90 legacy running like **** any clues?

[coloradosubarules]

My car is pretty much dead in the driveway now. It was running great the other night and now it hesitates real bad and barely wants to operate under her own power. I was thinking it is the cat again, so I put my hand near the muffler tip and it is suuuuper hot. My wife said it felt like her feet were on fire the other day when we were taking a trip and when I let off the gas peddle she slowsx down like I am putting the breaks on. Maybe the cat is acting like a Jake brake. Anybody want to chime in on this. All advice is greatly appreciated.

 

I am either going to gut the cat or just do away with it all together. Which ever is easier considering I don't have welding equipment and I am broke as a joke thanks to two hurricanes. The one that hit my house and the other aiming for it. Thanks god I have a jeep cherokee that I can depend on as well.

[99obw]

Hey, another board member with a subaru and a cherokee. :cool:

 

You may want to take a look at the air filter which could be starving the engine for air. How old is the fuel filter? If you really think it's the cat, you could measure the backpressure in front of the cat with a pressure gauge via the O2 sensor bung.

[Nug]

No power and super hot cat? Does it shake really bad under load? You have either a dead plug wire or wires, an ignition coil on it's way out, or an ignitior on it's way out.The cat is super hot because the misfiring cylinders are putting raw, unburned fuel into the cat, where it is being burned.

 

Junkyard parts are your friend. if you don't have time for that, I have one of each "in stock". They are used. Make me an offer.

[Nug]

Hey, you're the guy that went though the puddle!

 

:famous:

 

Listen up. I have the same engine in the back of a VW beetle. There is no cover on the engine. It gets rained on all the time. Water leaks past the spark plug boots and down near the plugs. This, of course, shorts them out.

 

You went though a big puddle. It is entirely possible that water splashed on the engine, and worked it's way into some vital electrical components. Pull the spark plug wires out and see of the ends are wet. If they are, you need to dry them completely. Like with a hair dryer set on kill. Also, you need to make sure there is no water in the connectors for the ignitor, ignition coil, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the crank and camshaft position sensors, also.

[coloradosubarules]

Yes I am the guy who went thru the puddle. It was only about a foot high when I went thru it and I was crawling.

 

I just got done taking the prybar to the cat so it is hollow now. I am going to change the plugs and plug wire hopefully tommorow or after this hurricane blows over. The plugs have about 4K on them but I believe the wires are bone stock. I can't be sure but I will tell you they are red. I also believe the FF is original too. If it still acts goofy after all that I will be taking it to the Subaru Dealer to have them tell me what is wrong with it.

 

Nobody addressed the severe brake like action after I let off the gas. And yes it did sorta shake under load. I would mash the gas to get the power light to come on but that was a joke. I had to use "power just to get out of it's own way."

 

I love my Subarus and Jeep Cherokee. Both very capable 4WD vehicles. The Jeep has cold air.

[Legacy777]

I'd do all the routine maintenance stuff.....filters, plugs, wires, etc if you haven't done them since acquiring the vehicle.

[coloradosubarules]

Hurricane Jeanne is beating at my door as we speak so I won't be working on her anytime soon.

 

Let me tell you how fun it is trying to gut the cat. I sprayed all the heatsheild nuts and bolts with WD-40 and let them sit. They all came off easy except the flange that has the 3 bolts right after the cat but before the spring loaded, 2 bolt flange. I ended up cutting the flange out and straightpiping it there. This was all done around midnight last night. I am sure my neighbors loved me whacking my prybar with a roofing hammer as they tried to get a goodnights rest before they won't be able to sleep for days due to the oncoiming threat.

 

As soon as the area gets power back (2 weeks most likely) I will go to Advance and get all that is needed for a tune-up. I did change the plugs to Bosh platinum +2's when I bought it and I change the oil every 2K or so because it was running so hot. I think I am going to switch to redline or Royal purple and see how that goes.

 

Thanks for all the info and sugestions.

[jcniest5]

Sorry to hear about your problem. You've been so kinded to me, I'm feeling real bad of not being able to show some kind of kindness in return, not to mention sending the payment late, too. I feel your pain, bud.

[Legacy777]

You might want to just try running copper NGK's. Subaru's don't run too well on the bosch plugs for some reason.

[coloradosubarules]

Thanks Josh I will do that.

 

Hurricane is gone. Took my back porch, the rest of my fence, a few more shingles, and the power for another two weeks. Thank the lord for generators.

 

I gutted the cat and it sounds awefull. Please see my other recent post for a write up on the cat.

 

The Legacy is still running poorly so as soon as power is restored I will be going to the local advance AP and getting me some NGK's and a new set of plug wires. I'm going with OE for the wireset because I am cheap and if it ain't broke....

 

Hey Johnny...Don't sweat it. I'm alive and so is my family. Your payment was the last thing on my mind. Besides...I said, "send it when you can afford to."

I'm not looking to get rich or go poor. Life is ok brother. <- me in traffic when slipknot comes on the radio or I pop the CD in. You know yall have some music you shouldn't listen to while driving. (IE...Sammy Hagar's "I can't drive 55", Golden Earing's "Radar love" etc...etc)