help for a 99 outback

[indianaoutback]

I'm looking for good Subaru guidance in the Cincinnati, OH area. Had my

Outback since it was new in '99. Rebuilt the engine last winter (at a dealer,

not a good idea) and now am having stalling and acceleration problems.

Dealer recently had my car for a month replacing idle air control valve and

ignition coil pack (also cleaning throttle body, checked O2 sensors). Car still stalls after initial warmup (after cold start). They also messed with 'idle' adjustments and now the car feels as if someone were jerking it backwards when you back off the accelerator (especially at speed). So, the dealer replaced the computer with a used unit and problem is still not fixed. Now it shows check engine light, with code P1507 (I think idle air control, again). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Any good Subaru mechanics

in the Cinti area would also be welcome.

[Legacy777]

It may be a long shot, but you may want to replace the coolant temp sensor. It's about $20 from www.subarugenuineparts.com

[MDW25gt]

I'm looking for good Subaru guidance in the Cincinnati, OH area. Had my

Outback since it was new in '99. Rebuilt the engine last winter (at a dealer,

not a good idea) and now am having stalling and acceleration problems.

Dealer recently had my car for a month replacing idle air control valve and

ignition coil pack (also cleaning throttle body, checked O2 sensors). Car still stalls after initial warmup (after cold start). They also messed with 'idle' adjustments and now the car feels as if someone were jerking it backwards when you back off the accelerator (especially at speed). So, the dealer replaced the computer with a used unit and problem is still not fixed. Now it shows check engine light, with code P1507 (I think idle air control, again). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Any good Subaru mechanics

in the Cinti area would also be welcome.

 

 

Try Joe's Subaru Repair. He off Springgrove. Rebuilt the engine in my 99 leg GT. 513-221-8585. He is slow and very careful about his work. Let me know if you can't reach him. I would never trust any dealer.

 

Mike

[indianaoutback]

It may be a long shot, but you may want to replace the coolant temp sensor. It's about $20 from www.subarugenuineparts.com

 

 

What makes you think it could be the temp sensor? That's something no one

has talked about. And, thanks for your response.

[indianaoutback]

Try Joe's Subaru Repair. He off Springgrove. Rebuilt the engine in my 99 leg GT. 513-221-8585. He is slow and very careful about his work. Let me know if you can't reach him. I would never trust any dealer.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike. Someone told me he wasn't doing work anymore. But, I'll

check.

[Legacy777]

What makes you think it could be the temp sensor? That's something no one

has talked about. And, thanks for your response.

 

Because you mentioned it stalls right after warm up. Your symptoms aren't typical for a temp sensor being bad, but it may be a contributor. That's why I said it's a long shot.

[sportsfan1026]

I am having the exact same problems w/ a 97 OBW100K Complete rebuild of 2.5L @ 99K.

 

Car runs great as long as you dont idle it out of gear once it reaches temp. If you put the car in Park after it is warm CEL will come on and throw code P1507. (Code P0507 comes up on system test) I have discovered that cylinders 1&2 are not firing when it starts to stall. If I reset ECU, Start car, put it in gear right away I have no problems and have ran it over 500 miles w/ no CEL. I do have the slight shudder when i let off gas going down the road.

 

I am thinking that this may have something to do with the temp guage as it only happens when it comes up to normal operationg temp. BUT using my Scan Tool (Great product by the way) i made a the following chart.

 

RPM/Timing Degrees/Coolant Temp

 

Cold Start,Idle to warm

 

1400 /39 /72

1350 /35 /91

1300 /35 /97

1250 /33 /104

1250 /31 /127

1375 /31 /180

1425 /32 /183

1475 /33 /183

1500 /34 /183

1513 /35 /190

 

CEL Comes on and car trys to stall

 

813 /15 /192

 

Bring Engine up to 1500 RPM

 

1500 /36 /198

 

After the CEL comes on and the car is running rough. I can remove the #1 and #2 Plug wires from the coil and the engine runs the same. This leeds me to belive that maybe the ECU it trying slow down the fast idle by retarding the timing. It then retards it so much that #1 and #2 stop firing.

 

Could all of this be the IACV like the code says. I have tested resistance of the Valve and it checks OK.

 

Thanks for all of you guy's help maybe indianaoutback and i can get this figured out.

[indianaoutback]

Thanks sportsfan.....I'm going to pass your info along to an independent

mechanic tomorrow and I'll let you know if we discover anything.

[Legacy777]

sportsfan, when they rebuilt your engine, did they replace the sensors with new ones, or reuse the existing?

 

How long on average does it take for you car to warm up in the morning?

[sportsfan1026]

A buddy and I rebuilt the engine ourselves. Well, he actually did most of the work and I handed him the tools.

 

 

No sensors have been replaced.

 

 

I would say that it takes 5-8 minuets for the car to warm up to approximately 200 degrees. If started and let idle.

 

 

I would really appreciate any input you guys have. I don’t want to replace the IACV if that is not the problem.

 

 

Thanks.

[ferret]

These are Automatics, Replace the Neutral Switch. When you shift to park or neutral, it signals the ECU. Especially when P1507 comes on when you place it in Park.

 

This is a know problem, covered by a TSB and documented on the Endwrench site. However the Endwrench site states it happens on a Manual Tranny. The TSB correctly covers it as the Neutral Switch on the 4EAT.

 

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/DiagTroubSum04.pdf

[sportsfan1026]

So you’re basically saying that when I shift it into park the neutral switch is not working and the ECU still thinks the car is in gear. This then causes the CEL b/c the idle speed is not where the ECU thinks it should be?

 

 

This sounds plausible, and it could very well be my problem.

 

 

But, I am experiencing a high idle while in gear as well (1000-1100 rpm) this never causes a CEL but it is higher than it should be.

 

 

 

Thanks for all of your help.

 

 

Ben

[Legacy777]

A buddy and I rebuilt the engine ourselves. Well, he actually did most of the work and I handed him the tools.

 

No sensors have been replaced.

 

I would say that it takes 5-8 minuets for the car to warm up to approximately 200 degrees. If started and let idle.

 

I would really appreciate any input you guys have. I don’t want to replace the IACV if that is not the problem.

 

 

Thanks.

 

You may want to look into replacing your coolant temp sensor.

[Surfdougyfresh]

Anyone have insight into the issue described as someone pulling the car backwards...the shuttering...when coming off the accelerator at speed? I've the same problem with my '98 outback MT and have looked at just about everything I can think of. When I feather the accelerator I get the same shuttering or bucking as well. What "idle" adjustment is the dealer looking into?