Some of you may know that I have been having a bit of trouble getting my car to start. I called out a man to fix it and, without even topping the hood he diagnosed it as ad gasoline in the car that had separated in the cold and thus meant my engine was not turning over. He leapt in the driver's seat and turned the key while pushing all the way down on the gas pedal and hey presto the car started! I was thrilled, it had ended up being a very simple and cheap solution. I drove it all weekend with no problems at all.... until last Monday morning.
Well, it turned out that my Stallion fix was not as simple as I first thought. Come Monday morning my car, again, would not turn on. I tried the technique mentioned by the guy who came - pushing my gas pedal all the way down on startup, but alas it did not work for me. I got Troy my host dad to try the technique too, and after a while it started up OK, but I just knew something was really wrong. So I took it up the road to my mechanic, however, on the way i stopped at a car parts shop for something completely different, but i asked them about it too, they came out and had a look. They discovered that actually my Mass Flow Sensor was completely broken from its bolting and that was causing the engine to not accurately measure the mix of fuel to air, severely handicapping my car. So that was the real reason that my car wouldn't start, not bad gas! In fact, the guys there were amazed that the car was even turning on at all, let alone that I could drive it. I was so thankful to get to the root of the problem. They said that I would probably be able fix the MFS myself, since buying a new replacement would cost over $200. Me being me, I said I'd definitely give it a go, so I bought some 2 part plastic epoxy glue and some special MFS cleaner and brought it hone eagerly to follow their instructions. I didn't end up taking it to my mechanic at all.
Unfortunately, as I glued it back together I realized there was one small piece of plastic that was missing, so small it would be impossible to find - must've shaken out of the car at the point when it broke, or afterwards, I have no way of knowing. That meant that when I glued it, despite my best efforts, it was never going to be flush and thus it would not provide a sufficient seal with the air filter cover that it connects to, meaning it still would not turn the car on.
Not wanting to buy a new one for $200, I looked online and found a Pick-a-Part salvage yard fairly close to our house, it happened that they had 2 cars the same as mine that I could look for a Mass Flow Sensor on. There was no guarantee that they had not already been taken.
So, early Sunday morning, dressed in my church clothes (no heels though, I am not ridiculous, people!) I trucked to this yard. I walked in and I think the staff were amazed and confused as to what I was even doing there, but I was direct and told them what I wanted. So, with a bit of a quizzical eye they waved me through to the yard. I found the part I wanted in the engine of the second Subaru that I examined, then I took out my toolkit of ratchets and wrenches and screwdrivers and extracted my prize. I triumphantly marched past all the men in their grease-stained attire and purchased my part. Then I walked out the door and took off to church - and I was even early!
On Monday morning I took the new MFS and cleaned it with the special cleaner then bolted it back in place. I also had to install two new bolts and wing nuts on the cover of my air filter, they had been missing when I purchased the car, I asked my mechanic to fix them but he must have forgotten (and I forgot to check). It was the lack of these 2 bolts and wing nuts on my air filter cover which caused the vibration which broke my MFS, I summised. After I put them on and everything was looking sturdy and tight, I pulled out my keys and tried to turn on my beloved Stallion......
...And he roared into life straight away.
While all car trouble is bad, this was really great for me because I learned so much. I learned more about how the engine works, and how things fit together. I learned what a Mass Air Flow Sensor is (I had never even heard of it before), I learned how to install and extract them from different vehicles and I learned that I can fix my own car (sometimes)!!! I love my Stallion!
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