Howdy everyone. I originally signed up with two questions...but I think the occasional hot running engine is a sign my recently re-filled radiator needs to be burped.

 

So, on to the other issue...my '98 Legacy L wagon (2.2L, 106k miles) shifts oddly when going 2->3 and 3->4. It pauses for a second, maybe a little less, and the RPMs stay steady for that time. Then it upshifts and the RPMs fall. I've had the tranny completely flushed and re-filled, but this did not effect this behavior. The car also recently stalled after starting and going about 30 feet across the parking lot. I also get about 19 mpg on the highway...way under the 30 mpg it's rated for (I know, driving style matters but I'm using cruise control at ~68 mph most of the time!).

 

Is this normal for this car? I only started really driving it a few months ago, for a year it was my wife's car.

Sounds like an electrical hesitation issue... or maybe even a misfire on cylinders. I would check your electricals like plugs, wires...

 

You might want to try a tune up - oil change, fuel filter etc.

If your electrical grounding points are all corroded, clean those up.

At the age of your vehicle, there could be many different things causing this.

 

Spark plug wires if they haven't been changed. Sometimes the coil packs get a crack and cause trouble (but relatively rare).

 

O2 sensors seem to go around this age. It may be weak, but not throwing a code yet.

 

EGR circuits start to act up. (Not sure if your engine has an EGR or not.)

 

I was getting a "pause" like you describe due to a little pressure sensor having failed.

 

Not sure about the stalling. Could be pointing to wires again. Could be bad gas, or gas filter.

 

And probably a few more things I'm not thinking of.

 

Try to give us more info if you can.

 

Commuter