misledxcracker Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 okay, so i now own an '86 GL (thought it was an '88, sorry) i put new spark plugs in it, new battery, i try to start it, it wants to turn over but doesnt, and sometimes it makes that sound you get out of the engine when you get the firing order wrong... i have the firing order correct, and it still wont start... so i pulled the spark plugs and one is fouled badly with gas... so i clean it off, and put them back, make sure i have the firing order right... and still wont start. turns over and tries to start but wont... then starts the tick tick tick with no attempt to turn over... guess i overheated the starter. now... 2 of the spark plugs are slightly old... would all 4 new spark plugs help any?! anyways what else can i try, to get this started? could the engine be seized? :-\ it had been sittin for 2 years and the spark plugs were taken out when it was parked.. .and the holes left wide open. i'll have a million more questions, as my headlight/dimmer switch is finicky when you touch it, sometimes the dash lights come on sometimes they dont... depending on how you wiggle the switch.. and also, when the key is in the ON position, the ECS light does not come on. then you slightly jiggle the key, and boom, ecs light comes on. try to start it, and the ECS comes on flickering just like the other lights. hopefully im not confusing anyone, i wanna get her runnin, she's just a baby with 85,600 miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 a specific title can help with more responses from people who know your situation (car won't start, car stalls, car blows up, tire fell off...etc). and it's easier to find in the future using the search function. was this car running or yo'ure trying to get it running? that makes a HUGE difference. sounds at first like it was running, you worked on it and now it isn't, but then you said it sat for awhile so sounds like it hasn't ran for awhile. if it hasn't ran for awhile, then the gas is old and the car won't start. get some good gas in there. check for spark at each cylinder. pull each plug and make sure it's getting spark while you're cranking the motor. passengers side cylinders are 1 and 3 front to back. drivers side cylinders are 2 and 4 front to back. the starter does sound weak if you're just getting clicking. that doesn't necessarily mean the starter is bad though, it might not be getting enough power. how is the battery? with repeated attempts to start the battery will drain very quickly. have a running car available to jump from. check the battery terminal connections. if they are dirty, old or corroded or not tight that is a problem as well. the starter draws alot of current, a bad connection will cause the clicking and no turn-over. if it's turning over at all, the engine is not seized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimpon Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 well gary I think you are a lonely old man that likes to *************** about little things. sometimes when you are a frustrated subie owner all you can say is HELP. Your negative remarks to some posts, (ie about saying things the way people should post or how to title a post) really makes for unenjoyable reading. if your that grumpy about this stuff stop reading the posts or learn some patience. I am speaking for myself of course. sorry to all other readers for jumping this post. Jim title your thread something constructive, ambiguous titles don't help anyone. was this car running or yo'ure trying to get it running? that makes a HUGE difference. sounds at first like it was running, you worked on it and now it isn't, but then you said it sat for awhile so sounds like it hasn't ran for awhile. if it hasn't ran for awhile, then the gas is old and the car won't start. get some good gas in there. check for spark at each cylinder. pull each plug and make sure it's getting spark while you're cranking the motor. passengers side cylinders are 1 and 3 front to back. drivers side cylinders are 2 and 4 front to back. the starter does sound weak if you're just getting clicking. that doesn't necessarily mean the starter is bad though, it might not be getting enough power. how is the battery? with repeated attempts to start the battery will drain very quickly. have a running car available to jump from. check the battery terminal connections. if they are dirty, old or corroded or not tight that is a problem as well. the starter draws alot of current, a bad connection will cause the clicking and no turn-over. if it's turning over at all, the engine is not seized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 well gary I think you are a lonely old man that likes to *************** about little things. sometimes when you are a frustrated subie owner all you can say is HELP. Your negative remarks ha ha! sorry, didn't mean to sound negative. grumpy and lonely old man is humerous! i am neither. sometimes i get straight to the point and skip presentation. that's the problem with the internet, it's like problem solving to me and i focus more on the problem solving than the person. bu that's not all bad, this is a car forum and not a social class (good thing i'm a ENGINEER - BIG DORK!!!) for those that have met me and i've personally helped them fix their cars they'll know i'm not a jerk..i think? i try to help and be as concise as possible. with time spent here and on other boards sometimes i get 'straight to the facts'. i try to help alot of people on various boards and time is limited. better descriptions are easier for people to respond to and easier for the original poster to find later if he still needs help. so i'm only suggesting it to help them. for people that post once every few months when they have a problem or peruse the boards every now and again this forum isn't that much of a concern. some of us are here often and on other boards trying to help and quite involved even off the board in various ways. i trade off quantity for presentation sometimes and for that i appologize. i'll try to be more friendly and less negative in the way i phrase suggestions. but i'm not perfect so i can't promise anything, your suggestions can be more friendly as well grumpy! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Still, it would be helpful to have more specifics on the problem. If it was running before you changed the plugs, I'd double-check the firing order. If it wasn't running, I'd look at the timing belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 car hasnt ran in 2 years, i put 4 gallons of fresh gas in it, the timing belts are new, so are the spark plugs and wires. the battery terminals are fine, and i use a battery charger to charge the battery. sorry if i seem like a every-3-month poster... i also have a hyundai accent (gah!) that gives me problems as well and thats the car i have to drive to work so im usually under the hood of that one. i DO frequent the forum a lot, and i search plenty, sometimes its hard to find something completely relevant to my situation... if i knew more about these cars (i want to!) i'd be like you guys, helping the best i can... but right now i'm just a newbie trying to get my soob to start... haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Romero Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Have you tested the coil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 I've never had to deal with the coil before... so I dont know how to test it. But, whats getting me is, theres raw fuel on the spark plugs and I dont know whether thats normal or something's wrong. It cranks, and misfires (searched and found out what the noise is when the firing order is wrong, haha) it misfires even when the firing order is correct.. and i tried moving them all one spot left on the disty and still didnt work. now im jumping it again, and checking spark plug gaps and firing order to make sure i got it just right. know what kept my other subaru alive? the haynes and chilton manuals. too bad i lost my last ones at the JY, i must buy them this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 it wants to turn over but doesnt, and sometimes it makes that sound you get out of the engine when you get the firing order wrong... OK, so let's be clear. When you say it doesn't turn over, do you mean that the engine doesn't crank, or that it doesn't fire? Usually when someone says it doesn't turn over they mean it won't crank, but if it's sounding like the firing order is wrong, it must be turning over. If the engine ran after the timing belts were replaced, that's one thing, But if it hasn't, I would check to make sure they were installed properly. I bought a GL wagon once for $100 dollars because the shop that replaced the timing belts told the owner the engine was shot, when they just didn't know how to install them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 i'm sorry im such a noob, please try not to be mad at me. the car goes rararara pop rararara pop... so i guess yeah its turning over, just not starting. if i recall correctly this is what the mechanic that sold it to me, told me... he replaced the radiator, radiator hoses, water pump, and the timing belts. also, he didnt know if the engine would run, so he put on a USED head gasket... and he said it fired up and was driven. it lasted for 500 miles, then starting leaking water... and he parked it. he said it was never overheated and it was leaking externally? i dont even notice any leaks at all. when i came to get the car, the spark plugs were all out (i'm guessing its been this way for 2 years) and so i put the originals back in, which werent bad at all, just rusty on the bolt part. i then tried to start it, crappy battery. so i took the battery out of my Accent, and threw it in. I remembered the firing order by heart from my old '88 dl, so i made sure that was all right and that the old plugs were still gapped at 0.040 and tried once more. misfire, misfire, just like it's firing order is wrong. then the mechanic comes up to me and says "it isnt firing? i'm surprised! maybe its the spark plug wires" (oh and he really did look surprised, haha) anyways, i had my grandma pull my car home with her Dodge Ram... and i bought new spark plugs and spark plug wires. installed, still misfiring. i took the spark plug off of the 4th cylinder, it was coated in gas. once i have real time to work on this car... i will research how to check the timing (i dont know how to use a light, nor do i have one) and do that also when i buy the manuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Romero Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I've never had to deal with the coil before... so I dont know how to test it. But, whats getting me is, theres raw fuel on the spark plugs and I dont know whether thats normal or something's wrong. It cranks, and misfires (searched and found out what the noise is when the firing order is wrong, haha) it misfires even when the firing order is correct.. and i tried moving them all one spot left on the disty and still didnt work. now im jumping it again, and checking spark plug gaps and firing order to make sure i got it just right. know what kept my other subaru alive? the haynes and chilton manuals. too bad i lost my last ones at the JY, i must buy them this weekend. You can test the coil by removing the wire that goes from it to the distributor cap, and then either using a remote starter or having a friend turn on the ignition while you hold the distributor side of the wire coming out of the coil against the grounded chassis, or an insulated metal tool. You can also pull one of the plugs, and leave it attached to the wire - if you see a blue spark in either instance then you are getting a spark to the engine, and you will then need to start looking at other issues. I agree with Subarian though - this could be a timing belt issue - in either case I think we are in agreement that this sounds like a problem with your ignition system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 It would tell a lot if you could get your hands on a timing light - they are very easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 It would tell a lot if you could get your hands on a timing light - they are very easy to use. for this job, an old contact-style one will work best - the one where you have to wedge a wire from it into the #1 spark plug wire and make real electrical contact - the newer intuctive-type ones have trouble at low rpm, like while cranking - mine is the latter type, but I can't complain as I got it for free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 okay, i had a friend of mine that has a timing light and knows how to time engines come over... both timing belts look brand spanking new... anyways he said it was off a tooth on the driver's side... so he adjusted it and now it STILL wont start. it doesnt misfire anymore, but gas still fouls the plugs. any other ideas? i wanna see this thing run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 OK - so are you saying it is running, but not for long?? If it is a fuel issue, I would examine the carb. Your friend does know that the driver's side T-belt check mark is supposed to be at the top, while the passenger's is at the bottom right?? if they are both at top/both at bottom, one of the cams is 180-degrees off on timing, and you probably won't run Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 yeah, he's worked on a loyale wagon once. its all correct. so i figure it may be something else... so i look for the green connectors under the hood, but unlike my '88 dl was, there are none. so i fish around and found them by the ECU, and plug them in. it's throwing me light codes (red light on ecu pulses) so maybe i'll figure something else out and it'll be all good. p.s. my friend also did some sort of test on it... and told me that its not losing water anywhere so maybe it isnt a blown HG... who knows. anyways, off to search for how to decode the ECU codes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 ok so i connected the green connectors and keep gettin code 12. with the greens disconnected, i get nothing. could THAT have anything to do with my problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Those green connectors are the diagnostic connectors that when connected, they display the codes the ECM contains. Here's a sit that might help decypher what codes you might have. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 yeah i knew it was "starter switch off" so can that mean the starter or the contacts are shot? if so, can it cause the car to do what its been doing? see and also... i learned that if i take my battery out of my Accent and put it into the Soob... 6 attempted starts later, it stops trying to turn over. i would think the battery would be dead, but i throw it back in the Accent, and it starts like it was nothing. I found a post with symptoms similar to mine... so maybe it is the starter all along? if so then because i know a man at a JY that will sell me one out of a GL wagon for $5... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 the accent probably has a smaller engine that is easier to turn over - I would check all fuses/fusible links for the electrical system, and check to see that you are getting +12 v on the + side of the coil when the ignition is on - how quickly is the engine turning over? if it is really slow, then you won't start at $5 I'd pick up a starter regardless - even just as a spare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 its turning over like it normally should...but maybe my problem is in the starter? thats the only code im getting, im getting power to the coil, spark , fuel, timing belts are on right... hmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 you could possibly have a short inside the coils in the starter causing it not to have enough power to turn the car over. I would check the connections on the starter, try it, and if that doesn't work, I'd go get that $5 starter for it and throw that in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru Jim Maple Ridge Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 You have to go back to the basics when blowing off the cobwebs, i.e. spark, fuel and timing. Spark is easy, pull off the coil wire at the coil, hold it half an inch away and get someone to roll it over for you. You either have spark or you do not. Timing should not have changed if you've done nothing to it. You could still check the cap and rotor for any obvious problem. Fuel might prove to be a big bother. I hope you pumped the tank dry before you put in fresh gas. A new filter is then the first order of business. Next, the float and bowl have to be cleaned as the fuel that evaporated probably left a pile of crystalized crap behind which turned to mush when you introduced new fuel. The float could be stuck open which will flood the cylinders and cause wet plugs, hence no start. Try to understand when people want more specifics when you post. All we can do is speculate about your problem, rather like a vet with a farmer on the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 how do i go about removing the gas tank to clean the float and bowl? and what do they look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 The float and bowl are in the carburetor. You'll have to dissasemble the carb by taking the top part off. Clean the bowl and replace the needle and seat. You might need to replace the float; if it's plastic and it's absorbed gas, it can't really be fixed. You can dry it out in an oven, but it will reabsorb gas pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now