My subaru suddenly doesn't crank well!

[grape]

my new impreza wagon 2.5i manual, bought only for 1 month, had only 1500km
on it. this night, when I turned the key, the starter tried to crank, but
the engine didn't, at the 3rd attempt, the engine mumbled and started
well....the driving has no problem...

never happened before... am I supposed to get it back to the dealer?!
Sure, I can tell the starter worked well, and yes, the clutch is fully
depressed.

however, today I accidently activated the alarm by using key to turn door
open, are these two related? why the car honked like hxxx as I opened the
door by only my key? I have to press *unlock* on the remote to deactivate
the alarm...

 

[clamstrip fecadunker]

my new impreza wagon 2.5i manual, bought only for 1 month, had only
1500km on it. this night, when I turned the key, the starter tried to
crank, but the engine didn't, at the 3rd attempt, the engine mumbled
and started well....the driving has no problem...

never happened before... am I supposed to get it back to the
dealer?! Sure, I can tell the starter worked well, and yes, the clutch
is fully depressed.

however, today I accidently activated the alarm by using key to turn
door open, are these two related? why the car honked like hxxx as I
opened the door by only my key? I have to press *unlock* on the remote
to deactivate the alarm...

for something to go bad this suddenly, I would first suspect the
battery or one of
the battery cables. make sure you check *both ends* of both cables.
if the negative cable is not making good contact you will have all sorts
of strange behavior (could possibly explain odd alarm behavior).

 

[Wandering Willy]

For the cranking problem, if you've only had the car for a month, I'd
take it to the dealer.

For the alarm issue, that's extremely common. On many cars, if you
lock the doors with the remote, and open them with the key, the alarm
goes off. On most Fords, you can't start the engine.

Two temporary solutions: one, relock and then unlock the door with
the remote. Or two, if you don't have the remote, put the key in the
ignition and turn it to on and off about five times quickly.

Longer term solution is to have the dealer change the programming of
the alarm settings. Personally, I think it's a pain in the ass to
have them set up this way.

 

[Al]

my new impreza wagon 2.5i manual, bought only for 1 month, had only 1500km
on it. this night, when I turned the key, the starter tried to crank, but
the engine didn't, at the 3rd attempt, the engine mumbled and started
well....the driving has no problem...

never happened before... am I supposed to get it back to the dealer?!
Sure, I can tell the starter worked well, and yes, the clutch is fully
depressed.

however, today I accidently activated the alarm by using key to turn door
open, are these two related? why the car honked like hxxx as I opened the
door by only my key? I have to press *unlock* on the remote to deactivate
the alarm...

My cranking problem was solved by replacing the crank sensor. My wife
got stuck several times with that problem. As I am a failure analyst, I
anaylzed the sensor which had been replaced. I could find nothing wrong
with it. I suspect that the connection to it was not quite right. So I
think I got charged for a replacement part I didn't need. So, try
removing and replacing the connector; it may save you some bucks.

Al

 

[grape]

thank you for your reply.

How often does your wife had this problem? does she finally manage to start
the car or have to call towing truck?

Since I have never had this problem before, I'll se how it goes.

The problem I had yesterday, is very likely to be a fouled spark plug, that
the engine mumbled first(maybe, 1 or 2 cyclinder(s) worked, but the rest
ain't) after 2 secs, as the intaking air blowing off the fouled materials
off from the plugs, the all 4 cylinder then worked all fine. I can't be
certain, since it was only told from someone else, I'll just see if it
exhibits the same problem from now on, and if so, I'll give it to the
dealer.

I don't think it's the wire part, if it's the coil or so, it should exhibit
some wierd behaviour during normal driving. and, it's a brand new car, only
bought 1 month.

however, I'll see how it worked.

 

[Al]

thank you for your reply.

How often does your wife had this problem? does she finally manage to start
the car or have to call towing truck?

Since I have never had this problem before, I'll se how it goes.

The problem I had yesterday, is very likely to be a fouled spark plug, that
the engine mumbled first(maybe, 1 or 2 cyclinder(s) worked, but the rest
ain't) after 2 secs, as the intaking air blowing off the fouled materials
off from the plugs, the all 4 cylinder then worked all fine. I can't be
certain, since it was only told from someone else, I'll just see if it
exhibits the same problem from now on, and if so, I'll give it to the
dealer.

I don't think it's the wire part, if it's the coil or so, it should exhibit
some wierd behaviour during normal driving. and, it's a brand new car, only
bought 1 month.

however, I'll see how it worked.

This happened several times. What frosted her was that when I showed up
and attempted to start the car, it would start for me! I don't remember
it failing for me though. But, then again, it was the car she used all
the time and the failures were perhaps once a week or so.

Al

 

[KLS]

This happened several times. What frosted her was that when I showed up
and attempted to start the car, it would start for me! I don't remember
it failing for me though. But, then again, it was the car she used all
the time and the failures were perhaps once a week or so.

Yes, but did you ever take the car and actually live with the results
of starting it cold, as she presumably did? Did you trade cars, in
other words? For example, I was looking at a cheap used lawnmower one
time, and the guy wanted to start it for me, and I told him, no, I
want to prime and start the machine myself to determine if it was
something I, unused to that machine, could start without problems.
Good test, got me a good cheap reliable lawnmower for $50.

 

[grape]

ok I think I'll take it back to the dealer. becoz today I got another hard
start, I have to turn the key at ignition for 5 secs, and the car sputtered
at first, keep cranking turned it fully on.

and during driving , if I let off the throttle, the car will sometime jerks
backward and forward, it's like it gives a bit gas, then cut off, then give
a bit gass again.... it only occurs when let off the gas, and RPM drops
around 1500~2000RPM.


btw, you got this problem occasionally only during cranking? right?

 

[Al]

ok I think I'll take it back to the dealer. becoz today I got another hard
start, I have to turn the key at ignition for 5 secs, and the car sputtered
at first, keep cranking turned it fully on.

and during driving , if I let off the throttle, the car will sometime jerks
backward and forward, it's like it gives a bit gas, then cut off, then give
a bit gass again.... it only occurs when let off the gas, and RPM drops
around 1500~2000RPM.


btw, you got this problem occasionally only during cranking? right?

Right!

Al

 

[grape]

you meant bring back to the dealer is the right idea, or you only got
problem during cranking? or the crankshaft position sensor is the main
faulty part?

 

[Al]

you meant bring back to the dealer is the right idea, or you only got
problem during cranking? or the crankshaft position sensor is the main
faulty part?

In my case, I took it to the dealer who replaced the crank sensor. If I
knew what I know now, I would have found it, taken off the connector and
then placed it back again. That might have solved the very intermittent
problem I had.

In my case, it would crank, but not start.

There is another sensor called the TDC, top dead center. It lets the
computer know when a cylinder is at the top of its travel. This allows
the computer to then fire the spark at a suitable time after the
compression stroke. If this is intermittent, you may have misfires.
Hopefull the spark will be after the TDC and not before it. That really
stresses your engine.

I think it cost me about $160 to have the part replaced. Grrrr!

Al

 

[Larry Van Wormer]

This allows

the computer to then fire the spark at a suitable time after the
compression stroke. If this is intermittent, you may have misfires.
Hopefull the spark will be after the TDC and not before it. That really
stresses your engine.

Sorry, but that's just wrong. In ALL spark ignition engines (correctly
adjusted ones, that is...), the spark occurs before TDC. That's since it
takes a while for the combustion to propagate. You need to start it
before TDC, so the pressure is maximized at TDC.

Larry Van Wormer

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hopefull the spark will be after the TDC and not before it. That really
stresses your engine.

Hi,

I was following along ok until this comment...

Most engines fire a few degrees BEFORE TDC (BTDC) on compression stroke
to maximize power due to the burn time involved with the fuel charge.
How far BTDC depends on engine speed--it may range from zero degrees at
idle and go up to 25 deg or more depending on the engine--and must be
varied by an external controlling device, thus the spark advance
mechanisms built into distributors "back when" before computers took
over. The computer doesn't change the actual mechanics/physics required
to get the most out of the engine and does the exact same job, just a
bit more precisely.

What stresses the engine is firing TOO far before TDC for a given speed.
You're correct that EXCESSIVE advance, which leads to pinging or
"pre-ignition," can truly hammer an engine, even destroy it in severe
cases.

Rick

 

[Al]

This allows

Sorry, but that's just wrong. In ALL spark ignition engines (correctly
adjusted ones, that is...), the spark occurs before TDC. That's since it
takes a while for the combustion to propagate. You need to start it
before TDC, so the pressure is maximized at TDC.

Larry Van Wormer

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I stand corrected. I got it backwards. Too much advancd causes the
pinging.

Al

 

[grape]

mine was like it cranked, and the engine shaked a bit, stalled immediately.

2nd attempt, the engine mumbling, shaking a bit more, then stalled again.

3nd attempt, the engine kept mumbling... then vola! it started.

so, it's actually the engine was trying to get started, but just sputtering,
mumbling, and shakes... I can feel it, not very noticable. NOT those type
that engine does nothing at all.
what you recommand? since tomorrow I'll have to get it to the dealer.


btw, the car occasionally will jerk forward and backward, when I let off the
throttle during normal driving.

are these two related?
so the main suspicion is the crank sensor and cam sensor?

it's a brand new car with 1600km on it. so what will more likely to cause
this?

 

[grape]

btw, forgot to mention that , the mumbling of the engine in cranking is very
like when you didn't press your clutch and RPM drops too low that type of
engine sputtering in a manual car.

so hope you can come up with a solution and I can guide the technitians at
the dealership.

will it more like a ignition problem? even new Subarus develop igntion
problems?