The Facts 04 Subaru Impreza WRX 83k Miles Aftermarket Uppipe Brand New Battery Check Engine Light was on for 02 Sensor Car lost power (felt like I was running out of gas) less than a mile before I got home. Parked it and haven't driven it since. Failed Jump Start. Car will not turnover / crank..but started up with a push start. Checked dipstick..barely noticeably milky :eek3: Changed oil. Old oil was black with no noticeable milky or white residue. Cleaned MAF. Checked Coolant - no discoloration at all. No bubbles. No coolant leak. Check Engine Light doesn't come on now since I disconnected the battery. Therefore I can't read the codes. Car idles perfectly fine..No knock beyond the usual piston slapping Drove car around complex. Car is hesitating big time!! Parked it. Need help in diagnosing problem(s) I'm guessing a compression test is my next step. If anyone living near the area wants to come by and check it out please feel free...I'm stuck in a rut. I wanna figure out whats wrong with it before I send it to Andy. HELLLPPPP!!!!
sounds like the MAF went bad by the hesitation. cleaning it won't necessarily fix it. But, with it not starting on it's own, that sounds like something else all together. How much oil was in the pan when you drained it?
Roughly 3 QRTS@ Matt The car felt like it was running out of gas, even though I have 3/4's tank. Could it be a fuel issue and if so would that prevent the car from turning over? When I turn the ignition I hear a click(crank sensor?), my gas light is on and the gauge stays on Empty. Also..could it just be my starter? Anyone know how to test a starter?
agree with matt, sounds like the MAF. Find somebody that will let you test theirs as that's an expensive fix. Doubt it's fuel related...turn the car to the "On" position but don't crank, you should be able to hear the fuel pump from the back passenger seat. Starter is stupid easy to get off (though I doubt that's the problem), it's on the driver's side of the bell housing. You may have to remove the TMIC, can't remember. You can just take it to AutoZone, they'll test it for free
had all these things happen to me when car sucked water in. my oil was milky tho. Managed to clean out the system. Had to get a new MAF and stock intake. for some reason, the old CAI would just not comply with the car. As soon as i put stock intake and new MAF, all problems went away. g/l
usually coolant, as water and oil don't mix that well (or at all). However, it's not like you'll just notice it, it will be obviously apparent. OP said he changed oil and it was just black, don't think it's a coolant issue. All signs point to maf. IIRC, they're like $280 or something retarded like that from the dealership, so I would recommend finding one to borrow before you buy. Should only take a couple minutes to swap over and test
Easy test, try running it with maf unplugged. And didn't you say there was an o2 sensor code? That will really mess with things as well. Was the coolant low at all? Any smoke out the exhaust?
sounds like more than one issue. First make sure your fuel pump is coming on. I am leaning there because of your comment of "gas light is on and gauge shows dead empty" and its not.
If you have a way to look at your LT Trim, this will tell you alot. condensation @ the top of the dipstick and oil cap does not really mean a whole lot, a bad PCV valve will cause this. It could very well be a MAF sensor, until you put some diagnostic equipment on it you can sure throw alot of parts on it and not fix anything.
We have tons of extra mafs at the shop. If you wanna swing up and grab one to check it out. Althought I don't think that sounds like the issue to me. Like Mike said try unplugging it and see what the car does.
^^^ That's what I thought at first... doesn't the 04+ WRX use the readings from the rear sensor to adjust fuel trims? And if the code was from the front sensor, that could definitely cause drivability problems, correct? (I'm no engine tuning guru, so I could be TOTALLY wrong about either of those ideas.) I'd start by figuring out what may be up with the 02 sensor issue since that was a known problem to begin with and then go from there.
It will cause issues (rear o2 sensor) and make the car run much richer, but I would not think it would cause it the conditions he is describing unless the tune was off quite a bit to start with.
Update: Ground wire wasn't connected to the starter There was a ground wire that was not connected to the tranny/starter. Reconnecting this fixed the starting issue and the hesitation issue. Changed the fluids and no more moisture showing up on the dipstick Thank you all for the advice...helped alot
Awesome. Good to hear it wasn't a major problem. Well, I guess it kind of was, but it wasn't a fatal problem.