bluedotsnow Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Please guys help me figure this out so I can bring a subaru fan back from the scrap yard! or so to speak. I came into contact with a women who owns a 00 outback since 09 the car has randomly throws TPS codes and in doing so creates a "blind shifting" scenario or "shift shock" as the owner puts it. I replaced the TPS pigtail portion of the wiring after dissecting it I found that the reference voltage wire had only 3 intact strands and the rest were broken evenly in one spot.she drove 300 miles after this service no problem then it started again. in the last few days when she first saw the at light flash indicating an upcoming episode of "shift shock" she kept driving instead of powering off the car to reset the computers (doing so prevents shift shock) the car stayed in second and would not shift out of second no matter what speed she was going. this sounds like limp mode to me! my plans for her next visit are to voltage drop test every sensor pathway under the hood thats on the same circuits as the TPS. as well as monitor graphs with my scanner. when I fixed the TPS pigtail my l;largest clue was that when in run the transmission would emit a high pitched buzz when the TPS pigtail was wiggled dropping the reference voltage due to the broken strands. could reference voltage slamming around like that damage the trans solenoids? anyone know exactly what part that was buzzing? I also noticed that prefix the tps when graphed had a stair step rhythm to it but post pigtail replacement it was a very smooth slope. any and all help appreciated I really want to restore her faith in subarus she has shelled out over bluebook to dealers just so they could do things like install 3 NEW TPS, one place apparently replaced the whole engine harness. last code she got from her scanner a few days ago was a p1142, the car also randomly throws thermostat codes too but does not overheat or exhibit signs of a cooling problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 check the ground wires on the intake manifold and / or on the body near the hood hinges. loose ground wires can cause weird things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Did you check the calibration of the TPS? ECU has to see between .45 and .55v signal at the ECU connector with the throttle closed. If its out of spec it will throw codes. +1 check ECU ground on the manifold. Check the connectors on the bellhousing for clean connection as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedotsnow Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 I took a field trip to my friend for testing purposes and to verify my solder joints were not the cause of the problem returning, they were not. I was able to prod the lower engine wiring harness enough to make the symptoms completely disappear.she told me to come out because the car was bucking every trip, when I was prodding I could change the idle with pressure on the harness! I think the 5V reference wire is not fully intact will update after I install the new harness on saturday btw random rant I was working on my moms 91 volvo 740 installing a new computer, the last rump roast HAT who opened it PENA AUTO OF VALLEJO, CA ripped a chunk of shielding from a wire along with several strands of metal and left it exposed to ground to the frame! thanks heavens for common sense and electrical tape I almost blew a gasket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedotsnow Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 a few days ago i got a text from the owner of the 2000 outback after replacing the whole engine wiring harness, she reported that the trans still shifts a bit hard sometimes but no check engine light and she passed smog which was the whole reason they came to me in the first place. CASE CLOSED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambrose Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 This sounds like what my car is doing. It's a 2000 Outback as well. Wonder if that ended up working long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedotsnow Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 As far as I know yes! I got a text a few weeks ago that the car was driving fine and had passed smog in california, I hope this helps, I told her to order it from subaruparts.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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