Help! My Legacy needed a new crank case because it had trouble starting. But I decided Id wait on the repair. Then I went to start it today and it didnt start for about 2 and half minutes like usual. Then Im driving home and the car starts shaking and the check engine light comes on. Are the two problems related or completely different? Any thoughts would be great.

Hi,

 

Well, you're fortunate that your CEL came on. Read the error code that has been set and that should be the starting point.

 

I'm assuming you meant bad crank sensor. If so, yes, the two can be very much related. The way the engine management works is that the crank sensor tells the computer where the crankshaft is with respect to TDC. In conjunction with the cam sensor (cam turns one rev for every two of the crank), it knows exactly where the engine is in its firing sequence and timing.

 

If the sensor fails, or is intermittent, the computer gets lost. Unpredictable things can then happen and you're fortunate that you didn't damage something.

 

If you don't have a code scanner, take it to almost any corner garage and they can hook one up and give you the code.

 

Regards,

Adnan

And if you can take it to an AutoZone you should be able to get the code read free....

 

 

Bill

And if you can take it to an AutoZone you should be able to get the code read free...

I hope that AutoZone can read the later models of Subaru because they sure as heck couldn't read my 93 Legacy. They didn't have the right connector for it.

To the best of my knowledge the OBD-II [On-Board Diagnostics] system became mandatory for all new vehicles in the U.S. on January 1, 1996. I am certain that the 1996 Subaru's are OBD-II compliant because I owned one for 150,000 miles and I often used an OBD-II reader on it. AutoZone, or any other shop with an OBD-II reader, ought to be able to read it. Before uniformity was imposed in '96, vehicle manufacturors had varying setups.

 

 

Bill