My Car Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 hey LegacyGT uses! I've been here before but havent been on in a long time. I had a different account but forgot the name lol. So I'm back with more technical issues regarding my Subie 94 Legacy station wagon. For the last couple weeks now my car has dies a few times on my way to work in the morning. It happens after I get on the road for about 1/4 or less miles. I'll just be driving and all of a sudden my gas peddle has no effect on the engine. it will start to run real rough and giving it the gas does relatively nothing at all. I've gotten used to knowing where to pull over to let it die so it doesnt just die in traffic. Once I pull over it usually dies immediately. I just turn it back on and go and I dont have any more trouble after that. also no trouble on the way back from work. Its always in the morning and about the same distance from home. I've been told that the fuel filter could be in need of a change. I was just wonder what you guys thought since you have helped me before. I had trouble with overheating and stuff like that. got some great advice on the problem. was hoping I could get some more good advice from you guys, thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subikid90 Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 My guess would be fuel filter also. They run about $20-30 and very easy to replace. -Subikid90 1997 Legacy GT 5spd & EJ251 w/EJ25D heads ~10.5CR 1998 Legacy GT Limited waiting for EJ22T hybrid swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJLGT Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 my 05 has died twice both within the past month while driving. very scary. no bad sounds no cels no smells, started right back up. idk wtf. i was thinking fuel pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Car Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 oh yeah that reminds me. i smell a weird burning smell when it dies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahabidabi Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 my 90 does a very similar thing, it doesn't completely die but driving down the road it will lose all acceleration. It usually picks back up if I punch the petal to the ground. Haven't smelt any burning smell but as I said, it doesnt die, so no occasion to check. It usually only does this after it sits for an extended time (i.e. overnight, or the entire workday). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Car Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 same here if it sits for too long it has this issue. i just drove it today after it sat for about 24 hours and it had this problem except i had to pull over twice. not fun so is it the fuel filter? is there any other way this can happen? I'm gonna check the fuel filter soon. just asking if there is anything else i should check wile im at it. all comments are appreciated as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahabidabi Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Im pretty syre its not the fuel filter because I just replaced mine, It might have something to do with the fuel pump. It also could have something to do with the O2 sensor or the MAF, but not too sure about those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Car Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 I just bought a new fuel filter and put it in and it runs GREAT!!!!!!!! No dieing. No sputtering. MORE power. BETTER acceleration. yay! I held the old filter upside down and poured out GRAY colored gasoline. yeah. haha. in the manual it says that the filter should be replaced every 12 months and I've had it for longer than 12 moths and it was used when i got it. haha. VERY USED. so yeah it was the fuel filter. I'm very happy. :icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg:icon_bigg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BennnGeee Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 my 90 does a very similar thing, it doesn't completely die but driving down the road it will lose all acceleration. It usually picks back up if I punch the petal to the ground. Haven't smelt any burning smell but as I said, it doesnt die, so no occasion to check. It usually only does this after it sits for an extended time (i.e. overnight, or the entire workday). Yours kind of sounds like its not getting enough air check your maf or map and see if its dirty if it is give it a good cleaning then reinstall and see if it helps. and when was the last time you changed your air filter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 MAF sensor spray : Autozone : $8. Used it today and I'll let you know if I see or feel any improvements. Right now my car is getting consistently 26mpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baddog Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 MAF sensor spray : Autozone : $8. Used it today and I'll let you know if I see or feel any improvements. Right now my car is getting consistently 26mpg. Yes please let us know. My gas mileage sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Yep. Gonna have to fill up tonight and I'll let you guys know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volleybiggs Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Mine is doing the same things as most of yours. I got a fuel filter as well and going to give it a try. cross your fingers. It is funny I am the same as most of you. Looking for place to pull over so I dont stop in traffic. I did find if I just kept going and not pulling over it would keep going at about 45 mph or so and I could work it back up to speed pumping the gas pedal. Does anyone know how you can check a fuel pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffzguy Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Mine is real close to the same, it starts fine and when I start moving either 5 MPH in a parking lot or 45 on the highway it suddenly starts sputtering and RPM's flutter and it dies then starts right back up. It only dies in parking lots and just flutters and looses power temporarily at highway speeds. I think fuel pump and or filter, and I am starting to wonder if its the pump or just me driving like a madman and it getting air bubbles? So going to work today (4 miles one way) it barely made it there but as soon as I pulled into the parking lot it was fine and fine on the way home all the way... So maybe air bubbles in the line or is that even possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Oh yeah, MAF cleaner didnt do crap from the looks of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Car Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 its weird how most of you seem to have the same problem. I'll admit, after i put in injector cleaner it ran perfect for a few days but then it started doing it again. but recently its been pretty good. but now that ive said that ive jinxed it and it will die on the way to work or something. could i have a bad injector that needs replacing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ductech Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Alright I hate to be the voice of reason here, but I think you guys need to take in the bigger picture. Try being a little more scientific about observing how your car engine is not working properly..... i.e. for example... when does it do this(most of you have figured this out), What is the temp of the motor. What rpm range specifically does your issue show up? Are any of you experincing a obd1 light? These cars do have obd1 right? Just my 2 cents as an ex Ducati Tech. It seems like you guys are fighting a computing error as far as it sounds... Like a sensor giving a really bad reading for just a short burst of time. Also It could be more like a 02 going bad, but that would be more of a constant bad running during partial throttle...... anyways good luck. Oh yeah fuel filters are a good thing to replace now and then,.... but doubt any of you are experiencing a pressure drop, this would lead to holes burnt in your pistons eventually, from the mixture going to lean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 The problem here is its consistency. This issue happens in the same place on this guys route everyday (From what I can tell). These cars do have OBDI. Infact, all Subaru vehicles before 1995 and ALL vehicles in the US before 1996 had OBDI. With a carb'd engine I'd agree that it would burn holes in his pistons due to the lean mixtures, but on a fuel injected engine I'd say not so much. The computer would try its best to keep the stociometric air/fuel mixture at 14.7:1 by altering the duration of the injectors or however else it does its thing. The only other way a catastrophic failure such as burnt pistons could happen would be a faulty MAF or the primary O2 sensors. The secondary O2 sensors after the cat are just there to relay information about the catalytic converters performance, and have no impact on the fuel mixture. This issue is puzzling. If it were the fuel filter, it probably would happen more frequently and at random. If it were plugs and wires it would happen more when its wet out. If the engine was overheating it would happen until the engine was cool. If it were the timing belt skipping it would get progressively worse. If it were an injector issue, one cylinder would either constantly misfire or not fire at all. It has to be electrical. I hate to be so vague, but check the wires leading to the fuel injectors, cam position sensor, crank sensor, MAF sensor, TPS sensor, knock sensor, O2 sensor, and any other wiring you can reach. Hoses are a good thing to look at too. If you see any cracked hoses, replace them. Replace the spark plugs and wires, air and fuel filter. You might want to replace the fuel filter as well, since it's really not that hard in these cars. The ignition coil could be the culprit too. If it throws a CEL code I'd take it to Subaru and have them pull the codes. In OBDI vehicles the manufacturer is the only one who has the equipment to pull the codes. My local dealership charges $107 for this service. I don't go there for any repairs, but I inquired about the cost for them to retrieve a code one time because I was curious. When they told me $107 I hung up the phone. I do agree with the above post though, the more info the better. If there is anything you can add, please do. It will help us help you. You can start by telling us where you live, what the weather is usually like when these problems occur, how many miles are on the car, and what service has recently been done to the car. The one good lead you did give us was in regards to fuel injector cleaner. Since fuel injector cleaner makes the car run better, I'd suggest trying premium fuel for one complete fill up. If its knocking or pinging, it has probably been doing so for a long time which may have caused serious damage to the internals. In an extremely old engine carbon buildups can cause hot spots in the combustion chamber, leading to knock (Pre-ignition of the air/fuel charge before the spark occurs). If premium fuel makes any difference, you should tell us now because there are ways of getting rid of this carbon build-up without rebuilding the engine. Then again, premium fuel is harder to ignite. This means that if the problem continues or gets slightly worse you might just need new spark plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volleybiggs Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Well the fuel filter change did not work and the problem is now happening pretty much all the time backing out going a few miles it loses power runs rough then will restart. I have checked my trouble code it is 94 so I can count the flashes on the check engine light to see what the prob is and it says it is a purge control solenoid valve. It sucks because my check engine light came on for atleast a year and I didnt worry about it and my fault did not check to see what it is. But I am thinking it could have been on all this year so it may not be the problem. Plus this part is about $150! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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