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2004 - Engine stalls after idle up and hard start after?

6273 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  trijan
Hi guys , i do own a 2003 forester xt , which happens to have this habit of engine stalls after idle up , roughly around 1K rpm engine stalls , and when re start again it start , it only turns over but won't start , sometimes it starts and i let it sit on idle for almost an hour and it won't stall , but after i turn off the engine let it sit for a bit of time , it won't start again, it seems that if it wants to start it will start without drama and if it doesn't want to starts it will not start , already on lost with this problem no fault CEL .:frown2::frown2::frown2:
Fuel pump replace
Camshaft sensor replace
Redone timing
Check clean all groundings
Check engine harness continuity all good
Fuel pressure check holding pressure
Clean MAF and Throttle body
cleaned and replace crank sensor from donor car
Replaced alternator
Replaced spark plugs
And the button for the remote keyless is missing so i open the door manually by key .
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G'day & Welcome aboard @pitongski

Just to clarify, there was no 2003 XT as the first XT's were 2004?

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Good day and thank for the welcome ,
The one i got is a 2003 xt , as per the built plate it is 10/03 .
So anyway , have any of you guys have encountered this problem ?
So it is a MY'04 then; releases usually occur around mid-year for the following year e.g. I purchased my MY'03 in the middle of 2002. Mine is not turbo so I can't comment but the more we keep this thread alive the more chance there is of finding a solution. ;-)
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Sounds like about the only item you haven't addressed is the IAC (idle air control valve). Since the type of valve on these cars is a stepper motor variety as opposed to the butterfly type on the 2.0L turbo, I'm not sure that you can clean it with any degree of confidence. You might just want to get your hands on a new IAC (along with a new gasket/o-ring if applicable). This may be the answer to your idle problem, possibly the failure to start as well if the valve is stuck in the fully closed position. The IAC may just be gummed up to the point that it does not always return to it's resting state.
Thanks for that Kevin , that would be possible , if we keep the thread alive we could find a solution on this problem .
Hi Snow3d , i reckon that mine does not have a IAC valve , but I already pull out the throttle body and cleaned it , i just notice that when i pull out the battery terminal the negative side and re instal it it will start immediately , but before it reach the 1k rpm it it shudder and idle fine and shuts off .
So just to confirm - the battery is good and you are getting approx 14 volts when the engine is running? I have seen this type of behavior before but it was bad battery / bad alternator.


Removing earth and then starts when attached could be clearing a code - with the ignition on but not started do all dash lights illuminate, including the CEL light?
Hi Kevin , sorry been out for a bit , yep i'm getting a 13+ voltage on the battery when engine is running , everything on the dash illuminates - it is not giving a CEL not unless you do a long crank and it won"t start , that"s the time it is giving a trouble code . MAF sensor , CMP sensor .
Hey @pitongski - this is a pretty old discussion but did you ever figure this out? I have similar symptoms with my 2004 XT.
@trijan I see this is your first forum post, so welcome to the forum from Oregon!

Note that @pitongski last signed onto the forum a year ago. You could send him a PM - Private message... now called a Conversation on this new site. If he's optioned to receive an e-mail notification, you could receive a reply.

Bobby...

['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]
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