DSGDSG Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Hello everyone, I joined because I'm at my wits end researching and I don't know where else to look. My son bought a used 2006 Legacy. The car has 230K on it but the engine was replaced before he bought it a few months ago and has 150K on it. The other day while he was driving he said a couple lights came on and the car died on the road. Had it towed back to our home. I jumped it with my car, the vehicle ran but made some noises like it was running rough. As soon as I disconnect the cables from my vehicle his car stalled out. So we bought a new alternator and installed it yesterday. Went to start the car and it will crank but won't run. It sounds like it wants to catch so bad but it just falls short. Tried the key cycles, ignition on three times in 5 seconds and start on the fourth, didn't work. Tried starting it four times removing the key between each one. Didn't work. We can hear the fuel pump running when the ignition is turned on. Can smell fuel after a few failed attempts at starting. Replaced the battery with a new one. Doesn't start. Checked the ground and it's intact and appears clean without any issues. Just before the car died it threw a code using the monitoring system my wife and I have on his car which was P0026. I understand that it's the VVT solenoid and will replace it and the oil switch if necessary but I am not sure if they are related to the issue where the vehicle won't start. When I checked his oil level it was very low. That's been remedied, but it still won't start. At this point I don't know if his engine is dead or what. I don't know where else to look to see if there's a problem. I have no idea how to check if his engine is completely shot before I start spending money on more parts that might not fix the issue. Anyone have any ideas? Your help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Are all of the fuses good? Perhaps one blew when you jumped it? Otherwise, I'd do compression and leakdown tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleides Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 To check the engine you need to do a leakdown test. You'd need to be able to crank the engine to do a compression test, which it seems like you can't do (?) Just a shot in the dark: does he have some stupid aftermarket intake on the car? I've had a couple occasions troubleshooting crappy trade-ins at work at the stealership where simply unplugging the MAF sensor when an Autozone special intake was installed on the vehicle got the thing to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 The motor turns over but doesnt start so he is able to do a compression test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 crankshaft sensor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 crankshaft sensor You may have knocked off the connector messing with Alt. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSGDSG Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 Thanks for all the responses and help. We checked the fuses, nothing was blown. There's no aftermarket intake on it. I'll look in to what the leakdown test involves as well as the crankshaft sensor in a few. In the meantime, only one of the spark plugs would budge and when taking it out it looked charred and the center electrode looked very worn. So we've got new spark plugs to replace it with as long as I don't shear the rest in the engine trying to get them out. No one thinks the vvt code has anything to do with the current issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSGDSG Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 OK, we just checked the crankshaft sensor and it read 2ohms so it's not that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino6303 Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 It could be the crank timing gear has one or more broken teeth as well. You'd have to pull the crank pulley and timing covers to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Have you checked for spark and injector pulse? One can assume you have injector pulse if you smell fuel after cranking but we aren't under the hood. Take pics of the spark plugs when you get them all out, make a mental note if any come out wet with gas, indicating lack of spark in that cylinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergs Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 My guess is that it won't start because the battery is flat. Has enough to run the starter but not enough to get everything else to happen as it should. This exact thing happened with my nephew's tC. He cranked it so much (due to a different issue) that the only way we could get it to fire was to completely charge the battery. I then floored the throttle and kept cranking until the fuel cleared out of the engine enough to fire up. The amount of smoke and raw fuel smell that followed was impressive. My thought is to not toss parts at this just yet, get a known good (and fully charged) battery in there then give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 My guess is that it won't start because the battery is flat. Has enough to run the starter but not enough to get everything else to happen as it should. This exact thing happened with my nephew's tC. He cranked it so much (due to a different issue) that the only way we could get it to fire was to completely charge the battery. I then floored the throttle and kept cranking until the fuel cleared out of the engine enough to fire up. The amount of smoke and raw fuel smell that followed was impressive. My thought is to not toss parts at this just yet, get a known good (and fully charged) battery in there then give it a shot. He stated the battery was new Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergs Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 He stated the battery was new New batteries can have defects hence my statement to get a known good battery installed instead of saying to buy a new battery. A few weeks ago I replaced a battery that was 2 weeks old in a customer's car. It was not taking a charge nor was it holding voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSGDSG Posted March 13, 2020 Author Share Posted March 13, 2020 OK so today we did a leakdown test with the OTC leakdown tester kit I just bought. Cylinder 1 and cylinder 3 both got up to 40psi and then dropped down to 20psi with the air blowing back out of what I swear was the spark plug hole. I know that makes no sense but it really was. We stopped and readjusted, made sure that the hose was seated properly and it was. The air was blowing back out through the same access we put the hose in to. We did the test according to the instructions in a youtube video. Used a 22mm socket and breaker bar to turn the crank pulley to get the cylinders at TDC. The point where air stopped being pushed out and the vacuum started. Cylinder two got up to 100psi then turned the engine itself. We reset the cylinder back to TDC and I held the breaker bar so the engine didn't turn and the air held at 89psi. Cylinder 4 turned the engine the same way. Reset it to TDC, held the breaker bar so it didn't turn. The air only held at 79 and we could hear the air escaping through the intake. Still have no idea what could possibly be wrong. Thank you everyone for your input thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warp 9 Engage Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 Just did some trouble shooting on my new 07 Legacy SE 4AT that had P0026 saved when I got it emissions tested just after purchasing. For reference P0026 refers to VVT Solenoid bank 1, which is on the passenger side cylinder head, and affects cylinders 1 and 3 (which you noted were the ones loosing pressure, DSGDSG). After paying closer attention to the car's idle, I found that it was rough through acceleration and while stopped at lights. Both VVT solenoids were new from the previous owner, so I took a shot in the dark and bought a new Oil Pressure Switch for bank 1. On a whim I decided to take off the solenoid housing to check the inner workings and see if everything was solid. What I found was a tiny filter missing half of the mesh, only to discover 2 seconds later that the mesh had been blown out and was jamming the solenoid in a different area of the housing. With this mesh jamming the solenoid, the actual solenoid is unable to adjust the oil pressure the way it is intended to, to my understanding. I'm in the process of trying to find a replacement for this tiny filter. For now, I just cleaned the side that still had mesh and oriented it facing the solenoid to have some filtration in the mean time. The rough idle is now completely gone, the car accelerates like a dream, and I am once again a very proud and happy Legacy owner. If anyone has any tips on how to order this filter, PLEASE let me know!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Remove that filter, like all us 05-06 guys have learned to do so the problem never happens again. Use good oil and do your oil and filter changes. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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