Car stalls in the morning when cold (20F)

il96 · 12-04-2002, 03:05 PM

In the morning when I start the car, it takes 2 or more attempts to get it running. Here's what's happening:
Push clutch, move shifter into neutral, turn the key. -> The engine turns, starts up, and rpms are around 1500 - 2000. Release clutch -> rpms go down, car stalls.
Repeat the sequence one or more times to get it running.

Has anybody had anything similar ? What could this be, tranny fluid too thick, no fuel in the rails, dirty injectors ?

Car: 2000 RS with ~50K miles, stock.

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BOY · 12-04-2002, 03:31 PM

Check your plugs, wires, fuel filter. I've had this happen before and it eventually just went away.

Legacy777 · 12-04-2002, 03:35 PM

If you leave the clutch in.....does it stall.......does it matter how long you wait before you take your foot off the clutch and it stalls?

You could try running some fuel cleaner through there.....they probably switched to the winter gas up there which dislodges all the crap in your fuel system.

Any check engine lights?

Does it do it only in the morning? What about after work when the car's been sitting?

il96 · 12-04-2002, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by legacy777
If you leave the clutch in.....does it stall.......does it matter how long you wait before you take your foot off the clutch and it stalls?

Actually I haven't tried holding the clutch long enough. I'll try that.

Quote:

You could try running some fuel cleaner through there.....they probably switched to the winter gas up there which dislodges all the crap in your fuel system.
Any check engine lights?

I did ampty a bottle of fuel cleaner in my gas tank about a month ago, didn't seem to do much.
No check engine lights.

Quote:

Does it do it only in the morning? What about after work when the car's been sitting?

Yes, only in the morning after sitting for about 10 - 12 hours.

Interestingly enough my friend complains that his '03 WRX does sort of the same thing - it drops rpms really low, and then builds them back up, but doesn't stall.

il96 · 12-05-2002, 12:39 PM

Update:

The car did the same thing today. It doesn't matter if the clutch is pressed in or released. The rpms drop down and the engine stalls.
Maybe I should reset the ECU...

Any more ideas ?

outback2.5HO · 12-05-2002, 12:57 PM

First, check all of the aforementioned items, and replace what's necessary.

Also, if you haven't ever cleaned your throttle body, that works wonders...Lots of times they build up with crud which effects the idle as well as the overall performance of your car.

Legacy777 · 12-05-2002, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by outback2.5HO
First, check all of the aforementioned items, and replace what's necessary.

Also, if you haven't ever cleaned your throttle body, that works wonders...Lots of times they build up with crud which effects the idle as well as the overall performance of your car.

DO NOT clean your throttle body!!!

I'm STILL playing clean up on issues that happened due to cleaning of the TB. There is a black goo of some sort that acts mainly as an inhibitor for carbon building up.

I'm not 100% sure the newer TB's have this, but I would personally not clean the TB......it's not causing the problem.

The IAC valve handles the idle speed, based on what the ECU is telling it.

Hey just thought of something.....do you have a friend or know someone in your area that has an OBD2 scanner?

If you can take a look at the duty cycle for the IAC valve at start up, maybe it will give you an idea of what's going on. If it freaks out, or you get some weird signals.....maybe that would help you pin point things.

josh

sidewayz · 12-05-2002, 05:49 PM

ITS THE GAS!!!!!......try switching to a lower octane.try this link

outback2.5HO · 12-05-2002, 07:03 PM

legacy777,
Not trying to start a flame war, but what did you use to clean your throttle body? I have done this to hundreds of Subarus (90 and newer) and NONE of them ran worse, only better. Carbon buildup in throttle body is commonly a cause of idle fluctuations. The IAC could be the cause, and scanning the car is a good idea to see what's going on.

Legacy777 · 12-05-2002, 10:21 PM

I'm tired and had a bad day.....so I'm not going to get into the depths of explaining why not to......I posted this a while ago....if you're interested do a search in the N/A forum.

I was basically flamed by retards that didn't know anything until I posted pictures & had some of the mods post.......gotta love "i-club"

The older legacies had TB's that had a bypass screw adjustment.....mine was one of them.....the goo helped seal the TB, as well as prevent the carbon build up. (this was told to me by a subaru mechanic)

However past 94.....it's probably not an issue.....so you could prob clean the TB and not have the problems I had.

aight....I'm goin to bed.....thursday sucks.......haha.....

outback2.5HO · 12-06-2002, 11:58 AM

It's Friday now, and hopefully your day's going better...

My rally car is a 90 Legacy, I'm familiar with the screw you're talking about.

Legacy777 · 12-06-2002, 01:50 PM

Yeah....my day is going better

Plus I think I'm goin to leave a little early

Here's the link to the thread I was talking about

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...ight=black+goo

obyone · 12-06-2002, 03:57 PM

That happened to my MR2 once. Turns out that one of the fuel lines, or something, was frozen.

I know this because it would start, then shut off within 2 seconds. It would start and stay running if I sprayed starter fluid into the intake track and keept the starter fluid flowing. If I let off on the fluid, the car would shut off again.

What I did was I kept the starter fluid going and then heard a pop. The car then worked fine. Letting it run, for that bit, melted or unclogged anything that was clogging it up.

It's at least worth a try to see if your car will run with starter fluid. You can get some at Auto Zone. It comes in a spray bottle.

RebelINS · 12-06-2002, 05:16 PM

This same thing happens to my MY00 RS, and it doesn't matter about holding in the clutch with mine, because it is an Auto. It has pretty much always done it when it was extremely cold here in Michigan. I just assumed it was characteristic of the car, and didn't really worry about it.

-Wes

akuhner · 12-07-2002, 09:30 PM

I got a similar problem once - due to a bad install the cold start air hose had a vaccum leak. Check your air hoses.

12-04-2002, 03:05 PM	#1
il96 Gone... But not forgotten Member#: 13082 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Philadelphia	Car stalls in the morning when cold (20F) In the morning when I start the car, it takes 2 or more attempts to get it running. Here's what's happening: Push clutch, move shifter into neutral, turn the key. -> The engine turns, starts up, and rpms are around 1500 - 2000. Release clutch -> rpms go down, car stalls. Repeat the sequence one or more times to get it running. Has anybody had anything similar ? What could this be, tranny fluid too thick, no fuel in the rails, dirty injectors ? Car: 2000 RS with ~50K miles, stock. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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12-04-2002, 03:31 PM	#2
BOY NASIOC Supporter Member#: 232 Join Date: Sep 1999 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Ft Wayne, IN Vehicle: 99 RS-T RIP 02 Forster-S	Check your plugs, wires, fuel filter. I've had this happen before and it eventually just went away.

12-04-2002, 03:35 PM	#3
Legacy777 Scooby Guru Member#: 4800 Join Date: Mar 2001 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Houston, Tx Vehicle: 1990 Legacy & 97 OBS AWD 5MT EJ22T AWIC Swap	If you leave the clutch in.....does it stall.......does it matter how long you wait before you take your foot off the clutch and it stalls? You could try running some fuel cleaner through there.....they probably switched to the winter gas up there which dislodges all the crap in your fuel system. Any check engine lights? Does it do it only in the morning? What about after work when the car's been sitting?

12-05-2002, 12:39 PM	#5
il96 Gone... But not forgotten Member#: 13082 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Philadelphia	Update: The car did the same thing today. It doesn't matter if the clutch is pressed in or released. The rpms drop down and the engine stalls. Maybe I should reset the ECU... Any more ideas ?

12-05-2002, 12:57 PM	#6
outback2.5HO Scooby Specialist Member#: 15135 Join Date: Feb 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Bend, Or. USA Vehicle: 95 GF WRX Black	First, check all of the aforementioned items, and replace what's necessary. Also, if you haven't ever cleaned your throttle body, that works wonders...Lots of times they build up with crud which effects the idle as well as the overall performance of your car.

12-05-2002, 05:49 PM	#8
sidewayz Scooby Specialist Member#: 5810 Join Date: Apr 2001 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Easton PA Vehicle: 2001 S366 2.5RS	ITS THE GAS!!!!!......try switching to a lower octane.try this link

12-05-2002, 07:03 PM	#9
outback2.5HO Scooby Specialist Member#: 15135 Join Date: Feb 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Bend, Or. USA Vehicle: 95 GF WRX Black	legacy777, Not trying to start a flame war, but what did you use to clean your throttle body? I have done this to hundreds of Subarus (90 and newer) and NONE of them ran worse, only better. Carbon buildup in throttle body is commonly a cause of idle fluctuations. The IAC could be the cause, and scanning the car is a good idea to see what's going on.

12-05-2002, 10:21 PM	#10
Legacy777 Scooby Guru Member#: 4800 Join Date: Mar 2001 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Houston, Tx Vehicle: 1990 Legacy & 97 OBS AWD 5MT EJ22T AWIC Swap	I'm tired and had a bad day.....so I'm not going to get into the depths of explaining why not to......I posted this a while ago....if you're interested do a search in the N/A forum. I was basically flamed by retards that didn't know anything until I posted pictures & had some of the mods post.......gotta love "i-club" The older legacies had TB's that had a bypass screw adjustment.....mine was one of them.....the goo helped seal the TB, as well as prevent the carbon build up. (this was told to me by a subaru mechanic) However past 94.....it's probably not an issue.....so you could prob clean the TB and not have the problems I had. aight....I'm goin to bed.....thursday sucks.......haha.....

12-06-2002, 11:58 AM	#11
outback2.5HO Scooby Specialist Member#: 15135 Join Date: Feb 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Bend, Or. USA Vehicle: 95 GF WRX Black	It's Friday now, and hopefully your day's going better... My rally car is a 90 Legacy, I'm familiar with the screw you're talking about.

12-06-2002, 01:50 PM	#12
Legacy777 Scooby Guru Member#: 4800 Join Date: Mar 2001 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Houston, Tx Vehicle: 1990 Legacy & 97 OBS AWD 5MT EJ22T AWIC Swap	Yeah....my day is going better Plus I think I'm goin to leave a little early Here's the link to the thread I was talking about http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...ight=black+goo

12-06-2002, 03:57 PM	#13
obyone Scooby Specialist Member#: 16523 Join Date: Mar 2002 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Inbetween Hesco's and T-walls Vehicle: JDM Maxxpro	That happened to my MR2 once. Turns out that one of the fuel lines, or something, was frozen. I know this because it would start, then shut off within 2 seconds. It would start and stay running if I sprayed starter fluid into the intake track and keept the starter fluid flowing. If I let off on the fluid, the car would shut off again. What I did was I kept the starter fluid going and then heard a pop. The car then worked fine. Letting it run, for that bit, melted or unclogged anything that was clogging it up. It's at least worth a try to see if your car will run with starter fluid. You can get some at Auto Zone. It comes in a spray bottle.

12-06-2002, 05:16 PM	#14
RebelINS Scooby Specialist Member#: 2953 Join Date: Nov 2000 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Rochester, MI, USA Vehicle: 2000 Impreza 2.5RS 2005 Impreza WRX STi	This same thing happens to my MY00 RS, and it doesn't matter about holding in the clutch with mine, because it is an Auto. It has pretty much always done it when it was extremely cold here in Michigan. I just assumed it was characteristic of the car, and didn't really worry about it. -Wes

12-07-2002, 09:30 PM	#15
akuhner Scooby Specialist Member#: 462 Join Date: Oct 1999 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Westport, CT Vehicle: 2005 Saab 92x Aero No more rally car...	I got a similar problem once - due to a bad install the cold start air hose had a vaccum leak. Check your air hoses.