MyLegacyIsDoomed

thanks for the replies and all the great info...although now i'm more confused...LOL. the diagnostic device definitely had the word (or acronym) "MAP", not "MAF" in it. however, the mechanic was pretty adamant that is was the Mass Airflow Sensor. but, then again, this was the bozo who thought my battery or ignition switch caused my last dilemma...many $$$ dollars later, it turned out to be the alarm...so, i'm not too confident in his diagnosis. and now that i'm reading what you guys are describing, it makes me even more skeptical of his accuracy. so where does this leave me? do i buy a new MAF or MAP? i'm still not sure i understand what i need. does anyone have links to descriptions/photos/etc. that would be the most helpful. thanks again...

my '96 legacy wagon recently had the "check engine" light come on. we brought it in for a diagnostic and it came up with something like "MAP Airflow Sensor". i'm reading on here something about MAP Sensors being on 2000+ models. i also inquired about purchasing a new sensor from the dealer and it was a whopping $300.00+...yikes!!! anyone know a place in southern california (or online) where i can purchase one for less dough? i am told this sensor can be slightly off for it to act up, but nothing really significant is wrong with the car...but please correct me if i'm wrong.

i think it's a code alarm pro 750 (no longer made)...my wife bought it at best buy when the car was new in 1996.

remember my first post regarding all of this back on 5/23? well, guess what? the dealer is *confident* the problem is from the alarm!!! un..f'ing...believable. yesterday at this time we were lucky to get the car 1/2 mile without it stalling a half dozen times. now, after the alarm has been bypassed...it drove like a champ 12 miles. i will say it again...un..f'ing...believable. obviously, it is *much* too soon to start the champagne flowing...but if this is in fact the problem...i've blown $500 (before purchasing a new alarm) and many hours of sanity on this. proof positive to always, always trust your first gut feeling...

yeah...the place we brought it to yesterday mentioned that. possibly connected to the a/c...stall often happens w/ the a/c on (but not always). right now it's at the dealer for a diagnostic...yep, big $$$...i'm so dreading the bill on this one. a prime example of how important it is to know as much as possible about your car so that you can fix things yourself...we've already blown a couple hundred for nothing. easily another few hundred coming 'round the bend...

not yet...wish me luck as i'm a complete novice when it comes to car guts. i'm beholden to the ever *trustworthy* chilton's manual [rolls eyes]... btw...aside from the one i found in the fusebox under the hood (that looks similar to this ), are there other fusible links that can clearly be pointed out to me? i know, i know, my naivete oozes out with each passing word...we all have to start from somewhere though...thanks.

will do... the only thing that has power are the hazard lights...nothing else seems to work. and i can't check headlights because when the ignition is off under normal circumstances, the lights don't come on (it's one of those automatic dealies). thanks for the additional info...

oh, dear....here we go again. after replacing the ignition switch...and a day of driving fine in cooler weather...it happened AGAIN. straight-up dead stall...loss of power. now, as i've mentioned before, it's usually taken a physical act (such as using a turn signal, etc.) to get it to stall. this happened again, BUT, when i was pulled over with the hazards going (remember, all other lights, gauges go kapput), the gauges and dash lights, etc. came back on with NO MOVEMENT or ANY BUTTONS/SWITCHES/ETC. being touched. THEN, within a few seconds...KAPPUT...again, with NO MOVEMENT or ANY BUTTONS/SWITCHES/ETC. being touched. one important thing to note is this always happens in warmer weather. but it happens within a few minutes of starting the car and driving it. unbelievable... i highly, highly doubt the good, honest mechanic checked EVERYTHING you guys mentioned...so, wish me luck...as i do my best to troubleshoot this nightmare...and, please, if anyone thinks of anything else...do share. oh, another strange possible far-reaching connection. the auto door locks have worked very sporadically for a while when using the driver lock that unlocks all others. it takes a few tries before it unlocks all the doors. may have absolutely nothing to do with this, but it's electrical and makes wonderful noises when it happens. also, the beep you hear when the key is in the ignition and you open the door is cuts out quite a bit. lots of strangeness...so i'm looking for any possible connection... i will check all things you've mentioned before myself... vive le rawk, -j

oye-vay...here we go. so, the mechanic working on my random stalling problem ordered a new ignition switch, but when it arrived it "had one more wire than the old one." "the wire colors are different," etc. they hooked it up and tried to start the car, and of course it doesn't turn over. he says he called the supplier back up to make sure they didn't send the wrong part and they say it's the only ignition switch they have and know of for my model/year/make of car. they said something to the effect of this "extra wire" hooking up to the automatic seatbelts...eh?!? i don't have auto belts... anyone here know if they are full of it? and, where i can find an original ignition switch for the 1996 legacy wagon 2.2? the insanity continues...and continues...and continues...

thanks guys... well, this is interesting...it stalled twice after engaging the turn signal...so, what we did was left the key in the "on" position and tapped the steering column area around the turn signal and ignition. suddenly all the lights came back on and we could start the car. yep...i believe we're on to something...FINALLY. could it be the ignition switch? i'll definitely look into the fusable links...although my mechanic said he "checked everything you guys mentioned." doubtful...i say.

so, now i'm told that unless the "check engine" light comes on when the car stalls, the good folks at the subaru dealer can't hook up the diagnostic computer to check the problem. it'll be done the old fashioned way... this really blows...because often what happens is we leave it with someone and it almost never happens while they drive it. it's so inconsistent... apparently, the last mechanic i brought it to checked everything you all mentioned here...not sure if i believe that. one strange, but possibly totally unrelated this is the right-rear brake light (the larger one below the windshield wipers) is out...doubtful it's related to this, but as you can see i'm reaching for anything at this point.

thanks 4 the replies and info... well...after the mechanic noticed a loose connection to the ignition switch, he tightened it, but once again it has done it...happened again today while stopped waiting for a left turn out of a driveway. i hit the left turn signal...and...kapput. interesting things is...after about 5 or 6 tries of restarting (chug, chug, chug)...one of those "chugs" cut out even though i was still engaging the key in the ignition position trying to turn it over...first time it's done that...usually keeps trying to turn over. the mechanic suspects a bad ignition switch...but, of course, isn't totally confident in that diagnosis. i will list what all of you have wrote and have them check each of them (they say they've checked block to frame..and it's okay). would it be a waste of time to go to a subaru dealer and have them run a diagnostic on it? this seems so buried and random that maybe the mighty computer might show something...i dunno. anyhow...if anyone thinks of anything else not already listed...please share. thanks again... -j

ummm...okay. after replacing the battery and the mechanic driving it around a bit with no problem, the moment my wife drives away, not 10 minutes goes by and it craps out again. WTF?!? clearly not the battery itself...the connection? ground issues as mentioned before? hmmm...the mystery continues...

well...the shop suspects a defective battery. apparently this brand (kirkland/costco) has been a recent problem on other cars. so we bought a new battery and they're driving the car around today to see if it happens again. hopefully that's all it is... thanks for all the replies... -j

hello... during a couple of recent drives, my wife's '96 legacy wagon has sudden lost all power...meaning, all gauges go kapput, no power steering, no a/c, etc. there are no "check engine" indicators when this happens (or any other warning lights)...it just suddenly shuts off. when trying to restart, the starter doesn't catch until at least the third or fourth time. the starter actually tries to catch but never does (it's not just a quick click)...also, the throttle seems very "puttery" (for lack of a better word...okay, maybe "rough") once it does get going. again...this is very random. it happened the first time a couple of weeks ago, then was fine. yesterday it went nuts again and must have stalled at least 6 times in about an 15 minute period...barely got us back home. right now it's at the shop...to me this is clearly electrical. it's possible it could be related to the kill switch on the alarm. if anyone has experienced this strange phenomena, please share you solution... thanks, -jason