Live Chat!
SVX or Subaru Links
Old Lockers
Photo Post
How-To Documents
Message Archive
SVX Shop Search
|
SVX Network Forums Live Chat! SVX or Subaru Links Old Lockers Photo Post How-To Documents Message Archive SVX Shop Search |
IRC users: |
|
#1
10-16-2021, 09:29 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Car intermittently won't start
No symptoms. MAYBE the car was down a little on power in the morning. Maybe. Drove 20 minutes from work to Harbor Freight. Ran well. Idled well. Restarted fine. Drove down the street to Lowes. Got my stuff, came back to the car and it wouldn't start. This is about 5PM. It sputtered, stumbled a couple of times and died. Tried a bunch of times. Best it would do is sputter and stumble a handful of times before stalling. Wiggled and reconnected the MAF connector. No change. Came back at 9PM to get the car towed when the parking lot had cleared out. Tried the car, same deal. Tow guy never came. Called a second one around 10PM. Tried the car again. Didn't even sputter. Just turned over. Second tow guy never came. Gave up at midnight. Tried the car again. Still nothing. Went back this morning to try and get it towed. Tried the car. After turning over a few times it started. WTF?!?!? The idled bounced a little but it stayed running. Turned it off. Tried again. Same. Tow guy shows up, of course. Car starts up again. He follows me home, just in case, and then brings me back to pick up my other car.
Any thoughts? I have recently cleaned the MAF and the contacts and resoldered the connector on the internal PCB. I also recently replaced a known bad TPS with a new used one. It has been working fine.
__________________
Tony 1996 Polo Green Subaru SVX LSi, 168,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF, Redline 75W90 gear oil, K&N HP-4001 Oil Filter, Mobil 1 5W50 FS (3qt) and 5W30 High Mileage (4qt) Oil Blend, Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid, AC Delco A975C Air Filter, NGK BKR6EIX-11 plugs, Centric Rotors, Power Stop Evolution Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads 2005 Gray Acura RL, 165,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF with Lubegard Platinum Protectant, Mobil 1 5W20 High Mileage Extended Performance Oil 2009 Red Toyota Venza, 123,XXX, Mobil 1 5W30 High Mileage Oil 1992 Red Ferrari 348 ts, 82,XXX, Redline everything Last edited by Huskymaniac; 10-16-2021 at 09:32 AM. 
|
|
#3
10-16-2021, 09:07 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: Car intermittently won't start
[QUOTE Any thoughts? I have recently cleaned the MAF and the contacts and resoldered the connector on the internal PCB. I also recently replaced a known bad TPS with a new used one. It has been working fine.[/QUOTE]
It would appear that the problem has occurred after the above has taken place. Intermittent faults are often due to dry soldered joints or bad connections, which change as a result of temperature due to being left for a while. I suggest that you go back over everything involved with this in mind. In particular the "new" TPS should be treated as suspect. Why did you change the TPS? Did you positively diagnose the exact fault, i.e. that the fault was actually within and due to the TPS?
__________________
Trevor, New Zealand. As a child, on cold mornings I gladly stood in cowpats to warm my bare feet, but I detest bull$hit! 
Last edited by Trevor; 10-16-2021 at 10:06 PM. Reason: Addition.
|
|
#4
10-17-2021, 07:41 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: Car intermittently won't start
Quote:
I suggest that you go back over everything involved with this in mind. In particular the "new" TPS should be treated as suspect. Why did you change the TPS? Did you positively diagnose the exact fault, i.e. that the fault was actually within and due to the TPS?[/QUOTE] I should specify that the MAF was refurbished a couple years ago with no issues since. But I will check it. But I am pretty good at soldering. I will also check the TPS as that is easy to do. But, yeah, the old TPS had definitely developed a worn spot at the position where it usually sits when I am cruising on the highway. I caught the voltages jumping with my scan tool and they no longer do so with the newish TPS.
__________________
Tony 1996 Polo Green Subaru SVX LSi, 168,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF, Redline 75W90 gear oil, K&N HP-4001 Oil Filter, Mobil 1 5W50 FS (3qt) and 5W30 High Mileage (4qt) Oil Blend, Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid, AC Delco A975C Air Filter, NGK BKR6EIX-11 plugs, Centric Rotors, Power Stop Evolution Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads 2005 Gray Acura RL, 165,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF with Lubegard Platinum Protectant, Mobil 1 5W20 High Mileage Extended Performance Oil 2009 Red Toyota Venza, 123,XXX, Mobil 1 5W30 High Mileage Oil 1992 Red Ferrari 348 ts, 82,XXX, Redline everything
|
|
#5
10-17-2021, 11:27 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: Car intermittently won't start
Found the problem!
It wasn't starting again this morning. I couldn't hear the fuel pump so I squeezed the fuel line to see if it was under pressure and it didn't feel like it. So I assumed that it couldn't hurt to do the work of uncovering the top of the fuel tank as it would save time if it needed a new pump. Also, I could get really close and listen for the pump. When I got the back seat and carpet off, I turned the key to run and heard nothing. I popped the connector off so I could measure the voltage at the pins. One of the pins was already half way out and the connector around the pump pins was yellow. So I pushed the loose pin back into the connector, cleaned all the pins and applied my new best friend, Stabilant 22A. Popped the connector back on, turned the key and the pump was gurgling like normal. It started right up.. Brought my dog to Dunkin.
__________________
Tony 1996 Polo Green Subaru SVX LSi, 168,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF, Redline 75W90 gear oil, K&N HP-4001 Oil Filter, Mobil 1 5W50 FS (3qt) and 5W30 High Mileage (4qt) Oil Blend, Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid, AC Delco A975C Air Filter, NGK BKR6EIX-11 plugs, Centric Rotors, Power Stop Evolution Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads 2005 Gray Acura RL, 165,XXX miles, Redline D4 ATF with Lubegard Platinum Protectant, Mobil 1 5W20 High Mileage Extended Performance Oil 2009 Red Toyota Venza, 123,XXX, Mobil 1 5W30 High Mileage Oil 1992 Red Ferrari 348 ts, 82,XXX, Redline everything Last edited by Huskymaniac; 10-17-2021 at 11:30 AM.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
