Starts then dies right away

ZUNDFOLGE! said:

Gents,

This morning my wife went out to her '05 LL Bean only to find it wouldn't start. Well, it'll start and 'run' for a split second then die as if you just shut the key off...no stumbling or anything of the sort. Curious if anyone here has had something similar and if it was a fuel pump or MAF maybe?

Thanks in advance!!

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H6? Some folks have started to see fuel pump issues caused by a gasket that fails in the fuel tank preventing proper fuel pressure. That would be my first suspected caus. Search on fuel pump gasket you should find the thread.

subiesailor said:

H6? Some folks have started to see fuel pump issues caused by a gasket that fails in the fuel tank preventing proper fuel pressure. That would be my first suspected caus. Search on fuel pump gasket you should find the thread.

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he might have the first 05 with the issue if that's it. Could, of course, be a unique fuel pump/supply issue. Seems weird there's enough pressure to start though. Maybe a blocked filter/fuel supply?

If it starts normally but dies when you release the key from the start position, I would suspect the ignition switch itself. Or, do these things use a different circuit (And fuse) for the run position as opposed to the cranking position? Then, it could be a fuse or a load shedding relay.

Check the air intake system, air flow sensor and vacuum lines. This is exactly what happened when my aftermarket / OEM hybrid intake used to fall off. It was still in backyard R&D at that point.

I regard a fuel pressure gauge as a must-have, it's cheap and easy to use and tells so much these days.

Lots of good advice. I'll throw another variable into the mix and say that it could be the Throttle Position Sensor. Is a code popping up?

I'm joining this convo 8 years later but, I have the same problem. 2008 Outback 2.5. Starts easily, runs for .5 seconds and shuts off as if you removed the key. It's just weird it's like the car is getting a 'shut down now' message from somewhere. The question is where? Not getting and CEL codes, fuel pressure is great, all wires, connections, grounds, etc seem good. The only thing is that I replaced the air filter 2 days ago. It ran fine yesterday but, then this started today. Did anyone figure out the issue here?

rkhames said:

I'm joining this convo 8 years later but, I have the same problem. 2008 Outback 2.5. Starts easily, runs for .5 seconds and shuts off as if you removed the key. It's just weird it's like the car is getting a 'shut down now' message from somewhere. The question is where? Not getting and CEL codes, fuel pressure is great, all wires, connections, grounds, etc seem good. The only thing is that I replaced the air filter 2 days ago. It ran fine yesterday but, then this started today. Did anyone figure out the issue here?

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reminded me of one of my brother's crap cars....a 2005 neon, would run 5 seconds when you used a key with no chip in it. @plain OM any ideas with your 2007 ?

I suspected it might be the security system or a bad key so, I tried my other key and it gets the same behavior. I also tried moving the steering column around in case there was a loose wire inside or something. Is there any way to tell if it is security related so I can look into troubleshooting that? Also, the car died during driving and then started exhibiting this startup behavior (automatic transmission, btw). Had to get it towed because it will not run. This is very bizarre.

here are scans of the factory service manuals. (probably has a dealer troubleshoot for the security system particular to the year).

eagleeye said:

any ideas with your 2007 ?

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It does sound as if the immobilizer is kicking in, but that's sort of rare IF the car and keys had been working up to that point.

There was a similar case here not to long ago in a later generation Outback (with short video showing the stall) but would have to find thread . . .

is 08 DBW? If not, maybe the IACV hose got knocked loose?

rkhames said:

I'm joining this convo 8 years later but, I have the same problem. 2008 Outback 2.5. Starts easily, runs for .5 seconds and shuts off as if you removed the key. It's just weird it's like the car is getting a 'shut down now' message from somewhere. The question is where? Not getting and CEL codes, fuel pressure is great, all wires, connections, grounds, etc seem good. The only thing is that I replaced the air filter 2 days ago. It ran fine yesterday but, then this started today. Did anyone figure out the issue here?

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Do you have a second key? Did you try that? If a key isn't programmed correctly to the car, it will do exactly that. Start, then the car realizes the key isn't programmed to the car, and the computer shuts the engine off. I've had other cars with keys cut that weren't programmed correctly that did this. Try your other key, if you have one.

Hopefully, it's not a weird issue related to this that is a PITA to deal with. A bad fuel pump or something may be easier to deal with. lol

Good Luck

rkhames said:

Also, the car died during driving and then started exhibiting this startup behavior (automatic transmission, btw)

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So this problem actually started (no pun) while driving, i.e., the car died while driving, and not when first trying to start it after it was stopped for a while.

I see that the fuel pressure was checked; what was the result, and did it hold up for the short time the engine will run?

rkhames said:

The only thing is that I replaced the air filter 2 days ago. It ran fine yesterday but, then this started today.

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Check that the connection to the MAF/AIT sensor, and the sensor itself, hasn't been disturbed. It's not unusual when trying to get to the air filter.

plain OM said:

So this problem actually started (no pun) while driving, i.e., the car died while driving, and not when first trying to start it after it was stopped for a while.

I see that the fuel pressure was checked; what was the result, and did it hold up for the short time the engine will run?


Check that the connection to the MAF/AIT sensor, and the sensor itself, hasn't been disturbed. It's not unusual when trying to get to the air filter.

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Getting ready to start working on it tonight.. The problem did occur while driving and I do have a second key. I tried them but, both yield the same result. Fuel pressure was 50 psi and did maintain during that brief time running.

I'll look at the MAF/AIT once I figure out where it is and what to look for. If that was disturbed, would it cause this problem, though? I believe the OP tried it and it didn't solve his problem. I'll work on it anyways. Thanks all for input.

Ok, I figured it out. I disconnected the mass airflow sensor and it started right up. When I plugged it back in, the car died immediately. So I took the sensor out and looked at it and I noticed that up in the guts of the thing there was a tiny little piece of leaf or something. Really tiny, like 1 mm x 2 mm. It was kind of wedged in up there so I scraped it out with a small screw driver. I plugged it back in, connected it, and the car fired right up and runs perfectly. I cannot believe that this condition would cause a shutdown while driving and totally disable the car. Someone might want to alert Subaru. Oh well, it's fixed now and I know what to look for should it happen again. Thanks to all who helped here. These forums are awesome!

Might want to make sure your air filter is installed correctly... and doesn't have any open gaps anywhere... as that is the only way that piece of debris could have gotten in there.

Thank goodness for simple, free fixes!
Good Luck!

^^^^ that

On my older soobs, I have had to replace the lower part of the intake filter 'box' due to the slots being broken-out and not holding the tabs tight enough to seal.

rkhames said:

I cannot believe that this condition would cause a shutdown while driving

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The air filter will normally stop it, however, when the filter is being removed, larger objects on the filter can fall off the vertical filter and drop down into the case on the downstream side. After the new filter is installed, and the engine is started, it's sucked up into the air flow, some of which goes through the MAF sensor.