Help! Weird engine dying problem! Any Ideas?

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Thu May 29, 2003 4:23 am

Ok, so I picked up a 90 legacy AWD wagon for $300. Had new TOYO touring tires all around. Put new front rotors on, new radiator and fixed the speedo cable. Spent about $350 for that. Not bad. Oh yeah, the finger sized hole in an exhaust valve might have had something to do with the good price.

So I pulled the heads off, had them done and fixed, put a new water pump in while I was at it (About $191 for the head job, $55 water pump and $105 for gasket set), and presto, a great running car. This took about 7 hours total (1/2 and 1/2 two separate days)

OK, so at this point I think, hey, only $1000 total spent. Runs great, handles ok, breaks ok, and even the radio works. What more do I want?

Well, what I want is a car that doesnt have the rev limiter (or so I suspect) kick in when cornering hard WOT (ususally in 2nd) in the right hand direction. The engine just quits pumping fuel (or so I think) because the engine doesnt officially die, it just backs down to idle. You wait a second and bang, off you can go again WOT, unless you are still swinging around the corner, then it gags again and you have to wait for a few seconds before you can stomp the throttle again.

So basically, a -either the rev limiter is getting turned on, b - something is moving from the force of turning and turning off the injectors, c- something I am not thinking off. Remember the car does not die, just stops getting fuel.

Could it be something in the throttle body? just thinking out loud. BTW, nothing obviously loose in the engine bay.

Thanks

douglas vincent
portland oregon

Brat4by4 · Post by **Brat4by4** » Thu May 29, 2003 4:49 am

$191 for a head job

!!! Nevermind....

How much gas do you have in the tank? Long sweeping corners are notorious for starving the fuel pump in some gas tanks (like most Subarus) with a quarter tank or less. If it does this with a full fuel tank... we'll i'd still check the sending unit and all that jazz. It's unlikely to be something wrong in the engine bay or you'd have problems all the time since the fuel is all pressurized and such by then.

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu May 29, 2003 1:49 pm

Do you have an auto or manual.

To my knowledge, manuals don't have a rev-limiter....or so I haven't heard of one.

The auto's do, and you'll know if you hit rev limiter. Power goes away very dramatically, but it will not go down to idle.

It sounds like you have a fuel delivery issue.

Check the sendors, etc as mentioned, and keep gas above 1/4 tank when driving hard.

Brat4by4 · Post by **Brat4by4** » Thu May 29, 2003 2:12 pm

Manuals do have a rev limiter. At least the turbos do. You need it there with how fast the tach needle can climb... Not that i know this from personal experience or anything

.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Thu May 29, 2003 10:30 pm

Maybe the turbo pump inside the tank is cracked. Fuel returning from the fuel rails sucks fuel from the other side of the hump to the fuel pump inlet.

paf · Post by **paf** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 1:45 am

rev limiter on the auto??!
i doubt it... what rpm is it set at??

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 3:34 am

Couldnt you check for the rev limiter by running the car in neutral and pressing the pedal?!

91White-T · Post by **91White-T** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 3:56 am

Yes... anything with electronic ignition has a rev limiter!

mTk · Post by **mTk** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 4:43 am

paf wrote:rev limiter on the auto??!
i doubt it... what rpm is it set at??

Yes, there most definitely is. The above method is right, put it in neutral (park works too) and floor it. My auto will top out at 6500 every time.

MK

Post by **Legacy777** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 4:48 am

I've revved my auto past 6500 in neutral before.

However I have hit the rev limiter while driving......it sorta freaked me out, cause it had never happened before. Basically the engine revved faster then the electronics in the tranny could shift.

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 5:59 am

Well I am hoping, even though this is problematic, that it is fuel starvation when I have less than a full tank. I will find this weekend at PIR (Portland International Raceway) when I do an autocross.

However, I bet that just for kicks, God wont be smilling and it will still be there every time I take a hard right hand corner.

Blach!!!

paf · Post by **paf** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 11:07 pm

my car revs up to at least 7000 before i chiken out and let off

paf · Post by **paf** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 11:09 pm

and well while you drive its not reallty a rev limiter... it just shifts the tranny to the next gear

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Fri Jun 13, 2003 5:06 am

99.5% sure it is the fuel pick up. Hard driving with full tank ,not a problem in sight. Get below half tank and hard curves starve and die.

syphon · Post by **syphon** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:36 am

I'm sorry to resurrect this ancient thread, but I was wondering if you ever fixed this problem? My car has the exact same issue.

Anything under a half tank, and the fuel supply will cut out under a hard right corner. Freeway cloverleafs and such are a pain in the ass!

I figured it was a fuel supply issue, but have no idea what to do about it. What did you do?

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:43 am

Walbro 255 lph fuel pump. Now I can corner on vapors and the car wont stall.

syphon · Post by **syphon** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:16 pm

So it was the fuel pump? I'm having this issue, along with serious hesitation problems that refuse to be fixed by any other means. I'm seriously suspected my fuel delivery system is messing up somewhere, but don't know if it's the fuel pump or maybe FPR or something.

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Help! Weird engine dying problem! Any Ideas?

Help! Weird engine dying problem! Any Ideas?