car won't start. Please help!
12-03-2003, 01:02 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Conway, NH
Posts: 38
Car Info: '04 WRX Wagon in Blue
car won't start. Please help!
My 2004 wrx wagon wouldn't start up this morning. Here are the symptoms.
- outside temp is about freezing
- car started up on my first try, but after about 20 seconds, the idle was rough and then the car stalled.
- successive tries were unsuccessful, with a flashing CEL while the engine was turning over.
- low fuel light on with gauge almost at zero, so I added two gallons (91 octane) from a gas can... but the same problem persisted (and the gas light is still on, and the gauge doesn't appear to have moved).
- I managed to get the car to start once more (with no CEL while the engine was running), but again it stalled after about 10 seconds.
Background info: A week ago, I took to car for a 1000 mile trip... then the car sat for about a week while I was in NY for thanksgiving. Also, I have a Cobb Stage 2 reflash with uppipe and TBE.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Joe
- outside temp is about freezing
- car started up on my first try, but after about 20 seconds, the idle was rough and then the car stalled.
- successive tries were unsuccessful, with a flashing CEL while the engine was turning over.
- low fuel light on with gauge almost at zero, so I added two gallons (91 octane) from a gas can... but the same problem persisted (and the gas light is still on, and the gauge doesn't appear to have moved).
- I managed to get the car to start once more (with no CEL while the engine was running), but again it stalled after about 10 seconds.
Background info: A week ago, I took to car for a 1000 mile trip... then the car sat for about a week while I was in NY for thanksgiving. Also, I have a Cobb Stage 2 reflash with uppipe and TBE.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Joe
Last edited by Wagon Joe; 12-03-2003 at 01:17 PM.
12-03-2003, 10:23 PM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,370
Car Info: Viper ACR & H1
The flashing CEL means misfire. If you were out of gas and trying to start it the engine may have been sucking in air not fuel. Once you refilled it there is still air in the fuel lines. Try it again and see how long it runs. Most likely the air will pass through the motor and fuel consumption will be back to normal.
Nick
Nick
12-04-2003, 08:56 AM
#3
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Conway, NH
Posts: 38
Car Info: '04 WRX Wagon in Blue
Well, I was able to solve the problem. Got the car started, and kept giving it gas when the RPMs started to drop. Made it over to the Chevron station, filled up, and the problem seems to have gone away.
Now here's the weird part. I was never close to being out of gas (realized this after filling up at the Chevron station w/ only 7 gallons). Even when I left the car for the week there were 4 gallons of gas left. So after manually adding another 4 gallons (8 gallons total), the low fuel light was still on, and the gas gauge read below zero. Coincidentally, the last time I refueled, it was at a small rinky-dink gas station in the middle of nowehere on the way back from my road trip. I think I may have gotten some bad gas, and while sitting for the week, somehow the float in the gas tank got stuck or something. Anyway, it's good to have the car back to normal. Also, I took a ride to the local AutoZone, and no CEL codes were stored. Thanks for the response.
- Joe
Now here's the weird part. I was never close to being out of gas (realized this after filling up at the Chevron station w/ only 7 gallons). Even when I left the car for the week there were 4 gallons of gas left. So after manually adding another 4 gallons (8 gallons total), the low fuel light was still on, and the gas gauge read below zero. Coincidentally, the last time I refueled, it was at a small rinky-dink gas station in the middle of nowehere on the way back from my road trip. I think I may have gotten some bad gas, and while sitting for the week, somehow the float in the gas tank got stuck or something. Anyway, it's good to have the car back to normal. Also, I took a ride to the local AutoZone, and no CEL codes were stored. Thanks for the response.
- Joe
Last edited by Wagon Joe; 12-04-2003 at 08:58 AM.
12-09-2003, 11:52 AM
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Conway, NH
Posts: 38
Car Info: '04 WRX Wagon in Blue
Problem happened again, this time I had it towed to the dealer.
The Cause: Wires connected to the ECU were loose. Should have swapped ECU's myself instead of letting Cobb do it.
The Price: $80 in labor. (luckily roadside assistance covered the towing)
The Lesson: Always work on your car yourself whenever possible.
The Cause: Wires connected to the ECU were loose. Should have swapped ECU's myself instead of letting Cobb do it.
The Price: $80 in labor. (luckily roadside assistance covered the towing)
The Lesson: Always work on your car yourself whenever possible.
12-10-2003, 01:18 PM
#6
man that sucks! (the wire connection part). My fuel light is wack too. If I have about ~5 gallons left in the tank and turn off the car for a while. Next time when I crank it, the light will come on and and stay on for a while, eventually go off and back on again when I am down to about 2 gallons. When the light is on, filling the tank with few gallons won't make the light go away 
don't know why, but just how it is. I get about 25 mpg all the time unless I race the engin a lot. So most of the time I tell by my trip odometer reading...
don't know why, but just how it is. I get about 25 mpg all the time unless I race the engin a lot. So most of the time I tell by my trip odometer reading...
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