Bmm001 Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 My dad's '97 Impreza (AT, 146K) ran fine this morning. This afternoon, he went to go to the gas station, it started, then ran rough, and sputtered and stalled out. He re-started it, same rough running, got it halfway up the street before it died again. My brother and him had to push it back to our house. Check Engine light is on. I know we'll know more once we have it towed to our Subie mechanic and they can start by pulling the codes, but was wondering if anyone has ever had this happen, or do any possibilities come to mind? Timing belt, water pump, and seals were done about 5K ago. It'll be due plugs, fuel filter, etc. in about another 5K. Thoughts, comments? Thanks! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 most likely you'll have "Cylinder misfire" New plugs and wires will fix this. Use the stock NGK plugs only and Subaru or Magnecor wires only. SUbaru is easiest as the others are aftermarket. Do not use any wires from any auto parts store, please spare us the future threads! Just do a search here and you'll read all about this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Could be a bad batch of gas, I've seen it happen quite a few times when the weather turns cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmm001 Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 Got hold of the garage and had it towed up. I guess we'll see what they say on Monday, but they suspect a bad MAF sensor. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) i own one 97 impreza now and have had some others. great cars, can't beat that EJ22. Got hold of the garage and had it towed up. I guess we'll see what they say on Monday, but they suspect a bad MAF sensor.i would guess they haven't worked on many subaru's or are preparing you for helping to pay their mortgage. Subaru MAF sensors fail, but it's very rare. it's a few spots down on the most likely column as most on here would agree. USMB even bears that out if you (could) searched here, very few MAF sensor failures. there are a number of things much more prevalent. if it is a MAF sensor i'd have them replace it with a used one. they fail so rarely i'd never pay the outrageous costs of new one. used ones can be had for $25 (because they fail so rarely, there's no market for them!). Philly area for $25: 1-866-570-6522 these guys have a MAF sensor for $35 on your side of harrisburg: 1-800-692-7822 Edited December 28, 2008 by grossgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 does that etc part include the tensioner and idler? nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash321 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 does that etc part include the tensioner and idler? nipper Do you think it might have jumped time nipper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Do you think it might have jumped time nipper? I guess i got my answer. Yes. They arent made to last forever, even subaru recomends replacing them after 105,000 miles on the 2.5, and i recomend it every other timing belt change on the 60,000 mile interval. They usually fail relativly quickly after a t-belt change, as they dont like being disturbed as they get older (who does). Miss rough stalling after running perfectly fine is typical timing belt junp sympton. Especially after being shut off and running fine. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Pull the side timing covers and check the cam gear marks, if they both do not line up the timing has jumped. It hard to see, but if you pull the cam sensor and look down the hole you can just see the mark on the crank gear if the timing is correct all three marks should be line up. My 98 OBS was running rough, finally threw a code for mis-fire on 1&3. I checked many things, but it was the timing that was the cause of the problem. Autozone or any auto parts place will read the codes for free. You can get code readers for $90 or less these days which is cheaper than the tow for some folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I had a MAF fail on my 91 Legacy (EJ22). If you can get it to start up and run for long enough, you can tap the MAF with the handle end of a screwdriver (Slightly of course). If the idle changes then there is your problem. Did you pull your check engine codes? Another thought: We had an incident here a month ago where the driver of a Pilot fuel truck put diesel in the gas tanks and people were filling up their cars with diesel instead of gas. It is possible he got a bad batch of "something". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmm001 Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Thanks for all the replies. I'm sure the first thing they'll do is pull the codes. MAF was just one possibility they mentioned, misfire/jumped t-belt was the other. They only work on Subaru's and have done so for about 20 years. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmm001 Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Code was for MAF sensor. Mechanic swapped in a used sensor for $80 and now it runs like a top again! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98obster Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Code was for MAF sensor. Mechanic swapped in a used sensor for $80 and now it runs like a top again! Brian mmm, for $80 I hope you got a little warranty. good to know is was an easy solve though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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