January 23, 20224 yr Hey all, longtime reader here. I’ve gotta tons of great information from you guys in the past 10 years of owning subarus, so thanks in advance. Ok, hoping I can get some ideas on this problem that’s been driving me crazy. 1999 outback leggy, 2.5 dohc, 5-speed, 215k miles. Had a cyl4 missfire code that went away with new plugs and wires, but it comes and goes still, Although I don’t think that’s related to the issue I’m having. Car started randomly cutting out while highway driving, throttle did nothing for a few seconds like it was cutting spark or fuel completely.. But would come right back online after pumping to the floor a couple times. Cold starting it will start and idle but sometimes dies after 5-10 minutes, then starts right back up and idles. Car runs perfect when that’s not happening. I’ve driven it probably 200+ miles with this problem but it’s been getting more frequent. Sometimes it will completely cut out and not come back, then I turn the key off then it starts right back up and runs but cuts in and out frequently at any speed. yes the battery terminals are clean and have good connections, grounds as well. Things I’ve done/tried: New plugs, new wires, new ignition coil, fuel filter, fuel pump. Tried new cam and crank position sensors, Looks like all the connections are good on the harness. I unplugged the MAF and drove it around and the same symptoms came up. Any ideas on what I should look for/try next?
January 23, 20224 yr 15 minutes ago, Washington Moss said: ...then I turn the key off then it starts right back up... Hmm. I wonder... Electrical problem with contacts in ignition-key?
January 23, 20224 yr TPS signal dropping out? Maybe get an analog meter on the tps output and exercise it to see if resistance change is smooth.
January 23, 20224 yr Author 53 minutes ago, forester2002s said: Hmm. I wonder... Electrical problem with contacts in ignition-key? Sorry that might be confusing. turn the car off, and then crank it over again and it fires right back up.
January 23, 20224 yr Author 14 minutes ago, 1 Lucky Texan said: TPS signal dropping out? Maybe get an analog meter on the tps output and exercise it to see if resistance change is smooth. Good idea!
January 23, 20224 yr 2 hours ago, Washington Moss said: Sorry that might be confusing. turn the car off, and then crank it over again and it fires right back up. Yes, but it could be a loose or corroded set of contacts in the ignition-key unit. Maybe you have an intermittent connection, that works sometimes and then cuts out. Next time you have a problem, jiggle the ignition-key and see what happens.
January 23, 20224 yr Author 1 hour ago, forester2002s said: Yes, but it could be a loose or corroded set of contacts in the ignition-key unit. Maybe you have an intermittent connection, that works sometimes and then cuts out. Next time you have a problem, jiggle the ignition-key and see what happens. Hmm maybe, I think I woulda noticed that when I’ve turned the key off then back on. Which I’ve had to do a lot. But it’s worth a try
January 24, 20224 yr Check the grounds. The main one from the negative side of the battery to the starter can get funky and cause issues. There is one on the intake that can also get checked. And the one from the battery to the body of the car. I have seen all 3 of those get cruddy and cause all kinds of issues
January 25, 20224 yr Author On 1/23/2022 at 8:55 PM, logic23 said: Check the grounds. The main one from the negative side of the battery to the starter can get funky and cause issues. There is one on the intake that can also get checked. And the one from the battery to the body of the car. I have seen all 3 of those get cruddy and cause all kinds of issues I’ve cleaned and reconnected all 3 of those ground contacts. None of them were cruddy.
January 29, 20224 yr Main Power relay up under the dash. Fuel pump relay Any related sounds missing when it dies. Do you loose all power?
January 30, 20224 yr 22 hours ago, lmdew said: Main Power relay up under the dash. Fuel pump relay Any related sounds missing when it dies. Do you loose all power? great idea, had a similar issue with a 90 Maxima my daughter drove. Sometimes, you can experiment by swapping with another relay - what? headlight or ac comp? - often 2-3 relays are the same part# employed for different functions.
January 30, 20224 yr Author On 1/29/2022 at 12:06 PM, lmdew said: Main Power relay up under the dash. Fuel pump relay Any related sounds missing when it dies. Do you loose all power? Still gotta try those. I don’t lose all power, just fuel or spark it seems
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