Guest yohy Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Regarding a 1997 Legacy L sedan, can you pull codes manually from this car (OBD II) as you could with the OBD I cars? I have a 1993 Legacy AWD wagon that I have pulled the codes manually but cannot find a procedure for the newer OBD II models. Do you need the scan tool or can you use the manual “blink” process. If so, same connectors and process as for the older car? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest impreza4hire Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 For the OBDII complient cars, you must use a scantool. on the bottom of the dash, to the right of the steering wheel you'll see a small black flap. if you open it you'll see a connecter about 1 3/4 inches by 1/2 inch. To use the scanner, simply plug the scanner into the port, turn ignition to "on" but do not start the car, then turn on the scanner. it will show you the codes, then you can clear them. Many auto parts stores will allow you to use their code scanner for FREE. I fixed my mom's 95 Impreza's starting problem by using the scanner to find that the crank and cam sensors were bad. $50 repair and the car runs fine. You can also buy a scanner on Ebay for $75 to $100 bucks. Help your friends with finding out what the "check engine" light is trying to tell them. The OBDII scanner will work on just about all cars 1996 and newer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sailmariner Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 I just bought one of these low-cost scanners for another car. It was on sale at $39.95 but the regular price is $49.95. www.harborfreight.com/cpi...mber=46030 It is a very simple one. You can pay $200 or $300 for a more sophisticated one, plus there is PC software for diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yohy Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 impreza4hire and Sailmariner, thanks for the replies. I was hoping you could still use a manual method of pulling codes versus needing a scanner. I have a '98 Infiniti that you can still pull codes manually and was again, hoping you could do it with the newer Subaru's. As mentioned I do have a '93 so am used to the process of retrieving, reading and clearing codes on the old OBD I systems. Thanks again and Sailmariner, your tip gives me hope of find an affordable scan tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yohy Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I thought I would give you an update. Remembering a comment on a post long ago, someone mentioned that AutoZone will pull codes for you. So a quick call to the local AutoZone, and yes, they will. Off I go on a short drive where a very helpful counter person (the one who answered the phone) grabs a scanner and within a minute had the offending code: P0463. Now when my son had called me about the check engine light being on, the first question I asked was, when was the last time you put gas in the car? His response was just yesterday. I had him check the gas cap, which he said seemed to be on tight but he added a few more “clicks”. Now the reason I mention this is the code pulled was P 0463, Fuel Level Sensor Circuit High Input, which sounds as if it would be linked to the fuel system. With this information, off I go clear the code with the old “remove the battery cable” method, hoping that securing the gas cap would solve the problem. Well, as I start the car after they pulled the code, mysteriously, the check engine light was out. Now some questions if anyone has stuck around after reading the above. Would a loose gas cap create the code of P 0463, Fuel Level Sensor Circuit High Input. Second, if the problem had been eliminated (by tightening the gas cap), when the code was pulled, would it reset the ECU to clear the code. Or why would the check engine light go out? Sorry for the length of this post, but lastly, AutoZone, they were helpful and more than willing to assist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShawnW Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 The guy at Autozone may have erased the code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yohy Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 ShawnW. Nope, when I realized the check engine light wasn't lit, I went back in just to see if they had cleared the code. They said they didn't and wouldn't as there is a large fine for clearing the code without rectifying the problem (emissions thing). So, if they didn't then the system itself must have. Again, I am curious how the ecu thinks. I know there are some codes that it needs multiple of to reduce the incident of "false" readings. I guess it would make sense that the ecu would look for codes, either current or stored, if the fault was not longer detected, it would then cancel the light. Again, a guess. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShawnW Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Autozone cleared the code on my cars about 5 different times. I dont know what to think about the fine, thats really bizarre. Some of the codes can naturally go away, the 95 Legacy that frequents my driveway seems to have a code that comes and goes that I will remedy with a new coolant temp sensor here soon as I can get the time to replace it. Have the part lack the time. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Legacy777 Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Shawn, How long ago did they clear the codes? They are definitely not supposed to clear them. Normally the codes won't go away, go away, but the light may go off, and a code will still be stored in memory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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