o2 sensor

[djclue]

I have been recently having trouble with my 90 legacy awd ls and was wondering if a o2 sensor could be keeping it from starting my first problems were it would not idle any higher than 500 rpms when i first started and would not give it any gas and then it got worse at stop lights and redlights it would take a second or two after i hit the gas to go and it would be all jurky and then the past week at the stoplights it would not give it anygas untill i put it in neutral and then would sometimes die back down to 500 rmps i recently ordered a 02 sensor and i was wondering if anything else could be attributing to this problem also i had been getting like 10 mpg for the past month or so when running it

[nixon]

It's not the o2 sensor.That has no effect when cold,hence cannot be the cause of not starting.The o2 sensor seems to get blamed for a whole load of ************ round here, but that only means we're kinda dumb as well as subie dealers!

[beezer]

No checkengine light? Did you check the plugs, filters, wires etc. Could be coolant temp.ensor, mass air flow sensor. Might need more info.

[Brett_j]

Broken O2 Sensors only affect the car at low speeds and idle,once cruising it has no effect on driving,just at idle and low speeds it richens up the fuel ratio for safety if its stuffed.Well the ECU does.

[djclue]

the check engine light has been flashing on and off since i got the dealer to change the pass side cv boot and i think they might have knocked the o2 sensor while changing it but so i assumed it was the o2 sensor but i cannot figure out what wires to connect to check the readings, it seams it wants to die at low speeds and but when i change gears to 2nd while cruising it will be fine untill i slow down or come to a stop and the rpms will be at like 500 rms and when i put it in neutral sometimes it will rev up fine and others it will go down to like 100-200 rpms and will eventually pick back up after a while of on and off the accelerator but now it wont start right away and wil have to crank it for a while

[beezer]

there are 2 black connectors (single wires)under the drivers side dash. Check out Legacy 777 website.

[shortlid]

I have a '98 Legacy L wagon EJ22, 4EAT Cali. emisions and 144k on the clock. I have had the CEL come on ONCE about 4,000 miles ago becaose of front O2 sensor out of range. But it has not come on again? The O2's are original to this Cali. emisons car. But this winter the car seams to run rich at cold start up. You can smell a strong fuel odor out the tail pipe but no balck smoke for the first three min. the car is running then it runs fine and does not smell like gas out the exhuast pipe. Also I Seafoamed the engine by sucking it into the TB via a vacuum line like 2,000 miles agon and it WORKED LIKE MAGIC!! Turned on the CEL due to mid-fires but once reset ran better than ever. But now when cold it will shake a little when between operating temp and stone cold?? It should not have carboned up that fast? Or should I have used teh Deep Creap to clean the TB also??

[frag]

Broken O2 Sensors only affect the car at low speeds and idle,once cruising it has no effect on driving,just at idle and low speeds

 

 

«Usually when the sensor is bad, the engine will show some loss of power, and will not seem to respond quickly.» From How stuff works.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question257.htm&url=http://www.wps.com/LPG/o2sensor.html

[cblwilson]

Dirty air filter maybe? Check the easy stuff first.

[djclue]

i recently changed the plugs and wire and the old ones were really black on the threads,

 

another thing i noticed was tiny sparks shoting everywhere on the distributor if that would be contributing to my problem

[djclue]

i recently changed the plugs and wire and the old ones were really black on the threads also now when it cranks i can smell the fuel really bad but it wont start unless i go under the hood and give it more gas

[Brett_j]

i recently changed the plugs and wire and the old ones were really black on the threads,

 

another thing i noticed was tiny sparks shoting everywhere on the distributor if that would be contributing to my problem

 

Yes thats exaclty it.

Buy a new one.

[djclue]

are you talking about the wires i just bought some new ones today and no luck or do you mean the ignition pack?

[Chef]

No, the distributor. If it has "tiny sparks shoting everywhere on the distributor" then it certainly isn't functioning properly. Unless you meant the the wires connecting to the dist. were sparking.

 

 

are you talking about the wires i just bought some new ones today and no luck or do you mean the ignition pack?

[djclue]

it was both on both sides ill have to look at it now at night to check it out again do you know anywhere good to get one, it sounds like it wants to start but wont and white smoke comes out from the exhaust and every thing else seems to be good and i still cant locate the wires for self diagnostics but i found the green t shaped one but the black one but it wont fit to connect

[Chef]

I'd recommend throwing the odd period into your lengthy sentences - it makes reading them less dizzying:-p

 

White smoke coming out of the exhaust may or may not be a problem, hard to tell until it's running for a bit. Most cars in the winter tend to blow white "smoke" from evaporated water initially, and even intermittently while driving. But continuous white smoke may indicate a leaking head-gasket.

 

BTW, is it a manual tranny? If so, try to see if you can push start it by popping the clutch. At least it can help you get to a shop to have it checked.

 

it was both on both sides ill have to look at it now at night to check it out again do you know anywhere good to get one, it sounds like it wants to start but wont and white smoke comes out from the exhaust and every thing else seems to be good and i still cant locate the wires for self diagnostics but i found the green t shaped one but the black one but it wont fit to connect

[[ i ]nsane]

hahaha, this is great

[shortlid]

I have a '98 Legacy L wagon EJ22, 4EAT Cali. emisions and 144k on the clock. I have had the CEL come on ONCE about 4,000 miles ago becaose of front O2 sensor out of range. But this winter the car seams to run rich at cold start up. You can smell a strong fuel odor out the tail pipe but no balck smoke for the first three min. the car is running then it runs fine and does not smell like gas out the exhuast pipe. Also I Seafoamed the engine by sucking it into the TB via a vacuum line like 2,000 miles agon and it WORKED LIKE MAGIC!! Turned on the CEL due to mid-fires but once reset ran better than ever. But now when cold it will shake a little when between operating temp and stone cold?? It should not have carboned up that fast? Or should I have used teh Deep Creap to clean the TB also??

 

Have since used teh Deep Creep from Seafoam and it smoothed out my idle again, this time with no CEL. BUT, last night I was driving on the hioghway and CEL came on again. Got it scaned and YEP upstream )2. How hard is it to replace it the upstream in a Cali. emisions equiped car? Will the $42 universal 02 I found work?