1999 subaru legacy kicks back when starting

[busterofsouls]

I have been having this problem with my car for about a month now where when i go to start my car it cranks fine for about one or two revolutions then it stops dead like it backfired. then go to start it again and everything is fine, idles fine and drives nice. have replaced the timing belt about 10,000 miles ago along with the water pump. head gaskets where done about 90,000 miles ago. the problem happened after i did the timing belt but about a month after. ive gone in and looked to make sure all the timing marks line up and everything looks good. the CEL is on because of a bad knocksensor but that has been on for several years now and never had a problem with it.

 

[ThatVietGuy]

When's the last time the spark plugs or the starter has been replaced?

 

[busterofsouls]

When's the last time the spark plugs or the starter has been replaced?

spark plugs and wires were done last summer so about 30,000 miles and starter is about 4 years old.

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Fuel pump?

 

[dudmont]

fuel pump is good idea. do you have a friend with a reader? Never hurts to have a look under her skirt, as it were....

 

[dudmont]

Have you run a good fuel injector cleaner?

 

[iam2thecrowe]

if it only happens on cold start i'd suspect the battery.

 

[busterofsouls]

Fuel pump?

hasnt been since ive owned the car which is about 2 years but i went in with the scanner and its getting 45 psi at idle and around 50 while driving so im assuming its ok. i have looked at it because i had to do a tank repair and it looks like newer hardware.

 

[busterofsouls]

the battery is new and the fuel pump is good. i havent put injector cleaner in it. i should try, but i dont think thats the problem because the "kicking" is intermittent. sometime it will go for a week without doing it then it will do it out of the blue

 

[iam2thecrowe]

the battery is new and the fuel pump is good. i havent put injector cleaner in it. i should try, but i dont think thats the problem because the "kicking" is intermittent. sometime it will go for a week without doing it then it will do it out of the blue

Maybe a vacuum hose loose, something controlling the idle if it drives fine in every other way. Used subaru upper engine cleaner in it recently? should be used every service to keep valves, inlets etc clean. You might have a bit of gunk in/around a vacuum hose or something thats intermittantly getting sucked in. Oh, and i have had this issue before, where the catalytic converter had started to degrade internally and the exhaust was intermittantly becoming blocked and stalling the car.

 

[busterofsouls]

the battery is new and the fuel pump is good. i havent put injector cleaner in it. i should try, but i dont think thats the problem because the "kicking" is intermittent. sometime it will go for a week without doing it then it will do it out of the blue

Maybe a vacuum hose loose, something controlling the idle if it drives fine in every other way. Used subaru upper engine cleaner in it recently? should be used every service to keep valves, inlets etc clean. You might have a bit of gunk in/around a vacuum hose or something thats intermittantly getting sucked in. Oh, and i have had this issue before, where the catalytic converter had started to degrade internally and the exhaust was intermittantly becoming blocked and stalling the car.

would a clogged cat make it kick back when starting? it doesnt do it any other time and it seems to be random. it also sometimes takes a few seconds to get it fully started. of course this car is really high millage and im suprised it made it this far. just wanting to squeeze one more winter out of it.

 

[dudmont]

Do all the cheap things that might work.

 

[busterofsouls]

Do all the cheap things that might work.

that would be the upper intake cleaner and the injector cleaner? ive been told that the kicking may break my timing belt or make it skip a tooth or two. but with my knowledge i dont that could happen because the cams arent seperate, they spin with the crank so if the crank stops the valves stop. i dont see how that could make it break or skip.