bergle Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 OK, so my 1995 Legacy has had the check engine light on for a while and it started to run really horribly. Then after the cold snap we had, it would only start and run for a few seconds, then die. It will do this as many times as you care to start it. You can keep it running by squirting fuel directly into the intake area, but short of that it won't stay running. I changed the fuel filter and that did nothing. The fuel pump seems fine as well. I'm pretty sure its a sensor issue, but which one? Any thoughts? Bear in mind the car is immobile right now. thanks- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 First though would be you should have the code read. It's a 95 Legacy so it's OBDII. You should have had that done right away when the light came on but since it's now immoble you'll have to try and find someone or place that will let you borrow a code reader. With out the code it's almost pointless. If I had to take a blind guess though I would say it could be the MAF sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 That CEL is not there for decoration it really sholdnt be ignored without investigating it. How many miles on this car. When was the last time it had a tuneup When was the last time the timing belt was changed? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergle Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 The Legacy has 135,000 miles. There is spark and the timing belt is good. The last time it had a tuneup was around 8 months ago. Which sensor regulates the richness of the fuel mixture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 The Legacy has 135,000 miles. There is spark and the timing belt is good. The last time it had a tuneup was around 8 months ago. Which sensor regulates the richness of the fuel mixture? What parts were changed when the timing belt was done? We need to know the codes. There arent too many things that will keep a subaru from running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergle Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Timing belt and water pump. I believe those were the only motor-related changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 People people people, when you skimp on the timing belt parts they will come back to haunt you. This is like the 5th post on three different boards I have had to answer, all about the same mileage where people did not replace the idler or tensioner (which subaru highly recomends gets replaced with the TB. Before we start throwing money at sensors we need to read the engine codes. Feel free to throw all your money you want at it, but thats is not my way of doing things. 1st we need codes. 2nd we need to insepct the idler and tendioner and engine timing to make sure it is all good. Rough running and then no running is not a good thing. Sensor possabilities - Engine temp (but car would run when it was warm outside with no isseus) or smoke at start up. Crank sensor, no start at all OR a fire then a stall, then a few no starts, then be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'84 Flat-Four Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I consider myself a newbie here and am learning every single day I visit this site. I would like to help you as much as possible but I may not be able to as much as I would like, but here I go... One of the most valuable things I have learned here is to reduce your troubleshooting to as simple as possible... KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) You mentioned "since the cold snap"; my initial thought wold be your spark, hence your battery. Do a density check with a bulb-tester, and eliminate the battery as a cause. Next I would check your ability to keep the spark... You said "it would only start and run for a few seconds, then die. It will do this as many times as you care to start it. You can keep it running by squirting fuel directly into the intake area, but short of that it won't stay running." Being no expert, I suppose your MAF may be the issue or alternator-related. Again, I'm no expert, but I have banged my head against the brick wall enough to know that the situation you're in stinks. I have to reinforce what was already pointed out regarding the OBDII code reading... being a owner of an '84 GL (w/o ECM), consider yuourself lucky to have codes to tell yo what's up. Don't ignore the CEL, find out what it is and respond accordingly. Post the results of the reading as soon as you get them. BTW, OBD II scanners can be had at a relatively inexpensive cost... http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=obd+ii&x=0&y=0 (must credit Bucky92 for this lead... thanks Connie!) If I haven't helped at all, my apologies, but I am following this thread as I may someday be in your situation... Good luck friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 What make's you thing that the fuel pump is OK? It would seem to be odd that it would be pumping only a very little amount of gas, enough to have the car to turn over, but who knows? What i did, to confirm that the fuel pump was broke, was to get a tight fitting plastic tubing from the hardware and connect it into the filter inlet hose and the other end taped into a coke bottle. It seems to me that after I replaced the pump, it pumped gas at about an ounce per sec. if you want to check it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Since adding fuel into the intake keeps the engine going check the ignition and main relays for a problem. The injectors may not be getting power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Still need the codes or we can guess all day. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergle Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 If I were to bu a code reader, what should I look for? What make, model, etc will work on a 95? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Did a little looking and it looks like Autozone, if you have them there, might rent code readers. Any OBDII (OBD 2) code reader should work. You can buy them for as little as $60 from places like Harbor Freight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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