Backfire?

[kimokalihi]

90 Legacy L Wagon 4WD Auto

 

 

I was driving to work today and I don't have a stereo at the moment so I had my big headphones on (I'm sure this is illegal and I don't care lol) and I was listening to my iPod when all of the sudden I heard this loud pop. I immediately took the headphones off and listened for a while. I thought my rear tire blew out! Nope, it's fine. After a minute or two I figured it must have backfired for some reason (has never happened before) and began listening to tunes again. Well after another minute or so it did it again. This time I turned the iPod off and set it aside the rest of the way to work. It didn't do it again and it didn't do it on the way home tonight either.

 

I never got a good hearing of it because both times I was listening to music and I don't listen to my music very quietly. But I know it was me and I felt it in the seat when it happened.

 

Probably a couple weeks ago my CEL was on when I started up my car and for a couple times when I started it up but not for long. I pulled the code and it was a knock sensor code. It was still on after that but went off later that day while driving it and it hasn't come on since. So I haven't done anything about that. I was wondering what would make it backfire? If, that's what it was.

 

Could it be that my timing sucks because my sensor is dead? I also noticed that ever since that CEL popped up the thing has hesitation when I start it. When I turn it on it takes forever to go. Like I give it a good deal of gas when I put it in drive for the first time and try to go, it hesitates for about a good second and a half and then goes but not very responsively at all. It takes a few seconds to wake up now.

[Legacy777]

I'd recommend replacing the knock sensor. The older sensors tend to crack and have issues.

[nipper]

Knock sensor. Backfires can hurt your Catalytic converter so sooner then later.

 

nipper

[kimokalihi]

Pickup a sensor at autozone on the way to work today. Ran me like 70 bucks. Damn that sucks. I just spent my whole (paid weekly) paycheck that I got yesterday by this afternoon. Sad.

 

Anyways, I have wednesday, friday, saturday and sunday off this week! HAHA that's cool, kind of sucks because it's only like 27.5 hours instead of close to 40 but oh well, I'll enjoy it I'm sure. So I guess I won't be putting the sensor in til then.

 

Another question comes to mind. I want to change my oil. I'd like to do it at the same time. Should I do it myself or let the dealership do it for me this time? I have never paid anyone to change my oil before but I think they do other things along with it, right? What all do they do? Check fluids, um anything else? Is it worth it to have them do it vs. doing it myself, that's what I'd like to know.

 

I think my tranny needs flushing too but that'll have to wait a while.

[nipper]

Either way get the oil changed. The dealership will inspect your car to find other problems, just say thank you and let us know what they say if they find anything.

 

nipper

[kimokalihi]

Alright, well I got the seafoam today, 7 bucks at autozone. It was on sale. Is that a good price? When I walked in a guy greeted me and I asked him if they carry it and he told me no and another guy said yeah we do it's right over there. The guy who told me they didn't have it was impressed and told me it was some good stuff and he was suprised they had it.

 

Anyways, I'm gonna call up the dealership in the morning and see what they charge, plus how much they'll put in my knock sensor for, if it's too much I'll just do it myself.

[kimokalihi]

Seafoam worked pretty good. I just got home from work, it seems a bit smoother but what impressed me wasn't even what I had expected at all.

 

Up until I put the seafoam in I thought my tranny had issues. It was take forever to engage from a stop. The car was hesitant and I thought for some reason the tranny was the problem. I guess I was wrong. After the seafoam I noticed that it engages right away. So when I push the accelerator in at a dead stop it just goes now. Instead of before I always had to wait a second and feel it engage and then go. Now it's ready to go right off the bat...the way it should be! I'm gonna go buy some more of this stuff and put it in my truck.

 

The knock sensor will be going in this weekend. I called the dealership and "about 35 dollars" will get me an oil change and the stuff they inspect with that is your wipers(they're new), fluids(they're fine), tires(new too), ehaust(I know it's perfectly alright)might need new cats almost 300,000 miles on them babies! Also they would lube my suspension. Which is the only thing I would benefit from so I'll just do the oil change myself.