Hi,

I've owned my 03 STI for just under 3 months now, and it's been back to the dealership (subaru) numerous times as the CEL keeps coming on and every time it's the same code P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire. It seems to drive ok, infact you wouldn't know something was wrong until you look at the dashboard. Up to yet it's had new spark plugs, Coil pack and 02 censor (i think that's what they told me).

The last time it was done was about 4 weeks ago, and it had been fine until this morning, took it back and they just said we'll book it in and have a look, i asked what else it could be and he didn't really give me a straight answer, he said something about looking for a re-write for the ECU???

Has anybody got any idea's of what else could be the problem/had a similar experience, as you can imagine it's doin my head in, because apart from this problem i'm loving it

 

neutral switch

 

I think they may have checked that, but i will double check with them.

Cheers

 

Still having problems with my CEL for Cylinder 1 Misfire, came on again today and it's booked in for Wedneday. I asked if they checked the Neutral Position Switch last time and they said yes, and there's nothing wrong with it apparently. I asked about what they will check next, and they gave me no clear answer and said we have to follow a line!!!

I'm assuming he means simple to do/cheap to hard to do/expensive i.e. Spark Plugs, Coil Pack, 02 Censor etc etc.

Any idea's what's next.

 

I agree with neutral position switch - mine is going in to get this sorted on thursday. Maybe you could get a second opinion somewhere?

 

Hello again,

Well i've just got it back and they "think" they've cracked it. Now excuse me on my explanation as i'm rubbish at this . The mechanic told me that the fuel injector when cold is leaking fuel which in turn is causing an air leak, and this can be a cause of cylinder 1 misfire. He stated they have checked everything else and apart from that everything else is reading ok.

It needs to go back tomorrow as they haven't got them in stock and there's no courtesy car available.

Really weird though that it went weeks with no problems, because it never went more than a week before the CEL light came back on since i bought it, they replace the 02 censor and it went 4-5 weeks, then it's doing it again every few days.

Thanks to the guy's who replied and hopefully this will be my last post on the subject.

PS - they've also replaced both back struts under warrenty as i had the dreaded knocking noise which is apparently common on the STI's.

 

Do you always buy your fuel from the same place?

 

90% of the time yes, i usually fill up at BP with their BP Ultimate, but i was out and about last week for work and i filled up at Shell using V Power.

Why do you ask?

 

I only ask because i've had this code come up after filling up at Motorway service stations, the code has cleared itself when later refilling with Tesco SUL.

It would start with the CEL light flickering on and off for 20 or 30 miles at random with it eventually coming on steady.

After driving the car on different fuel for a few miles the light would go out and never come back on again - I read the codes with ECU Explorer and it was the same as the code you have.

This has happened a couple of times on trips up to the Lakes where i've had to refuel at a BP station in the services.

Might not be whats wrong with yours but worth asking if you've changed from your normal fuel when it's happened.

 

Scoobs do not like BP Ultimate..!

Maybe not the cause of your CEL, but something to try and avoid in future..!

If you can't find V-power or Tesco 99 use Esso SUL. IIRC Texaco/Fina SUL are OK too. Basically, anyother SUL seems far better than BP..!

Just avoid Ulti****e..!

You may find your car drives far better after a few tankfuls of decent stuff too. There may even be an improvement in MPG believe it or not..

 

Yep strange isn't it, the only time the car has felt sluggish or the CEL light has come on like that is after filling up at BP!

 

Blimey!! I was not aware that my scoob might be drinking the wrong stuff!!

Why do they not like BP Ultimate? In my Naivety i assumed that as long as i was putting the top stuff in i.e. Ultimate, VPower etc it would run ok. Noted for future reference.

It is back today from the garage, hopefully sorted now for good, keep you posted if things take a turn for the worse again.

Thanks

Cookie

 

Well guys the CEL light is back on again today after 2 days since it was last in

I'm really contemplating taking it back permanently and getting an equivelant replacement or even asking for my money back and getting something different etc.

They told me last time they've checked everything subaru tell them to check in the book, a 26 point check or something and they were confident it was the seal on the fuel injector leaking causing the CEL as everything else checked was ok. I asked them again about the Neutral Position Switch and they wouldn't even contemplate replacing/checking it because they've said they've already tested it.

Anyone know what else i can ask them to try? Just for info it always comes on before it's got up to temperature????

 

I've been having problems with cylinder misfire on my wrx bug but that was down to have Bosch plugs and the gaps being 50% bigger than they should be It goes like stink now. But if they have already done this then ... I do know mine doesn't like BP and its always more expensive than other SUL.

 

try using tesco super unleaded and run about and see if it changes at all ?

 

how did they check it? if by just see if it opens and shuts on the select moniter thats not the way. go with the tech and get him to graph it whilst you drive, i bet at highish revs in 3rd and 4th it registers a gear change when you haven't changed gear.

 

Cheers for that, i will check when it goes in next week, i think they said something along the lines of the graph was ok or something???

I've told them that they can keep it until they sort it as long as they can give me a courtesy car. They wanted to have it tomorrow but all they could offer me was the really small subaru (justy?), now i'm 6ft 3in and around 28 stone, so i told them i'm alright and i'll wait for the impreza next week. I thought he was taking the pist!!!!

Cheers

Cookie

 

Well guy's i'm still having trouble with the CEL for cylinder 1 misfire. I told them to keep the car for as long as they wanted so they can have a proper look, and run it for a few days etc, they did something called a rough test??? which looks at how the injectors are performing and they said injector 1 was not right so they replaced it, kept it for a few days to run it (apparently) and rang me said it was sorted. So i picked it up and the day after it came back on!!!!

Something i haven't said before is when the CEL comes on. It always comes on just after it's been started first thing in the morning. It always does it when i pick a mate up who i work with, he lives approx 500 yards up the road. I start the car, let it run for approx 1-2 mins pull off, park outside his house, handbrake on put it in neutral and i can be waiting anything up to 5 mins for him and in that time the CEL comes on. It won't be every day, as i've said before i can do that for a week and nothing happens, then it can happen 2-3 days in a row if the code is cleared. It's never come on while i'm in motion or later in the day sfter it's stud for a while etc. The only thing i've noticed is it seems to be when the rev's start to come down from the 1500rpm while on choke and it's hovering around the 800-1000rpm mark.

They still won't consider a neutral switch as being the culprit, the garage (which is a main subaru dealership) seem to be struggling and they've asked for a subaru specialist to come and take a look at it. (i thought there supposed to be specialists)!!!!

As you guys can imagine it's really bugging me now, but surprising i love the car and it hasn't put me off owning a scooby, but it is getting close to me asking for a different vehicle, but i keep thinking at least i keep getting all these new parts etc, but i know it can't go on forever

Does this make anyone think about what it could be. Also sorry for the long post but i thought a little more detail was needed.

 

Not on a Scooby but my wife had this error code on her Citroen C3 as I plugged my ScangaugeII unit in and read the ECU. It was a faulty fuel injector. Very common on the C3 as the washers leak water and it then drips on to the injector below, knackers it up and only way to cure it is new injector, her car had 2 No1 cylinder injectors replaced. I'm not saying it has same fault but could suggest to the dealer replacing it and see if it cures it?

Andy.

 

Another update, well the subaru specialist came and he diagnosed the ECU was the problem.

Apparently when the car was coming down from choke the ECU kept ovefueling the injector for Cylinder 1, when it bought the other 3 down to normal . It's been fine for a few days with no signs of the CEL, but i won't be confident it's been cured until it's gone at least a month.

PS - it had to back today again because for some reason since i've had it back it keeps cutting out every now and then when your slowing down for a junction etc. It was a simple fix as the idle rpm was set to low or something!!!!

Cookie

 

Sorry to keep going on about this guys, but i have yet another update.

Well replacing the ECU has had no effect, there now telling me they noticed last time it was in some oil around the spark plug, so they need to strip the engine and look at the piston/oil rings. Now i'm no mechanic and a bit thick when it comes to things like this but if there's oil around the plug shouldn't they have investigated that as well while they had it??? There hoping (there words) that it is going to be the piston (crack or something).

After that i've told them i want the car swapping, i want to swap it now really but they want to do this first, which i can't really argue with. I wanted to replace the oil rings on the other 3 pistons while it was stripped but i'm not going to at £160 for each piston, not when they can't guarentee doing this job will cure the CEL, for me to then swap the car as i'll be nearly £500 out of pocket, which could go towards another car if needs be.

Cookie

 

im still going with neutral switch on this

 

It may sound like a daft question to some, but would a neutral switch be the cause when the car is in neutral? The light has never come on when driving i.e. in gear. It always comes on when idling/in neutral etc.

Cookie