Hey guys...Ive been reading for hours now and although I have come across a butload of useful information, none of it has lead me in the right direction with respect to my car..so I figure I may as well leave a post and hope someone can help me..

I have a 93 Legacy Wagon

 

I recently replaced my air filter, due to severe idle problems..Upon pulling the old air filter, I discovered a shredded and dirty air filter...After putting in a nice new one, everything was fine..

I decided to take a road trip to visit my parents 150 miles away and about 3/4 the way here, my "CHECK ENGINE" light came on...I pulled over and did as the car said...I checked the engine...(and to my non-mechanic eyes, I found nothing wrong), but did hear an interesting sound, which seemed to be coming from my WATERPUMP or TIMING BELT...I cant really describe the sound..Like a rattling...So I shut the engine off and made sure that everything was tight in that area..all seemed fine

So, with no choice, I continued on my way, hoping for the best...When I got in the car and started it again..I had no problems at all...

Today, after driving about 30 miles, the car sputtered a little and the check engine light came on again..This time I continued to drive it so I could see what happens to the car (sounds silly I know..) At around 2,000 RPM's my car would kick or sputter a little...So I pulled into a store, parked and waited a few minutes, then restarted the car, and all was fine...

 

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas?

 

I was going to go to a dealership around here and have them plug their computer into the car to get a read out, but it is going to cost 60 dollars to do it...Im hoping I can solve the problem myself,(well with all of you too, of course)

 

I also came across somewhere something about being able to cross 2 wires under the dash to get a LED readout of blinking lights or something...Anyone know if I can do that with a 93 subaru?!?

 

thanks for listening!! hope you can help

 

Chris, stranded in Mass, wanting to get back to Vermont!!!!

Chris, if you have one in your area, take it to an Autozone. They'll read the codes for free. If not, call around and see if you can find a dealer or shop that has a diagnostic code reader. If you have AAA, they have centers in most states that have the equipment and offer discounts to AAA members.

 

Knowing what code the engine is throwing would be a help in narrowing down the problem. From your description, my guess would be maybe a loose timing belt or maybe a bad or missing timing belt tensioner. If it is timing belt related, that would explain noise around the water pump and the idling troubles too. I'm sure someone on here can give you more ideas, but that would be my initial advice.

 

- Ed

On the first gen legacies you can check the codes yourself. Info is on my site.

Check the plugs. If the air filter had been that long since replacement I bet the plugs have been longer. My dad's 92 had a similar problem and it was simply the #2 spark plug.

um, per chance that you might have knocked a hose off or maybe

a vac hose broke? look around for something loose.

 

george

 

 

Hey guys...Ive been reading for hours now and although I have come across a butload of useful information, none of it has lead me in the right direction with respect to my car..so I figure I may as well leave a post and hope someone can help me..

I have a 93 Legacy Wagon

 

I recently replaced my air filter, due to severe idle problems..Upon pulling the old air filter, I discovered a shredded and dirty air filter...After putting in a nice new one, everything was fine..

I decided to take a road trip to visit my parents 150 miles away and about 3/4 the way here, my "CHECK ENGINE" light came on...I pulled over and did as the car said...I checked the engine...(and to my non-mechanic eyes, I found nothing wrong), but did hear an interesting sound, which seemed to be coming from my WATERPUMP or TIMING BELT...I cant really describe the sound..Like a rattling...So I shut the engine off and made sure that everything was tight in that area..all seemed fine

So, with no choice, I continued on my way, hoping for the best...When I got in the car and started it again..I had no problems at all...

Today, after driving about 30 miles, the car sputtered a little and the check engine light came on again..This time I continued to drive it so I could see what happens to the car (sounds silly I know..) At around 2,000 RPM's my car would kick or sputter a little...So I pulled into a store, parked and waited a few minutes, then restarted the car, and all was fine...

 

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas?

 

I was going to go to a dealership around here and have them plug their computer into the car to get a read out, but it is going to cost 60 dollars to do it...Im hoping I can solve the problem myself,(well with all of you too, of course)

 

I also came across somewhere something about being able to cross 2 wires under the dash to get a LED readout of blinking lights or something...Anyone know if I can do that with a 93 subaru?!?

 

thanks for listening!! hope you can help

 

Chris, stranded in Mass, wanting to get back to Vermont!!!!

I was having a similar problem with my 91 Legacy. Got the info off of Josh's site, and got the codes. They were for the water temp sensor (this affects the idle, and I was having stalling problems) and the mass air flow sensor. Found the air flow sensor at a local junkyard for $85, got a new water temp sensor from Subaru for $26, changed them out, and I'm running great again. Both were simple enough repairs, though it was a bit of a pain to get at the water temp sensor. A deep socket (like a spark plug one) does the trick though.