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Lagging and idling issue in Loyale


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Hey guys,

 

I drive a 1992 Loyale wagon (manual, 4wd, non-turbo) and as of yesterday it has started lagging very badly when I push the accelerator. I push it down and the car takes a second or two to react, usually lurching quite noticably. It has done this in the past, but infrequently and only in first gear. The problem would go away and not resurface for several weeks. Now it does it every time I drive, much more noticably, and in every gear (though it hasn't been over 3rd since I noticed the issue). Does anyone have any ideas? I had a friend suggest it might be an issue with the fuel pump, but he wasn't sure at all and I figured the board here would have some suggestions.

 

The car also has had an idling problem since I bought it last spring. This also comes and goes, but happens about once a week or so. When I'm stopped at a light or something with the clutch in or with the car out of gear, the engine speed will "bounce" between about 1,000 and 1,250 over and over until I move the car. It will do this everytime I stop, usually for the duration of that trip, but the next time I take my car out it is usually gone. I don't know if this is related to the lagging issue, but I thought it would mention it. It happened yesterday (when the lagging started), but didn't happen today, though the lagging hasn't gone away.

 

Thanks for any tips. Let me know if I can provide any more helpful information. I want to get my baby back in shape. I was back home this weekend and my dad (a long-time Subaru owner) was seriously missing the old Loyale he used to have that was just like mine. His newer Subaru wagon keeps bottoming out on the paths to his favorite fishing spots where the Loyale never had any trouble.

 

-Ryan

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Humm thats strange?? I don't know what it can be? But i see to have the same thing. Mines an 3-speed auto 4WD and if i'm doing 15mph or so and just diside to feed it i'll push the peddel down and it will take a sec to go!? I thought that was just the way it was..... As for the bounceing idle i don't really have that.... That i noiced??? I'm happy someone brought that up...

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the IAC is the cylindrical object on the front of the throttle body here

Resizeofheadgasket009.jpg

and here

Resizeofheadgasket007.jpg

 

It can be removed from the TB with a couple of obvious screws, taken apart by two obvious screws, cleaned and easily re assembled without any guidance. Check the contacts on the plugs of the thing to make sure there isnt any corrosion, as this can cause faulty function as well.

 

The MAF unscrews from the tubular housing by four screws, and is easier to clean with the unit in hand. Be careful with it, though; those two wires are tiny heating elements, and if you break them you need a new sensor.

 

If those get tweaked and you don't seem to have a happy idle, then the next step would be to try cleaning the TPS (throttle position sensor) but we will jump that fence when we get there.

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Daeron,

 

How would you recommend cleaning the IAC Valve? Remove it from the TB and spray it with carb cleaner?

 

Deep

 

Yeah, you can take it off of there and remove the electrical part of it and soak it real good and get all the old crud out of there. When I got my wagon it was in pretty rough shape, but it seems a whole combination of things leads to the hesitation issues so commonly posted here... I have no more hesitation or lagging after, changing spark plugs, wires, disty cap and rotor, fuel filter, pcv valve, all the old crusty vaccum lines, cleaning the maf and iac, and the biggest difference on my particular car was a new o2 sensor. Mine was welded in pretty good, but the local muffler shop got it out and put in the one I bought for a measly $20 labor. Ahhh the wagon runs so smooth now!:headbang:

 

-Doug

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Aaa i've been meaning t clean the IAC.. I'll do that this weekend.. And as for the MAF i cleaned it and it looks clean and new so that good. Cap, Rotor, plugs, wires, O2 sensor, vac lines, fuel filter, air filter K&N are new... SO will see what happens..

 

 

PS: Happy B-day Deep!!

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I believe the part the hose connects to is the part that gets gummed up, so you definately want to take that off. I dont know what round tube part you're talking about.

 

But when you take the iac valve off, there is a solenoid connected to it on the left side(cylindrical thingy) You would want to separate that as it is electrical and may get damaged when you clean it.

 

Again I do not know this for fact, just my recommendation.

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Damn Daeron do u want some engine with that oil? :lol::lol: Sorry its been a long day.

Alot of that is power steering fluid, and ALL of THAT was gone as soon as I took the intake manifold off the engine; those were pics from doing my head gaskets.

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Oh ok. Its funny the stuff that i found when i did my intake manifold gaskets on my EA81. There were leaves and SAND... Lots of sand just sitting on the top of the engine. I ended up taking the vacuum to the top of my engine. Never thought i would have to do that.

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Sounds like it could be a vacuum leak. Or leaks. I had that hesitation thing going on for a long, long time. When I'd depress the accelerator it would kind gasp (how it felt, not how it sounded) before the rpms started ramping up. I noticed it most of all in 2nd gear (mine's a carbed '86), from around 20-30, 35 mph.

 

I had to take my car into the shop this past week for them to repiar a coolant & water leak and that was so inexpensive I told them to find the the vacuum leak and fix it. They found two. It's running awesome now. No stutter-start-up at low speed while going through the lower gears, and it's running stronger than it has in many years.

 

Anyway, check all the vacuum hoses you can find, and all the hose connections & hose clamps. If you have a vacuum-detector gauge, all the better.

 

Subarule

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Thanks for all the advice. I had an error message when I tried to post originally, so I thought it hadn't gone through. I was pleasantly surprised to find two pages of replies today.

 

Anyway, I'm very busy for the next couple of weeks, so I probably won't attempt any fixes until after then. Is this something I should be concerned about such that I should avoid driving the car in the meantime or should I just drive normally and take care of it when I can?

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the IAC is the cylindrical object on the front of the throttle body here

Resizeofheadgasket009.jpg

and here

Resizeofheadgasket007.jpg

 

It can be removed from the TB with a couple of obvious screws, taken apart by two obvious screws, cleaned and easily re assembled without any guidance. Check the contacts on the plugs of the thing to make sure there isnt any corrosion, as this can cause faulty function as well.

 

The MAF unscrews from the tubular housing by four screws, and is easier to clean with the unit in hand. Be careful with it, though; those two wires are tiny heating elements, and if you break them you need a new sensor.

 

If those get tweaked and you don't seem to have a happy idle, then the next step would be to try cleaning the TPS (throttle position sensor) but we will jump that fence when we get there.

 

As far as taking out the IAC valve goes, is there anyway to do it without removing the power steering stuff?

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i cant remember any specific tricks, but when I took the IAC off of the assembled engine I didn't do anything with the power steering pump. I *may* have had to use my, "push on the end of a screwdriver, while I turn the shaft with a vice grip" trick... but I can't remember anything too specific. It comes off, it's just tricky.

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