trxeslr66

Yeah, I agree, I think the first thick line on the tach is 500. The reason i say i knew i have been below that is because i plugged a code reader in. I can confirm that when it is on the line it reads around 500. Mine has gone down to 300. It is healthy that the engine can idle that low, but something is wrong. The next time it stalls I am going to the dealer.

I know it has been a while since any posts were made here but... I will give an update and once again ask for HELP!! I have gone 1 year without stalling or a CEL. Problem is that the low idle is getting worse and i feel a CEL is soon to come. Jan 06 i installed a new ground wire and battery. This combo seemed to bandaid the problem. I think whatever the problem is, is killing the battery. My last battery (dihard gold) only lasted 1 year. After the current battery was installed for 3 months the idle began dropping again. I have noticed when checking the voltage it gets low when idle. The extra ground wire from engine to alternator seemed to initially help this. The alternator is original but was rebuilt 3.5 years ago. Any ideas? Is it worth trying a new alternator? Physically this car looks brand new, with the exception of the idle it runs like a new car. It is worth nothing on a trade so I really need to find a solution.

I have been having a low idle and CEL for the IACV for 6 moonths. I replaced the IACV and had everything the air intake including the TB and TPS voltage checked. I cant find a cause with a mechanical defect in the engine for the low idle and CEL. When I say low idle I mean 250-450 RPMS when it should be 600-700 RPMS. I have verified with a code reader the idle gets as low as 250rpms. So due to recent battery problems I suspect the low idle may be a electrical issue of some sort. Over the winter I thought the low idle was worse under a load(heater + stereo, subs, amp). Now that summer is here I feel the same way with the A/C load. But during the past 2 months, it has gotten significantly worse. It got so low that it stalled 2 times in 1 week. And for these stalls it was because the battery was dead. So I deal with it after the first stall by jumping it, but after the 2nd I jump it then go to sears and they test charging system and battery and say the battery is bad. So I get a new battery under warranty and the idle is better – closer to 600 now which is the lower end of a normal idle. So I think back... The problem started last October, I had to get a new battery in January AND yesterday. There is the same amount of months in between. One more fact: the CEL for the IACV come on at idle AND when the automatic transmission is downshifting on the interstate. When the car downshifts, the load coming from the charging system would change for a second. I think think there is a defect in the charging system causing the batterys to go bad and cause the CEL due to a low and or fluxuating load. The alternator was rebuilt 1.5 years ago. So when the battery progressivly goes bad and hold less and less of a charge, my idle gets crappier and crappier. Any ideas what is causing the problem??

I'm not sure what air intake under the hood you are talking about spraying the lysol, and also, where is the a/c drain to verify it is not clogged. Thank you

I have a 99 Legacy L Sedan 2.2L with 73,000 miles. When do I change the timing belt. The mechanic I have been using said Subaru says 60k but he says wait till 80k. What do you think? While this is being done, I was going to replace the following parts. Is there anything I am missing, I want to avoid future problems and be able to depend on the car so I dont mind spending money on parts while this much is being done. 13073 AA142 Idler rollers (2) 13069 AA 037 Timing Belt Tensioner 13085 AA080 Roller Idler 13028 AA102 Timing Belt 21111 AA007 Water Pump Oil pump seal (dont have part # yet)

Is there anyway to clean something to make the smell that comes out of the heater a/c smell better. Mine, since new smells a bit musty. It has gotten worse and is only when using the a/c, not the heater. I noticed new cars have interior air filtration systems, but I doubt anything this old would have a filter I could change. Has anyone experienced this or found a solution?

Even though this is an older Legacy, the ECM should still control the idle and if it is high or low it should throw a code. Is your CHECK ENGINE LIGHT lit? To be sure the light functions check if it flashes when you turn the car on. Sometime the bulb burns out or someone takes it out. Use a code reader and see if there are any codes. There are 234573 things that can cause a problematic idle and vaccum leaks are just one of them.

The mechanic I have been using for 4 years told me I dont have a vaccum leak, but he cant fix my low idle problem and I have been through USMB threads for months looking for an answer to the erratic low idle. Is it possible he missed something and there is a leak. I do alot of my own maintenance myself but I dont know exactly where to spray water or starting fluid to check for a leak? Any help would be great.

Scrubbing will make the area look like crap because it will pull the fibers of the cloth apart. If the grease is what I think it is, you need some a brown paper bag and a clothes iron. put the bag on the grease and iron it a bit with heat, no steam. The grease will transfer to the bag. Do it a few times using new paper till the grease is off the seat and dosnt show up on the bag. Brown paper works best but you can substitute what you can find. Use good judgment not to get the fabric too hot because it will melt. This will work with anything from grease to wax and on any kind of surface such as carpet or upolstery.

I replaced coolent temp sensor and fuel filter exactly 3 months ago. Since then, the low idle went from being fixed to gradually getting worse and is pissing me off, however, in 3 months, no stalling and no CEL. The low idle has started shaking as it did before. I notice when stopped, if I put it in neutral the shaking stops, the idle dosnt change but it gets smooth. Also, it only happens when the car is warmed up. It seems to be more problematic morning and night when it is colder. I HAVE replaced the plugs with OEM, I have been considering replacing 2 things, the plug wires with OEM and the Injectors with OEM which have never been touched (seafoam has been used recently) and currently at 73k. Another thing I will try since it is free is when it acts up, I will take the hoses off of the fuel filter and connect them directly, bypassing the fuel filter. Since the new fuel filter fixed (or maybe just masked) the problem, this might reveal some crap in the gas tank clogging up the filter. It could have taken me a few times running near empty to get it clogged back up again. It does take a few seconds when stopping for it to get low. I just got new imprezza wheels and new toyo proxis tires as well as a brake/rotor job and otherwise, the car runs and looks great and I want it to last a bit longer and keep it for a second car for snow driving and such but this problem is burning my small brain up. I need help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am posting to update, I have driven nearly 2 months without a problem after replacing the coolant temp sensor and fuel filter. I have no idea which it was that fixed the problem. The new fuel filter is OEM subaru. The old fuel filter was a fram or whatever autozone had, and was only 7 months old. It caused a slight hesitation when I installed it which is wy i decided to go back to OEM 7 months later. My idle still gets low (400-600) but dosnt shudder, shake, stall, or CEL. Since these parts, the car has been running great. I feel your frusteration. If you did the coolant sensor, maybe try the fuel filter? My problem started after a TB cleaning, possibly some gunk got dislodged and ended up clogging the fuel filter?

Thanks for the info. I installed Brembo rotors for the 14 inch wheel. braking is much smoother. One things i'm dissapointed about is the rust specs forming on the rotor after just 2 days. This tells me the entire rotor will rust as the OEM one did. I thought newer rotors had a rust protectant coating. Anyway, the 16 inch wheels will be installed in 2 days with toyo proxis tires. Thanks for the info.

Ok, If the 99 GT had 16 inch wheels + tires the same as the WRX's I'll be using, can I get the rotors for the 99 GT(16 in rims) instead of the 99 L (14 in rims) and still have my calipers fit? I'm looking to get maximum braking without upgrading to slotted/drilled rotors that eat pads. Thank you ???????????????????????????????????????

Hi, I have a 2.2l 99 Legacy with 14 inch alloy wheels. I bought 16 inch rims from an 03 Imprezza WRX. I have seem pics on the board here where people have put these exact rims on my generation of Legacy. I'm pretty sure the rim will physically fit, but my questions is about rotors. I need new rotors and an not sure which application to get. Looks like OEM and Brembo has a different part # for 14 inch wheels or 15 inch wheels. Would I get the rotors for the 15 inch? Lastly, if the total size of the tire is larger, will my speedometer be effected? Any advice would be greatly appriciated.

I still have factory wires on my Legacy but I was recently considering replacing them so I did some investigation on the USMB and found this....Some people like aftermaket plugs, but many many many more feel strongly to only replace with OEM. If you search the threads on here you will get some good info and in the end see that most people sugguest OEM plugs.