redsox59 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hi, First time posting but I'm hoping you guys can help. I've got a 96 Impreza Outback with the EJ22 and 90,000 miles (an old grandma car). The car will seemingly start and run fine for a while but will start to sputter, lose power and eventually stall. I have to then have the car sit for about 5-10 minutes before I'm able to get it running again. The difficult thing about this is that it is fairly random. Yesterday I drove 10 miles without issue. Got in the car again and made it about 300 yards before it stalled on me (fortunately I was able to make it to a parking lot). After about 5 minutes I started it back up and it was fine the rest of the day, another 40 miles. I live in the city so it doesn't see much highway mileage. Given the randomness I don't like the idea of driving down a highway with no shoulder. The dash lights do not light during the sputtering. Things I've replaced: -fuel filter -fuel pump -valve cover gasket (this definitely seemed to be leaking as one of the covers had oil all over it) -plugs (wires and plugs also were replaced about a year ago) I've already tried taking it to a mechanic but of course it was running fine for him and not exhibiting any symptoms. I next tried a dealership but they said it'd be about $500 just to diagnose/look into it because it's so hard to reproduce. I'm kind of running out of options. I really don't know how to troubleshoot cars too well. Any ideas on where to look next? How can I determine if this is an electrical/ignition issue vs fuel system, etc? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 do a vacuum test when its running well, then compare to vacuum when failing - maybe exhaust is getting clogged by a bad cat conv ?? (uncommon, but possible) some older soobs had crank position sensors that would crap out with heat. if the CEL is on, post the codes here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox59 Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 I wish the CEL was on but oddly enough it's not. I do see it come on when the ignition is ON so I know it's working. I'll start checking out the vacuum test. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Usually a failing mass air flow sensor. This is exactly what happened on my 97. Car had hesitation intermittently for a while which eventually became stalling. Will not throw a check engine code. Replaced the MAF sensor and all was smooth again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Agreed. Those mid 90s years are having problems with the MAF sensors. A solder joint inside breaks and you get intermittent stalling and rough running. Wiggle the wires around on the MAF sensor with the engine running and see if it stalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox59 Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I tried jiggling the MAF sense around but there was no noticeable change. I pulled the entire harness off and it of course stalled then. I'll look into getting some MAF cleaner since it seems like a cheap thing to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'll look into getting some MAF cleaner since it seems like a cheap thing to try. No! That's probably a waste of time. I had the same problem with a MAF on a 97 legacy. It didn't set any code for quite a while. Finally, after stalling 5-6 time, it set a MAF code. I went to the junk yard, got one, and replaced it. Problem solved. Cost $50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox59 Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 OK I'll plan on getting a new MAF sensor over the next few days. Would a bad MAF sensor still be the problem if I have to wait 5-10 minutes before the engine starts after stalling? Seems most people with bad MAF sensors can restart the engine almost immediately after it stalls out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox59 Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 I just drove it some more today. It did the normal stalling but this time, when it started back up, I had the 'AT Oil Temp' bulb flash several times. Searching around it seems to indicate failure with the Duty C solenoid? I'm about to take it to a parking lot and drive tight circles to check for binding. Could this have any relation to my stalling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox59 Posted September 8, 2015 Author Share Posted September 8, 2015 I've replaced the MAF sensor a few days ago. I've only been able to drive it around 30 miles or so (city living makes it difficult to do much test driving) and it has yet to stall out on me. I'm cautiously optimistic that this is now resolved. Thanks for the pointers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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