Hey guys,
Some of you are familiar with my 04 WRX. My stepson blew the engine and tore it down... several years later I was stuck with rebuilding it from pieces in boxes. I got it built and had to find a few parts that were missing like the turbo, MAF and air filter box, driver's side exhaust manifold, vibration damper, TMIC with BOV, and that seems to be it for replacement parts.
After getting it all together it would crank and pop and try to fire off. After 30+ seconds of this it would eventually start. RPMs would be up at 1000-1500. Sometimes the idle would hunt. After a few minutes things would settle down, idle would smooth out and be down around 800 rpm. I'm thinking this was about the time the ECU came out of the cold engine cycle. Some days it would fire right up after 5-10 seconds of cranking but still have the rough idle. Other days, and what I'm experiencing right now, is that no matter what I do it will not fire off. It'll crank all day and I "might" get a pop like it wanted to start but then right back to cranking. I pulled one coil and put in a spare plug to test for spark and I get spark. It's a bit yellow, it seems, but there is spark. And looking back at the video I took, there is a few seconds where there is no spark. 20151127_112215_zpshigmsbqb.mp4 Video by smolikmd | Photobucket
Here's what I don't know... There is most likely a tune. I don't know what all addons my stepson put on. He's not in a position for me to ask him. I believe there was a larger turbo. Possibly injectors. There's a stock turbo on it now. The injectors are whatever was on the fuel rail. I've another set in bubble wrap in a box, possibly the stock injectors. It was, at one point, getting fuel because I had to reseal the #4 injector due to a leak. I know it's getting air.
I can also hear the fuel pump prime on every key cycle.
Here's where I may be playing the idiot because the fuel is old, 3+ years old, but it ran with that fuel...
So with spark, fuel, and air.... what am I missing? There is no CEL. Could the engine actually be flooding? It does blow white smoke "if" it starts but then quickly clears up.
I may be playing idiot with this, too; starting fluid has no effect which makes me think, once again, that the engine is flooding.
I looked by the fuse box and see at least 3 connectors hanging down, 2 green and 1 white, if memory serves. I'm guessing that's an AP? How can I find out who may have tuned it and how to return it to a base tune? Or should any speed shop be able to do this?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Michael
Some of you are familiar with my 04 WRX. My stepson blew the engine and tore it down... several years later I was stuck with rebuilding it from pieces in boxes. I got it built and had to find a few parts that were missing like the turbo, MAF and air filter box, driver's side exhaust manifold, vibration damper, TMIC with BOV, and that seems to be it for replacement parts.
After getting it all together it would crank and pop and try to fire off. After 30+ seconds of this it would eventually start. RPMs would be up at 1000-1500. Sometimes the idle would hunt. After a few minutes things would settle down, idle would smooth out and be down around 800 rpm. I'm thinking this was about the time the ECU came out of the cold engine cycle. Some days it would fire right up after 5-10 seconds of cranking but still have the rough idle. Other days, and what I'm experiencing right now, is that no matter what I do it will not fire off. It'll crank all day and I "might" get a pop like it wanted to start but then right back to cranking. I pulled one coil and put in a spare plug to test for spark and I get spark. It's a bit yellow, it seems, but there is spark. And looking back at the video I took, there is a few seconds where there is no spark. 20151127_112215_zpshigmsbqb.mp4 Video by smolikmd | Photobucket
Here's what I don't know... There is most likely a tune. I don't know what all addons my stepson put on. He's not in a position for me to ask him. I believe there was a larger turbo. Possibly injectors. There's a stock turbo on it now. The injectors are whatever was on the fuel rail. I've another set in bubble wrap in a box, possibly the stock injectors. It was, at one point, getting fuel because I had to reseal the #4 injector due to a leak. I know it's getting air.
I can also hear the fuel pump prime on every key cycle.
Here's where I may be playing the idiot because the fuel is old, 3+ years old, but it ran with that fuel...
So with spark, fuel, and air.... what am I missing? There is no CEL. Could the engine actually be flooding? It does blow white smoke "if" it starts but then quickly clears up.
I may be playing idiot with this, too; starting fluid has no effect which makes me think, once again, that the engine is flooding.
I looked by the fuse box and see at least 3 connectors hanging down, 2 green and 1 white, if memory serves. I'm guessing that's an AP? How can I find out who may have tuned it and how to return it to a base tune? Or should any speed shop be able to do this?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Michael