# Help - Starts, stumbles and dies



## joneill1975 (Nov 2, 2005)

:balls:

My wife's 2002 I35 started doing this the other day after I changed the starter, which had died. Starter works fine, but the car stumbles and stalls when you start it now, which it wasn't doing before. You have to give it some gas and then it will stay running. The car runs and drives fine once it gets started. It doesn't stall at stop lights or anything like that. 

The first thing I thought could be causing this is the fact that I had the battery disconnected for most of the day while I was figuring out what was wrong and changing out the starter. Would this affect the car's computer?

The other thing is that she left it with almost no gas in it. A friend at work told me if you run the gas trank dry, you can sometimes suck debris from the bottom of the tank into the fuel line (clogged injector or fuel filter). If this were true, wouldn't the car be struggling all of the time and not just when you first start it?

The SES light is not on, but when I pull the codes I get a P1800 (VIAS control solenoid valve circuit open).

Any thoughts?


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## Scottwax (Mar 19, 2011)

I'd first try cleaning the throttle body-but only if you know how to do it with a drive-by-wire TB. If you push on the throttle blade with the car off, you will probably strip the gears out and have to replace the TB. You need to have the key turned to "run" and have someone work the gas pedal while you spray down the TB. If you aren't absolutely sure on cleaning the TB, have a shop familiar with drive-by-wire TBs clean it. Shouldn't be more than $50. 

The VIAS code would have nothing to do with the car stalling after starting.


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