new boy

hello .
myself and a mate have bought uk turbo cars...mines been great his not so.
hes got a catalunya and here's his problem!
New Clutch fitted by local garage (non -Subaru)
Since then
!) Engine Check light comes on from time to time
2) Car starts (1500 rpm ) and settles down to 800rpm (as before) .
Runs normally at any speed BUT when coming to a halt at
junctions/roundabouts or
in stop-start traffic , the revs drop to 200 rpm or zero as you move
into neutral
Then slowly hunts between Zero to 200 rpm and the engine stops a couple
of times each trip .
The local garage said the'd rebooted the ECU from the Internet
instructions I supplied .
( I don't know what they used to clip on behind the steering column)
The guy said he'd conted the "Check Engine" pulses and it indicated

Code 24 - Idle Air Control solenoid
Code 31 - Throttle position sensor

He ran it for a few miles , got the Engine Check lamp for a few seconds
checked again and the Idle Air Control fault had gone .

He advised to drive it for 50 -100 miles for it and ECU might clear itself
(because the Check Engine light didn't come on anymore and he admitted that
they did not have Subaru diagnostic equipment at the garage .

It hasn't . The Check Engine comes on when cruising at speed for a few
minutes and the very low idle - engine stopping when halting is still
there.
Any ideas please?

greasemonkey

Hopefully there's a lesson to be learned here - get your cars serviced by someone who works on Subarus on a regular basis. There are some good specialists out there, so you're not necessarily tied to the dealer network.

A failing MAF sensor can explain symptoms like this. However...

Unusual for both of these to start playing up at exactly the same time. The intercooler, starter motor, 'box and other bits would have been removed to change the clutch, but there shouldn't have been any need to remove/disturb the ISCV, TPS or their associated wiring looms. They are very close to the area being worked on however...

Jeesh, that says a lot doesn't it? How clueless about Imprezas can they be if they're relying on you to supply info like that?

Plenty of ideas, but it's impossible to be certain without examining the car, and in any case this is a difficult situation as the garage who conducted the clutch work may be responsible. You need a qualified third party inspection.

Throttle position sensors can misread due to wear and/or dirt ingress. Idle speed control valves can also stick for the same reasons. However, it's unusual for both of these items to start misbehaving at exactly the same time. The fact that they're in the same physical location, and, if memory serves, share the same wiring loom, may be pertinent here.

If I had to take a wild stab in the dark, I'd guess that the garage might have disturbed/damaged the loom to the TPS and ISCV when they were doing the clutch job.

There are other circumstances that could explain these issues though - including the possibility that both items are genuinely wearing out.

At end of day, the garage concerned agreed to replace the clutch and were paid to do so. If during the course of this work they caused other problems your mate should either get them to put this right, or get them to pay for someone else to it.

As the garage concerned sound a bit clueless, I'd suggest that your mate agrees with them to have the car looked at by a main Subaru dealer or recognised specialist. If that dealer decides that the TPS/ISCV or their wiring were damaged during the previous job, the garage should pick up the tab. If the dealer, on the other hand, decides that the sensor and valve are suffering from normal wear & tear, it's down to your mate to cover...

[Edited by greasemonkey - 8/28/2003 6:14:36 PM]

new boy

cheers greesemonky..i'll pass that on to him!

this site is just amazing.
just a thought..my car has a k&n induction and beleived to be scoobysport exhuast.

its a my96 and i'm wondering about changing the pads/fluid and b/pipes to something else to firm up the pedal?seems a bit soft at speed(oh err).
any thoughts? cant afford to change the disks/calipers.

greasemonkey

The brakes on the earlier cars are a bit weedy, this is true.

You can replace the standard flexible hoses with braided ones, and ditch whatever fluid's in there at the mo for some race stuff like AP551, Castrol Response or even SRF if you're minted. This will firm up the pedal feel considerably, and help keep it that way.

Pads for enthusiastic road use, you'll find good things said about Pagid RS4.2.1, Mintex 1155, Ferodo DS2500 and others. Pagids do it for me but you'll be happy with the other two, and there are no doubt more besides.

I know you've said you can't afford to replace the discs and calipers, but nevertheless, it may be worth keeping an eye on the For Sale forum to see if you can nab a set of four pots and discs. Plenty of people sell these on when moving up to bigger aftermarket systems. They're a big improvement over what you've got at the moment, and well worth going for as long as the price is right.

new boy

thanks again mate.

the 4 pot's are they standard issue on later models?(if yes..what year onwards should i keep an eye out for?)
and will they fit straight on..ie disks/calipers?

ps..why do i feel the need to say something like"mork calling orsen"?

greasemonkey

The four pots are standard on UK cars from MY99 onwards, although some of the Jap spec cars (STi's mainly) had them earlier.

I believe (although check elsewhere before diving in) that they're a straight swap with the older brakes.

As for your strange compulsion, suggest you visit your doctor!