P0505 and "doesn't start" after -- could be connected?

[yarikoptic]

Hi All.

 

Having not yet gathered enough motivation to fix a "new" car of mine, I need first to get elderly one on road. It is 95 Legacy L, AT, AWD

 

Since mostly I am driving a new one now, elderly one was staying outside for 5-6 days without running. Day came that I had to repark it to the other side, it was quite cold 31-32 F (-1 C), I've started it up, and it cranked up really hard but started eventually, I let it run for no more than a minute (don't hit me hard), I shift the "gear" to "D" (it was quite hard to move the lever), drove it to another side of the road, and when I parked (shift

the lever back to park)... then rpms went ballistic to slightly more than 2k - for 2-3 seconds, then CEL came on, and I simply stopped it.

This evening (2 days after and in similar weather + light snow) I came out, tried to start it and failed (there is plenty of juice in accumulator I believe, starter didn't even crank, some relays clunked), read the code (P0505 Idle Air Control System), reset the code, pulled the cables a bit (I remember I had the same no start due to rust in power connector from accumulator), tried to start many times with no luck...

 

The question: can that P0505 be relevant for no start? I just really doubt it but I would appreciate your output

 

Hayness says that 1 of possible causes is that "automatic transaxle not completely engaged in Park" which I would admit to be possible may be somehow due to how heavy was to move the shift lever. Does your elderly AT shift easily in cold weather after being outside for few days? I mentioned that awhile that in cold it is hard to switch and that it gets back to normal after car gets driven/warmed-up. Or is it just that my cable is probably torn and/or got dirty inside and thus got stuck (and may be didn't release the gear completely into Park). Visually it seems to be in Park. I guess I would have to get underneath it to see if the cable didn't get stuck.... Where can I order somewhat warmer weather for tomorrow - it seems to be freezing...

 

BTW, now that I don't remember, is lever supposed to switch even if I didn't succeed to start but if the key is in On position? (so it could be pushed... I would need to push it to the other side unless I fix it :-\)

[nipper]

I'm not sure what you are saying.

 

Is your no start condition meaning you have no crank?

 

If the car is not fully in park the engine will not crank, try neutral instead?

 

505 is the idle air motor. a bad or non responsive IAC should not keep the car from starting.

 

I'm not sure what you are calling the accumilator. Usually an older cars shifter is easier due to slop in the cable linkage. I bet your cable is bad.

 

And i dont quite understand the last line, do you mean the gear shift release button?

 

nipper

[porcupine73]

Does your elderly AT shift easily in cold weather after being outside for few days? I mentioned that awhile that in cold it is hard to switch and that it gets back to normal after car gets driven/warmed-up.

Yes same thing happens on my '96 too. I think water gets on/in something near the cable thingy on the AT and then freezes. Spraying silicone in that area seems to help usually.

BTW, now that I don't remember, is lever supposed to switch even if I didn't succeed to start but if the key is in On position? (so it could be pushed... I would need to push it to the other side unless I fix it :-\)

Yes I can get it out of park with key in run, engine off, step on brake, solenoid clicks, then can pull out of park with engine not running.

[yarikoptic]

Thank you Porcupine, and sorry nipper for my rough English ;-) Just to clear things up

 

Is your no start condition meaning you have no crank?

yes

If the car is not fully in park the engine will not crank, try neutral instead?

that is the idea - I will try today, yesterday my lever seems to get stuck quite hard so I was afraid to force it too much without assurance that I can shift it to neutural while it wasn't running

505 is the idle air motor. a bad or non responsive IAC should not keep the car from starting.

that is what I thought too and confirmed later by 'starting system electrical diagram'

I'm not sure what you are calling the accumilator

hm... I thought that it is a widely used English term syn to battery

 

Accumulator \Ac*cu"mu*la`tor\, n. [L.]

 

2. (Mech.) An apparatus by means of which energy or power can

be stored, such as the cylinder or tank for storing water

for hydraulic elevators, the secondary or storage battery

used for accumulating the energy of electrical charges,

etc.

[1913 Webster]

. Usually an older cars shifter is easier due to slop in the cable linkage. I bet your cable is bad.

yeah - if I manage to start it today I better go somewhere to look underneath and clean the cable. I had similar issue on Nissan -- too much dirt got into the cable, so on cold it was barely moving. I just flushed it with WD40 and that helped for next 3 years I had the car.

 

And i dont quite understand the last line, do you mean the gear shift release button?

I meant ignition key and forgotten to mention gear shift release button ;-)

 

So it seems that I just need to go downstairs (after tiny breakfast) and see if I can get it running... btw -- what voltage can I apply to the starter's solenoid to trigger starter to crank? Where can I get it (I mean may be some other beast powered by that one) I just want to check directly to get assurance that starter itself is ok, so I could warm it up (to see if transmission switches better and may be return to its destinned location if that is the cause of no start)

[nipper]

hehehe 1913 ditcionary eh? Thats the other english (british)

 

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source

 

common word usage has changed a wee bit since then (even my british freinds use the word battery).

 

i think we have figured it out though. Give us enough clues and we figure out the words.

 

 

 

 

nipper

[Skip]

Yari,

Yes you can jump the starter solenoid.

It is on the starter and requires positive 12v battery voltage.

Your battery will work.

 

Make sure gear selector it is in the "park" position.

 

Turn the ignition to the "run" position and connect a jumper wire from the battery positive terminal to the small spade connector shown below.

 

 

I tried to get a picture of where the starter is located but my bonnet is frozen tight. Follow the fat positive cable.

 

Hope this helps.

[nipper]

Yari,

Yes you can jump the starter solenoid.

It is on the starter and requires positive 12v battery voltage.

Your battery will work.

 

Make sure gear selector it is in the "park" position.

 

Turn the ignition to the "run" position and connect a jumper wire from the battery positive terminal to the small spade connector shown below.

 

 

I tried to get a picture of where the starter is located but my bonnet is frozen tight. Follow the fat positive cable.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Actually one addition for that .. Set the parking brake since we are not sure if the car is in park or not, or have a freind insdie the car with his foot on the brake, or ideally both.

 

nipper

[yarikoptic]

Actually one addition for that .. Set the parking brake since we are not sure if the car is in park or not, or have a freind insdie the car with his foot on the brake, or ideally both.

 

nipper

Nipper, Thank you so much for your help. All your logic follows what I thought to try before I realized that there is smth else what is weird -- my 'gear switch lever' was locked -- even if I put the key in 'On' and press brake pedal and press button on the lever - it didn't move at all... Since I saw Inhibitor switch on the way to starter, I decided to look into switch lever -- I took cover off and I saw that the solenoid, which supposedly should remove the lock after I press the brakes, doesn't do anything... Ok - I pushed it manually, shifted to Neutral and started the car! ;-)

 

so - the problem was that inhibitor switch didn't report Parking state I guess. After I drove for a bit, and after a few of unsuccesful attempts, it finally did start to startup in 'P' position! So definetly some defrosting or warming up helped.

 

Ok - I've got under the car and lubricated all joints on the way from the lever to AT. I didn't get inside the cable itself due to very uncomfortable access and since just lubrication of joints helped a lot in how freely I could move the lever. So I decided that it should be sufficient -- I will see for sure tomorrow morning after the car gets down to street temperature

 

I guess what had happened on Thur -- since I stopped the car whenever it was just started, all "hard" joints forbidden inhibitor switch to arrive to P position, and it got stuck in the middle between R and P (although parking was engaged).

 

Thanks everyone for helping me out of this ;-)