05 Baja Sport won't start

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walrusburger
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05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by walrusburger »

First time poster, hope this is in the right place. A few weeks ago, my wife's 05 Baja Sport wouldn't start. Jumped it off, and replaced the old corroded, battery the next. It started idling erratically, and I learned about retraining the ecu (I also cleaned the iacv), so I did that. Test drive it, everything seems back to normal. Wife is driving later, it dies, and she has to jump start it. I figure I did something wrong, so I try retraining again. Same results. I assume the car is running off of the battery, so I replace the alternator (should've had it tested, but didn't). Charged the battery, start the car. It runs for a few minutes, then dies. Now it won't jump start. Engine is turning over, but won't start. Tried some starting fluid. Didn't work. Pulled the starter and had it bench tested at Advance Auto. It tested "good" twice, although he did mention the teeth showed a small amount of wear. Reinstalled it. Replaced the spark plugs. Still won't start. Pulled the crankshaft position sensor. It tested good. Borrowed a code reader since the CEL has been on for a while, got P0032 (O2 sensor), which is the same as when it had been tested before. Not really sure what to try next. I'm not much of a mechanic. I've got some basic tools and can follow a Youtube video, but I don't have a garage or anything. Am I looking at a major repair, or am I just missing something simple? Any help would be appreciated.

Quick recap - replaced battery, replaced alternator, car stopped starting, tried starting fluid, pulled and tested starter (good), replaced spark plugs, pulled and tested crankshaft position sensor (good), checked codes and got P0032 (O2 sensor)
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Guacamole
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Re: 05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by Guacamole »

Hey there, I'm no mechanic either, but it sounds like your problem is likely fuel-related & not electrical since the starter is working & the battery is good. Might be the fuel pump?
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anarchy1024
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Re: 05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by anarchy1024 »

When you pulled/replaced the spark plugs, were they soaked in fuel (i.e. was fuel actually making it to the engine)? First guess would be fuel pump or something related to it (relay, wiring). When you put the key in the "on" position (but not start), do you hear the pump running for a few seconds? Should be a whirring sound coming from around the fuel tank at the rear. You can also remove the spark plugs and check that there's actually a spark... I'm sure there's an official approved and safe way of doing that, but I just removed the fuel pump fuse, removed the plug, re-connected it to the wire from the coil, placed the side of the plug on some bare metal, and asked someone to crank the engine.
tomato_88
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Re: 05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by tomato_88 »

With the correct tool you can pull off the fuel feed line on the right hand side of the engine bay. You can put a cup or jar in place for the fuel to squirt into and have a friend crank the car over.

It should be a healthy stream, not dribbling.

The fuel fitting removal tool can be purchased on Amazon or at Harbor Freight for cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MSE99 ... SY340_QL65


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rglass1040
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Re: 05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by rglass1040 »

Guys it has nothing to do with the fuel system. If it were it would have at least fired off on the starting fluid and ran for a second or two. Nor would it have anything to do with the starter. This only cranks the engine over to begin compression. It is going to be related to the ignition system. Not spark plugs, as they would not all fail at one time. This is something that controls all of them. I have not ever had to dig into this on my Baja yet and hope not to but that is the direction to go.
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kamesama980
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Re: 05 Baja Sport won't start

Post by kamesama980 »

rglass1040 wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:11 pm Guys it has nothing to do with the fuel system. If it were it would have at least fired off on the starting fluid and ran for a second or two. Nor would it have anything to do with the starter. This only cranks the engine over to begin compression. It is going to be related to the ignition system. Not spark plugs, as they would not all fail at one time. This is something that controls all of them. I have not ever had to dig into this on my Baja yet and hope not to but that is the direction to go.
This guy's got the right idea. Your're most likely looking at a sensor or wiring. Even if the crank sensor tests good, it can have bad wiring or a bad power source. The code you have, p0032, is for the "b1s1 o2 sensor control circuit voltage high" That means a the circuit has higher voltage than it should likely shorted, either through the sensor or elsewhere. This could be the same circuit that powers other sensors causing them to either not turn on or not give a signal. this could also cause their supply voltage to drop, also causing them to not register. Often setting one code will cause the computer to stop troubleshooting and throwing codes so you don't end up with 50 codes for one failure.

Since you have little or no experience, my first advice would be get the subaru factory repair manual (NOT hayne's, chilton's, or other half-a## excuse) and start with the code you do have.
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