Emergency Beacon: Cranks - Doesn't start - Desperate!

[Ogre]

Guys, I am in big trouble here! Last week or so my Legacy has been getting harder and harder to start in the mornings. I have to crank it over several times... er... for a minute or so before it fires up. Then it can drive all day just fine, unless I let it sit for more than 4 hours, and then it's difficult again, but not as bad as in the morning.

This morning I almost drained the battery trying to get her to fire up.
I think this might be fuel related... but I am not sure.
I don't think it's the fuel filter, but perhaps maybe the fuel pump?

Or am I looking at something else here?

What do you guys think? Have you ever had this sort of problem? What am I looking at here?

[JasonGrahn]

how long has it been since your last standard tune up?

[czo79]

Well, my car is a little different, 91 turbo with jdm ej20g...but anyways, I had a fairly similar problem for a long time with my car. The time difference was different though...my car wouldn't start easy if you let it sit for more than 15-20 minutes. It would 20 seconds to start, somtimes more. Anyways, the cause was the cylinder #3 injector oring...its a square cut ring that sits between the injector and the intake manifold...
It was all deformed, almost looking as if from heat. The injector was leaking into the cylinder, flooding one cylinder, wetting the plugs, etc I guess, while the fuel pressure was bleeding out as well. I installed a fuel pressure gauge before the rail, after the filter. You might want to check fuel pressure if you can. Just a thought.
good luck
Micum

[Ogre]

It's been some time since a tune up. 9 months or so.

Deformed O-rings? Interesting. And once that was fixed, the engine had no problem starting? Could an O-ring be the cause of loss of fuel line pressure?

[czo79]

Yehp...once the oring was fixed it started perfectly, every time, no matter what. very 1st crank. No more loss of fuel pressure either. While oftentimes places will "clean the fuel system" using a variety of treatments, actually pulling the injectors and replacing the orings its pretty rare. If you pull them, it costs around a 100$ a little more maybe to get them cleaned and generally fixed up.
Worth checking your pressure at any rate.
Micum

[Ogre]

Interesting... well, if I do pull them... might as well put in bigger ones. Right?

[vrg3]

Only if you have the funds lying around to buy the new injectors and the requisite engine management electronics.

[Ogre]

No kidding... I just looked up the price on these 550 injectors... 147 bucks times 4 of them. What's up with that?
I remember buying them for my Supra for only 40 bucks each!


Well, I hooked the Sub's battery up to my jeep for the boost in amps and to recharge the mattery. Took about 2 minutes or so, but she finally and reluctanly fired up. When I shut her down, no problem firing up again. This is all about fuel pressure, I think.
Other than O-rings... where is another place you would lose it? I'm thinking fuel pump... Anything else I should look at?