Daddy_wagon Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Hi! New to the subie world. I bought a 97 legacy outback for $500. The previous owner thinks its gonna need a head gasket. It doesn't overheat. I thought it might be a fuel problem because when you drive it kinda stutters and shakes a little bit at 2500-3500 rpms. If I'm lowered or higher rpms I'm fine. Checked fuel filter and it didn't solve problem. My cel is now on and blinks when I drive sometimes. Gonna run a comp on it to see what codes pop up tomorrow. Does this sound like anything anyone might know what's up with it? Oh and the water and oil not mixing. Ac blows cold. Stumped. Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zues Marine Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 A blinking CEL means stop driving the car like 400 days ago! Have you read the code? That'll give you a good idea of what's wrong..fuel pump may be the issue with the sputter... Stop driving it with the CEL blinkingm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 a blinking CEL means you MAY be damaging your cats. but it usually means a mis-fire. and a mis-fire on 2 cylinders means a vibrating and shuddering engine. you need to have the codes read. most any parts store will do it. be sure to get the Pxxxx number(s). they are way more helpful than ''it's your cat'' or ''you need plugs''. it is not unusual for these engines to have head gasket issues. so no biggie there. the most common cause of mis-fires are plug wires and spark plugs. these two item cause 80% - 90% of all mis-fires. how old are they? what brand are they? other causes are timing, compression, and sometimes fuel issues. on a $500 car, first i would read the coeds. then i would remove the timing covers on the cam sprockets and make sure the left and right are the same. then i would invest in SUBARU plug wires or a very very high quality alternative. these engines are picky, and cheap wires will cause head aches. if things improve then you know. even if the engine is toast, you will be able to use the parts on a replacement engine. but unless the engine has been severely over heated, it is not toast. find the faults, replace the head gaskets and you are good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zues Marine Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 NGK wires are where it's at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy_wagon Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 Thanks guys! I'm borrowing my dads diagnostic tool in the morning so ill check codes. Hoping its something simple. Thanks for reassuring its probably not a HG. Will report back in morning with codes and probably more questions. Thanks Zues Marine and Johnnegg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Grab some MAFS cleaner and clean the MAF. Check that all the fuel injectors are plugged in and that there isn't corrosion on the contacts. IMO though I would run a compression test first. If that's OK then you know that spending 50 bucks on plugs etc is going to be worth it towards getting it running. Some people spend lots of cash fighting misfires when they in fact have dropped a cyl or popped a hg.Guilty myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy_wagon Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 So johnegg, you were right. Plugs and wires and it was fixed. After figuring out the right combination of socket and extension I was finally able to change the plugs. Haha! Not much work space, huh? Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. Daddy_wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 glad you got it fixed. drive and enjoy. but keep an eye out for head gasket issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 My NGK wires and NGK plugs are arriving tomorrow. Hopefully will help a bit with low idle and MPG's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zues Marine Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 a grounding kit will do well in smoothing out voltage... and you can make one for <$20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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