Soob Dude Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Ok folks here's the deal. I have a 2000 outback 5spd. I had a mechanic replace the head gaskets which i should have just done myself. He decided to replace the gaskets on a junkyard motor and put that into my car and now it hasn't been running right ever since. The car hesitates and there is a massive lack of power. I had him run the codes and its saying cylinders 1 and 3 are misfiring and something with the cats. I replaced the front o2 sensor and the knock sensor and it ran good for a little then the same codes came back. So recently I checked the air box and found he never replaced the filter. So i changed that and it ran fine for a couple of days and now its back to the same problems. I didnt run the codes this time but im sure the same ones will come up again. Also when im climbing a hill there is no power and the CEL will flash. Any suggestion??? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 sounds like injectors, i had this problem with junk yard motors before. drove me crazy trying to figure out what it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 How much $ did they run you?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 90 2.2 $150 at napa but another member suggested swapping the whole fuel rail out with a fuel rail with known good injectors saves time and money. also i could be wrong about injectors make sure they are malfunctioning before you swap them out. the way i tested them was when the engine would run weird i would go around and pull the plugs on the injectors while it was running eventually i got to the bad one and the engine didn't bog down at all when the bad injector was disconected. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 many possibilities, coil, slipped timing, stuck/burned valves, bad plug wires.... double check the timing belt, look for missing/misplaced vacuum/pcv/vapor/IACV hoses, compression and maybe leakdown test, vacuum gauge test, confirm spark at each plug... lots of stuff probably suspect hoses, coil, wires and TB first - easiest for DIY I guess. search here for specific help with those items. post precise Pxxxx codes if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 I guess I should have mention that he replaced the plugs, wires, timing belts and put a new water pump on. And the car idles fine its just when its under a load that it hesitates. I'm not sure the last time the fuel filter was replaced so that might b one problem. As far as specific codes im not sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 defiantly cant hurt to replace fuel filter (i would suggest wix), that is a good starting place. also its only around $5 for a can of seafoam put that in your gas after you replace fuel filter that might help to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I guess I should have mention that he replaced the plugs, wires, timing belts and put a new water pump on. And the car idles fine its just when its under a load that it hesitates. I'm not sure the last time the fuel filter was replaced so that might b one problem. As far as specific codes im not sure did he test drive it? What was done immediately before the problem started? any mods,wrecks or more repairs? A timing belt could still have slipped. Did he use OEM plug wires? many people have problems with typical aftermarket wires. And sometimes hoses can work loose after major mechanical work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 i would swap in the whole intake manifold with all the wiring from the engine you removed. you know how that was running before the HG were done. that way you will get the known good injectors, fuel rails, throttle position sensor, iac and all wiring etc.. that's where i would start. the flashing CEL on hills is the 2 cylinders mis-firing. no 4 cylinder engine will have any power when half of the cylinders are not firing. i would also swap the plug wires from the passenger side, cyl 1 & 3, to the driver side. see if that changes any thing. (this may be hard to do if the coil is off center, can't remember.) but before i unbolt anything else, check the timing. 3 bolts on one side and a rubber plug on the other. you may need a flash light and a mirror to see in the ''hole''. cylinders 1 & 3 share a fuel rail, and cams. it isn't coil related. that would cause trouble with either the front, 1 & 2, or the rear, 3 & 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 check timing belt sounds like one tooth off on ds cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Today after work I changed the fuel filter and put a 1/2 bottle of the spray seafoam thru the intake. It runs better but not like it should. I noticed that above 4000 rpm I can feel power loss and when I let off it'll kick back in. It seems like the fuel/air mixture but I already changed the o2 sensor. I don't have the time til the weekend to do any significant mechanical work since I need the car to get to work. I'll definatly check the timing belts this weekend and as far as the intake goes its the same one that was on my other motor. One thing i was wondering, would the computer be getting "confused" since its a different motor than the original?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 i doubt it, more likely what ivan said check timing belt and go from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Ok Im pretty sure its the rear cat. I cleared the codes and drove it around for about a week until the CEL came back on. The code was P0420. I drove it home and let it sit in my garage to cool down. The rest of the exhaust was only warm and the rear cat was still screaming hot. So now my question is, do I knock the guts out of the rear cat (because im not spending $500 for a new one) or should i try the anti-fouler trick?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 my concern would be that the cat is just trying to deal with a problem from 'upstream'. If you're running rich, or sucking in a lot of oil thru the PCV system, etc. - the cat will try to burn-off the xtra HCs. That could be one reason it seemed excessively hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 What would cause it to run rich? I already replaced the front o2 sensor which is responsible for the fuel/air mixture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) it may not be, but unless you can look at the freezeframe data to see if the fuel trims are outta whack - you may not know. The MAF or MAP is also involved in setting the A:F, and poor ignition can spit out HCs so, low compression, bad plugs, bad plug wires, vacuum leaks, etc. Soobs are picky about some parts. Plugs NGK, plug wires OEM, front O2 Denso - if the mechanic tried to cut any corners - that could lead to part of the problem. maybe someone could recommend a mechanic in your area that would help you pin down where the problem is. Edited September 10, 2012 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soob Dude Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 sorry it took me so long to reply back. the problem was the rear cat, i knocked the guts out of it and parts of the insides were melted together in big clumps. put it back on and shes running like a champ now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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