Had my 97 Scooby in at the dealers today as its been running poor and chewing more than enough petrol.I got a phone call this morning from the mechanic telling me there was nothing he could do as the diagnostics machine wouldnt read anything cos i had no cat converters fitted.

I had a word with him when i picked it up and he said that someone has also wired the Lambda sensor up wrong.It looks like its been by-passed to trick the engine into thinking theres nothing wrong with the car.
Im totally confused about all this because he told me im better putting the standard system back on and re-wiring the Lambda sensor up correctly.

Can anyone help me with this?

 

Whats a cat conveter??? I've lost my front cat am just running my O2 sensor where and wired as it should be.

 

So even if i dont have any catalytic converters fitted,the sensor should be working ok?

So,it looks like the sensor could be shot then?

Is there any way i can test the sensor myself to see if its shot?

 

Its dead easy mate. Get a pin out of your MY's ECU or find the connector block in the engine bay and a volt meter. The + test probe goes to the signal wire on the O2 sensor and - to earth. You should see with the engine running at normal temps the voltage fluctuate between 0.1 v and 0.8 or 0.9v, roughly about once a second, its a sine wave.

 

Right,im really clueless when it comes to things like this.

I dont even know where the ECU is.I know the sensor is on the downpipe but where exactly?

 

Where abouts in the country are you??

The ecu is in the passenger foot well. To get at it means peeling back the carpet.

Look for 2 white and 1 black wires coming from the bit of the exhaust as it disappears under the as your looking down the exhaust pipe. These should be your Lambda wires.

 

Im in Middlesbrough mate.

My uncle used to be a mechanic so he may be able to help me.
So,when you say,pull out a pin from the ecu.What exactly do i need to do there?

 

You miss understand. When we say pin out, we mean a diagram that shows you which pins are fed from which sensors or feed which sensors

I'll see if I can find 1 for your 97

 

Ha Ha!! I told you i was clueless.All i know is how to drive the thing but your help is much appreciated.Thanks!

 

I can only find 1 for the US 2.2. If you phone Subaru tech on 0121 557 2112 tomorrow and ask for them to fax you the ECU pin outs for a MY97 turbo you should end up with a fax in your hand that looks like this

This is for a sport not yours

 

I will see what i can do mate.


Cheers.

 

not too clued up on cars myself either but...

firstly not being able to do anything because of no cats is a load of crap

find me someone on here who has cats on their car !

secondly if the lambda sensor is wired incorrectly then this is probably the base of your problem.

if its wired incorrectly is there much point in checking it ? shouldnt it be wired correctly first ?

 

Thing is,ive only had the car around a month and a half and it seems to have only been noticably bad over the past 2 weeks.Maybe there was a problem when i bought it but not too bad and has gradualy worsened.I dont know but it seems to be really chewing the juice at the moment and i want it sorting.I dont know which step to take next.Obviously i want the lambda rewiring and i also wanna know if its my maf as i dont wanna be driving the car if it is.

 

I have ordered a Lambda sensor and a MAF sensor from Subaru spares today.I cant really afford to buy them both brand new but im sure they will solve my problem for a while.

Is it just a case of bolting the MAF sensor on? Is there anything else you need to do?

Also,is it easy to fit the Lambda? Could anyone explain which wire goes where as mine is currently wrongly wired?

 

97 car can use the universal lambda sensors (i have one on mine)

will be between £25 and £40 depending on where you shop

Maf will just bolt on, and they are pretty pricey

 

So if i fitted a universal Lambda,will it work just as well as a Subaru part?

I have ordered a second hand maf and its cost me £75.How much are they brand new from Subaru?

 

[QUOTE=Snotboy!]So if i fitted a universal Lambda,will it work just as well as a Subaru part?


Just fitted a Bosch LS 02 Lambda sensor (3 wire). Cost £44 with postage. The original Subaru sensor is also made by Bosch but at a much higher price, its up to you which one you want to go for?
Look on ebay, or PM me if you want to know where to get them.

Ade