AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi Everyone not sure if this topic was covered before I'm new to this board and wanted to ask a question regarding a Check Engine Light on my 96 Legacy. This problem occurred before about 6 months or so back the code was a plug missfire so I had those replaced and it was running great until this past Tuesday when the light came on again. The car didn't sputter or feel like it was about to stall as it had done the last time this occured it just flashed then went steady. This morning I noticed the check engine light was off and seemed to be running fine Any advice would really be appreciated Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-fleet-feet Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Pop into AutoZone or Checker and have them hook up a reader to your car (they won't charge you and I know they're in AZ). Find out what the code was for; it's stored in memory. Do it even though the light is out. If it came on the problem is there; it's just intermittent. Catch the problem when it starts and it's often much cheaper to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Howdy AZ, welcome to the USMB. Please give the miles on your car and any recent service besides the plugs. The problem may be the same. do as four fleet says If it is the same, spark plug wires come to mind. The general consensus here is you MUST use OEM wires, not aftermarket (some report good luck with Magnecore wires also) Please, get the stored code read and get back to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Pop into AutoZone or Checker and have them hook up a reader to your car (they won't charge you and I know they're in AZ). Find out what the code was for; it's stored in memory. Do it even though the light is out. If it came on the problem is there; it's just intermittent. Catch the problem when it starts and it's often much cheaper to fix. I had a similiar problem recently. I went to AZ, but unfortunately the CEL had gone out. Their tech said the codes can be pulled only when the CEL is on. I don't know how true that is, but that is what I was told. A few days later, the light came back on, so I drove back to AZ. The AZ code reader said the knock sensor was bad. AZ sold me a new one; I installed it, and the problem was solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Pop into AutoZone or Checker and have them hook up a reader to your car (they won't charge you and I know they're in AZ). Find out what the code was for; it's stored in memory. Do it even though the light is out. If it came on the problem is there; it's just intermittent. Catch the problem when it starts and it's often much cheaper to fix. Thank You Four Fleet I'll give that a shot hopefully it won't turn out to be a major expense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Howdy AZ, welcome to the USMB. Please give the miles on your car and any recent service besides the plugs. The problem may be the same. do as four fleet says If it is the same, spark plug wires come to mind. The general consensus here is you MUST use OEM wires, not aftermarket (some report good luck with Magnecore wires also) Please, get the stored code read and get back to us. Hi Skip thanks for the welcome to USMB I've approx 145,000 plus miles on my car (it brought me across the country from MA in 04)and other than the routine service oil changes I've never had a major problem other than the plugs . I had the dealer put OEM plugs and wires and everything was fine I'm hoping its a plug issue again and nothing more serious Thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 I had a similiar problem recently. I went to AZ, but unfortunately the CEL had gone out. Their tech said the codes can be pulled only when the CEL is on. I don't know how true that is, but that is what I was told. A few days later, the light came back on, so I drove back to AZ. The AZ code reader said the knock sensor was bad. AZ sold me a new one; I installed it, and the problem was solved. Hi Rooster that same thing happened to me when I brought it to the Dealership, there weren't any codes stored while it was off so I told them I had aftermarket plugs in it so they checked those out and replaced them How much does a knock sensor go for and is it a pain to install yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Flashing check engine light = Class A misfire. So you will have another misfire code stored. Go ahead and have codes pulled again. Get the code number, will be a 5 digit code starting with P0. Get back with the code number, and more info about your car. Legacy OB, or just a Legacy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Flashing check engine light = Class A misfire. So you will have another misfire code stored. Go ahead and have codes pulled again. Get the code number, will be a 5 digit code starting with P0. Get back with the code number, and more info about your car. Last time I got a PO304 (if I remember correctly it may have been 09 can't really remember now) my Husband is going to get a reader and see what is saying this time and I'll let you know what happens Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hello and to the board! Most common soob misfire causes. a. non-NGK spark plugs b. non-OEM or Magnecor spark plug wires c. old/aged/in need of replacement spark plugs or wires d. coil pack cracking/carbon tracing e. oil collecting in spark plug tube (for soob engines where the spark plug tubes penetrate the valve cover). less common but can be e. one or more valves not closing completely (i.e. valve lash in need of adjustment - post '96 engines only as prior to that hydraulic lash adjusters HLA's were used). Can also happen if cylinder heads are severely carboned up. f. timing off/jumped tooth/etc of course there are other things too. You asked about knock sensor. It is fairly easy to replace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hello and to the board! Most common soob misfire causes. a. non-NGK spark plugs b. non-OEM or Magnecor spark plug wires c. old/aged/in need of replacement spark plugs or wires d. coil pack cracking/carbon tracing e. oil collecting in spark plug tube (for soob engines where the spark plug tubes penetrate the valve cover). less common but can be e. one or more valves not closing completely (i.e. valve lash in need of adjustment - post '96 engines only as prior to that hydraulic lash adjusters HLA's were used). Can also happen if cylinder heads are severely carboned up. f. timing off/jumped tooth/etc of course there are other things too. You asked about knock sensor. It is fairly easy to replace. Hi Porcupine thanks for the welcome Thank You so much for all your information that is very helpful I do have another dumb question regarding the plugs is it possible for one to become loose from the contact and cause the light to come on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBrat84 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 There is a thousand reasons your check engine light will come on in that car. Anything from a loose wire in a connector somewhere to a loose gas cap. Definately have the codes check at autozone, or if your husband is buying a reader that is even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thank You Four Fleet I'll give that a shot hopefully it won't turn out to be a major expense first of all , the expensive things to repair with outbacks are the overheating problem. usually check engine lights are not expensive to fix. sometime they made be hard to track down, but not expensive. welcome to the board, and enjoy your ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZLady Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thank You John for your input and welcoming me to the Board So far I haven't had any issues with overheating as you have mentioned that occurs with the Outbacks so far I've been pretty lucky regarding that situation I so agree with the CEL diagnostic difficulty the last time I brought the car into the Dealership for this problem they couldn't find a code stored oddly enough but hopefully I can find out what it is this time before it eludes me again and not have to worry So far the light is still off but My husband is still going to get a reader to be on the safe side Thanks again for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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