February 12, 201214 yr Author Popped a couple of codes today. P0032 then I cleared it, cleaned the O2 Sensor and got P0132. I can watch the signal for both sensors, but I don't know what to expect there with good or bad sensors. I'll start digging in with Google. The battery is low and won't take a charge. I wonder if that is my problem? Edited February 12, 201214 yr by Whitedog
February 13, 201214 yr Sounds like the O2 may have got fouled up by all that oil in the exhaust. Blown engines tend to have that deleterious effect on O2 sensors. GD
February 13, 201214 yr Author I did some reading on O2 sensors and found that the upstream sensor should bounce between .2 and .8. I watched mine and it was flatlined at 2.158. So I guess that's a pretty good indication? I guess I should have watched it as I unplugged a vacuum line to see if it moves at all. But the Subaru is now on the back burner. One of our busses lost a rear axle. I asked where they saw it last, but you know how drivers lie. I can't get a straight answer.
February 13, 201214 yr I asked where they saw it last..... :eek: Wonder if the bad O2 precipitated the loss of the #4 piston on the last engine.... O2 reads rich and ECU tries like hell to lean it out..... GD
February 13, 201214 yr Author Wonder if the bad O2 precipitated the loss of the #4 piston on the last engine.... O2 reads rich and ECU tries like hell to lean it out..... GD I found the axle. It was under the truck right where it is supposed to be. Of course the hub on one side is pretty much welded in place, so It'll be coming out ASAP. Rick, I have no idea if that can happen, but it certainly makes sense. BTW, I was looking through the log book at the last pre-trip check and all it said under "problems" was "The Car".
February 13, 201214 yr Author Weather here has been sunny and warm until the day I have to work outside pulling that axle. Now we get a dusting of snow. It figures... Anyway, someone elsewhere is telling me that Subaru uses a different method of utilizing the O2 sensor. So does anyone have any information on what I should expect to see on this thing when I watch the voltage?
February 16, 201214 yr Author Any help on the emissions kinda stuff? Or what about the noise in the drivers' rear that speeds up and slows down with speed and goes away if I push on the brake a little? Drivers SIDE rear. Not MY rear, silly. I have been going 900 miles an hour lately so I haven't been able to dedicate the time to the Sub.
February 16, 201214 yr Subaru uses O2's the same way everyone else does. It's a narrow band O2.... I'm not sure how it could possibly be used any differently. Can this "someone elsewhere" explain exactly how it uses it differently? If not I call BS. Rear end noise is probably a wheel bearing. Wouldn't be surprising at that mileage. Not hard to do if you have a hub tamer or similar tool. Done much the same way as any other FWD car's *front* wheel bearings. Being AWD the front and rear are both pressed into a knuckle with an axle passing through them to a splined hub. GD
February 17, 201214 yr Author It was on a Dodge site that they said it worked differently. They said Toyota, Honda and Subaru do things differently. If anyone has a scanner (not just a code reader) that can watch the O2 signal and let me know where it runs, would be some great information.
February 17, 201214 yr It was on a Dodge site that they said it worked differently. They said Toyota, Honda and Subaru do things differently. If anyone has a scanner (not just a code reader) that can watch the O2 signal and let me know where it runs, would be some great information. I need to get one of those.... I have a bluetooth one around here that can connect to my phone. When I get it talking to one of the cars I have here I'll see what it says about that. I think the fact that this came from people on a Dodge forum says all that needs to be said. What's really happening here is the cross-eyed Chrysler engineer read the directions wrong on his "O2 sensors for dummies play set" and so it's actually Toyota, Honda, and Subaru that are doing it "normal". GD
February 18, 201214 yr Don't assume the worst (bearings) with the sound on the rear of the car. On my OBW the sound ended up being from stuck brakes, and braking lightly also quieted it somewhat until the pad separated from the disc again
February 18, 201214 yr Author Don't assume the worst (bearings) with the sound on the rear of the car. On my OBW the sound ended up being from stuck brakes, and braking lightly also quieted it somewhat until the pad separated from the disc again Which would fit with it sitting for awhile. I guess that should be Sundays project.
February 18, 201214 yr Subaru o2 sensors are nothing special, and they don't work any differently than what's used on any other car. I have read of several instances where o2 readings are much higher than what's considered normal, in the 2 volt range rather than > 1 volt. The only valid explanation I've seen for this ( and this only seems to be an issue on subarus) is that the diagnostic reader isn't decoding the data correctly. I think if you tested the sensor directly with a VOM you would get a different number.
February 18, 201214 yr Author Subaru o2 sensors are nothing special, and they don't work any differently than what's used on any other car. I have read of several instances where o2 readings are much higher than what's considered normal, in the 2 volt range rather than > 1 volt. The only valid explanation I've seen for this ( and this only seems to be an issue on subarus) is that the diagnostic reader isn't decoding the data correctly. I think if you tested the sensor directly with a VOM you would get a different number. OOOOO. If you know which wires to prod, it would save me some digging.
February 19, 201214 yr On the 4 wire sensors I don't know exactly which wire is which, but typically if two wires are the same color they are for the heater element and one of the others is the signal. Why there are two other wires is unknown to me at this point.
February 19, 201214 yr Any help on the emissions kinda stuff? Or what about the noise in the drivers' rear that speeds up and slows down with speed and goes away if I push on the brake a little? Drivers SIDE rear. Not MY rear, silly. I have been going 900 miles an hour lately so I haven't been able to dedicate the time to the Sub. That would be a wheel bearing if the noise doesn't go away after it's been driven. Edited February 19, 201214 yr by ccrinc correction
February 20, 201214 yr Author On the 4 wire sensors I don't know exactly which wire is which, but typically if two wires are the same color they are for the heater element and one of the others is the signal. Why there are two other wires is unknown to me at this point. The diagram I am looking at shows the red and white wires shielded together. The Yellow/Red wire joins with another wire going to the Rear O2 sensor and the Yellow wire going to ground. This would tell me that the Red and White wires are the signal wires.
February 22, 201214 yr Author That would be a wheel bearing if the noise doesn't go away after it's been driven. Could also be a loose wheel. The CEL isn't on, so I'm not going to worry about the O2 until it does. Last thing is the CV boots and watch the electrical system. I brought the car in yesterday and with the key on, both headlight relays were buzzing. The brand new battery was a bit low, but I know that the kid that detailed it sat out there with the radio on and wipers wiping... So I'll keep an eye on it.
March 3, 201214 yr Author OK, CV boots are done. It looks like the strut is very close to original position and the car has just a slight pull to the right. Is it worth putting it on the rack to check alignment? At this point, it's ready to go back to work and just needs little stuff like a fog light that's out and some interior things that could use a little attention. Nothing mechanical that I know of. Even the CEL is off, so I'm not worrying about the O2 sensor.
March 4, 201214 yr On the 4 wire sensors I don't know exactly which wire is which, but typically if two wires are the same color they are for the heater element and one of the others is the signal. Why there are two other wires is unknown to me at this point. The 4 wire sensors have a seperate ground wire, instead of grounding the signal wire through the exhaust. Most of them the 2 matched color wires are the heater circuit. The other 2 will be the signal circuit. Measure voltage between the 2 terminals, and you should get between .05 and .85 volts. Fluctuating with throttle and RPMs. You can test the rear one this way. Disconnect it, and test the signal wires for voltage. But......The front O2 on that year is a 5 wire, "air/fuel ratio sensor" some sort of wideband that I don't know excaclty how to test. That's why I have my MAC MENTOR II scanner to test cycle them for me:headbang:
March 5, 201214 yr OBD-II to bluetooth adaptor and the "Torque" application for your Android device (phone or tablet) will graph, log, etc your O2 sensor voltages for you. Total cost was $35 for both. GD
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