looking at car that won't start

[the goat]

hey guys,

i am going to look at a subaru gl-10 that has been parked for over a year. it ran when the guy parked it but now it won't start. any thoughts on what it might need to get it started? thanks.

[roxtar]

will it turn over and just not catch or is it not even turning over?

 

no turn over could just simply be a dead battery... they die when parked too long. could also be ignition switch or starter

 

no catch gets more complicated to diagnose. the engine needs 3 things to start.

1.) spark

2.) fuel/air

3.) compression

 

no spark could be bad plugs/wires, bad cap/rotor, bad coil, disconnected wires to ignition components

 

fuel related could be bad pump, clogged filter, clogged lines, leaking lines, or just a tank full of stale gas

 

compression can be lost through shot piston rings, blown head gasket, cracked head/block and any number of other things

 

hope all this helps

[Numbchux]

may want to drain/flush the gas tank, get some fresh gas in there

[75skunkaroo]

i just bought a '79 wagon that was parked for 7 years, put in a new battery, and poured some gas down the carb, took about 3-5 minutes of off and on cranking, but it fired right up

 

-mike

[calebz]

any thoughts on what it might need to get it started? thanks.

It needs:

 

Fuel

Air

Spark

Compression.

 

Figure out how to supply those things and you will be good to go.

[the goat]

thanks for the answers. the owner said he parked it because it had suspension problems that he didn't want to take care of. what kind of suspension would a 87 gl-10 have? different than the basics?

[calebz]

Its very possible that it had air suspension.. My 87 GL-10 did.. that stuff is way more trouble than its worth.. and terribly expensive to fix.. however, it can be converted to regular strut/shock setup for pretty cheap, depending on availability iof parts in your area.

[canajun2eh]

The "no start" condition is probably due to a broken timing belt.

[MilesFox]

if the car ran when he parked it, the fuel pump may have seized. check to see if you can hear or feel the fuel pum come on. it will come on for 2 seconds when you turn the key ON. you can also pop the panel off from under the steering column and plug in the green connectors, that will cycle the fuel pump on and off. also you can pull a fuel line from the filter and see if fuel comes out, it should spew out at high pressure, out past from under the hood!

 

if you dont hear the fuel pump, plug in the green testers and turn the key on. use a voltmeter or test light and probe the red wire on the fuel pump's clip and ground to the body and see if it lights up. if it does, then you know there is power. then ground the lead to the black wire, + still on the red wire. if you have light or 12v then the ground is good. if not you can splice a wire and cround it to the body. i like to run the wire thru the brake line grommet and ground to the seat belt bolt.

 

if there is no power at all, check the relay, its under the dash and mounted to a clup on the left of the steering column above the ecu.

 

if you want to try a quick fix to get it started run a wire from the battery to the red wire on the fuel pump and see if it comes on. if it comes on that way, you can rig the wire to the + coul terminal so the pump goes off and on with the key, until you can find the real problem