my legacy ('97 2.2) keeps throwing cyl #1,#3 misfire. i replaced the plugs and wires too and they are still showing up........wats wrong?

 

-D

let's see if I am first with this reply: if your front 02 sensor hasn't been changed in the last 40k miles, I will bet that is the problem. You can easily change it yourself, like a sparkplug...but harder to reach.

You might also check the coil pact, if you dont have a meter you can probably get Auto Zone to check it for you free.

Hi, I'm in New Zealand so bear with me if I sound a bit stupid.... Our cars are often different to yours.

Does that car have one coil for the front cylinders and one coil for the rears(mounted on top of the motor with long wires), or is there one coil for left cylinders and one for right cylinders?

 

If it's a left/right coil setup, I'd suspect the coil or ignitor. If it's a front/rear cylinder setup I'd suspect a mechanical fault, like head gasket.

my legacy ('97 2.2) keeps throwing cyl #1,#3 misfire. i replaced the plugs and wires too and they are still showing up........wats wrong?

 

-D

good chance you need to change your timing belt and timing belt tensioner immediately, actually it's best to replace all the timing components (i use the ebay kits). your timing may be getting hosed from a weak tensioner or slipped belt. you'll want to nail this quick as you have an interfernece engine. if the belts goes or slips too much your engine will sustain damaged valves.

Hi Gary,

all due respect(your suggestions are always excellent), but.....

 

If it's late model enough to have a missfire code then it should have a cam angle sensor code that will set if the timing doesn't coincide with the ecu's expectations wouldn't it?

 

Apart from that, yeah good suggestion and easy thing to check too.

If it's late model enough to have a missfire code then it should have a cam angle sensor code that will set.

no, not quite. something to keep in mind is there's no "misfire sensor" on the engine. the ECU reads other parameters - likely cam/crank/other sensor combo to determine misfire. a jumped belt can cause misfire but no cam/crank sensor codes.

 

the original poster doesn't offer much detail.....any performance issues, how long, mileage, how long before tune up, how long after, etc. so we dont' have much to go on.

Edited May 9, 200916 yr by grossgary

Hmm.

Poster one says it is a cyl 1 and cyl 3 missfire code, which OBD2 can post. Older subarus I agree don't set cylinder missfire codes.

Perhaps poster one needs to verify what the trouble codes were?

Hmm.

Poster one says it is a cyl 1 and cyl 3 missfire code, which OBD2 can post. Older subarus I agree don't set cylinder missfire codes.

Perhaps poster one needs to verify what the trouble codes were?

he doesn't need to verify anything - you didn't understand what i wrote. i never said there wasn't "cylinder misfire" code. you can probably research how cam and crank sensors work and how a cylinder misfire is detected using google.

 

you don't need to understand it - the bottom line is the belt jumping teeth can cause a cyl 1 & 3 misfire.

Edited May 9, 200916 yr by grossgary

There are specific cylinder missfiring trouble codes in OBD2.

I know how the OBD2 computers calculate a specific cyinders missfire.

 

As I understood it, poster one had those trouble codes. If he didn't have a trouble code that specifically stated it was cylinder three and one then he has diagnosed three and one cylinders as missing some other way... an oscilloscpe for instance.

 

If he got a missfire on a specific cylinder trouble code then he has OBD2. If he has OBD2 then it will also record a cam sensor code if the belt jumps.

:confused:he didn't use an oscilliscope and of course it's OBDII.

Edited May 10, 200916 yr by grossgary

Well it's not obvious to me apart from the trouble code(which was what I was assuming he had read). Over here, that car wouldn't have been OBD2.

 

I didn't read that he hadn't had it on an oscilloscope, so that seemed like a possibility. No matter.

 

I will assume then that it's coils feed either both front or both rear cylinders? In which case it won't be coil.

 

Cam belts are easy to check. Headgasket would be the next thing to check after that.

can you update your location, that might help to know it's international.

 

this car is OBDII. and you don't need to worry about this person using a scope. not sure what it's like over there but using one of those is extremely rare over here.

i edited one of my previos posts.

I'm in New Zealand.

There is always a lot of confusion(for me), the same model over here can sometimes be older, and yet sometimes more sophisticated than the American models.

If I ask questions, it's not being critical, it's because I need to know if I'm to help people.

I may not be up to the play with your American models, but, my logic and diagnostic skills are normally very good. I used to be the highest paid toyota mechanic in New Zealand a few years ago. I got to that position after three months with toyota, they said to name my price.... based on my diagnostic skills. There is more to diagnostics than guesses based on statistical probability(which is also a valid line of investigation).

I'm in New Zealand.

 

Ah, the beautiful land of the long white cloud. Welcome! Your experience/input/logic/diagnostic skills will certainly be appreciated here.

 

Might be a good idea to put New Zealand in your identification--could help those reading your posts to understand "where you're coming from." I know it helps me to know someones geographic location.

 

Aloha!

Greetings Olnick. Thanks for the welcome.

I have done as you suggest and put my location in.