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03 Baja ambient misfire condition


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on my 2003 Baja it seems to have an intermittent misfire only comes around after a fill up. under normal acceleration only in 2nd or 3rd, once you hit 4th no more misfire. and not every time you hit 2nd or 3rd either. seems like the misfire is related to throttle position and load on the engine. i had an 88 GL sedan and it used to do something similar and after replacing everything that it didn't need, i found it it was the cam angle sensor, and if your familiar with the EA82's then you know the Cam Angle Sensor is inside the disty (prolly why i never thought to look for that as a fault).

 

the baja seems to be having a similar issue and it goes away on it's own after say a day and stays gone till the next fill up. i thought maybe water in fuel, or some contaminated fuel but it does it every time i fill up regardless of the gas station i go to. if anyone can help me out, at least point in the general direction maybe to test a few sensors, before i replace good parts. ha ha. the check engine light is not on. it actually came on a week or two after buying it, but went off a few minutes later and hasn't been on since.

 

the cam sensors are easy to get to, if anyone knows a resistance or voltage so i know if it good, i guess that would be the place to start. THX in advance guys.

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I would suggest starting by checking the ECU for codes. Even if the CEL hasn't come on, it's a good idea to check.

 

From your description the only consistant thing is the problem occurs after filling up. Do you always take the fuel down to around where the tank is empty or do you fill it when half full, or is it a mix? That may help determine if there's any consistancy related to fill up level.

 

What kind of maintenance has been performed on the car in recent months/years?

 

Any additional information you can provide would be helpful.

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my wife and i share the truck. when she drives she fills it up around an 1/8th of a tank left, when i drive it i push it as far as i can go, once the low fuel light comes on i usually push it another 30 miles before fueling up.

 

maintenance on the vehicle was plugs, wires, fuel filter, and engine, diff, and tranny fluids changed out around 82K miles and it now has around 110K on it.

 

good call on checking for codes, even though the light isn't on, i'll do that, and check out the evap and knock sensors. i haven't tried to loosen the fuel cap to see if it has any effect. i'll try these out and keep you posted. THX Guys.

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UPDATE: the front brake pads and rotors have been changed, i know it's not engine related maintenance, but trying to change out the ball joints luckily i snapped both the pinch bolts on the bottom of the knuckle that hold the ball joints in, so now she is sitting on jack stands with rotated tires, and the fronts are still off it. i will commence with drilling the bolts out today.

 

the good thing is that they are tight and rusty it makes me think they were welded in place. ha ha that's awesome.

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well you know how i am milesfox, i had to drill the bolts out, and in the process i am having an ANTI-SEIZE orgy with myself and all the bolts on the truck.

 

anyways, i haven't started troubleshooting the misfire, getting her back on the road is priority, but i will keep everyone updated. should be back on the road sometime tomorrow.

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Fox, how did that go btw? That Legacy was pretty damn rusted under there.

 

SubaruAlliance, +1 with the Anti-Seize. Thats the stuff.

 

that kind of stiuff you almost have to loosen up routinely to prevent them from rusting. I just replaced whole knuckles over the caliper bracket bolt breaking off:mad:
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