March 3, 200521 yr I've been driving my 93 Legacy AWD 2.2L this week, it's been snowing and wanted to take the advantage of my "Traction in Action" instead of my monster Dodge work van, that has been buried in my driveway in a snowbank... Anyway... I was at the point of no return (end of the on ramp) entering the expressway and it started missing something fierce. I couldn't get it past 45, if I gave it more gas, it would die out. If I dropped it into 4th it really didn't have the oomph to go anymore. :-\ I stopped at the next exit, parked it. It was shaking the car pretty bad at idle. Almost stalling at the end of the off ramp. Didn't want it to stall out, as it might not start up again... I shut it off and restarted it, and it almost didn't make it. It sounded as if it was not getting something (gas, spark, etc) I checked the wires, all tight, had a 1/2 tank of gas. I've had a "tick" for quite awhile, been writing it off as piston slap, but I noticed that it was not noticable while misifring. Would a bad valve cause the tick and the misfire if it failed ?? Called AAA, (they automatically said flatbed, when my wife said it was a Subaru) got it towed to the nearest dealer (still no good indie shop to be found). They'll call tomorrow with the results. I'll keep posted... What do the "experts" think... Thanks to all in advance...
March 3, 200521 yr Author plug wires or demonic possession or both Checked those, I replaced them a month ago... Got NGK V-Power Plugs, only got about 6k on them. How are the ignition coils ?? Reliable ?? Does only 1 cylinder fail, or are they all-in-one or two-in-one, etc ?? Demonic presence... a distinct possibility
March 3, 200521 yr <<I've had a "tick" for quite awhile, been writing it off as piston slap, >> not in a 93 EJ22 your not gonna have piston slap
March 3, 200521 yr One time I was driving a work truck for a landscaping company, and a similar thing happened. It turned out a rod had broken thru the crankcase. The engine still ran but with very limited power and a bad vibration, as the oil drained out and I shut down the engine and coasted to a stop...
March 3, 200521 yr Nahh Just check you coil packs and cables first, then go for the plugs and igniter, did you wash the engine lately?, thats what happens when ignition stuff gets wet, but if you didnt, check those steps. Neo
March 4, 200521 yr Author got it back from the dealer today... they found 2 loose ("almost fallen out") on Cyl's 2 & 4, and one of them was full of carbon. They also said that my wires (because they were aftermarket) are bad and need to be replaced with OEM wires and new plugs. They quoted $250 to replace the plugs and wires for me. I declined and paid the diagnostic and bought an OEM set of wires for $125. The only reason I got those is because the box was compromised when I got it, so they COULD be bad. The bill also noted that washers were missing from the plugs, that's why they loosened up. I used NGK V-Power's from NAPA, is there a difference between the ones I buy at NAPA and those that the dealer puts in ?? I think not, please correct me if I'm wrong.
March 4, 200521 yr plug wires or demonic possession or both Apparently you were affected by both conditions. Spray a full can of "Demon Away" into the engine compartment after changing the plug wires and the little suckers won't be around to loosen your plugs again! And no, there should not be any difference between the plugs at NAPA or SOA but next time, order your parts through one of the on-line parts departments from various Subaru dealerships who want to do volume at the same prices as they would charge a local shop.
March 4, 200521 yr $250 to change four plugs and wires? That sounds really high to me. And $125 for four wires sounds even worse. $50 would be more appropriate for the wires. Remember that the dealer doesn't make a penny when you buy aftermarket wires. I've got aftermarket plugs and wires in my Subaru, and it runs just fine. It's my understanding that NAPA and Subaru both buy plugs from NGK. They should be the same plugs.
March 4, 200521 yr make up your own wires up , from autozone ,accell wires 40 bucks i think ,and may be enough left over to do another set
March 4, 200521 yr Author $125 for four wires sounds even worse. $50 would be more appropriate for the wires. Remember that the dealer doesn't make a penny when you buy aftermarket wires. I've got aftermarket plugs and wires in my Subaru, and it runs just fine. It's my understanding that NAPA and Subaru both buy plugs from NGK. They should be the same plugs. The $125 was for the diagnostic fee and the wires. The wireset was $35.49 I thought that an NGK plug, no matter where you buy it, is an NGK plug... I know I didn't remove any washers before installing them into the block. Most plugs I've installed have had washers on them, and couldn't be removed, without a cutting tool of some sort... The car runs great now... I might just leave them the way they are and save the wires for my 01 OBW, if they are the same set...
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