Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Recommended Posts

when i start my car dead cold..

 

sometimes ill put the car in D and go to gas.. but theres no response.. sometimes i can put the pedal down a little more and it just feels liek the car is running leaner and is about to choke.

 

that would be the throttle body position sensor not working right?

 

theres no CEL. and no codes stored in memory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yes. it idles aroudn 1500 cold.

once i tap the gas it drops to 900 regardless of how long it has been warming up.

 

it revs normalish in park or neutral

when it starts cold it sounds a little funny.. im not realyl sure how to describe it. it just sounds liek its gargling a bit for the first few seconds after it turns over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

change your CTS (coolant temp sensor) and all the problems will be gone.. somehow, they usually dont throw codes

 

i had teh same problem not too long ago with my lego

 

 

hm i dont see how the coolant temp sensor can cause a lack of throttle response in the cold..

 

but i guess ill look into that...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hm i dont see how the coolant temp sensor can cause a lack of throttle response in the cold..[...]

A defective CTS can cause the problem, since the ECU reads it to determine if the engine is cold and the mixture needs to be enriched. If the data is wrong, the mixture can be too lean for a cold engine, and it doesn't generate a trouble code because the ECU doesn't know it's being 'lied to'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the CTS the one that's buried under the intake? That is about the only sensor that I haven't changed on my misfire happy 97 OBW. I sometimes wonder if it occasionally sends a little lie up the line and causes a fuel change that causes a misfire. Sorry - no hijacking - but is it under the intake? Major job for a klutz to replace?

 

The only reason I asked about simply warming the car up earlier, is that even with all the modern fuel injection technology, a car will still hesitate when it's really cold. I always let mine warm up at least a couple of minutes, especially when it is in the single digits, or -10, -20, etc. It's just simple kindness.

Edited by subsince77
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A defective CTS can cause the problem, since the ECU reads it to determine if the engine is cold and the mixture needs to be enriched. If the data is wrong, the mixture can be too lean for a cold engine, and it doesn't generate a trouble code because the ECU doesn't know it's being 'lied to'.

 

the coolant is 50 50 right now.. would that be considered too lean for single digit weather?

 

i had put that in when it was in the 90s out.. and i really had been happy to forget what the cold was like...

ive also noticed the overflow isnt full.. its at about 1/3 of max.

 

would that make a difference...?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the coolant is 50 50 right now.. would that be considered too lean for single digit weather?

 

i had put that in when it was in the 90s out.. and i really had been happy to forget what the cold was like...

ive also noticed the overflow isnt full.. its at about 1/3 of max.

 

would that make a difference...?

The mixture I've been referring to is that of the air/fuel. It has nothing to do with the coolant antifreeze concentration; 50/50 coolant is fine for summer, and for all but the most severe winter conditions. As long as there are no air pockets in your cooling system, the level in your coolant reservoir is about right.

 

To better understand how the air/fuel mixture is determined, see:

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/Fuel.pdf

In particular, note the correction factors listed on page 11.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mixture I've been referring to is that of the air/fuel. It has nothing to do with the coolant antifreeze concentration; 50/50 coolant is fine for summer, and for all but the most severe winter conditions. As long as there are no air pockets in your cooling system, the level in your coolant reservoir is about right.

 

To better understand how the air/fuel mixture is determined, see:

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/Fuel.pdf

In particular, note the correction factors listed on page 11.

 

 

ohhh i was kinda confused.. i didnt really know what lean coolant could have meant..

i was actually already thinking of finding a way to get an air fuel gauge.. but i dont want to go through all the hassle of wiring one to the o2 sensor.. is there an obd2 scanner that just pulls the data?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[...]i was actually already thinking of finding a way to get an air fuel gauge.. but i dont want to go through all the hassle of wiring one to the o2 sensor.. is there an obd2 scanner that just pulls the data?

Since the CTS is a common failure item that can cause what you're experiencing, why not look at its operation? There's a fairly 'low-tech' way to determine if the CTS is doing its job. If you have access to an ohmmeter, and can get to and unplug the connector, then taking resistance measurements of the CTS is probably a good starting point. See the following thread for more info:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=86546

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the CTS is a common failure item that can cause what you're experiencing, why not look at its operation? There's a fairly 'low-tech' way to determine if the CTS is doing its job. If you have access to an ohmmeter, and can get to and unplug the connector, then taking resistance measurements of the CTS is probably a good starting point. See the following thread for more info:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=86546

 

aright that sounds good. but where is it located? i cant find it in the manuals i have... mines broken up into a bunch of pdfs and its taking forever to find it..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...