or the info you gave me

after rereading through the third link you posted i realized that i didnt have to go through the whole process of removing the ecu, seeing as the '91 models did not have the bead...my fault

so sorry, if you took my remark of frustration as a slam against you

[svxistentialist]

Trevor

Nebraska is probably a cold place I expect.

One of the things to check up is the cold running solenoids on the inlet manifold. These play the role of the "choke" on older carburettor cars, i.e. they richen the mixture when the car is cold. They actually are a bit more complex than a choke cable. They also respond to engine load conditions, such as in when the aircon is on.

I would suggest if your car smooths out and drives good when fully warmed up, then this will be the area to check, as it strongly affects cold running.

However, and this is just a cautionary remark, bear in mind the actual ignition circuits will hamper the car if they are old and/or faulty. Over 100K miles and you should have replaced the plugs. Also, and regardless of miles the insulation can break down on the individual coils as the car gets older. If one or more of your coils went bad, the car will drive like a pig.

First though, do a search on information for the cold running solenoid and ensure it is working properly.

Best of luck.

Joe