98 legacy gt issue!!!

[lnvisiblefred]

hello all,
i have a 98 legacy gt wagon and i am having a bit of trouble. occasionally when i start the vehicle it wont turn over unless i give it a bit of gas. after such a startup the car runs a little strange and when parked will idle at 2000k for a couple seconds and drop down to between about 1500 to 1000 k but will settle down after some time. most times the car will run completely fine without a problem, but i find i come about this issue most if the car is already warmed up ( shut off and then started back up without being cooled down). only until recently i have been getting a CEL when the car decides to run like this. the CEL wont stay on a long period of time until the car returns back to normal.

for reference, the stock motor ( ej25d ) with 135,000 miles was swapped with the same stock setup with only 25,000 miles on it due to a head-gasket issue. i change the oil every 2500 miles and run 93 octane 90 percent of the time.

any thoughts before i get it checked out?

[Huffer]

1.what's the CEL code?
2. Stop running 93 octane-you're wasting money- usdm 98 gt motors are tuned for 87.

[anothernord]

If you have an autozone nearby, they can read the code for free. That will give us more information to help diagnose your problem.

Otherwise, it could be a bad Idle Air Control valve that's causing the strange idling, or a dirty MAF.

[lnvisiblefred]

alright i will try and get that CEL code tomorrow and give an update.

[hallowpoint]

Otherwise, it could be a bad Idle Air Control valve that's causing the strange idling, or a dirty MAF.
+1 sounds to me like an idler control valve also. this happened in my old legacy ez fix.

[ouch1011]

Running higher than recommended octane fuel can also cause starting issues.

Extremely worn spark plugs or bad wires can also show up as a starting problem because the higher than normal ignition voltage required to generate a spark on a worn plug and the lower than normal battery voltage available when starting the car.

[Lone_legacy]

I too have had some issues at startup. When the engine is cold it takes longer than usual for the engine to turnover. ALso, during strained startups the engine idles quite low (250rpm) for a second or two then returns to normal. It always turns over, it just seems like the starter motor is putting in more effort than it should have to. I have replaced plugs and wires, still the same issue. Could this be an issue with the idle air control valve?

[Huffer]

Probably. Get your battery checked too. Cold starts are always hard but sometimes the batteries can go bad.

[Lone_legacy]

I am pretty sure it is not the battery as it is almost brand new. I read that often idling issues are a result of a dirty IACV and a good cleaning can solve the problem. I managed to find a DIY for impreza owners, yet I haven't found one for us legacy guys. Could anyone enlighten me as to the procedure for cleaning the IACV? Thanks.

[Huffer]

Same as the impreza.

[Lone_legacy]

The IACV location is still unclear to me. I have an EJ25D. There are two things attached the RH side of the throttle body. I am not sure which is the IACV. The impreza IACV location is completely different. I have looked through all related threads and and none explicitly show the location. Could anyone help me with this?

[ouch1011]

The one with the 5/8" hose running from it into the intake ducting is the IAC.

[anothernord]

The one with the 5/8" hose running from it into the intake ducting is the IAC.

^^ Yep, its just he biggest hose you can find that goes into the manifold. Its sort of hidden down and on the side of the manifold/throttle body on the left side of the TB as you stand in front of the engine bay.

[Lone_legacy]

ok, found it. Thanks for the help. Now for cleaning. People use all sorts of things to clean theirs. I was thinking carburetor cleaner? Any suggestions?

[anothernord]

ok, found it. Thanks for the help. Now for cleaning. People use all sorts of things to clean theirs. I was thinking carburetor cleaner? Any suggestions?

Carb cleaner, brake cleaner, anything will work, you just want to get it clear of all the oil/sooty buildup.

[Lone_legacy]

I cleaned my IACV yesterday and am experiencing some issues. In order to access the mounting bolts I had to disconnect a number of hoses and electrical connections. After cleaning the IACV with carb cleaner and reattaching the hoses I had removed I noticed that the other end of one of the hoses (pictured below) I had reattached was undone. I can not for the life of me figure out where it was attached. If anyone could enlighten me I would really appreciate it.

Secondly, after cleaning I started the car and found that initial RPM was way up at 2500 and once warmed up idle slowed to 1100, well above 750 where it should be. Shortly thereafter the check engine light turned on. I am really hoping that all this is a result of the unattached hose, yet I am not sure. Before removing anything I disconected the battery and reconnected it when I finished. Does anyone know what I did wrong? Below are pictures of the hose in question.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af142/noakesti/DSCN2971.jpg
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af142/noakesti/DSCN2970.jpg

[anothernord]

There should only be three hoses coming out of that spot on the TB. That fourth hole was just an extra spot for something. Check the little unit under the manifold on the passenger side, or the purge solenoid on that bracket on the passenger side strut tower.

[Lone_legacy]

Sorry, I meant for the arrow to point out the hose in the "C" hole. The other end of it is unattached. I will take another look where you mentioned.

[anothernord]

Sorry, I meant for the arrow to point out the hose in the "C" hole. The other end of it is unattached. I will take another look where you mentioned.

Ah, ok, I just misinterpreted it.

[Lone_legacy]

So, I found the connection for the hose underneath the intake manifold. Thanks Anothernord. After I connected it I disconnected the battery to reset the system. Started it up and still the high initial RPM followed by idle at 1100 RPM. Also, the CEL is still on after running it for 5 mins or so.

[Lone_legacy]

After some troubleshooting, I found that the idle can be adjusted via the position of the top portion of the IACV (Pictured below), however for some reason the check engine light is still on. Any ideas ?

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/10/DSCN29731-1.jpg

[anothernord]

Hmm, idle is controlled 100% by the ECU, so it will try and compensate to hold the correct idle if you mess with anything. That might be why the code is popping up.

In any case, the actual code would be helpful to know.

[Lone_legacy]

Hmm, idle is controlled 100% by the ECU, so it will try and compensate to hold the correct idle if you mess with anything. That might be why the code is popping up.

In any case, the actual code would be helpful to know.

Thats what I thought, yet turning the top portion all the way in one direction caused the idle to hit 1200 RPM and the other way lowered it to 650 RPM. I may try to adjust it some more, hopefully to the way it was supposed to be to eliminate the code. If that doesn't work, where can I go to get the CEL code? Should I buy a reader or is there a place that'll do it for cheap? I know a diagnostic is usually $50 minimum at the dealer.

[anothernord]

Hmm, idle is controlled 100% by the ECU, so it will try and compensate to hold the correct idle if you mess with anything. That might be why the code is popping up.

In any case, the actual code would be helpful to know.

Thats what I thought, yet turning the top portion all the way in one direction caused the idle to hit 1200 RPM and the other way lowered it to 650 RPM. I may try to adjust it some more, hopefully to the way it was supposed to be to eliminate the code. If that doesn't work, where can I go to get the CEL code? Should I buy a reader or is there a place that'll do it for cheap? I know a diagnostic is usually $50 minimum at the dealer.

Autozone will read codes for free.

[Lone_legacy]

Unfortunately there are no Autozones in Canada as far as I know.

[anothernord]

Unfortunately there are no Autozones in Canada as far as I know.

Try eBay for a cheap code reader. It shouldn't cost more that $50 for a decent reader.

[Lone_legacy]

I am happy to report that I was able to clear the CEL by adjusting the IACV to the correct position. My idle is back to normal as well. So, for those of you who decide to clean your IACV do not mess with the adjustment portion. Now, as for whether the cleaning helped cure my strained startups? Not sure yet. Only time will tell. Thanks for the help Anothernord.

[Lone_legacy]

Unfortunately, after 15 min of driving today the CEL came back on. Anyone got any ideas how I can fix this?