I am going to use this is a bit of a diary of this issue so I can keep track, as well as hopefully hear some thoughts..

 

Generally car runs beautifully with no issues, with an intermittent stalling/fuelling issue which I would like to keep an eye on

 

Issue started 3 months ago. Stalled turning out of my road when I put the clutch down, and wouldnt' start again for a couple of mins. Then fine for another months.

 

Second occurrence a month later - Motorway in 4th gear - Foot down to overtake and power cuts out completely. Put clutch in and engine stalls (traveling 60mph). Clutch back out to bump start engine again and all power was resumed. No issues there after.

 

third occurrence 1 month later (this week). I start engine after work and release key a bit too early (usually starts instantly). It then refuses to fire and just turns over without firing at all, Leave it off for 3 minutes, try again and fires up first time straight away.

 

forth occurrence today. In the garage from a cold start I turn key and start it and straight away is lumpy as hell with revs dropping down and stalls. pressing accelerator didn't make any difference to revs. Then starts straight away and is fine after leaving it for 20 seconds.

 

 

 

So, My wondering....

- Fuel Pump related?... Weak pump causing issues? I am trying to leave the key in position 2 before cranking it each morning to see if that helps the starting issue (does that prime the fuel pump or am I talking rubbish? - Think I heard it somewhere as you get a noise from the rear of teh car for a few seconds when in that position ).

- MAF sensor has intermittent fault/failure.

- ECU has an issue?

 

Beyond this I am hoping that it wouldn't be anything more catastrophic? Engine is sweet rest of the time with no loss of power at all. Any ideas appreciated!

See if there are any DTC codes first of all. Do this first, no matter what else is suggested. Post the results. Code 55 (no errors) means it will require further investigation.

I got to thinking i had a fuel issue plus others as it would start perfect and instantly from cold but if i switched off it wouldn't fire, cranking wasn't a problem but i did notice my battery would soon start getting weary.

 

Turned out my battery was actually on it's way out, replaced it with a 690cca battery and this problem disappeared, it now cranks lively and never fails to start.

 

I also had intermittant lumpy running - this was a split pipe coming off the plenum.

and easy check is also the ecu temp sender unit, this little bugger can cause all kinds of issues with fueling... worth changing just as regular maintenance.

 

if the ecu is getting the wrong information it will try to compensate by doing the wrong thing ... usually causing over-fueling.

 

but as NOZ says, check for codes and also do PM on the car (winter makes things worse, so checking wiring and connectors is a must).

 

good luck.

A PM?

 

If you want mate, you can pop over, next weekend should be ok. Then we can work through the things suggested if your not comfortable doing them on your own and perform a boost leak test as well.

When i had a similar issue it was the fuel pump ecu itself. Pm = preventative maintenance

Hi Guys, Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated. So I have pulled the codes and it shows 55 :(

 

Happened again today after 2 hours of driving, stopped in the forest for a flock of sheep in the road and the revs just started to die and it then would start for a few minites. Tries 4 times and it was just about firing, but then instantly dieing straight away. Then boom fired up and was fine for another 45 minutes to get home.

 

I am not sure how to check the temp sender, some help would be really appreciated if there are a few things we could go over one evening Stephen? Might be worth if I buy a new temp sender just in case as I haven't ever replaced it. Is this easily accessible?... Boost leak test might be a good shout too, I did have issues last year with a boost leak causing idle issues. idles perfectly at moment but may be something fishy going on again.

 

The Battery is pretty new, but I will keep it in mind.

 

Best regards, W

this might help...

 

http://www.pexcom.com.au/z32cms/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.393

 

also worth checking the MAF and air filter (and cleaning the filter & MAF connectors)..

 

http://www.pexcom.com.au/z32cms/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.383

 

 

this is all easy to do...