ilh Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I've long had the stuttering issue, had the ECU reflashed, etc. Over the summer and early fall, I had a handful of times where the engine would stall while approaching a stop sign with the clutch fully engaged, and even transmission in neutral once, but I figured it was a fluke. Over the past month or so, with the colder weather here in New England, the stalling seems to be on the rise. Yesterday and today it stalled 3 times in similar circumstances: I'm going about 30mph in 3rd or 4th, light throttle, approaching stop sign or red light I engage the clutch and get off the throttle. The RPMs drop below the idle level, status lights flicker, and the engine stalls while I am still moving about 20mph. I then lose all power brakes and steering, which can be a bit alarming when you are not expecting it. In at least a few other instances, the indicated RPMs briefly drop to near 0, status lights come on, and it some how recovers on its own. I have had this happen when the coolant temperature was near or at normal temperatures, but it appears more frequent when it is half or below. Has anyone else seen this? I am considering this to be a real safety issue because it is stalling while I am still moving. I've driven manual transmissions for 24 years; I am not late in engaging the clutch. This is the engine having trouble transitioning from driving to idle. Given how badly the ECU is handling the onset of boost in light/moderate acceleration in the 2500-3000 band (stuttering), I really feel like this car has some engine problem. I am really learning to hate throttle by wire. I am about to call the dealer to have them investigate the stalling issue. Since it is a fairly rare event (maybe a once or a few times a week), I seriously doubt I could demonstrate it or they would experience on their own short drive. Should I demand a full engine examination, including checking compression, variable valve timing, fuel delivery, etc.? If they just give it a short drive and try to pull codes, I expect they will find nothing, and that doesn't help me. I'm really beginning to wonder if my first foray into Subarus was a mistake. My 10-year old VW Golf was more reliable: no stutters, no stalls. However, it certainly wasn't as much fun. Still, being less reliable than a Mexico-built VW isn't a good sign. I'd really like to get to the bottom of my engine/ECU issues. What will it take to make Subaru pay attention? --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opie Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Your problem doesn't sound like an ECU issue...sounds more like a sticking or faulty OCV valve... maybe the shop you are taking it to is looking in the wrong area... what type/weight oil are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Thanks. Would I expect a CEL or for them to find codes related to a sticky or fault OCV? I have never had a CEL. The dealer put in Castrol Syntec less than a month ago. I confess I don't know what weight they put in. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opie Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 It can trigger a CEL if the actual solenoid fails, but if it sticks for just a second it won't...and that quick stick could be enough to stall the car... If they put a "heavy" oil in it can contribute to the sticking, synthetic or not. I would recomend sticking to either a 5W30 or a 10W30 if you are in a hot enviroment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 Thanks again. BTW, it has Syntec 5W30. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 I just got back from the dealer. A tech took it out with a computer logging things. Apparently the O2 sensor output was stuck at 1% (or so they say), so they are ordering a new O2 sensor. I asked why no CEL, and they have no clue, and say the "computer" checks out OK. Does that make sense? They have to order an O2 sensor, which will take 2-3 days to come. How come a dealer doesn't bother to stock an O2 sensor for a current model, even in the whole Boston area? Nice one Subaru. When I asked why they didn't stock any, they said they've never had a new one fail. Just my luck. Oh, they found a pin hole leak in the oil filter they installed a few weeks ago. I guess they didn't get the memo telling them to stop installing that bad batch. Even I knew about that from here. Another nice one Subaru. Next Monday I get a new O2 sensor. I'm wondering if it will make a difference or if it is the ECU itself misreading it. I'm wondering if this will help my turbo surging/stuttering, which isn't too bad recently in the colder weather. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blklgt Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 i have the same problem w my 5eat coming to a stop it will stall in gear or it will catch its self. ive taken it to the tuner and he just installed a oil catch can sayin to much oil blowby in the intake and it cant burn it but it just stalled again.. i dont know what to do no cel i have turbo back exhaust spt intake and stage 2 cobb.. we messed the the idle when coming to a stop i would idle up 3% but it was to much so went to 1% and it stalled again... this sucks soooooooo bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006 Spec B Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 I ran into the same 'stall' problem with my 2006 Legacy Spec B. Six months ago, the engine stalled for the first time -- roughly 90 seconds after I started it in the morning, as I began to slow down for traffic. I thought this was an anomaly, but the problem has been getting worse. > The engine stalls approximately 60 seconds after I start the Legacy in the morning, to head to work. > The engine stalls ONLY when I lift my foot off the accelerator, e.g. approaching a stop light or stopped traffic. > The 'check engine' light comes on. > This occurs only in the morning -- after the first time the Legacy is started. When I restart it later in the same day, no problem. > The problem has been getting worse. Now it stalls 2 or 3 times in succession in the morning. > After the first trip to the Subaru dealer, they blamed the problem on "bad gas", and said no events were recorded on the computer. (They also flashed the EPROM / ECU, however -- indicating that they thought there might be another problem.) > The second trip to the dealer is scheduled next week. I will let you and the Forum know what they found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbarry Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Hi. we're having the same problem. Anyone find a solution? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 My problem ended up being a sticky electronic throttle body. Apparently it would stick in the closed position, and when the ECU would command it to open a bit to raise idle it wouldn't react. This was fixed spring 2006 and hasn't recurred since. I know my dealer and New England service rep took quite a while to diagnose this, partly because it didn't happen reliably. I know they did a bunch of data logging at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skircr Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I have this problem when car stalls when switching from warm up cycle for about a year. But now all of sudden car stalls all the time until engine warms up. I tried data logging but that did not reveal much. Just that RPM drops right before the stall. Would love to try replacing throttle body but the part alone is $450. Has anybody else solve their cold stalls? I would like to know that there are more cases of bad throttle body before dropping cash on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myevodream Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 weird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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