Advice on Stall

billb · #1 05-25-2005, 05:32 AM

My 94 SVX is occasionally stalling. When it happens it's after driving only a couple of minutes. You hit the brakes approaching a stop sign and stall. It starts right back up and runs fine. There are no other symptoms. It starts, idles and runs great. No CEL.

Any advice?
Low pressure out of the fuel pump?

I just replaced the fuel filter a couple of months ago.
Plugs just replaced, air filter replaced.

Thanks for any help.
Bill

Earthworm · #2 05-25-2005, 10:56 AM

Hmmm, immediately coming to mind are:

- clean throttle body
- cam/crank sensors
- knock sensors

billb · #3 05-25-2005, 12:01 PM

Thanks for the ideas. I've been reading some things about the connection into the fuel pump getting corroded. Could that be the problem? I'll be taking a look there.

Rotorflyr · #4 05-26-2005, 08:25 AM

billb,
Curious, is it doing it only when the car is cold? Not completly cold as the engine revs higher during the initial warm up, but once it is in the bottom to maybe the first 1/4 or so of the temp guage, then once at full operating temp (around the mid point of the guage) doesn't stall???

Also did you do the work that was recently done yourself or take it to a dealer (or other mechanic)??

billb · #5 05-26-2005, 09:20 AM

I did the work myself. I think I did everything correctly. I didn't have any particular problems other thnn working in the tight space.

I have a little more information after driving it for awhile last night. The problem seems to be getting worse. I started it after a full warm up followed by about 15 minutes of "off" time and it wouldn't idle at all. It would start fine, stall out, restart fine and stall out again. As long as I gave it a little gas, it would run fine. After a few minutes of this, it got better and would maintain idle. I drove it for about 20 minutes on the freeway with no noticeable issues (constant throttle). When I got off the freeway it never actually stalled but a couple of times, when I had my foot off the gas, it felt like the engine quit for a second a restarted.

I'm really concluding it's a full delivery problem. Fuel pressure regulator? Fuel pump? I read that the pump rarely goes bad, but there is a connector at the pump that gets corroded. My plan is to check that connector next.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Rotorflyr · #6 05-26-2005, 12:43 PM

Where did you pick up the parts? (bad fuel filter maybe?? or coil wire??)
Keep us posted as to what you find.....

billb · #7 05-29-2005, 01:27 PM

I'm still having trouble with this idling problem. Today I checked the connection to the MAF. both connections to the fuel pump (under the rear seat and under the pump access panel), vacuum lines. Everything seems OK. The car starts fine and runs at hi idle fine. As the engine warms up, the idle speed gradually drops until it gets to about 700 rpms and then it wants to die. Today, it never actually stalled. It just acted like it was going to while idling.

Thanks for any help.
Bill

alia176 · #8 06-03-2005, 08:29 AM

I maybe having similar symptoms:

Sometimes after a startup, the car idles high and then slowly comes down, and down, and down then stall ! However, if I blip the throttle just a little bit right before stalling, the engine idles fine and all is well. I need to pull the CEL code but I have a feeling it's related to the idle air control valve. This is about the only time when the IAC (or whatever it's called in the SVX world) valve comes into play is during ilding (coming to a stop, startups, etc). My symptoms can happen on the driveway during the first start of the day, or coming to a stop (rarely).

Just my .02 cents!

Ali
'92

#9 06-03-2005, 09:04 AM

If the engine runs fine when you open the throttle, it's not the fuel pump. A bad fuel pump would act up constantly, not just at idle.

My guess is an intake leak of some sort. My mom's 93 Legacy had a very similar problem with idling. It turned out she just had an intake manifold gasket that was leaking. The leak allowed enough air in to cause the fuel/air mixture at idle to go wacky. But at higher RPM's the leak wasn't enough to disrupt the fuel/air mixture.

Dave

billb · #10 06-03-2005, 10:29 AM

Interesting comments. I agree about the fuel pump. It can't be that. I'm going to clean the throttle body this weekend and see what happens.

Alia176, your symptoms sound exactly the same as mine. Please let me know how you make out.
Bill

Conn SVX · #11 06-03-2005, 10:50 AM

Sounds like a VAC leak, does it chug chug chug or idle smooth and just die? Not a pump you would have a hard time starting it , fuel filter maybe bad injector possibly.

Beav · #12 06-03-2005, 11:34 AM

Clean the IAC, under the t-body. Impossible to clean correctly w/o removing the t-body. The auxiliary air valve is apparently working as it idles up when cold but then, when the IAC is supposed to take over, it apparently isn't.

billb · #13 06-03-2005, 01:15 PM

Thanks guys. My car does not chug, chug, chug. It just idles down and quits.

Beav, Thanks a lot for the advice. How will I recognize the IAC and is there any special way to clean it?

Again, this is a very intermittent thing. It stalls during idle maybe once every other day. If it's going to stall, it will happen within the first minute or so of running.

black beast · #14 06-03-2005, 06:07 PM

Hey sorry to steal the question but I have the same problem only mine will ideal weird for a moment, after a while the ideal will go from 100-1000 RPM then stall HELP!!!!

JIMSVX · #15 06-03-2005, 07:44 PM

I just finished fighting the same thing two weeks ago on my daughter's '93 Impreza with 135K miles. It was the IAC. Exact same symptoms. Pull it off and clean it out with a good throttle solvent. Absolutely no problem since.
- Jim