subby95

Thanks for the tips - I will replace the fuel filter and try to find someone to read the codes for me. Ironically, the crankshaft issue I had was the second time my pulleys went nuts. The first time it happened, my alternator actually went out and that's the first time I have ever taken my car to a dealer. They were extremely nice and helpful and my belts & pulleys looked great when they were done. So when I needed my brakes done I went back to them and they WOULDN'T do it. They said I had plenty of life on my brakes but I needed a new transmission..... I have driven many a car until it has no brakes - let's just say I learned the hard way and put my dad through much strife in the process - so I am very confident in my knowledge that the brakes need work/maintenance. I took it to another shop, after market, and they did a complete brake job and actually said I was driving a rather dangerous car given the condition of my brakes. I also did some research on the transmission issue. It was something called torque bind and while it is clearly an issue with these cars - there seem to be ways to fix it besides a whole new transmission. In the end, I felt like that dealership was trying to sell me something that I may or may not need and wouldn't do work that was clearly needed. They claimed that no one else knows how to work on Subaru's but I was talking to aftermarket shops that work only or predominantly on subarus! I don't know what I would have done if the recent shop couldn't find a fix for my crankshaft problem because it was that dealer shop who was last to take apart anything in the front end of my engine and I know I wouldn't get anything out of them!

I'll do the fuel filter, but when I had the engine worked on earlier this year I also had a tune up and oil change. The spark plugs & wires and air filter were changed out - among other regular maintenance items that I don't remember off the top of my head. I am really hesitant to go to a dealer. I had an extremely bad experience with the subaru dealer here in town and really do not want to repeat it. I don't think the car does runs smooth at all.... especially when I start it up again. There is a lot of gas pedal pumping and once it is started, it really would like to die, I just don't let it. I was thinking the sensor only because that was the previous code that was reported. It does make sense to make sure that's what it still is reporting.... I also did some reading a it sounded like that could cause the starting problem I am having. When they do an emissions test, don't they test for air leaks on the gas cap? I only ask because I just had one done recently, granted before this problem arose, but thought they checked that kind of thing. Also probably of importance is that the problem started on a really hot day when I had to drive it pretty hard on steep hills in city traffic.... then it continued as our heat wave continued. It does seem to be happening less often when it is cooler outside.

I have a 1995 Subaru legacy that has seen better days.... It has 158,000 miles on it and has been having problems starting lately, especially when I have just driven it a short distance and only turned it off for a few minutes (like at the gas station). It's been a rough year for this subie. Early in 2006, it wouldn't start and I realized the battery was toast, so I replaced that. Then the gas mileage plummeted and it was running really rough. The check engine light came on intermintently and then permanently. I coughed up $25 at the local gas station to have them read the computer codes - which said to the check the engine temperature sensor. They cleared the code and said to drive it for a little bit to see if it came back on. Very quickly after that, my pulleys went crazy - there is no other way to describe it - all the belts were off and the pulley's were all over the place. I took it into a shop that I had never been to but that a co-worker has gone to for almost 20 years. They told me that the crankshaft had been damaged, so they weren't sure what they'd be able to do. Luckily they were able to put it all back together regrinding the key rather than welding it all together. It has been several months since that repair and everything seems to be ok.... except my check engine light is back and it's having starting problems. At first I thought maybe just the fuel filter needed to be replaced, but then I remembered the engine temp sensor and thought that might have something to do with it. My car also has transmission problems which will probably be in the 300 range if I'm lucky. So I am trying to prioratize my repairs to keep the car functional but not a money pit. I feel confident that I can replace the fuel filter but I can't figure out where the engine temp sensor is and how realistic it is for me to try and do it myself. I am definitely not a skilled mechanic. I don't want to do anything stupid. Any suggestions?