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so i have an 03 outback and i had the car detailed so i could sell it, and the idiot pressure washed under the hood. so after drying out most everything i get rid of the all the time miss but I still have a miss for a few seconds when you start it cold.

 

i swapped coils with a good one i had laying around. i pulled the plugs and really dried out the plug holes. my next step is to put some new plug wires on and see if that helps.

 

any ideas what else to check.

 

it's only when you start it for the first time of the day. the rest of the day it wont do it, not unless you let it cool way off. it also sometimes flips the check engine light, so i have to get this fixed.

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Ah, the pressure-wash problem. Aircraft-engineer pressure washed Dragon like she was my old truck. My truck survived it easily; my poor Subie didn't. If you're throwing codes, go get them read. Write them down. If you don't have a shop manual, there's a list of the codes on this site.

 

He blew off a vac line and I immediately threw a CEL one mile away. EGR problem, PO400 I think. EGR was fine; it was just water in the detached line. Dried it out, reattached it, no problem. Check under the hood for all those vacuum lines, because they're easy to blow off. Are they connected? If they're loose at one end, remove it and see if there's water inside. If there is, dry out the vac hoses and then reattach them.

 

Auto Zone, Checker/Schucks/Kragen, and (for the present) Aamco will read OBD codes for free. (I'd ask Aamco if they're honoring the special.) If they just tell you, 'oh, it's the EGR code,' or something similar, ask for the specific code! They're giving you the code reader's answer, and you really do need the number. If it's a misfire code, you can check that wire's resistance, or just replace all of them. I presume your plugs were good if you pulled them and just took a look instead of replacing them.

 

Some places won't clear the code. Once you've figured out the problem (and ONLY after you have fixed it) you can clear it yourself by disconnecting the battery for at least 5 minutes, and 10 is better. Just read your manual so you know how to stop your remote entry/alarm from flashing your parking lights before you go anywhere your battery cables.

 

If you do have to change the plug wires, use OEM only, even if the price seems steep. Subarus need OEM wires. They just don't like the other wires. Don't waste your money trying to save money! If a potential buyer can't start your car, goodbye, they're gone.

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