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96 with OBD-1?

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Looking at a 96 Legacy wagon. the cert sticker says it is OBD-1 to comply with California law.

 

I thought all 96's and on were supposed to be OBD2. What is the deal on this?

My guess is does it have the scanner port next to the steering wheel? If the port is there, should be a II. No port then I.

Looking at a 96 Legacy wagon. the cert sticker says it is OBD-1 to comply with California law.

 

I thought all 96's and on were supposed to be OBD2. What is the deal on this?

 

maybe it says OBD-II and dirt is covering one of the Is. my first guess was a hood swap, but a 94 OBD-I hood will NOT fit on a 95. ( i swapped the hood on my 4 cyl nissan truck, the new hood was from a 6 cyl pathfinder. the muffler guy wanted to sell me the wrong muffler. i told him to count the spark plugs.)

 

i've never heard of a 95 legacy OBD-I car, in the US. .... but maybe.

 

 

 

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A 96 will be OBD2. IIRC 1996 was the mandate year for OBD2. If it wasn't OBD2 by then, it couldn't be sold in the US.

  • Author

The seller confirmed it is OBD1. The sticker says something about California compliance.

 

I have not seen the car in person.

 

Does anyone actually own a 96 that can confirm it?

Something sounds fishy here. Subarus adopted OBD2 with the '95 model year. Is it possible for you to go see the car yourself? Or if not, ask the seller for a photo of the car and maybe a closeup photo of the sticker that states that it is OBD1?

The seller confirmed it is OBD1. The sticker says something about California compliance.

 

I have not seen the car in person.

 

Does anyone actually own a 96 that can confirm it?

 

it's OBD2 or it's not a 96!!!!

 

have you seen a picture of the car?

Get the VIN for the car.

 

Most likely, because CA emissions laws are so strict, the sticker states that the car exceeds emissions equipment requirements for an OBD1 car.

 

I have a 96 sedan. It is OBD2.

Take a look at this pic of my 96 legacy

If you have this little trap door on the dash and the outlet behind it, it is OBDII

 

This is to the left of the steering column about knee high

post-743-136027636734_thumb.jpg

I own a 1996 Legacy Outback wagon that was originally from California and I can assure you it's an ODBII system.

My 96 Brighton wagon was made in september 95 and it's OBD II.

But like someone wrote, look at the lower left part of the dash just above the hood latch handle and see if there's a trap opening to an OBD II connector. OBD I have no connector at all.

some one has obviously edited the emmisions sticker under the hood, who knows why. the only thing i can imagine is they swapped the engine and the ECU from a pre-95 car. but who knows?

 

is the car close enough to go look out at? beg borrow or buy a code reader and go plug it in and see what you get.

 

it is perobably a 96 obd-II and the sticker is wrong, but beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, i have studied the pic and i had another thought, tell me if you think it has any chance at being right.

 

2 owners from florida, at some point one of them wanted to or did in fact move to california and since the car was not built to cal. specs, they had it certfied for cal. OBD-I.

 

has any one else moved a car to cal., what is the process, if any?

 

what do you think, flaky or possible???

  • Author
some one has obviously edited the emmisions sticker under the hood, who knows why. the only thing i can imagine is they swapped the engine and the ECU from a pre-95 car. but who knows?

 

is the car close enough to go look out at? beg borrow or buy a code reader and go plug it in and see what you get.

 

it is perobably a 96 obd-II and the sticker is wrong, but beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am not close enough to go see it.

  • Author
ok, i have studied the pic and i had another thought, tell me if you think it has any chance at being right.

 

2 owners from florida, at some point one of them wanted to or did in fact move to california and since the car was not built to cal. specs, they had it certfied for cal. OBD-I.

 

has any one else moved a car to cal., what is the process, if any?

 

what do you think, flaky or possible???

 

The autocheck shows it was originally a California car.

Here's my theory. I read somewhere that the '96-'97 legacies had problems with the OBD II "readiness" monitors (Evidently Subaru misinterpreted the OBD II specs.) The monitors reset every time the car is shut off, hence if you don't drive the car at the speeds and conditions required to set all the monitors, the car will fail an OBD II test. Some states exempt these particular vehicles from the readiness monitor portion of the test... perhaps the tests in Cali are so automated that there's no way to override the scanner, so they had to just re certify the car as OBD I as a work-around?

Excellent theory hankosolder! I seem to recall reading something about the "readiness" monitor problem. Anyone out there with a California '96 who can verify the underhood add-on sticker?

so it is an OBD-II car, just not in california.

 

Figures, huh!!!

 

The California/OBD1 stickers appear to be add-ons to the standard certification sticker. Most likely so the cars will be tested according to OBD1 standards/procedures. Proof would be if the ebay seller would check to see if there is an OBD2 port on the dash. (I'll bet there is.)

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