She's flashing a code 24 at me

[freedster]

Hello all!

 

Another question about the little 88GL 4WD hatch. I'd been getting a check engine light when the engine was hot, and figured it was just that the O2 sensor was old. I even bought a new O2 to replace the old one.

 

This morning when I got to work, I looked down and saw some flashing under the steering column, and realized that my car must be trying to tell me something. I got 2 long and 4 short, which comes out something like this:

 

24- coolant temperature sensor or circuit, or Idle-up solenoid or circuit (1984 to 1988 carbureted)

 

(at least according to http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/ )

 

Not sure if I was getting more than one code or not, since I noticed it flashing a minute or so after I turned the car off.

 

So anyway, this raises a couple of questions on the topic:

 

1) Is this something to really worry about? (I'm thinking probably not, but not 100% sure.)

 

2) Could this contribute to poor gas mileage? (I think probably so, but wanted to ask the experts.)

 

3) How do I tell which of these two parts has failed? (no clue.:-\ )

 

I'll double-check that I don't have more codes, and revisit this post at that time, but I just wanted to air this one out.

 

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

- Freed

[Skip]

Freed,

This car is a bit of an odd ogg. Does the sticker in the driver's side door jamb say 88 or late 87 production date?

It must be a hatch since it has a carb. Therefore is must have an EA81, in 88?? in America??

 

N knee ways

If you would have a look at the boards code reference chart

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=44

 

It says coolant temp. sensor.

Where this is on a carbed 88 EA81 - I am sorry I haven't a clue.

 

It can cause fuel economy problems as the ECU will select a run rich mode no doubt,

if it senses a problem with the CS output.

The CS problems in many cases is due to corrosion on the contacts of the connector.

 

As for the idle up, it is a vacuum diaphragm on the pass side of the carb with a lever extending to the throttle, no doubt controlled

by a solenoid. You can test this solenoid.

 

88 EA81 hatch with an ECU, I love it when I learn something new.

I am going to assume you had the black connectors connected when the 02 monitor on the ECU flashed

two long and four short??

[freedster]

Freed,

This car is a bit of an odd ogg. Does the sticker in the driver's side door jamb say 88 or late 87 production date?

 

I can't see the car from my office, but the car was originally purchased in late September 1987. I still have docs from the original owner to that effect. (He was one of those guys that wrote down every time he got gas and then calculated his mileage.)

 

It must be a hatch since it has a carb. Therefore is must have an EA81, in 88?? in America??

 

It's a 4WD hatch with a carb. Since I'm no expert, my car was successfully identified in this thread:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29444

 

 

N knee ways

If you would have a look at the boards code reference chart

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=44

 

Roughly the same info as on http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/ but troublecodes.net seems a little more exhaustive.

 

It says coolant temp. sensor.

Where this is on a carbed 88 EA81 - I am sorry I haven't a clue.

 

I'll check the Haynes Manual.

 

It can cause fuel economy problems as the ECU will select a run rich mode no doubt,

if it senses a problem with the CS output.

The CS problems in many cases is due to corrosion on the contacts of the connector.

 

As for the idle up, it is a vacuum diaphragm on the pass side of the carb with a lever extending to the throttle, no doubt controlled

by a solenoid. You can test this solenoid.

 

That all makes sense. If this solenoid went bad, would the car idle funny or not do the High idle/low idle thing at the right times?

 

88 EA81 hatch with an ECU, I love it when I learn something new.

I am going to assume you had the black connectors connected when the 02 monitor on the ECU flashed

two long and four short??

 

No connections at all, actually. There was a red LED I saw flashing under the dash, behind the panel, near the steering column. I'm a noob so I thought it was just a burglar alarm I didn't know about, or something, but then I realized there was a pattern to it that looked like an engine code. I then figured Subaru was just smart enough to have an LED already connected for flashing codes automatically (after all, they were smart enough to put a drain plug on the gas tank, weren't they? :cool: ).

 

I take it that one generally needs to connect to the harness to pull a code, then?

 

That all having been said, considering that I have been getting a check engine light AND poor gas mileage, I may well be getting the right code from the blinky under the dash. I think I'll go for a drive over lunch and see if I can pull a code again.

 

Thanks!

 

- Freed

[freedster]

Double checked yesterday evening. She is flashing a 24 and just a 24.

 

- Freed

[Skip]

Freed,

The CS will affect fuel mileage.

 

Took some diggin as the FSM I have

that covers the ECU controlled carb car is from 84.

 

It shows the thermosensor located beside the upper rad hose connection closer to the center of the car pointing toward the firewall.

 

Should be screwed in at an angle. and have a black with red wire and a white with black stripe wire. Being newer it may have different colored wires.The b/r goes to ground.

 

Clean the connections and if the code does not clear you may need to replace it.

 

If you want to test it, FSM says the resistance value is 10 ohms or more?? I can get you the varring resistance from a newer model, but don't know if it will apply.

 

Maybe some one has a newer FSM for the EA81.

My newer ones (85 and newer) are for EA82 engines

 

Sorry I couldn't help more.