dbullen Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Just picked up a 1999 Subaru Legacy AWD Wagon with 165K(KM) (100K Miles) to use as my winter car. (Stored my Lexus SC400 for the winter) Car worked great for about the first 4 days I had it, then all of a sudden it started stalling at idle and giving a slight hesitation when driving. Check engine light does not come on so it's not giving any codes. I took it to the Subaru Dealer today and they came up with the following suggestions: Replace Spark plugs, Plug Wires, Value Cover Gaskets, and Coil for a total cost of about $1100 (CAD) I'm in Canada taxes in for parts and labour at the dealer and it should fix the problem. Wondering if there is any suggestions on maybe what I should try first rather then replacing everything, or anything else I can look for. I was going to try and change the plugs myself and see what happens, and was wondering if anyone has or knows of a site that has instructions on replacing the plugs in the 99 2.2L . Just really don't want to put $1100 into this car right off the get go, since I don't have the cash, and only going to be driving this car for a couple months. (I have search the forums, but I must not be typing in what I need, as I can't seem to find anything) Sorry I don't know much about these cars, I'm normally a lexus guy, have owned an LS400 and SC400, but bought this car because the SC400 just isn't safe to drive in the winter, drove it last year with new winter tires and still seemed to get stuck every storm. Any suggestions on places to buy parts other then the dealer? This would need to be a place that is either in Canada or ships to Canada, As I'm in Halifax , NS, Canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezer Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Holy crap! What kind of plugs are they puttin in the car? I would agree with their recomendations..... not sure if the valve cover gaskets would cause any of these problems. I would start with the plugs and wires. If you have a multimeter you can test the coil pack to give you an idea of whether it is good or bad. None of this is hard to do, save yourself $900.00. Beezer. Oh forgot... any parts store should be able to get you those things. I have found it is mostly the sensors and some of the seals I have to go to the dealer for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbullen Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 Holy crap! What kind of plugs are they puttin in the car? I would agree with their recomendations..... not sure if the valve cover gaskets would cause any of these problems. I would start with the plugs and wires. If you have a multimeter you can test the coil pack to give you an idea of whether it is good or bad. None of this is hard to do, save yourself $900.00. Beezer. Here is the price breakdown from the dealership keep in mind this is Canadian Dollars however I still think it's a little high ..........Labour.... Parts........ Total Coil ......$80.00...... $253.00........ $333.00 Wires... $48.00...... $112.00........ $160.00 Plugs $96.00.......... $26.00......... $122.00 VCGasket$128.00.. $145.00........ $273.00 TBCleaning $80.00.. $19.99......... $99.99 (Throttle body cleaning) SubTotal.................................... $987.99 Tax .............................................$148.20 Total ..........................................$1,136.19 As far as the multimeter goes, I have one, but no idea what or how to test the coil with it. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbullen Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 Holy crap! What kind of plugs are they puttin in the car? I would agree with their recomendations..... not sure if the valve cover gaskets would cause any of these problems. I would start with the plugs and wires. If you have a multimeter you can test the coil pack to give you an idea of whether it is good or bad. None of this is hard to do, save yourself $900.00. Beezer. Oh forgot... any parts store should be able to get you those things. I have found it is mostly the sensors and some of the seals I have to go to the dealer for. Thanks for the suggestions, would you suggest OEM wires or would I be okay going aftermarket? Any idea where I might be able to find step by step instructions on replacing the plugs in the 99 2.2L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezer Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I haven't bought a coil yet so I don't now the price on that. The wires I got for around 40.00 the plugs 4-5 a piece the VC gaskets 75.00. I live in Canada too. Go to your nearest parts store and get some prices you will probably be much happier. Got to go, someone will help with the testing etc. Beezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunered Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 a $5.00 tube of silcone will make you a better gasket and save you money at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log1call Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Hi, if the check light isn't coming on then the coils won't be to blame, likewise if it runs fairly well with a load on it then the plugs and wires probably aren't at fault either. I would suggest that you change the fuel filter and check all the vacum hoses on the motor first. A hose off would give those symptoms and is what the dealer should have suggested as a first step, if they don't suggest doing the simple low cost things first then i wouldn't go to them for my work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log1call Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Just noticed the suggestion that it may be your valve cover gaskets, well they would have to be pouring oil out on the ground before they would cause the motor to not idle! If you are tempted to seal the valve cover gaskets don't use five dollar silicon sealer... it won't be oxygen sensor friendly and will lead to new problems, get your self some sealer that's approved for use with emission control gear and oxygen sensors in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunered Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 ive had silicone on my vc gaskets fror over 110.000 and have not had a problem,in my opinion thats bullcrap,vapors has to pull from inside vc,up thru engine,thru pcv,burn thru the combustion chamber before it hits the o2 sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Subaru1 Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 As these good previous posts suggest, start with the simple things first. Possibly drain the fuel tank as well as change the fuel filter(s). Then add some good fuel and some gas line antifreeze, just to be sure. Check air filter just to be sure as well. Then move on to plugs, wires, etc. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayhawkroy Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 I would get second opinion from an independent mechanic. His estimate should bring the price down even if all this needs to be done. Do you have any maintenance history for the car? Do you know if a tune up was done around 90K miles? If so, then the new plugs probably are not part of the solution. If you go ahead and change plugs, change out all the filters so you have a baseline on your maintenance items. If maintenance history is unknown, doing a full 90K service per the owner's manual would be in order, too. Valve cover leakage could probably be dealt with later -- I have difficulty conceiving of a situation that in would negatively influence your idle and engine performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f15xxx Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 stalling at idle could be a fuel blockage or vacuum hose issue, but, i would check the battery strength as it could be low and not enough voltage to power the computer. this was an issue for me on an old POS 928 that i would occasionally drive in the winter. snapped the headlights on to check operation of the motor and BLAHHHH to the side of the road. check the obvious first and don't pay that $1,100. i agree, no code equals coil packs ok. as an easy deal, spray out your pcv valve with some carb cleaner, this could affect vacuum but it's a shot in the dark. btw, i've got a 99 leg l sedan 2.2l 5m and have not ever had this experience. you'll eventually find what's wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I sure wouldn't pay the dealer to change my plugs and wires, a 30 minute job at worst. Not sure about the wires, but plugs should cost about $4 -5 a pair (cdn). Get NGK copper plugs and a 3/8" socket wrench with a 3" adapter if you don't have one. Can't recall the size for the plugs themselves though. Get a proper plug socket with a rubber insulator protector though. Sounds to me though like a plugged fuel filter. Not too hard to change either, just make sure you properly relieve fuel pressure before disconnecting hoses. The problem may be in the coil pack, which probably isn't too hard to replace either since it sits right on top of your engine (the most easy to reach spot in the entire engine bay). I'd replace the fuel filter, plugs, and wires (in that order), checking after each to see if the problem is resolved. If not, then maybe get to another mechanic and have them assess it. Good luck, Chef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbullen Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Thanks for all the suggestions. The car now seems to be hesitating when driving. I have plugs and wires and i'm going to try and do the job myself today. If that fails then i'll probably check the fuel filter, and possibly the coil. Does anyone know any good sites that show you instructions on how to get at the plugs in this car? I found this one, but i'm not sure if they will be the same instructions for my vehicle http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3017&highlight=spark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Outback Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 You could also try cleaning out the idle air control valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbullen Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Finished installing the Plugs and Wires, was a fairly straight forward job. Car does seem to idle perfect now no more stalling. Still though when driving there is a slight hesitation here and there, not anything near before, so i'm thinking there still might be something else that's causing more trouble. Air Filter did look dirty, so I'm going to try replacing that as well as the fuel filter on monday and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Good to hear. Definitely get that air filter swapped, sometimes makes a big difference. Could also be a bit of water in the gas, try a drying agent like HEET. Finished installing the Plugs and Wires, was a fairly straight forward job. Car does seem to idle perfect now no more stalling. Still though when driving there is a slight hesitation here and there, not anything near before, so i'm thinking there still might be something else that's causing more trouble. Air Filter did look dirty, so I'm going to try replacing that as well as the fuel filter on monday and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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