club.liberty.asn.au

Hi everyone,

I bought a 2001 RX liberty auto a little while ago and it has developed a small problem. If i go to start the car either cold or hot, i will have to crank for a solid 5 seconds before it splutters a little bit then starts. But if i start it by cranking for a tiny bit, then wait for the engine to stop moving and then crank it again, it will fire right up without any hassle?

it currently has a crappy little battery that RAC has put in there which i intend to replace but have not gotten around to it, could this be the problem?

the car also has a pre detonating issue at around 1500rpm in second gear which i intend to try and fix today (testing the resistance of the knock sensor).

Any help would really be appreciated.

-Blair

In relation to your cranking, is it a slow crank? If so, your battery may be undercharged and need replacing. It may also be worth checking the voltage coming out of your alternator (If you're in Perth, north of the river and not too far, I can come around with my multimeter and check).

As for the knocking (and may also be your issue with starting), it may be worth putting through a solution to clean out your injectors and also spraying something through to clean your throttle.

Hope this helps. If you do need that help, just drop me a PM.

Hi mate thanks for the offer, but i just measured it then and it is 14.3 volts at the battery terminals when running. It doesnt crank slow. it cranks at normal speed.

i just replaced the battery with a new century unit. still problem persists.

i just took the car for a test spin and the knocking/rattling only happens at around 1700rpm, no matter what load i put on the engine. it sounds more like a piece of tin rattling then pinging this is quite puzzling.. wouldnt detonation happen only under high load?

this leads me to believe it may be the exhaust tinware rattling.. problem is i had a good look under the car and couldnt find any loose tinware.. any ideas?

Hm. How peculiar. Do you think you could take a sample of this noise, as it is quite hard to diagnose.

In the meantime, check to make sure nothing is rattling around, as it is consistent with vibration (And I mean ALL parts that could cause such a noise such as exhaust parts) along with running an injector cleaner fuel additive (however, I am unsure of how well they work but is worth a shot).

EDIT: I can take a quick look at it if you're coming to the October 11th Cruise (http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=31025&p=417043#p417043
EDIT (Again): I almost forgot the starting issues. Have you maintained a regular service (Or at least maintained all the lubricants etc. yourself)? Do you have any oil leaks (e.g. Rear Main Seals are a common problem on EJ's if not maintained).

I will have the car up on hoists tomorrow. if I don't find anything rattling I will take a video to try and capture the sound. I will also run an injection cleaner through it with a new tank of fuel. I always run 98 octane.

I have a wedding the day before and might struggle to make that cruise man, but we will see how we go.

I have only owned the car for 10 000 kilometer's, in that time I have maintained it very well. it has had a full history of service before then (1 elderely owner). but what is concerning is its oil consumption, I need to top it up every 1000 kays..

As I said, keep an eye out for any leaks. To be honest "elderly owner" could be a bad thing due to the lack of notice to problems. Also, do you have any blue smoke coming out of your exhaust, or even a smell of burning oil? It may actually be worth checking your PCV Valve. Now that I think about it, the PCV valve may be causing your issue.

No worries man, if you can't make it, you can't make it.

Okay so far i have done the following items without any wins:

battery replaced
injectors professionally cleaned
crank sensor replaced
fuel filter replaced


and i still have the issue.

it is really baffling me now. i thought that this subie was going to be something i could keep trouble free but maybe not!

Is you fuel pump priming before you crank?

Yeah mate, i always wait for the fuel relay to go off before starting.

DieSchnelleKafer wrote:I will have the car up on hoists tomorrow. if I don't find anything rattling I will take a video to try and capture the sound. I will also run an injection cleaner through it with a new tank of fuel. I always run 98 octane.

I have a wedding the day before and might struggle to make that cruise man, but we will see how we go.

I have only owned the car for 10 000 kilometer's, in that time I have maintained it very well. it has had a full history of service before then (1 elderely owner). but what is concerning is its oil consumption, I need to top it up every 1000 kays..

Hi there,

I own a 2.5 Gen3 N/A liberty. Dont use 98. Use 95 octane.
When I use 98 in my car it becomes hard to start.

As for you oil consumption issue, what oil is going in each time you top it up?

DieSchnelleKafer wrote:.....but what is concerning is its oil consumption, I need to top it up every 1000 kays.....

Have you checked the condition of the PCV valve?
One of the first items you should check if you have unexplained oil consumption.

Right, i have heard that subies go best on 95 elsewhere aswell. To be quite honest i have been using valvoline 15-40w. Its not the best oil i know but unfortunately i have been on a really strict budget lately.

i cleaned the PCV valve ages ago.. is it better to replace it?

Guys I fixed the issue by selling it. Sorted.

The new seller was not fussed by the small issue so all is merry. Now time for a 4x4.