Car sat for a while, won't start

[kimokalihi]

I have a 90 Subaru Legacy L wagon AWD 5 spd that I bought and was going to sell for more money but it had a bad bearing in the tranny so no one wanted it.

 

Anyways, it's been sitting for over a year and today I finally got around to replacing a hub assembly that I took off and put on my other legacy. Then I tried starting it and it's dead. So I was jump starting it with my good legacy and it was out of gas. So I went to the gas station and got 3 gallons and came back and dumped them in there.

 

The car still refuses to start. It's not chugging at all like it's trying to ignite. Either it's flooded because there's no spark or there's no fuel getting to the engine.

 

The car ran fine before. Except when you tried starting it, the car would die unless you gave it gas. When it was warmed up, it was fine.

 

What should I be checking out? I didn't have anymore time today because it was dark and raining on me. I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow to look at it either.

[Rooster2]

Pull a plug wire, then ground the plug wire to verify that you are getting spark. Then I would pull the spark plugs and squirt some ether (starting fluid)inside each cylinder. Pulling plugs on your 2.2 motor is fairly easy to do. Start the motor, it will help clear out any flooding, and get gas flowing into the motor.

 

Suggest changing the oil, using ether, flooding, and sitting causes the oil to go bad.

[OB99W]

I have a 90 Subaru Legacy L wagon AWD 5 spd [...]

Anyways, it's been sitting for over a year [...]I tried starting it and it's dead. So I was jump starting it with my good legacy and it was out of gas. So I went to the gas station and got 3 gallons and came back and dumped them in there.

 

The car still refuses to start. It's not chugging at all like it's trying to ignite. Either it's flooded because there's no spark or there's no fuel getting to the engine.[...]

There are several things that could cause the no-start condition you've described.

 

In a year-plus, the more-volatile fractions of gas can evaporate, and the gas can become gummy and hard to ignite. It would take a while for the fresh gas you added to make its way to the engine. If you suspect flooding, try cranking with the accelerator pedal held down to the floor for a while to help clear things.

 

Is there any chance that "critters" may have gotten to the car? Gnawed wires and nesting material can cause strange symptoms (besides fuel and spark, consider that air is also needed).

 

An unusual (but not unheard of) problem can occur after a long period of disuse. Engine parts, including the valve train, can be a bit reluctant to move; if the timing belt was near failure, sometimes the additional stress is enough to break it, or it will just jump.

 

Next chance, I'd suggest you try cranking for a reasonable time, and if there's still no firing, pull a plug and see if it's wet with fuel. If wet, obviously there's fuel delivery, and you need to check for spark. Connect the plug wire to the plug, and place the plug so its threaded part is grounded to the block (keep it away from any other wires - you dont want the spark to "zap" the electronics!). With a second person, have one crank the engine and the other observe for spark (or use a remote starter if you have to work alone).

 

Get back with more details when you can.

[kimokalihi]

I don't know when I'll have time to look at it. Possibly tomorrow(today I guess it's 7am but I'm going to bed now)but I don't know. My girlfriend is coming over and probably going to be here all day and then I have to go to work at night.

 

I may not have time to give it a good look until wednesday.

[ccrinc]

You said it was hard to start before when it was cold. Sounds like the coolant temperature sensor to me. Located on the coolant crossover pipe under the intake manifold.

Of course, after sitting for a year, the other things are worth checking too.

 

 

Emily

http://www.ccrengines.com

[kimokalihi]

Thanks emily, I'll add that to my list of things to check.