Highway 101

Hi guys, It's me.......the original poster. Sorry I never responded with the conclusion to my Subaru problem. It turned into quite an ordeal with eventually a very simple solution. After finding moisture in the distributor, I dried out the distributor and changed the cap and rotor. I suspected my problem had been solved. I drove it regularly for at least a week with no repeat of the problem. I was now convinced that the problem was solved. I ended up selling the car.......and the very next day, the car died on the new owner. Same problem. We gave the money back and brought the car home. I was pretty disgusted (sp?). I ended up slashing the price and selling the car in it's intermittently working state to my neighbor. He tried a good second hand distributor......no change. One of the times that it died on him....while he was waiting for it to restart, he pulled out the owners manual and began reading. One of the first things that caught his eye was that it said not to ever use fuel with alcohol in it. He didn't know what kind of gas had been put in it, and I didn't remember either. He started running premium (or at least mid grade) fuel in it and the problem never returned. His daughter has been driving the car for almost a year now.....always using "good" gas and has never had the car die on her. Since then I have had others say...."Oh yeah.....you have to run good gas in a Subaru". Thanks for all who posted, Michael

Thanks all for the ideas. I haven't had much time to spend on diagnosis yet. My battery was dead for a couple months, then out for a couple days. Does anyone know if this would have affected any of the the codes in the computer? Rob, what is a "PAP"? I did come across something today that may have been the problem all along. If it was the problem I am going to feel real STUPID!!!!! All of the tune up parts and filters were replaced within a few hundred miles before I bought the car..........so, I never bothered checking any of them. Today I pulled the distributor cap off and found moisture! Looking back, it makes sense. I would bet that my cousin hosed out the engine compartment just prior to selling. If so, this may explain why he never had this problem that I had just one day after buying it. Does this make sense? I have had water in the distributor of cars before. They either ran bad, or did not run. I don't think I have ever had it run great then intermittently die and not re-start. Anyway, I blew out the distributor with air, and ran it in the driveway for about an hour with no problems. I don't know if I have the courage to take it for a spin yet. Any more comments are appreciated, and I'll let you know how it goes. Again, thanks much, Michael

Hello all, This is my first post here. I hope someone can help with this trouble I am having. Please be patient while I bore you with the details leading up to where I am now......my wit's end. This past summer I bought a 1988 2WD Subaru station wagon. It is a fuel injected non-turbo 1.8 with an automatic transmission. It is loaded with options (A/C, P.S., etc.). I bought it from relatives who had kept it well maintained, and were not experiencing any difficulty with it. Prior to me purchasing the car, they had just done lots of engine work to it....new head gaskets, timing belts, oil pump seals, water pump, tune up, fuel filter, etc. It was there daughters daily around town driver. The mileage is 114,000 I bought it and drove it 40 miles home with no troubles (and none expected). The next day I left for my 24 mile commute to work. After 8 miles or so, it started cutting out. I thought maybe my fuel gauge was wrong, and that maybe I was running out of gas. I pulled over, and by the time I came to a stop, the engine had died and would not restart. About 2 hours later it would start up. I headed back home, but it only ran for about a mile. I towed it the rest of the way. The local import mechanic didn't have time to work on the car but suggested 2 things. 1) A breather system update (rerouting of part of the breather system), and 2) A bad alternator....yeah, a bad alternator could cause it to cut out (he said). About 6 hours later, I went home and updated the breather system. It started right up (probably would have anyway). I drove it the rest of the week with no problem. My wife then took it out of town shopping. After about 60 miles of highway and in town driving, it quit on her. I got there a few hours later. It would start and run just long enough to get it on the trailer. I tried isolating the alternator, but that did nothing. By the next day, it would start and run fine. I took it to another shop for diagnosis. They had it for a couple of weeks. They scanned it and drove it a lot, and could not find any problem. Finally they called and said just drive it......call if it breaks down again. It ran for 2 more days and then shut down one morning after about 3 miles of driving. This time I had some tools with me. I checked for spark.....It had spark. I pulled off the fuel line from the filter.....fuel would come out. I have no idea if it was enough pressure. I then towed it home. A couple people suggested that the fuel cap may not be venting properly. I bought a new one and went home. First, I verified that it would still not start....it wouldn't. Second, I loosened the old fuel cap. It started right up. I tightened the old fuel cap back up and went for a drive. A couple of miles down the road it quit. I pulled the old cap off and put the new one on. It wouldn't start....ugh. I loosened it. It would not start. Since this time, I have not been willing to leave the house with it. It will start up in the driveway and run just fine. I have idled it in the driveway for at least 20 minutes with no troubles. The problem has happened after a couple miles, and after several miles. It has happened on a full fuel tank, and on a partial tank. PLEASE help. I want to drive it or sell it, but either way, it needs to run. Could it be a weak fuel pump or ??????? I have been careful to not just throw money at guesses. I don't mind spending money on it, I just want good direction of which way to spend it. I hope to find something conclusive, so I am confident driving it. Thanks very much for your time, Michael Spears