cascadeclimbn

Thanks for explaining to me exactly what happens during a misfire. In response to another post about situating the knock sensor...yes I did place the sensor at 45 degree angle between the "notch". It's not the knock sensor that the car seems to think is causing the problem, the CEL is for a misfire.

So I will definitely get new wires and hopefully take care of the misfire for good but I'm still concerned that wires aren't my real problem. The issue I've been having is the car losing acceleration. When I first changed the wires it still did this even though I hadn't had a misfire code pull back up. Then I changed the knock sensor and the issue went away for 300 miles till it happened again the other day and the CEL came on for a misfire after the loss of acceleration happened last time. So my question is can a misfire cause the loss of acceleration I've been describing? And also, why would it seem to have resolved itself after replacing the knock sensor but then happen again and the CEL be for a misfire? Hope I'm stating all this coherent enough

I'll double check my work but I'm pretty positive I did everything solid. The plugs are bought aren't copper I don't think...they are NGK V-Power...the best ones autozone had.

I was kind of thinking it was the wires as well. Or at least that should be the first place to start. Would Bosch wires work? They are like the mid level ones that Autozone sells...the NGK set is $100 which I can't afford right now. If it's not the wires what else could it be?

My 96 subaru impreza outback would lose acceleration power on inclines (and sometimes flat road) at highway speeds. I had 3 check engine lights: a knock sensor, map sensor, and cylinder misfire detected in cylinder 1. I replaced the knock sensor, hooked the map sensor back up properly and replaced plugs and wires with NGK plugs and Duralast wires. Reset the check engine light and haven't had any problems in the last 2 days after driving 300 some miles on a road trip through all types of terrain and speeds. Till today...was driving home from school on the freeway and the car lost accelerating power the check engine light started flashing and I had to pull over. After five minutes and starting the car twice I drove a few miles to autozone where they pulled the code and there's a misfire in a different cylinder than before!! Cylinder 3. Why would these be happening after new plugs, what could be causing it, and how do I go about diagnosing and fixing it?

grossgary, my 96 does have a MAP sensor. The code was P0106. Ended up being that it was just disconnected.

Well I replaced the knock sensor yesterday and resolved the last of all the codes, reset the check engine light, drove it around for 50 miles, up and down hills at high and low speeds and no return of check engine light and no problems with loss of acceleration and hard shifts. So maybe it's not the transmission and it was in fact the knock sensor emulating "tranny" problems before. I've read a lot of posts on the internet of people having the same acceleration issues and replacing the knock sensor fixed the problem so I think the knock sensor can affect the transmissions performance or at least cause engine problems that make me think the trans is performing poorly. Guess I'll find out in the next few hundred miles.

Alrighty so drove around some more and check engine light came back on and during this same test drive I had the acceleration issue again at higher speeds (50-65) on a slight incline (as has been the case every other time) where the rpm's would go up if you cranked on the gas pedal but the car still wouldn't go and lost speed. Happened on the freeway this time (a bit sketchy). This time I threw it in 3rd and kept chugging along at about 30mph till I coasted the hill and put it back in D and it started accelerating fine but with rough shifting. Took it to autozone had the check engine light read again and 2 of 3 codes stayed gone, the MAP sensor issue is resolved, and it seems as though I resolved the misfire issue with new plugs and wires. The only code pulling up still is the knock sensor. I've been reading around online and it sounds like several other folks have experienced the exact same acceleration and shifting issues as me and it's been the knock sensor's fault. So I'll replace that this weekend and hopefully all will be well.

So I took the car to the dealer today to pull up the transmission code and nothing pulled up for them for past codes. Anyone know why my AT light would flash then the next day not have any codes to pull up? The MAP sensor code that was coming up ended up being that the sensor was unplugged. I also changed the plugs and wires using NKG plugs and Duralast wires and reset the check engine light. Drove around for 10mi and no light back on yet. The plugs were pretty dirty and the one in the back right was really dirty and was really hard to screw out (why that would be?). Could bad plugs and wires resulting in a misfire really be the problem with the transmission and engine symptoms I posted about?

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83901 I went here^ and followed those directions (3x) for the TCU "secret handshake" and my AT light stayed solid. I don't think it's a circuit issue b/c it works when something happens with the car. Is this actually the right method for a 96 impreza outback?

Anyone know how to manually pull up the code on the AT light? I tried searching but couldn't find anything. Went down to the suburb dealer in town and they wouldn't give me the time of day because it was "lunch hour". Also earlier I stated the AT light flashed 16x when I started the car back up. Now it doesn't anymore...will I still be able to pick up the last code?

Thanks for the good advice. I'll start with the plugs and wires today, reset the codes and go from there.

Couldn't figure out how to delete this thread. The duplicate was an accident. Not sure how it happened. Moderators...can you delete this for me

So I posted a week or so ago about a 96 subaru impreza outback I recently bought having hard shifting when warming up and check engine codes and also having lack of power going up a steep hill. Tuesday I was moving some stuff so I had the car loaded and was going up a long moderately steep hill when the car started losing power...it would rev up the rpm's but wouldn't go any faster and I had to pull it over. I pulled over shut it off and opened the hood. There was some slight smoking but very thin and a slight burning smell. I checked trans and oil levels and they looked good, and no unusual smell to either. I let the car sit for a while and started it back up. The AT oil light flashed 16 times then went away. I put the car in 3rd and drove slowly up the rest of the hill and then it ran fine the 35 more miles home. This event occurred in fwd mode b/c I throw the fuse in to increase mpg. I took it out and the last two days I've noticed the shifting is much smoother in awd (any ideas on that?) Anyways, This evening I was driving on a flat freeway and the same thing happened. I wasn't under load wasn't going up a hill but the car just wouldn't go even though the rpm's would go up. The check engine light started flashing while driving this time and I popped it into 3rd which allowed the car to actually go and I pulled to the shoulder and shut the car off asap. Turned it back on a few minutes later and the AT oil light flashed 16 times again. Drove it 3 miles to home where it's now parked. The codes are a knock sensor code, MAP sensor, and misfire in cylinder 2. Should I be continuing to drive this? Also can anyone help me figure out where to start with trying to fix this or tell me what could be going on? I don't have a lot of money so I can't afford to just do trial and error spoob but if I have to I guess I can not drive and save up.

Delete

Did you test the MAP sensor?

Hi all. I thought I'd introduce myself. Name is Andrew. I just bought a 1996 Subaru Impreza Outback with 238,000 miles a couple weeks ago. It's the first car I've owned in 4 years after selling my Jeep, moving to Colorado, and deciding to buy a motorcycle. I used to own this same Subie except it was a 95 and not a 96 and I loved it like a child until the engine had to be replaced and after that parts just kept breaking every month so I had to let her go. I'm stoked on having my "old" car back again. I love these older impreza outback wagon's; rugged, cool looking, good ground clearance, awd, decent mpg's, and above all else--its a Subaru! What else do ya need. I still mostly bike (both motorcycle and bicycle) to school and work and errands but I plan on using my Subie for all my fly fishing, climbing, skiing, camping and road-trippin' explorations throughout the PNW. Looking forward to having this forum as a resource to keep my awd beast in good working order. Thanks in advance all for the help!

Could a bad MAP sensor be causing my shifting issues? As that is one of the codes that popped up-- P0106.

So for a tune-up what Iv'e gathered so far is replace spark plugs, spark plug wires, pcv valve, and air filter? Anything else I should do or check? I'll plan on doing a tune up first and replace the knock sensor and then have the codes ran again and go from there. For the transmission it sounds like I should at least change the fluid but more so do a complete flush and add some kind of substance to the tranny fluid as well?

Hi all. I thought I'd introduce myself. Name is Andrew. I just bought a 1996 Subaru Impreza Outback with 238,000 miles a couple weeks ago. It's the first car I've owned in 4 years after selling my Jeep, moving to Colorado, and deciding to buy a motorcycle. I used to own this same Subie except it was a 95 and not a 96 and I loved it like a child until the engine had to be replaced and after that parts just kept breaking every month so I had to let her go. I'm stoked on having my "old" car back again. I love these older impreza outback wagon's; rugged, cool looking, good ground clearance, awd, decent mpg's, and above all else--its a Subaru! What else do ya need. I still mostly bike (both motorcycle and bicycle) to school and work and errands but I plan on using my Subie for all my fly fishing, climbing, skiing, camping and road-trippin' explorations throughout the PNW. Looking forward to having this forum as a resource to keep my awd beast in good working order. Thanks in advance all for the help!

Thanks for the tip!

I didn';t have a code saying there is a knock the code just said faulty knock sensor (*and gave a list of other possible problems like fault with sensor circuit bank). There isnt any knocking or pinging with the engine that I'm hearing. The P0325 code just means faulty sensor right? It doesnt mean there is a knock, is the way I understood it.

I just checked the transmission fluid again after having the car run for a bit and it actually looks like there is way too much transmission fluid...as in a half inch above the max line for hot. Could this cause transmission problems?

Thanks for all the helpful pointers in this! It is an AT btw. How much does a transmission cost and how much to have someone drop it in? I got the car for $1000 so if it is not too expensive it might be worth it for me to just replace it. Im hoping the couple times its over-revved isnt too serious. Do you think if i do a flush that it should hold up for at least 6 months?

Im doing all that except I havent checked it after moving through all gears...just from Park to D. I assume your saying the proper way is to move it through all gears?