Bmm001

Code was for MAF sensor. Mechanic swapped in a used sensor for $80 and now it runs like a top again! Brian

Thanks for all the replies. I'm sure the first thing they'll do is pull the codes. MAF was just one possibility they mentioned, misfire/jumped t-belt was the other. They only work on Subaru's and have done so for about 20 years. Brian

Got hold of the garage and had it towed up. I guess we'll see what they say on Monday, but they suspect a bad MAF sensor. Brian

My dad's '97 Impreza (AT, 146K) ran fine this morning. This afternoon, he went to go to the gas station, it started, then ran rough, and sputtered and stalled out. He re-started it, same rough running, got it halfway up the street before it died again. My brother and him had to push it back to our house. Check Engine light is on. I know we'll know more once we have it towed to our Subie mechanic and they can start by pulling the codes, but was wondering if anyone has ever had this happen, or do any possibilities come to mind? Timing belt, water pump, and seals were done about 5K ago. It'll be due plugs, fuel filter, etc. in about another 5K. Thoughts, comments? Thanks! Brian

My '95 Legacy Sedan: 145,000 Dad's '97 Impreza Sedan: 146,000 Mom's '98 Legacy Wagon: 140,000 Brother's '99 Impreza Outback: 115,000 Brian

It sounds to me like there was something wrong with the car when you bought it, and then subsequently it wasn't fixed properly with the replacement transmission. It sounds like you need to find a different mechanic. I'm not sure how this situation means that Subaru's are junk... Brian

I would also suggest contacting an upholstery shop if there's one near you. I had the seat rebuilt in my '95 legacy (could feel the springs) for about $70 and it's great now. Brian

I wouldn't totally rule out the possibility of some oil burning too. Year and mileage of car? You could always check/replace the PCV valve--has it ever been replaced? It's cheap and takes 5 minutes tops. When the clutch was done, and that shop said that the rear main seal was fine, is it possible that something wasn't re-assembled properly or a seal was damaged/compromised in that process? Just thinking out loud... I would look into the possibility of the cam cap o-rings too. They were what was truly leaking on my car when the dealer told me it was the separator plate. Brian

My independent Subaru mechanic feels the same way. He's seen it happen even from a bad tank of gas. First thing he always does is reset it and see if it comes back on quickly (ie same day or right away). He said he'd only worry about it around inspection time provided it only comes on intermittently. If it keeps coming on, he'll test the O2 sensor, check for exhaust leaks, and so forth. He also suggested that I let it warm up for a few minutes, especially in the winter/cold. We've all been told not to idle too long on a cold morning, but letting it run for 2-3 minutes before taking off in the morning has kept mine off for more than 6 months! Brian M.

I second Nipper on the PCV Valve. Even the Subaru ones are cheap, and take about 2 minutes tops to swap in. I also agree that there are plenty of other things to look at before a new converter if the code won't go away. Find a mechanic who will diagnose the problem and not just pull and read the code and tell you the converter is bad. Example: My girlfriend's '02 Corolla has been plagued with PO420 since she's owned it. She's had 3 different catalytic converters that she probably didn't need in the 3 years she's owned the car. Then she found an honest mechanic who actually hooked up a scan tool and let it plot the O2 sensor readings rather than just pulling the code. Next, he took into consideration the fact that her car burns about a quart of oil every 700 miles, and started pulling the spark plugs found them soaked with oil. He determined that leaking valve guide seals were allowing oil to be sucked into the combustion chamber and blown out through the exhaust. The oil being burnt was skewing the readings and triggering the code repeatedly. Nothing wrong with the converter, nothing probably ever was. Brian

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/StepEWAug07.pdf http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/TBeltEWWin05.pdf http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=19460&postcount=37 The end wrench articles are detailed and have good diagrams/images. Brian

Are the wheels and tires a different size? My '95 L has 185/70/14's and my brother used to have a '99 L special edition with 195/60/15's and there was a noticeable difference in ride and handling just with that slightly larger, lower profile tire. I guess it's possible that the spring rates and shocks might be different--more like a GT? Or, if your "L" is like mine, the shocks and everything could be "well worn" Brian

I agree. My left sending unit was bad when I bought the car at 80K.. replaced under the dealer's warranty for free. Brian

My '95 with 140K still has the original pump. Brian M.

One question I have: Is everything actually bad from the converter back or do you just have a leak? With 186K and given your location, I guess its possible the whole thing is rusted out.. I ask because the exhaust shop I go to has welded in a new flex pipe for me for $55 (the old one completely rusted out right where it connects to the second cat). The first opinion I got from a different garage (just a regular local mechanic) was $1000 for the whole y-pipe and 2nd converter they claimed had to be replaced to fix it. A year later the same exhaust shop welded in a 2" section of pipe just in front my muffler for $25 to replace the leak that occurred there. If all the stuff from cat back needs replaced, then I guess $390 isn't too bad. Brian M.

I'll second that. My mom's '98 5-speed had the speedo problem the other week and it was just the VSS thankfully. Our mechanic mentioned that they see a lot of problems with '99s, said we were lucky. I'll be interested to hear how things turn out. Brian M.

My '95 Legacy AT is at about 2000 RPM at 50 MPH, and it's always been there. 2500 or so at 60. If I'm cruising down the road at 50 or so and blip the gas pedal, the RPMs will drift up a few hundred. If that happens, as far as I know it's not locked. If they don't budge, it's locked. My car also seems more sensitive (too sensitive in my opinion) to the locking and unlocking compared to my dad's '97 Impreza AT. Remember that it won't lock until the transmission is sufficiently warmed up. Does the condition you describe happen all the time, or just when you first start driving? In my experience it can take up to 15 minutes for it to warm up fully, depending on the ambient temperature, driving conditions, etc. If it's colder yet, it won't shift into 4th gear so as to warm up the Catalytic Converter more quickly. I cringe as my car screams down the highway at 4500 RPM in the dead of winter because it won't shift into 4th right away. One other thought: How many miles on the car/transmission? When was the last time the fluid has been changed? Brian M.

Nice

It depends on how old of a Subaru you're looking for. 1990-2000 Legacies and Imprezas with the EJ22 2.2 liter engine don't have the internal headgasket issue. I think the 2001 Impreza was the last Subaru here to have the 2.2. Check out this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71362 If you're in the market for a late-model subie (after 2003 or so) they basically all use the same engine, and my understanding is the incidence of problems is fairly low as long as you use the "coolant conditioner" when changing the coolant. I might take some heat for pointing this out, but not every Phase 1 EJ25 blows its head gasket. It's just that the percentage of engines that have are relatively high compared to the EJ22. Key word being relative. I've heard in the neighborhood of 15%. There are plenty of other cars from other manufacturers that have their share of serious engine problems. Engine sludge in VW 1.8 turbos and Saab turbos and Toyota V6's comes to my mind as just as serious of a problem. Do yourself a favor and what ever model you decide on, test drive it thoroughly checking for torque bind (drive really slowly in a figure-8 pattern in a parking lot and if it lurches or sticks, that's it). Also, one that has good service records and has been taken care of is obviously a plus. Brian

Do a search on MWE axles on here. Many posters on this board say they're the only way to go. I can't speak from personal experience, but there are a lot of people here that know a lot more than me and have a lot of experience with them firsthand so I'd trust them! Brian

That's the nice thing about having a shop that will try an easy, sensible fix before just throwing parts and $$ at a problem. Was there a friendly wager? Ha ha. Brian

Good news. It was just the speed sensor on the transmission. They popped a used one on and for a grand total of $50 and we're set! Brian

Does it do it pretty much all the time? If so, your best bet would be to take it in and have them sit in the car with you while it does it. Then they have to look you in the eye and tell you it's "normal." Our local dealer couldn't diagnose a toasted clutch in my mom's car. "Could not duplicate problem." After they told us that the second time, we had to limp it to our (at the time) newly discovered independent shop because the clutch was slipping so badly. There was barely any lining left. Sorry for the tangent, but the moral is to be persistent and don't let them brush you off. I hate to say this but maybe you should be with her for this... my girlfriend's been taken advantage of at repair shops before when she was by herself... From your description, there's clearly something going on and they need to address it. Brian

It seems to idle normally, around 750 RPM or so. Runs and drives fine. My dad will be driving it to work tomorrow morning very early so he'll have the headlights on. I'll have him test w/ the A/C as well. By the way, the CEL turned off after one of the re-starts (didn't mention that before), but I bet it will be back on. They reset it at the shop, and after 10 minutes or so of driving home, it came back on for my dad. Brian

The CEL code was for the Vehicle Speed sensor. They're going to check it and swap out the sensor on the transmission on Thursday to see if that cures it. If not, they think it could have something to do with a second sensor (my dad couldn't remember what they called it) on/near the speedometer head. The mechanic said they've noticed more issues with '99 and newer sensors malfunctioning, something about them being a different part or design. Said there's a slight possibility that our '98 may have this design depending on when it was built in '98. If it has something to do with the speedometer area sensor we'd need a new one. Question: Is the car shutting off when slowing down caused by the faulty VSS? I drove it tonight, and rolling up to a stop with the clutch depressed, the RPM's would drop below 500, and then suddenly the car is off. No shudder, stutter, no nothing, it's just off. I duplicated this event 3 times. But it doesn't do it EVERY stop. Also didn't seem to do it if the car was in neutral and I came to a stop. It also did it once with the clutch depressed as I was slowing to round a corner. Brian