Scoobyslammed

... I drive a MY00 UK Impreza Turbo... just got exhaust, induction kit, 1 cat removed... the basics really....
Been down to London in it 2 day... about a 400 mile round trip 4 me... it was fine all the way there this morning...( sat ) on the way back tonight about 8pm... half way back doing slightley over 100mph... ( I don't do this often ) check engine light come on... so I pulled over let it idle for a min or so then turned it off... just did quick general check... ie water, oil, check boost pipes etc... all seemed 2 be ok...
So fired it up and the light dissapeared and so I drove 2 the next service station to check it in the light, and 2 re- fuel ( shell optimax) as there was under a quater in the tank...( I don't norm let it drop this low, its nearly always on full, think there could have been a bit of old crap fuel in there ? )...
Anyway... all seems fine... there wasn't any change at all, just the light come on...??? Any ideas whats going on...
The car seems 2 have benifitted from the run (maybe the cool weather where having?)... its picking up alot better cause during the week I only go 2 work in it... about a 3-4 mile round trip... and this is the 1st run it has had in ages...
What do you think a 1 off, MAF, over boost...? as I said there don't seem to be any change in the cars behaviour...
Exhaust is slightley sooty... but dunno if theres any difference...
Maybe the difference in the weather has shown this fault up... say it was slightly over 100 mph at about 4000 rpm...
Please help what do I need 2 do now...

stevie boy

http://www.saxonfields.freeserve.co....iag%20Page.htm

check this site to out find out what the cel was on for

stevie

TDT

Sounds very similar to something that happened to me. Turned out to be the crank position sensor. Replaced under warranty, but it still didn't stop me touching cloth from the time the light came on to when I got to the dealer.

Used a **** load of fuel as well.

Best get someone to stick it on Select Monitor to see what's up

Beastie

iTrader: (2)

I suspect the Lamda probe needs replaced i have just had exact same symptoms on my MY99 and Lamda replacement sorted it, but have diagnostic to be sure it could just be something else. However, because your car is still running ok in all other respects then i would put my money on the Lamda (AKA Oxygen sensor.). 120quid from Subaru or approx. 45quid from your motor factor.

Scoobyslammed

Where do I go to to have it checked out... I'm in the Cheshire area...
Just hope it's gonna be ok... really pooed myself when that light came on... thought that was over... and was gonna have to pay out £2.5 +...
I always think the worse...
Anyway seems to be driving ok, not noises or hunting etc... so will have it checked...

Beastie

iTrader: (2)

Go to any subaru dealer and just say the check engine light has come on can they see what the fault is. They connect to the select monitor device which flags up the fault. (I did they charged me 15 quid and told me was lamda which i suspected anyway) Alternatively there is a method where you can connect some plugs under the dash and flag up the code that way (stevie boy has posted the link) but to be honest if your not a techy best left alone. I am a techy but took the easy way

Scoobyslammed

I think I'd rather let someone do it... it's a maze under the bonnets of theses things... just hope its gonna be ok... but now it's been mentioned it does seem to be using alittle more fuel... considering once the light come on it was driven back between 55-60mph... for about 100 miles... it's used just over a quater of a tank...? I dunno...?
Over the full distance yesterday its used a full tank... to do 360 miles... suppose it ain't that bad... just seemed to move more when I was doing the drive home from when the light come on...

Beastie

iTrader: (2)

If it did 360miles on a tank i would be very worried, must be running lean. Best to get it checked ASAP. Best i ever get out a tank is 280miles.

stevie boy

if the cel has come on (wether its still on has gone off) the car will tell you what is wrong. the only tools needed to do this job is a torch and wont take more than 10 minutes for the first time (inc coffee break!) if you can plug in a mobile phone to a charger - its really that simple. the hardest bit is getting on your back in the drivers footwell to look under the steering column (where the wires are!) you can save yourself 15 bucks your choice, but dont be put off thinking its a really hard job.

stevie

Scoobyslammed

Sorry, I've had a look at the gauge this morning... It's probably used more nearer a tank and a quater...
Anyone wanna place any bets on what the problem is... hope its gonna be ok...
Hoping really its just a case of changing a sensor or summit... We shall see, I'm fairly close to ABP Motorsport in Shavington, will they be able to have a look at it...?

Scoobyslammed

I've booked it in at Subaru for wednesday, so just got me fingers crossed... got it booked in to go on the computer...

Scoobyslammed

Right, it's been in today... pluged it in to the computer... was on it for less than 5 minutes...
Oxygen sensor... top one on the down pipe... near the turbo...
With VAT the computer check come to £47 ish quid...
Now its booked in for friday to have it replaced as they havn't got the part on the shelf... doh...!!!
The part plus fitting comes to about £169 ish quid... But it will all be better again...
Will it be ok to still drive it steady 'til friday???

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

I think you may be able to drive sedately if you disconnect the oxygen sensor wiring altogether.
The ecu will decide it hasnt got a reading and input a fixed value which will be above the value your duff unit is reading.
however,
I am NOT an expert, it is information I think I recall seeing from John Banks in a similar thread.
it might also have been a fix simply to get home not to drive it for 1/2 the week.
best you email/PM John Banks and ask him directly as I am NOT an expert.

did I tell I am NOT an expert?

The_Judge

Peanuts AKA NOT an expert ( lol) is spot on. You can disconnect the lambda without a problem. Your ECU probably won't even notice it's disconnected. If it does though, you'll get a CEL... but your engine won't blow up!

If you're happy spending that money at your dealer, fair enough. However, you can get a universal Bosch sensor from a local Motor Factor for significantly less than that. Alternatively, you can get them from here or here...

Incidentally, I'm NOT an expert either.

nom

Oxygen sensor does bog-all when on-boost, which is the point that you could do damage, so it's safe to leave it in & continue to drive like a nutter. Or disconnect it if you want, but it's unlikely to help matter much .

Typically, lambda probes make the engine run rich rather than lean when they're 'going off' anyway; the most likely reason it came up with the error after the long/fast-ish run is sustaining that sort of speed will drive up the EGTs & potentially make the probe overheat, and start providing suspicious looking info to the ECU, which panics & lets you know about it...

If it were my car (and if I actually used a lambda sensor at all ), I wouldn't change the probe at this point - I'd clear the error code & wait to see if it happened when not travelling at 4k+ over a period (keeping an eye on fuel economy as compared to usual, if you can't log injector %, which I suspect you can't?) as it may well have simply been an overheating problem through this particluar drive, so now gone. The ECU stores the past error, which is all the garage will have read, and the garage people sometimes aren't very clever . Or, at least, they'll always flog you something new when possible .

Erm, also NOT an expert disclaimer .

Scoobyslammed

The mechanic I spoke to said I probabley could still drive to Scotland and back and it wouldn't happen again... But now the fault code has been cleared... I'd rather just put a new one on... I know main dealer prices are alittle dear... but its done now... or will be at midday today... so will keep an eye on the fuel gauge to see if its better or worse once replaced...