EJ22 help needed acceleration problem

[Paul_Van_Denton]

Hi all!

just recently i have lost power in my van, when accelerating there would be a point say 3.5- 4 k revs the cams would kick in and it would rapidly accelerate but now i don't seem to get that "kick" it just accelerates slowly up the revs.

I have had an acceleration problem before when you give it wide open throttle it would seem to stall but back off a tiny bit and it would go, but this is different, it doesn't make if=t fun to drive anymore

i did a compression test 178 175 160 160 so it seems one side is down but would this directly relate to the sudden loss of acceleration.

any help or advice would be appreciated

cheers, Paul

[silverbullet]

I have the latter problem with my EJ22, it doesn't like full load/full throttle. Feels like a soft rev limiter or a slight misfire, back off slightly and it picks up. Never got to the bottom of it
I am going to try an "Apollo" style enclosed air filter instead of the open cone (too loud anyway) to see if it's a resonance or other induction air problem.
Maybe another one for VWKD forum? Let us know if you get it fixed!

[Paul_Van_Denton]

yeah that latter problem is annoying but i learned to live with it, for some reason i seem to think its the throttle senser, i need to check with a voltmeter as there is a whole procedure to set it up.

Either that or its not enough fuel, as the symptoms are kinda the same when i had the fuel tank with the smaller outlet so it wouldnt get enough fuel, if i accelerated slowly it would be ok but if i dumped it it would kind of stall. Maybe a fuel pressure gauge would give me a clue, i mean im no mechanic here, i design chairs for a living so who knows!

[CycloneMike]

Do you have an air flow meter code flashing?

[Paul_Van_Denton]

im not sure, i will check this weekend, i dont get anytime in the week. Work:(

cheers

[Paul_Van_Denton]

just got home and checked the van, it appears it doesnt have the ability to check the fault codes, maybe im doing it wrong i dunno. I plug in the green ones together and turn ignition on, it doesnt appear to do anything, then i plug in the black ones together and turn ignition on, nothing happens, i have no light flashing. What light is usually wired to it?

Also both my green and black connectors only have 1 wire going into them and it looks like it should possibly have 2?

soooooooo shall i try and trace where the wire for the check light signal comes from?

[Paul_Van_Denton]

ok, found the code light on the side of the ecu, It just flashes normal so no fault codes.

[CycloneMike]

Thats a shame.
I had the same symptoms as you. I went through the same thought process as you, thinking it was fuel.
Mine was intermittent but eventually got worse just feelling like a general lack of power, which caused me to check compression which was also fine.
By chance I swapped the MAF for a spare I had and suddenly all was fixed.
Might be worth a try if you can borrow one. (sorry I don't have a spare anymore!)

[toomanytoys]

I had a similar fault on my legacy 2L, no fault code and hessitancy/fluffing in that 3-4k band.. Not sure what I did to cure it.. but the only thing I have changed is spark plugs and the speed sensor.. I seem to remember that I eventually had a fault code saying speed sensor, even tho speedo was working fine etc..
I know some can be sensetive to what the speed signal is like.. Might be worth a quick mail/chat with RJES (very busy man tho)...

[Paul_Van_Denton]

i doubt i even have a speed sensor, i dont have a lambda sensor!, i will see if i can get a maf, its a green muf i mean maf so hard to get i think! Gonna change all fuel lines this weekend me thinks just to rule it out.

[silverbullet]

Greens are easy to get, early ones had a brown label and really rare or 200+ yoyos on ebay.de.

I needed one as mine would run on the green it came with but fault coded "wrong maf fitted" (#39 iirc)

Now I've got my gearbox back in I'll get some miles in, so the ecu so it can self-learn and settle down. Very important on Subaru ecu's, they need about 90 mins varied driving to calm down after a long power-off (told this by an Impreza tuner)

[Paul_Van_Denton]

ahhh i got confused, i thought green was brown. Thats good, for me!

thank you

[Paul_Van_Denton]

update, ok i checked my maf, and i read about spray cleaners. So i got some electronic spray cleaner and cleaned it. I realy think its made a difference, its definately alot smoother. I need to test more, hasnt cured the WOT problem though maybe i need a new maf.

[CycloneMike]

Thats good, I'm pleased it has improved a bit. Re the WOT it might be worth checking that when your foot pedal is full down that the throttle plate is fully open. On mine the full sweep of the pedal will only just fully open the throttle if adjusted correctly. I found it was much faster without the carpets! If you have the early injection set up without the lamda it is unlikely you need the VSS. I have the same set up and have never had one and have read elsewhere this ecu is one that is happy without a VSS.

[Paul_Van_Denton]

update 2, didnt get to change my fuel lines, halford dont have long enough 8mm hose! so got that on order, but now its developed a misfire in low revs, if i accelerate it splutters then fires normally, so no i have a usual rev range of 2.5k to 3.5k I checked the throttle and i get full throttle on the pedal. i dunno.