bullseye451 Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Hey guys, posting another topic here. I’ve had no success on my last two projects with my Subarus. 1. 2005 Subaru outback 2.5 non turbo timing belt and head gaskets: I started the car up after replacing them everything look good at idle it purrs like a kitten. But when you bring it up off idle 2000rpm + it vibrates heavy. I just tore the front end part and double check the timing belt and redid lining up the marks. That did not help I believe I was lined up to begin with. Any ideas? 2. 2007 Subaru outback with a 2.5 L non-turbo. The car was running decent and out of nowhere major hesitation check engine light comes on and flashes during hesitation. I replace the coil. Check for vacuum leaks. It showed a misfire on number two cylinder. So I replaced the injector and check the plug. It did nothing to help hesitation. Under slow acceleration it seems OK. But when I accelerate quickly it hesitates and seems to stumble until I mash the throttle down or bring it down to just above idle. It seems like more than just number two cylinder dropping out. If I mash the throttle down after hesitation it seems to clear itself out and take off of course I’ll be well over the speed limit. I’m ready to drive both of them off a cliff . Any ideas? I know I’m vague on description and all the other trouble shooting I’ve done so far but I’m running out of ideas. My scanner tool is a laptop and a usb to OBD link SX adapter using obdwiz software so I’m limited with what I can pull up in diagnosing sensors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye451 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 These cars are my family’s daily drivers so I need to get them running quickly. Also I’m too stubborn to take them to the dealer and have them fix them. I know I can fix them but it’s pinpointing the problem. I know there a lot of techs here that are laughing! That’s why you pay us the hourly rate we charge. I built a nice shop for a reason. I don’t send my cars out. But the Subaru isn’t a friendly one to diagnose. thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 #1 sounds like cylinder pressure induced ignition failure. Plugs, wires, coil, etc. #2 ....... hard to say. Might be a dropped valve guide, etc. Compression test both of these engines to get a picture of mechanical health. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laegion Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, bullseye451 said: Hey guys, posting another topic here. I’ve had no success on my last two projects with my Subarus. 1. 2005 Subaru outback 2.5 non turbo timing belt and head gaskets: I started the car up after replacing them everything look good at idle it purrs like a kitten. But when you bring it up off idle 2000rpm + it vibrates heavy. I just tore the front end part and double check the timing belt and redid lining up the marks. That did not help I believe I was lined up to begin with. Any ideas? 2. 2007 Subaru outback with a 2.5 L non-turbo. The car was running decent and out of nowhere major hesitation check engine light comes on and flashes during hesitation. I replace the coil. Check for vacuum leaks. It showed a misfire on number two cylinder. So I replaced the injector and check the plug. It did nothing to help hesitation. Under slow acceleration it seems OK. But when I accelerate quickly it hesitates and seems to stumble until I mash the throttle down or bring it down to just above idle. It seems like more than just number two cylinder dropping out. If I mash the throttle down after hesitation it seems to clear itself out and take off of course I’ll be well over the speed limit. I’m ready to drive both of them off a cliff . Any ideas? I know I’m vague on description and all the other trouble shooting I’ve done so far but I’m running out of ideas. My scanner tool is a laptop and a usb to OBD link SX adapter using obdwiz software so I’m limited with what I can pull up in diagnosing sensors I'll be curious to hear what you find out with #2 as my '95 has a similar problem. I suspect either a bad connection to the fuel pump (The gas gage is also intermittent sometimes coinciding with the issue) mine drives fine in town though, it only has an issue when driving faster than 45mph or so, so maybe it's something entirely different...but I also have cylinder misfire codes, sometimes, one, two, three, or even all four. It'll die like yours, sometimes flooring the throttle seems to "clean it out" sometimes I have to turn off the ignition and restart the car while rolling and then sometimes it drives on the highway like nothing is wrong. Strangely, I can accelerate all the way to redline perfectly fine in first and second gear and it doesn't do it then...but cruising on the highway... My other suspected cause is a burned valve or like GD said, a dropped valve guide; or maybe carbon buildup on the valves and seats from too much city driving (I used it for delivery). Maybe that's applicable to your situation...maybe not. Edited February 15, 2022 by laegion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Any chance you have a clogged/deteriorating cat on the 07? Any codes to report? Disconnect the exhaust and see if it remedies. It will be loud as hell for testing purposes. Edited February 15, 2022 by brus brother 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1. Does it do the vibration when stationary and you rev the engine, or only when under engine braking conditions? 2. time for new plugs and leads? Only use NKG or genuine Subaru items for both of these. Cheers Bennie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye451 Posted February 16, 2022 Author Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) 1. I did a compression test and it passed. One thing that still bothers me was the timing mark on the engine for the crank was slightly to the right of 12:00 position. It seems odd that it’s there and not straight up. Maybe it is off a tooth on the timing belt still. The vibration shows up at idle but is more noticeable at 2000rpm and up. Also when I replaced the head gaskets the head was over torqued on two head bolts by mistake using new bolts. I left it that way thinking if I back them off I wouldn’t know what I have at that point in torque. 2. the hesitation on this Subaru seems a little like when I had a bad alternator. Electrical issues, but I tested the charging system. I’m my have to revisit that possibility again. Also the new ignition coil try and a MAP sensor was recent that didn’t help. I do have a donor intake setup that I can pull items from. I thought maybe a TPS or possibly a fuel pump but I wanted to be sure of the problem before I start replacing items. Next post I will list all the error codes that popped up on the # 2 none for #1 so far Edited February 16, 2022 by bullseye451 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye451 Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 Looks like both have bad cats. Now I need to find out why they clogged up or melted down. still doesn’t tell me why there is a vibration in the #1 Outback. I have been driving the #2 Outback as bad as it is every now and then until I get something full fixed. I’m starting the 3 Outback it’s a 06 2.5 hopefully the cats are good on this one. This one was overheated and cracked the heads. So I have replacement heads for it. Which I’m going to have checked out first. The block I’m hoping is fine. It spins over with little effort and no visible damage so far. I don’t have time to pull it out and do a full rebuild on it . So I’m crossing my fingers again. Last question for you all. Any suggestions where I can get decent prices on catalytic converters for Subarus. If the site doesn’t want you to say no problem. I’m setup to weld them on so I don’t need a full exhaust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye451 Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 One thing I would like to throw out there. On the #1 Subaru, it was hit in the passenger side front wheel and fender. I’m wondering if something internally was damaged in the engine. Maybe it was thrown out of balance at that point and I’m chasing something I never did myself with the service. I didn’t drive it immediately after it was hit. I pretty much just limped it in my garage after a tow and tore into it. I replaced and straightened the radiator support and replaced all the suspension that needed it. Pulled the engine and replaced the head gaskets and timing belt, water pump etc. Have any of you know if someone’s engine was tweaked after an accident like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Probably not worth the trip but I am in Weston, CT and have a passenger side front cat from my 05 OB non turbo that I replaced with a cheapo aftermarket thinking it would solve the P0420. It didn't solve my problem, eventually traded in the car so you can have it if you want and thanks for cleaning out my garage! Free is good. Unsure what shipping would cost. If you are Handy Andy with a welder, could you just cut the pipe at the front of the cat and clean out any honeycomb that's broken/fuel burnt and clogging? A frtiend was able to shake loose bits out of his cat on a Ford van Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) There is an odd issue with some aftermarket cv axles that cause a vibration when stopped. I can't remember but if I recall, if you put it in neutral the vibration stops... Sorry i can't be 100% sure of the symptoms but there are discussions hereabouts. Edited March 1, 2022 by brus brother 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 I asked Uncle Google about "subaru vibration cv axle when stopped" and the search returns a bunch of discussions. I picked one for a quick look and the above link has discussions about CV rebuild and other tolerances and types of engines more prone to vibrations. While it may seem counter-intuitive, I did experience the above mentioned phenomena after axle replacement on my 05 OB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye451 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) I will have to look into the axel theory but it just doesn’t make sense to me that it would cause a vibration without it being in drive. Maybe if something in the transmission moving while out of gear. But it did have a heavy passenger side hit. Edited March 6, 2022 by bullseye451 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 it's well known and legit. I have experienced it in our 03 H6 OBW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 STOPPED IN GEAR with foot on brake, I had the vibration. Put car in neutral and vibration stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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