Jammer75
Well-known member
- May 5, 2021
- 465
- 401
So I kinda stole @Turbo_Manx_Maniactopic on Subaru belt slip. (I thought/wish that’s all I was doing as well-fixing slipped belt!) Stoked he’s back up and going!
So no where near the end.
But here’s everything to date.
subaru 2.0 turbo 8-9lbs (creeps to 10 before settling)
link ecu lemv5
bought used buggy 5years ago. Built 2008
Two issues
-single fan, ran hot(low cfm-820ish)
-starting issue. Cold or hot did not matter . If it did not start on first revolution I would most likely have to give it a shot of starting fluid. Start right up. Checked spark, injector pulse, injectors tested, new spark plugs, clean file filters, fuel pump. Never figured it out.
2 years ago- turbo goes out. Replace with China one, equivalent to what’s on there. But cannot connect to ecu and no tuners available here that would mess with the old link ecu. So told just put a wr o2 sensor on. So I plumb that into the exhaust and everything’s within limits through the range (come to think of it it would be towards the rich side) Everything feels the same as before.
Then to this year, I’ve only done reg. Maintenance.
Last summer installed a new single fan(more fab to get dual in there-not sure I need two now). New fan claims 1800 cfm). Noticed coolant crust on bottom of radiator, figured let’s get that fixed before season. Radiator shop (all they said could be done) was to epoxy it. Since where it installs put’s tension on the radiator the epoxy cracked during install. Luckily guy at the radiator shop said “that’s out of an early 90’ s Honda Accord”. That right there to me was great info as I found one, better quality and fairly cheap, installed it. Remounted so no unnecessary tension on it.
dune weekends
-3 days weekend before halloween
-3 days veterans
-5 days thanksgiving
-5 days New Years
no issues ran cool, starting was on point, just ripping it till 2nd day of New Years. Come back to camp, last ride. Next morning hop in go to start- nothing(at all, we’ll fuel pump energized) go back to starter and check battery connections, starter connections, starter trigger connection. Still nothing. Check fuses, check wiring. Everything looks fine. Starter switch feels bad enough that I’m like boom just need a new switch. Jump on the dirt bike, up to Joe fab, switch in hand and back in less then 10 minutes! Install switch-same thing- nothing. So fast forward to getting back from Brawley urgent care (11 stitches)-use wire cutters to cut zip Ty’s not a razor-lesson learned(again). Buddy comes over jiggled the same trigger starter wire, I said I’ll try and boom, started cranking. Go on next ride. 1st stop, try and start and nothing. Try switch again and nothing but can hear inaccessible relay, sounds like it’s chattering. Turn it off think about bump starting it. Try again it starts cranking
Back to the starting fluid thing real quick. So far this season I’ve been having it start up right away and not needing any starting fluid until this last trip. So not sure when I did and didn’t need it this trip. Just know it was reverting back to old ways.
leave that spot and dune pretty hard till 2nd stop. No issues dune back to camp.
Ready for next ride, jump in and cranks but no start. Use starting fluid still won’t start. Another buddy says “hey gas is leaking out of the exhaust on the bottom”- what…? Sure enough there’s a crack in the exhaust along the bottom weld from cylinder #2. Will get that welded ASAP. But there’s a good amount of raw gas coming out, enough to fill the palm of you hand in a few cranks.
Thinking it is just the belt slipped, no reason to check as it was last ride anyway. Push on trailer and get home.
In garage trying to start, immediately notice the fan comes on with ignition.
Get on forum to start figuring it out.
Lots of info to try, dedicated members. Truly thanks!
Ok. What has been tried
Timing belt is correct
Replaced all relays
Ecu- “I” can’t connect to laptop. Only thinking this is the cause, as for that much fuel dumping and the fan situation, maybe it has failed. Always been told more times than not the ecu isn’t to blame. But I pull apart the ecu and check all connections and solder joints everything looks fine.
-I check the wiring Best I can especially the 2 main grounds that run separate from the ecu to the block. The P ground does and and S ground does also but has a couple other wires coming off of it (always been that way, so..).
Fuel pump- over 40psi when energized.
Spark-yes
spark plugs out- cranked and saw how much fuel was coming out of cyl#2 but also about 1/4 as much coming out of cyl#1. The 2 others seemed normal. So was gonna switch injectors between the 2 “gassy” ones to the 2 normal cylinders
compression test
Cold -did not hold throttle open, cranked till needle stopped. Checked in this order:
cyl#3 140
cyl#1 130
cyl#4 120
cyl#2 90 (I’ve had a tick that would go away once in a while near here)
car ran strong and the same since I’ve owned it.
Enter craziness-
Thinking I can’t check the ecu. The engine is old. Some suggestions of the low cylinder probably will be fine, I tend to agree as it ran and idled great! Nothing to think otherwise.
Start thinking, too much, that I’m good with it being time to get a new ecu, wiring is all old, connectors are brittle. Gonna do this regardless of the outcome (John, we’ll get it goin). And get it properly dyno tuned!
Injectors-recommend to switch injectors to see if the other cylinders did the same thing. Didn’t think about just changing the connectors.
Been advised it’s not a good idea to remove the injectors individually, but had done it in the past and didn’t think anything of it.
Anyway noticed the orings inside the fuel rail were pretty beat up (didn’t notice it even had orings in there the first time I had them out, as the injector itself has so many) went to turn the switch on and fuel started coming out the injector right above cyl#3. Went to check it and the cap that holds down the injector wasn’t tight enough (Trying to be careful not to strip) it wasn’t secure, got injector all the way in and started tightening caps, of course I strip one out.
Now thinking I’m ok with just getting a another used JDM 2.0 suby. As once I start to replace this and that, should be able to get something for around $1000.
start thinking again, a couple times during the trip before the no start I felt what was like I was in the rev limiter but at low rpm”s and had to push the throttle to clean it out (it was quick) like right when a 2 stroke loads up before cleaning out. Didn’t think much of it at the time.
so where I’m at-
is it possible that so much fuel was running past the seals in cyl#2 and #1 that this engine won’t start and maybe that has been my weird starting problem all along? Not starting on the first revolution, flooded but not so much that the starting fluid helped fire it off? Could it be that if I have the fuel rail and injector orings all replaced (going out tomorrow to Accurate Injection Service, he said no big deal on the striped one can just use a nut and longer bolt!) that this may fix it ALL….???
Is the fan thing coincidental, I will be checking the wire and replacing the sensor to rule that out.
so I guess worst case is new (used JDM 2.0) engine (if can find certain one, to use necessary parts) and new ecu.
shout outs to
@HTElectrical
@Turbo_Manx_Maniac
@John@Outfront
Thanks for reading
I have pics (even the stitches)
So no where near the end.
But here’s everything to date.
subaru 2.0 turbo 8-9lbs (creeps to 10 before settling)
link ecu lemv5
bought used buggy 5years ago. Built 2008
Two issues
-single fan, ran hot(low cfm-820ish)
-starting issue. Cold or hot did not matter . If it did not start on first revolution I would most likely have to give it a shot of starting fluid. Start right up. Checked spark, injector pulse, injectors tested, new spark plugs, clean file filters, fuel pump. Never figured it out.
2 years ago- turbo goes out. Replace with China one, equivalent to what’s on there. But cannot connect to ecu and no tuners available here that would mess with the old link ecu. So told just put a wr o2 sensor on. So I plumb that into the exhaust and everything’s within limits through the range (come to think of it it would be towards the rich side) Everything feels the same as before.
Then to this year, I’ve only done reg. Maintenance.
Last summer installed a new single fan(more fab to get dual in there-not sure I need two now). New fan claims 1800 cfm). Noticed coolant crust on bottom of radiator, figured let’s get that fixed before season. Radiator shop (all they said could be done) was to epoxy it. Since where it installs put’s tension on the radiator the epoxy cracked during install. Luckily guy at the radiator shop said “that’s out of an early 90’ s Honda Accord”. That right there to me was great info as I found one, better quality and fairly cheap, installed it. Remounted so no unnecessary tension on it.
dune weekends
-3 days weekend before halloween
-3 days veterans
-5 days thanksgiving
-5 days New Years
no issues ran cool, starting was on point, just ripping it till 2nd day of New Years. Come back to camp, last ride. Next morning hop in go to start- nothing(at all, we’ll fuel pump energized) go back to starter and check battery connections, starter connections, starter trigger connection. Still nothing. Check fuses, check wiring. Everything looks fine. Starter switch feels bad enough that I’m like boom just need a new switch. Jump on the dirt bike, up to Joe fab, switch in hand and back in less then 10 minutes! Install switch-same thing- nothing. So fast forward to getting back from Brawley urgent care (11 stitches)-use wire cutters to cut zip Ty’s not a razor-lesson learned(again). Buddy comes over jiggled the same trigger starter wire, I said I’ll try and boom, started cranking. Go on next ride. 1st stop, try and start and nothing. Try switch again and nothing but can hear inaccessible relay, sounds like it’s chattering. Turn it off think about bump starting it. Try again it starts cranking
Back to the starting fluid thing real quick. So far this season I’ve been having it start up right away and not needing any starting fluid until this last trip. So not sure when I did and didn’t need it this trip. Just know it was reverting back to old ways.
leave that spot and dune pretty hard till 2nd stop. No issues dune back to camp.
Ready for next ride, jump in and cranks but no start. Use starting fluid still won’t start. Another buddy says “hey gas is leaking out of the exhaust on the bottom”- what…? Sure enough there’s a crack in the exhaust along the bottom weld from cylinder #2. Will get that welded ASAP. But there’s a good amount of raw gas coming out, enough to fill the palm of you hand in a few cranks.
Thinking it is just the belt slipped, no reason to check as it was last ride anyway. Push on trailer and get home.
In garage trying to start, immediately notice the fan comes on with ignition.
Get on forum to start figuring it out.
Lots of info to try, dedicated members. Truly thanks!
Ok. What has been tried
Timing belt is correct
Replaced all relays
Ecu- “I” can’t connect to laptop. Only thinking this is the cause, as for that much fuel dumping and the fan situation, maybe it has failed. Always been told more times than not the ecu isn’t to blame. But I pull apart the ecu and check all connections and solder joints everything looks fine.
-I check the wiring Best I can especially the 2 main grounds that run separate from the ecu to the block. The P ground does and and S ground does also but has a couple other wires coming off of it (always been that way, so..).
Fuel pump- over 40psi when energized.
Spark-yes
spark plugs out- cranked and saw how much fuel was coming out of cyl#2 but also about 1/4 as much coming out of cyl#1. The 2 others seemed normal. So was gonna switch injectors between the 2 “gassy” ones to the 2 normal cylinders
compression test
Cold -did not hold throttle open, cranked till needle stopped. Checked in this order:
cyl#3 140
cyl#1 130
cyl#4 120
cyl#2 90 (I’ve had a tick that would go away once in a while near here)
car ran strong and the same since I’ve owned it.
Enter craziness-
Thinking I can’t check the ecu. The engine is old. Some suggestions of the low cylinder probably will be fine, I tend to agree as it ran and idled great! Nothing to think otherwise.
Start thinking, too much, that I’m good with it being time to get a new ecu, wiring is all old, connectors are brittle. Gonna do this regardless of the outcome (John, we’ll get it goin). And get it properly dyno tuned!
Injectors-recommend to switch injectors to see if the other cylinders did the same thing. Didn’t think about just changing the connectors.
Been advised it’s not a good idea to remove the injectors individually, but had done it in the past and didn’t think anything of it.
Anyway noticed the orings inside the fuel rail were pretty beat up (didn’t notice it even had orings in there the first time I had them out, as the injector itself has so many) went to turn the switch on and fuel started coming out the injector right above cyl#3. Went to check it and the cap that holds down the injector wasn’t tight enough (Trying to be careful not to strip) it wasn’t secure, got injector all the way in and started tightening caps, of course I strip one out.
Now thinking I’m ok with just getting a another used JDM 2.0 suby. As once I start to replace this and that, should be able to get something for around $1000.
start thinking again, a couple times during the trip before the no start I felt what was like I was in the rev limiter but at low rpm”s and had to push the throttle to clean it out (it was quick) like right when a 2 stroke loads up before cleaning out. Didn’t think much of it at the time.
so where I’m at-
is it possible that so much fuel was running past the seals in cyl#2 and #1 that this engine won’t start and maybe that has been my weird starting problem all along? Not starting on the first revolution, flooded but not so much that the starting fluid helped fire it off? Could it be that if I have the fuel rail and injector orings all replaced (going out tomorrow to Accurate Injection Service, he said no big deal on the striped one can just use a nut and longer bolt!) that this may fix it ALL….???
Is the fan thing coincidental, I will be checking the wire and replacing the sensor to rule that out.
so I guess worst case is new (used JDM 2.0) engine (if can find certain one, to use necessary parts) and new ecu.
shout outs to
@HTElectrical
@Turbo_Manx_Maniac
@John@Outfront
Thanks for reading
I have pics (even the stitches)
Last edited by a moderator:
