thedrew Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) Hey Folks, I got a new-to-me '97 Legacy Outback. 2.5 DOHC. 162k miles. Runs pretty good minus a few little quirks -- I'd love some guidance. - Power is inconsistent sometimes. I step on the gas and it takes a few seconds to kinda get going. Once it gets in the higher rpms (4k+ then it makes good power) - Occasionally it will start bucking on light throttle, and then not hold an idle. Car dies and I restart it and it works just fine again. - No codes are thrown, no pending codes. Things I've done: - New plugs/wires - replaced the MAF with another used one (so I'm not sure that tells us much) I have an OBDII scanner, but I have yet to be scanning it when it will start bucking and die, so I dont have much to go on. Was thinking O2 sensor? Thoughts? Thanks! Edited November 25, 2014 by thedrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Could be a sticking idle air control 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 you need to reliably confirm the timing belt and idlers were replaced 60K miles or so ago. If not, that is a ticking time bomb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrew Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 you need to reliably confirm the timing belt and idlers were replaced 60K miles or so ago. If not, that is a ticking time bomb. I have no history on the vehicle. Should I just do the timing belt and whatnot to be safe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I have no history on the vehicle. Should I just do the timing belt and whatnot to be safe? definitely - if the timing system fails - you bend valves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrew Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 So I was driving it during lunch and i was doing it again and I was able to play with it before I hit a stop light and it died. On light throttle, the bucking is very light. I was holding 3k rpm and you could feel the power come on and off at like 1hz. If you went farther into the throttle, the bucking would get alot more rough, same frequency. I got some cleaner and a new gasket for the Idle valve, I'll clean it tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Check the TPS readout if it only happens at specific throttle settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Pull the inspection covers and inspect the belt. It is a really good idea to just replace the belt if there are any concerns about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I suggest running a can of "dry gas", or adding one gallon of E-85 when refueling. You may have some water in your gas tank. The ethanol will clean out the water if there is any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrew Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 I cleaned the idle valve and so far its gone. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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