MoscowSubaruDude Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 So I bought a hatch from a member who lives around spokane. It's been driving fine, great motor on it, minor issues that i worked through. One of them was the complete failure of the ignition switch, so I rigged up some switches and a pushbutton for the starter. Here's where the problem started. The wire that normally operated the starter, coming off the column, wasn't fully functional. As in, it wouldn't crank the starter, so two new wires were put in, it worked fine. The car, however, simply wouldn't start unless that single defunct wire had power. The second the motor fired, it would keep the starter running, and had to be shut off immediately. This setup worked ok, until the whole car went berzerk. I was down in Plummer one night, and it died on the road. After pulling into a parking lot, i got it running, kinda. It would run for about 20 seconds, on average, and then die. Another weird symptom was that upon starting, the windshield wipers would cycle through, once, and then upon it dying, they would get through a half-cycle. The weird thing is, I had the accessories wired through a switch. That switch was off the entire time. The car also refused to rev higher than 3300, stumbling if I tried to shove it higher, with the tach going completely haywire, 0 to redline and back and everywhere in between. I swapped out the alternator with a spare I had in the car, and it revved ok, for the 20 seconds it stayed running. The alternator was bum (low voltage), it came out of my loyale and was on it's way to the parts store. It should have run just fine on the battery alone, but it wasn't. It's still not wanting to run right, and I'm thinking it's a short somewhere in the wire bundle from the dash to the ignition. Some idea's would be helpful here, and/or a simple wiring schematic to simply re-wire the entire ignition system (coil, disty, dash, and everything else in between). I've traced the entire wiring system from hell to breakfast, and I haven't found any problems. Any suggestions will be helpful, and I'll be laying hands on a new alternator come payday, to see if that might be the problem. The car is currently stuck in Spokane, as I don't feel like driving 140 miles back home while having to restart the car on the fly every 20 seconds. Thanks for the help, in advance. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 ...I'm thinking it's a short somewhere in the wire bundle from the dash to the ignition. ... Well... First I Think that, but Then I think that Maybe your car has a Bad Ignition Coil too... Why? ... Well... A Week Ago, I helped someone that had the same "20 Secs Syndrome" on the engine of his car :-\ , it was in a Park, near a Nice Lagoon where People goes to rest Weekends, I saw the Man in Trobles with his Car... Helpin´ Him to check what´s Goin´ on, I Touched the Ignition Coil and it was Too Hot, it almost burn my Hand... So, I just replaced the Old Coil with a spare one that I Carry (Carried) on my EA82´s Trunk (Was my Subie´s Old Coil, since I´ve Changed that with an Accel Superstock 8140 HV) The Guy did Paid me for the Old Coil and his car did run Fine. So, I think that aside of the Wires´ Cluster, and the Possibility of a Short Circuit there, Maybe your subie got a Bad Ignition Coil too... So, I Suggest to Check it up, carefully. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 I have the same thing on my 81 Hatch, and it's either the switch or the fuel pump controller on mine. Not sure though. On mine, all the warning lights light up, and the power to the fuel pump is cut. The battery still charges, but the choke doesn't get power either, so it idles high. At lower rpms, the voltage regulator whines and buzzes. As a make it driveable fix, I ran power and ground wires to the fuel pump, off the fan fuse. It runs (or ran till I killed the engine), and went about 75 miles a day to and from work for two months straight. I am going to rewire it with a system that makes a bit more sense once the new engine is in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoscowSubaruDude Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share Posted April 3, 2007 I shall be trying that later tonite. Thanks for the help. I'll also look into getting a new alt. I fired it up today, to see what was up, and it is WAY overcharging, as in the voltmeter is pegged above 16. I'm thinking the VR went dead. I'll try the fuel pump idea though, rig up a switch and some wiring. Thanks a ton. Expect more questions though:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 Yup, that was the same thing mine did after it sat for a couple weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatswhatshesaid Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Hmm...what you need is an '82 wagon that runs well and would make a perfect parts car you can drive home! (I know a guy who knows a guy who owns said wagon...) How's my old car doing overall? I feel bad that it turned out to be a semi-lemon. Anything I can do to help? Hope you get her going. And lifted. - Tyler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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