Hi. I bought my first Subaru, a 1996 Subaru Impreza LX AWD less than a year ago. About 2 months ago, I had a problem with my engine. The check engine light came on, and I did notice (barely) that it was misfiring, so I took it into the shop to have the codes checked. It came up as "Misfire - Cylinder #2." I had the plugs/wires replaced, and it seemed to clear up. Then shortly after that, the check engine light came on again. That time the code for a faulty knock sensor came up. I had the sensor replaced, and my Subaru seemed to run better than ever. Then yesterday the check engine light came on again! I did not notice anything wrong, but I took it into the shop anyway. It came up once more as "Misfire - Cylinder #2." Since plugs/wires have already been replaced, mechanic seems to think it is a serious problem, probably in the valves?. Also, according to the service records, this misfire problem has happened before and was never completely resolved. (Found this out after I bought the car - Arghhh!) Like I said, my mechanic thinks the problem is in the valves, and he said it would probably cost a fortune to fix. Do you think this could be the problem, and how much would it probably cost to repair?

 

Please help!

 

Thanks,

A Newbie

 

Update: I was reading some other posts, and I though you should know that each time I got the BLINKING CEL which then stopped blinking and remained lit.

Check the plugs and wires again. I've had a spark plug wire screw up after 2 months. I think the concensus is that NGK is the best brand. I wouldn't jump into replacing valves etc. until the simple things are eliminated as being the problem.

Will try. I suppose there really are a lot of things that could be wrong. It could be plugs/wires, possibly the valves, or maybe even a fuel injector. I will try replacing wires and plugs again.

I just called my mechanic to find out what brand of plugs/wires he put in. It turns out that he only replaced the plugs! I am going to replace the wires and I'll see what happens.

IF you still have trouble, replace the "coil pack" and the "igniter".