engine dies after startup

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:15 pm

ive had my 95 gpx for about 4 days or so now...it runs ok but whenever the car hasnt been on for more than 24 hours it has trouble starting....by this i mean...i turn the engine on and the rev will go up but then it will die....i called up the guy who sold it to me and he says i need to keep it at 2000 rev for about half a minute or so to warm it up....

i can do this but its annoying when i want to go out i have to warm it up...what is wrong with the car? can it be fixed?

thanks

Delvance · Post by **Delvance** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:40 pm

Stepper motor shenanigans maybe ?

I would as a first step

-Clean the intake, i.e. filter and get some subaru top cleaner and clean your intake system

-Clean the stepper motor

-Then reset the ecu

See if that fixes it.

Oh and...quite low chance but check it doesn't have a standalone ecu or something. If in case it does, the cold start hasn't been done properly.

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:06 pm

hmmm seems simple...i dont know anything about cars...so should i still give it a shot? or should i leave it to the mechanics?

Delvance · Post by **Delvance** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:13 pm

8u8813f1uff wrote:hmmm seems simple...i dont know anything about cars...so should i still give it a shot? or should i leave it to the mechanics?

Only if you trust the mechanic and it's hard to find mechanics that specialise in ftos.

It's pretty easy. If you know how to use a screwdriver and a socket kit...well that's all you need for this job.

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:18 pm

well by 'i dont know anything about cars' i mean i would have to google up what a stepper motor looks like and what an intake is....hmmm is there a step by step manual on the process?

nikhan · Post by **nikhan** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:23 pm

Try looking in the FTO help forum. Search for all the topics that has 'engine rough idling', 'engine dies' or 'car idles and dies' etc. All the info abt stepper motors, where to get it n how much are in there.

harry90 · Post by **harry90** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:26 pm

There is a DIY in the DIY section about changing the stepper, but if you follow the first few steps it is basically taking off the intake pipe and from there you should be able to clean up.

Delvance · Post by **Delvance** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:49 pm

Like the above posters said, it's under the DIY section here i think otherwise the info is available at quite a few websites.

The stepper motor is your idle speed controller, it is attached to your throttle body (the piece between the intake pipe and the manifold inlet). It's attached by two hex nuts i believe. As for the intake, on the left bottom area of your engine bay (when you're standing at the front of the car), there should be a black plastic box...it unclips so you can access the air filter... clean that and make sure there's nothing inside the box like a leaves etc. The subaru top cleaner can be had from any subaru service department for around $20.

That should fix it methinks.

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:22 pm

ok ive opend the hood and located the air filter....from what u decribed...it kinda looks like a business card holder...right? well my dads taken that to the factory to give it a bit of a clean...and theres nothign inside that lill black box that the filter sits inside....

as for the stepper motor...i think ive found it....according to your description and the diy from this thread

http://www.ftoaustralia.com/modules.php ... ic&t=14492

is this it?
o wait...i dunno how to insert an image...hmmm ill work on that...[/img]

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:45 pm

[url=http://imageshack.us][img=http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2094/smcc8.jpg][/url[/img]

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:47 pm

ok i dont think that worked so heres the link

http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=smcc8.jpg

Delvance · Post by **Delvance** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:39 pm

That'd be the one! And my apologies, i just realised for the intake i wrote left bottom of engine bay... i meant right bottom of engine bay *slaps himself*.

It's a big black plastic box that unclips and inside there should be a paper or cotton filter that you can remove. The size of the filter is 20cmx15cm or so (very roughly).

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:11 pm

yea! that thing....well my dad took the business card holders to clean...they look very clean....so i dunno what hes gonna do with them...as for the black box itself...it looks relatively clean as well....i havnt touched the stepper motor yet...cause i dunno how to remove it...gonna wait till tmorow until dad gets back home and we do it...cause he knows a little about cars

if we end up cleaning the stepper motor and resetting the ecu and it still doesnt start....whats the next step? take it to a mechanic?

Post by **I8A4RE** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:18 pm

there you go

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:07 pm

i sure hope cleaning the stepper motor will fix the problem....if not then ill have to ...buy a new one? how much would that cost?

Delvance · Post by **Delvance** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:22 pm

Yeah you'd have to buy a new one if it's still no go. They're not expensive. Iirc, around the hundred mark. I'm sure dstocks on this forum would have some 2nd hand working spares laying around too..

Post by **dstocks** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:27 pm

Bennoz has one up for sale atm by the looks of things (although I didnt check to see if that is an old post or not). Yeah, I have one as well

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:56 pm

$100 aus? for a good and working stepper motor? wow....lol dam car ....well ill leave buying a new 1 to the last option....i jus hope cleaning it out will help....can anybody tell me why it doesnt start up properly? cause i cant figure it out

see in my head im thinking this...i turn the key...the motor starts running....why o why is it dying for no reason

Post by **dstocks** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:14 am

The stepper motor controls your idle. If it dies (or stops functioning correctly), there is nothing making sure the car idles where it should (so its all over the place). The car will still run, but is a pain. Just so you know, you are unlikely to find a new stepper motor at the moment for under $170, so $90 isnt so bad.

8u8813f1uff · Post by **8u8813f1uff** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:33 am

ahhhh ic...well for now thats the onli problem i have wiht my fto...so spending $100 on making it work well is something i wouldnt mind doing ill have my stepper cleaned out tomrrow...is there soemthing i should look out for when cleaning? oil? dirt? carbon build up? and is it just on the stepper or also that little hole that it goes into