Hi can anyone help me I have a jap import Subaru impreza wagon. It starts first time ,idles fine and if u drive it sensibly is fine, but When you get heavy footed with the throttle it splutters and the boost gauge will go a bit higher than normal and Flicker a lot. It had a good service done and was told it was because the plugs were black and the fuel filter was ****ty and looked like it was the original one but this hasn't helped please can anyone help and try and shed some light on my problem.

 

Is it mica blue? I would have said plugs or even a maf issue, Maybe the air to fuel ratio is wrong on boost? Just a stab in the dark

 

A bit more info on age and model would be helpful.

Have you checked coil pack(s) & associated wiring? They are common for breaking down over time. Also check all vacuum & turbo pipes are fitted correctly & not leaking.

 

as above coil pack etc and boost/vacuum hoses

 

Hi I've had a lot of nice cars over the years and always wanted a scooby I'm really happy with it and didn't realise it was such a friendly seen. More info on my car it's a 95 import and been told its the STI engine by the person that done the service but haven't checked up on it yet. They put it on the diagnostics and no codes came up for coils etc, he did tell me it could be a fuel thing so give it time and c if it passes but also been told it could b the ecu or the maf sensor as it is I did get both of these in spare parts when I got the car but unsure if they've been tried or not. It also has an induction kit which is new but no popular make, bailey dump valve which seems rather load and u can here it permanently building up pressure at any speed and been told it has a full stainless 2 1/2 inch decat exhaust thanks for any replys I get will take them all on board and once me and the scooby have bonded will put some pics up of her.

 

induction kit can knacker the maf very quickly

 

What fuel are you running?

 

Normal unleaded from asda does it make much difference ??

 

"It could be a fuel thing so give it time and see if it passes" ?
Who the hell told you that?
For a start get rid of the bailey's and the induction kit, get some decent fuel into the tank, then report back

 

Cool cheers !! But had plans to push the bhp a bit n thought induction kit would help ??? N what's the best fuel to use ?? Thanks again !!

 

You should be using Super Unleaded fuel in an import, the expensive stuff!!

 

Id go for a maf sensor, my yr 2000 did it but they are known for it

Quick to do and not expensive so id try that first

 

Well I think we found the problem
Super only, higher the Ron the better for an import, you may find the Ecuador is trying to stop your engine from killing itself so is cutting back as much as it can, hence your bad running.
I would suggest not driving hard and filling up with Tesco 99 or shell v power from now on, shove some octane booster in if you have a lot of 95ron left in there Miller's is fairly easy to find

Tony

 

Well I think we found the problem
Super only, higher the Ron the better for an import, you may find the Ecu is trying to stop your engine from killing itself so is cutting back as much as it can, hence your bad running.
I would suggest not driving hard and filling up with Tesco 99 or shell v power from now on, shove some octane booster in if you have a lot of 95ron left in there Miller's is fairly easy to find

Tony

 

if its not the fuel as suggested above the next thing i would suggest is you have a boost leak, as this can show all the same signs as a maf problem as i had it when i burst a boost pipe its easy to check for boost leaks you can do it 2 ways, with the engine running and reving from withing the engine bay all you neeed to do is get a bottle of water with a decent amount of fairy liquid in and spray it all over the joins and piping from the turbo to throttle body small areas at a time then give it a rev and you will see bubbles made in the area where leaks are another way is if you have a compressor connect that to your boost system dump valve ususally an easy area as its small then block the filter off so it doesnt escape there and then you can easily hear the hissing and confirm with the spray hope that helps

 

made from concentrate...not proper juice

 

I'd rather put coal in mine!

Fuel quality is critical, mate. Sounds like your ECU is doing a pretty good of stopping your car detting its **** off by pulling ignition timing.

Fill up with V power of Tesco Momentum and ONLY use those from now on. Problem should be solved. Drive a bit carefully until you've got though a tankful or so of the good stuff though as you'll still have some of the old NUL sloshing around in the tank.

Basically, if the car is protesting when driven with some gusto then that's your cue to drive like a saint until you establish and rectify the problem. If you're not already friendly with a Subaru specialist, then now would be a good time for an introduction!

 

Wow thanks every one!! loving the friendly welcome n help from u all will fill up with the right fuel n see what happens then will report back !!!!

 

Depending on how much normal unleaded you have in the tank will depict how many tanks of super you'll need to dilute the crappy stuff out.

 

I splutter under hard acceleration when i see the needle on the fuel gauge drop

 

I'd go see your GP about that, or buy a bung

 

I've put 5 full tanks in since I bought it unsure bout bloke b4 as he said it spluttered but thought it was a coil pack I will fill up with the good stuff a couple of times and see what happens thanks again everyone for the help :-)

 

Just got the wife to go to petrol station was nearly on red then filled up with v power so got my fingers crossed!!

 

So, what happened?

 

Hi m8 had 3 or 4 tanks of v power go through at one point thought was better but then went bad again just got my nf octane boost through today so just put the recomended amount in with a full tank done bout 20 miles with it so far seemed ok but put foot down once seemed better then done it again got a really bad splutter nearly got wiplash and it puffed some smoke out the back and then cleared again im keeping fingers crossed but not feeling optimistic . Should just leave it a bit longer b4 trying anything else?

 

You might have a spark plugs or coilpack issue mate. I'd get it to a specialist to look it over!

 

Hi had it fully serviced when the problem first came up new spark plugs etc but still the same prob and been on diagnostics but no codes came up

 

I had a similar problem with my type r. Changed every cheap option ie plugs leads ect, still no better. It turned out to be the fuel pump suprisingly. Worth a shot if nothin else works. Ide go for a walbro

 

What diagnostic did they run? The early Classics do not have a diagnostic port.

http://www.scoobypedia.co.uk/index.p...eadingECUCodes

Are they the correct plugs and is the garage your using good with Subaru's or just a local?

You seem a bit vague on the car details, is it an STi?
Is it definetly an import? Rear wiper?
What is the model number on the VIN Plate?

All these details will help us help you?

 

As above, what type and grade of plugs are being used? If they're wrong or not gapped correctly, you will get running problems similar to those you have mentioned.