Got a 98 Subaru Forester with 130,000mi. Good car so far. Just got a good deal on a scanner and it reports 1 code - PO0400. I see it mean EGR flow error. What is the most probable cause or a troubleshoot process to narrow it down? My repair manuals on the car are kind of lacking and I can't even find the blasted EGR valve! I thought I found it but I think it's the knock sensor.
View 14 RepliesI am getting error code po457 Evaporative emissions error, I am told the canister purge valve could be bad.
View 4 RepliesI took my car to my previous shop for a P0325, Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction. They wanted nearly $500 to fix it. My new shop said that I just needed some engine treatment and the code went away for a week and a half, but it came back yesterday, and my engine ran a little rough.
I heard what sounded like a very rough engine and it was my car. The technician came in saying that I was only running on two cylinders, but that sounds like far worse of a problem than I had been experiencing. They say that I need a $266.80 valve adjustment, which is all labor, but the total is $300 more than that:
Engine Light diagnostic: $44.99 Shop Fee: 35.00 Tune up package Remove and replace spark plugs: 60.03 Additional access time - remove: 64.20 and replace spark plugs: NGK Spark Plugx4: 9.96 Adjust Valve Clearance: 266.80 Pepguard Limited Extended Labor: 58.65 Warranty BWD Custom fit ignition set: 36.39
Parts: 46.35 Labor: 436.02 Other: 93.65 Tax: 6.55 Total: 582.57
Of course, my roommate, who is upset that I am not continually pouring fluids into leaky power steering and AC systems butted in and said the entire thing is preposterous. Problems with cylinder firing are invariably the result of bad spark plugs andor wires.
Well, they say that I need to replace those, which cost $46.35, the least expensive entry in the entire estimate. They just want to charge $124.23 to replace them.
Why don't I replace them myself and see if that fixes my problems?
They say that if the valve clearance adjustment does not fix the problem then I need new cylinders and valves.
Regretfully, I have a "service plan:""Engine: All internally lubricated parts contained within the engine block, cylinder head(s) or rotary engine housing(s); oil pump; timing belt or chain, timing gears and timing tensioners; water pump; engine block, cylinder barrels, engine head(s), rotor housing(s) if damaged by the failure of an internally lubricated part. Dipstick and tube; harmonic balancer; oil pan; timing chain cover."
I cannot imagine that it would cover a valve clearance adjustment and they would only cover cylinders and valves "if damaged by the failure of an internally lubricated part."
So, ride my bike eight miles tomorrow, replace the spark plugs and wires, and hope that it is enough?
I have a 2003 Forester that has low air flow thru the vents if you try to use the AC or heater.
If you turn the speed from 1-4 you can hear the blower fan turning faster but the air coming out of the vents is very low. YOu can hardly feel it. I checked to see if there was a cabin filter and there was none.
Even though you can barely feel the air coming out, when on AC the air feels cold and when on heat it feels hot.
I just bought this car for my daughter. It's in very good shape; runs like a top. But the gas mileage is a lousy 20 mpg. All of my trips are local (no stop and go stuff as we live in the country). A buddy of mine with the same car and similar driving habits says she gets 25-28 mpg. So far I have changed the oil, oil filter and air filter.This can't be the best I can expect, can it?!
View 10 RepliesOkay, I've been trying to diagnose this problem for ages. Whenever I top off my tank with fuel, the garage smells of fuel until I use up about a quarter of the tank. The smell stays mostly outside of the car. So far I have replaced the drain filter (a few years ago), fuel filler neck, hose leading from the filler neck to the tank, and had the system pressure tested. I'm fairly certain it's not the tank because the car has been undercoated since new and my mechanic saw no signs of a leak when he replaced the rear crossmember recently. My next guess is either the gas cap, the charcoal filter, or some hose leading to/from the charcoal filter.
View 7 RepliesI can not get my car out of park. I must replace a fuse every time . 1998 subaru forester . 241,000 miles
View 4 RepliesRecently, my car had started having cooling issues. It was running hot, into the danger zone, and it would not blow hot air. I took action and replaced the thermostat myself, drained the coolant, and bled out any air bubbles, filled it up with coolant and the problems still persisted.
View 14 RepliesI got a 98 Subi Forester L, stick, 130k mi.
I've been thinking about what gs ragtop & tester mentioned about the silicate stuff and I'm ready to take the chance, but there's one thing bothering me: If that stuff is supposed to be drawn into the combustion chamber where the silicate comes in contact with the super hot temps that solidify it, thereby sealing the leak, that assumes coolant is going into the combustion chamber, right? Well, I've been driving this car with a blown hg for at least 2yrs maybe 3, (that in itself amazes me), and I've never seen any sign of coolant in the exhaust, no smoke, nor any rough starting issues to speak of.
So, my question is simply, HOW THE HECK DOES THAT HAPPEN!! How in the world can I lift the hood and watch exhaust gases bubbling up in the radiator, yet when I park on a hot, 95 degree August day with a fully pressurized cooling system, the next time it's started there is no sign of coolant. The physics of that defy me! I mean, it says that the head gasket magically blew a "one-way" valve in itself? What do you think? Am I missing something?
I have a 1998 Subaru Forester that is leaking oil through the head gasket. Repairs for the head gasket seem to be in high range, which is at or above the value of the car. Is trying any of the head gasket sealant products such as Blue Devil worth trying? Do they have the potential to do more damage than good? I love the car, but I'm also not sure if it is worth getting if fixed or if I should be looking to sell it for parts and buy a different used car.
View 15 RepliesI drive a 98 Subaru Forester with ~190,000 miles on it. This car is incredibly reliable and excluding the following incident I have never had a problem with it. The other day I went out to run some errands and when I came out of the store my car wouldn't start. I turned the key and nothing happened. There was no sound from the engine or starter whatsoever, but the radio, air, etc. came on. It had started perfectly fine just an hour earlier that day. I had a friend and with a few strikes from a hammer on the starter the car fired right up so that appears to have been the problem. It's been a few days now and it has started right up every time I've turned the key since. Was this incident just a fluke? Is this what they call a "dead spot" in the starter? Should I replace it or can I get away with just carrying a hammer and push starting if worse comes to worst?
View 2 Replieswill it hurt my 98' forester to drive it when one cylinder has no compression? They tell me it needs a valve job for 2,500. They already put a mass air flow sensor in, and replaced plugs and wires. Still got the miss, but I need the vehicle.
View 2 RepliesI drive a 98 Subaru Forester and last month the village cop pulled me over for having no brake lights. It turned out to be a blown fuse for the brake lights so I replaced it, problem solved. Well, I got pulled over by the same cop, in the same place tonight. Blown fuse for the brake lights. It seems like a fuse should last more than a few weeks. Is there a problem which would over tax the fuse?
View 4 Replies1998 Forester, 233,000 miles.. Two years ago it started running hot after 15 minutes of either driving or idling. Coolant seemed to vanish into thin air. The Subaru Dealership said that I either had a bad head gasket or a cracked cylinder wall. They said if the head gasket was bad then need to replace the head gaskets. They said if the cylinder wall was cracked, then we would need a new engine.
View 4 RepliesNot too terribly long ago I got assistance on identifying and fixing an engine misfire on my 2009 Accent. I assumed was directly connected has cropped up again - a P0497 Low Purge Flow error has come up on the car.
We recently replaced the purge flow valve, and everything seems to be running fine - there is no visible cause for the error, and I've even tried making sure I get the fuel cap as tight as possible.
The code is not popping up constantly - this is only the second time it's come up since the misfire was fixed(without obvious symptoms I always clear a code once just to make sure it wasn't a computer glitch), and the first time it popped up on it's own was the day after I fixed the misfire. Need to know what to check to find out what's wrong and, of course, how much priority I should place on fixing this issue.
First & main issue: I throttle on, the RPMs jump, speed drops. I think I dealt w/ this before in my old Toyota pickup by replacing the clutch master cylinder. Is that right?
Secondly, I don't know if the engine of this lil car has been rebuilt, but the smoke from under the hood has been alarming. It smells of oil, and I've seen some spots that appear to have leaking oil dropping onto the exhaust, but the smoke keeps coming from various spots.
I really enjoy driving this lil car, it's my first Subaru and my first wagon, but if the trouble is just now starting for me, at over 210,000 miles... I've replaced a few things, but I've never owned a newer(ish) vehicle (except a Harley), and come to expect to do work every once in awhile. I'm fairly regular w/ preventative maintenance, but not strict about when to change fluids or flush things (i.e. transmission or radiator). Maybe I should just sell this one and move on.
I also hit a deer the other day going pretty fast and fortunately only busted out the passenger side head light, fog light, and blinker. The other day being over a month ago. I just don't drive at night and try to avoid right turns. Any thoughts on where to get cheap replacement parts? I can't seem to find anywhere that'll sell me those plastic bits for under a few hundred dollars.. strange considering a necessary part like a master cylinder is only $40..
I purchased a 2001 Subaru Forester about 4 years ago. Within 48 hours of buying it from a dealer, the check engine light came on showing the PO420 code. The car was running fine without any problems and it was suggested to us by 2 independent mechanics that Subaru is notorious for throwing this code, so we didn't investigate it any farther besides doing a fuel system clean/flush that was offered to us by the dealer.
Lately, the car has started sort of shuddering during acceleration so we figure it's time to look into this more, but just trying to figure out where to start. From what I understand, this model has 2 catalytic converters and 2-3 O2 sensors. I've been reading as much as I can on the topic and watching videos trying to figure out our options and whether we should try replacing the O2 sensors first or just go for replacing the whole shebang. I know we cannot afford the pricey repair of it all right now so the car will have to sit for quite some time before we can do that; however, if we can figure out how to do it ourselves, we could get it done much sooner.
My questions are:What is the likelihood that this could still be an O2 sensor issue considering the shuddering when accelerating?
What other signs do I look for besides rattling in the cats to know they might be bad?
My check engine light keeps coming on sporadically and giving me a PO101 error code...then I'll reset it after making sure my MPG hasn't dipped a significant amount (which is my "concrete" way of gauging if it's performance is impaired) and it'll come on 1-600 miles later. There's no consistency in environment or conditions that are triggering this sensor, at least it's not obvious to me. I finally looked under the hood at the filter and it's a little dirty, but not nearly dark enough for it to be the problem.
View 4 RepliesI have a 2002 Subaru Forester L with 178,000 miles on it. I just had the valves adjusted. I have replaced the coil pack, #2 injector, plugs, wires, and throttle position sensor. I have also cleaned the idle air controller. The car only shows sign of a miss when it idles. It gets great gas mileage otherwise. I am at a loss on what to do next as the car doesn't have a MAF sensor, I can't do anything with it.
View 19 RepliesThe check engine light on my 2006 Subaru Forester with 92,000 miles came on recently. A scan revealed the engine was running lean. After three more trips the mechanic determined the rear O2 sensor was bad and replaced it. This was the only part replaced. Now the computer is sending code P2097; Post Catalyst Fuel Trim System Too Rich Bank 1. I have read it could be anything from the catalytic converter needs replacing to "resetting the adaptation values."
View 2 RepliesI have a 2006 Subaru Forester with 95,000 miles on it. Earlier today the CEL (solid) and cruise (flashing) came on while I was driving. I believe it may have occurred as I was accelerating up hill. I filled up yesterday, so I tightened the gas cap when I stopped. On my way home, I stopped by my mechanic and they read the code; P0420 Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold Bank was the code that was read. They reset the code for me but told me that the catalytic converter is what needs to be replaced.
My question: Could the light coming on be incidental (i.e., is it possible that it was a "blip" and my catalytic converter is okay?)? My mechanic said he thinks it is, and that my car should last me quite a bit longer. I am asking because I've put in a bit of money into the car of late and I'm wondering if I should just jump ship. I should say that the majority of the repairs are maintenance (e.g., brakes, tires).