PA Grown Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 So I picked up a Suby last night and she runs great one at about 1800rpm or so but idles at about 500 rpm and almost sounds like theres a v8 loping under the hood... Not the case though:) on cold start she idles at about 1500-1800. Timing belt was done 80xxx ago. Poured some seafoam into the tank in hopes its dirty injectors. Gonna check the air filter and pour some more seafoam through the air idle control dealio on the throttle body through the bypass hose in hopes that'll clear it... Maybe a weak fuel is what the guy I bought it from said. I talked him down from 1500 to 950 for this car and I'm hoping I can get this low idle problem fixed quickly as I'm trying to escape back to Washington state from Colorado. Help me out guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Timing belt was done 80xxx ago. it is about due for timing belt again...nice thing about the 94 is it is non-interference, so no major worries if it does let go. I would start with the basics - filters (air and fuel), plugs, wires if needed, check vacuum lines for cracked/broken ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Subarus will idle high when cold 1200-1800 and the drop down to 800-500 or so. There are some difference in Auto or manual trans. Is the CEL on or have you checked it for codes even if the light is off. IAC controls idle speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 (edited) So today I found the airbox had about 2 inches of dirt... Cleaned that and bought a replacement for the caked filter(grand junction cars get like that) Ran seafoam through the IAC and it sounds like it idles better. It idles a little under 750 but still sounds like a POS loping V8. No check engine light, I'll the farm mechanic to plug in a code reader and see if it says anything. I'm pretty broke so I'm checking cleaning and putting stuff back on. Anything else I can check and clean to try to get her sounding better? It's a manual transmission. No check engine light is on. The timing belt still has another 20xxx or so before it hits 100xxx but I will check under the front cover to see the belts condition and if the white lines on the belt are where they should be. What's the degree the timing belt should be at I can't remember. Edited October 18, 2014 by PA Grown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Also which fuse is to the cruise control? No cruise happening at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 not positive, but I dont think you can use a code reader on the 94 - I think 95 is the frist year for th OBD II - you may have to do it the old fashioned way, plug the test connectors together and read the flashes of the LED light on the ECU under the dash. warm idle should be around 700-750 rpms pull the spark plugs and check thier condition also check the plug wires carefully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I think the timing belt change interval for a '94 is 60,000 miles! And don't expect the white marks to line-up--they're just for installation. Once you run the engine they'll only line-up again once every umpteen revolutions! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 technically speaking, it is/was every 60K on the 90-94 model years, but very few follow that schedule anymore with improvements to belt quality over the years. the 1st gens take the exact same belt as the 2nd gens...no reason to allow 105K on one but only 60K on the other...figuring that the belt has been changed at least once, there is a good possibility it has a 105K belt on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 '94 was ODBI it used the two little connectors under the dash to make it flash out. Mid 90's timing belt interval I think it depended if it had Calif. emissions or not. The 'normal' spec was 60k, but Calif. spec got kevlar aramid belt to get to 105k since Calif. emissions said something like nothing emissions related can require maintenance in the first 100k miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Didn't get a chance to pull any plugs today. Cars hot and its sunset here. And ok my boss has an Impreza so I know to plug the reader in at. Also I have a ripped cv boot and something up those making the click click click noise of impending doom in the front drivers side hub... This is my second subaru and my first one I lifted. So I know what it's like to replace cv joints no problem... Problem- i can't decide if it is the cv joint or a warped hub. The car only makes that ticking noise when I go straight. When I crank the wheel all the way on both still no ticking noise! Confused... I'll throw some grease on the inside of that cv joint earrings and boot and melt it back together to try to extend its life if it's the culprit or not. What else could the mystery tick be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Yea, I think a set of new spark plugs will make a difference, maybe even a new set of spark plug wires. Put in plugs first to see it the idle and over all performance is better. Maybe won't need wires. You may also want to install a new fuel filter. Amazing what better fuel flow can do for performance. Also, add a can of good fuel injector cleaner. Use the good stuff like Chevron Techron, or something else that cost about $6 a can. Don't waste your money on cheap fuel injector cleaner costing less then $6.00. The cheap stuff doesn't help much. I had a 91 Subie wagon...........pretty much like your 94. They are good solid runners with the 2.2 motor. My suspicion is a worn CV joint is making the ticking sound. Turning the steering wheel changes the wear angle on the CV bearing to an area that is not worn, so sound goes away is my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Hmmm alright thanks for the advice guys! I've got like 5 bucks for the next 2 weeks or so.. So I'll have to wait on plugs and the fuel filter and I already dumped seafoam through the gas tank to clean the injectors and the lines. Btw I hate cv joint replacement... So I'll try putting bearing grease in the boot to try and save it. Any advice on the best way to apply the grease and seal the torn boot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) Btw if I break this front left cv joint and I gonna be SOL and stuck or is it gonna just lose power to the front wheels and I'll still be able to run the rear tires? Edited October 20, 2014 by PA Grown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Grown Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Slammed a bunch of bearing grease into the cv bearings today during lunch... So my query- my cv boot is torn circular around the boot... Therefor that grease isn't gonna last long, especially since I live on a farm... Car I just grab a boot off the Datsun with a bad engine that's here? It died last year so I think at least one boot has to still be good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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