Gaffa Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Sooo my quest to get the trusty ol' Sub back in working order is something I cannot let go. Maybe you rugged oldies have some useful input, here goes: It ran very poorly for close to a year and I had trouble getting the error codes because normal OBD2 readers could not work it's SSM protocol but eventually I figured it out and replaced an O2 sensor. Immediate improvement, ran (almost) fine for some time. It then got worse and worse and went from intermittent starting to not starting at all, if it started it ran decent but had low power. Pulled it into my newly finished workshop and started to dig into it. Read the codes again and now it highlighted knock sensor and ignition circuit. Pulled a couple plugs and found them covered in oil (Jeeezus, just getting the plugs out requires special tools, screams, and a tame octopus), google told me bad gaskets on valve covers and spark plug canals. Replaced those, changed the oil and plugs with a hopeful attitude. Rubbed the starter for a few seconds and it eventually coughed to life and ran better than ever, purred like a kitten but on the second attempt it would not start. On some attempts it would run for some time but start to stutter and then die which was a new phenomenon. Probably unrelated but as I put in more oil (hadn't filled her up enough) that symptom disappeared. As of now it starts on every 2nd attempt and always with a struggle, if it does start it runs fine and starter gas has never made a difference which has lead me to believe fuel supply is fine but ignition is the problem. Nice blue spark comes off the coil, one plug cable looks beat up so will replace all four of them too, but it feels like with bad cables it should run poorly and not just be difficult while starting. I don't get error codes for the ignition circuit anymore but sporadically get a code for knock sensor. It seems to appear quite randomly though, whether it starts or not. I am going to troubleshoot the knock sensor using a web guide and possibly replace it but apart from that I am starting to run out of ideas, you guys have any tips? I run FreeSSM and have plenty of values to look at but don't have the skills/knowledge to be able to pass judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Replace the knock sensor ASAP. Take the battery and starter out, take it to a parts store to have them bench tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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