Hard starting 94 Legacy

Sep 13, 2006 5 Replies
S

I borrowed a family members 94 Legacy to fix a repeatedly dying battery. Easy fix; the 'parking lights always on' button was toggled on. However, after charging the battery the 'check engine light' came on and car was hard to start. It cranks fine but won't start on the first minute/2-3 tries; then starts, runs rough for a minute or 2--with the fan running, then runs fine.



My initial guess was a temp sensor but I just can't reconcile the coincidence of the battery being charged just before the CEL came on. No trouble codes yet. Car has about 110k miles and has been meticulessly maintained. Any help greatly appreciated.



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C

Well, having the 12V removed for a while should cause the ECU to go back to 'factory map' for starting and operation, until a few drive cycles allow it to 'learn' and utilize the sensor readings. I also would expect there to be a code stored if the CEL came on. I think there is a 'blink number' you can retrieve by connecting some green (?) connectors under the dash. That should point to a likely path. At 110K you could have 2-3 sensors getting 'lazy' or bad. If it is original, I'd suspect the front O2 sensor as well as, as you say, possibly the Engine Temp Sensor.

good luck

Carl

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M

Yes if the CEL is on there should be a code stored that will point you in the right direction. You can find instructions on how to read the code here-

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C

excellent suggestion!

Carl

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S

Thanks all. Guess I'll join the modern world and read the codes. Maybe d/c the battery and see if it resets. Appreciate all the commmets.

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