Subaru Impreza Engine Problems

paisan · January 2008

Fuel pump is in the tank, it can be accessed by removing the rear seat and then unbolting a panel on the passenger side to access it.

No need to bleed the system when putting a new filter in (in the engine compartment). Just replace it and fire up the car. You should if it's quiet be able to hear the pump buzz when you put the key into the "on" position.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

estuardos · January 2008

hello my friends I have a 06 sti with perrin intercooler up pipe and dow pipe perrin to greedy blow off valve and xs computer on top of factory every stage works perfect it have from 0 to 9 and take off wires i tried with and without but my cruise control light comes on somebody knows something about how to fix this problem thanks for your time.

paisan · January 2008

Could you explain the problem a bit more indepth?

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

estuardos · January 2008

well my cruise control light blinks all the time since the chip or computer has bee n installed it has a take off mode some wires that have to be installed in the cluthcpedal ok.well i tried with those wires on it and without it and the cruise control light still blinks but the chip works perfectly but i canot use my cruise control no more thanks guys for the help,

paisan · January 2008

I would contact Turbo XS, I've installed a lot of Turbo XS piggyback chips and they don't usually have this issue.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

jimbru · January 2008

My Impreza (2000) has run sweetly for 3 years but has developed and intermitent problem. Whilst driving at any speed the engine cuts out, it feels as if its run out of petrol. After about 10 minutes it will start again, maybe runs for 2 minutes of 2 days. Has anyone had similar problem and can advise me?

paisan · January 2008

Have you replaced your fuel filter yet? It's the black canister on the left side (looking forward) in the engine bay. Should cost about $20 at a local autoparts store. That would be a good start.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

sea_note · February 2008

Hi,

I have 2008 Impreza Wagon and when I start the car in the morning, Engine Coolant Temperature light comes on. After driving for 2 minutes light goes away. I brought car to the dealer but they said it is normal. I think it should be off after 1 - 2 seconds like all other lights. What is your opinion? Thanks.

aaman1 · February 2008

I get the same blue coolant light in my 08 Impreza 2.5i every mornign I start up. And im not even sure if its the coolant, it may simply be the engine's temp is too low.

We've had below zero temps here in the Chicago area, and that light comes on everymorning. Even if the engines is off for at least an hour in freezing temps and you start again, the temp drops enough to turn that light back on.

I believe it simply lets you know that the temp has not reached its ideal value in order to get the best performance/efficiency/mileage/etc from you engine.

Your best bet is to just wait the 2-4 mins it takes to warm up your engine enough to turn the light off.

xwesx · February 2008

If I have understood other posts correctly, the Impreza does not have a temperature gauge in the '08, it only has the "dummy light." If the coolant is below operating temp, the blue light is on. If it is above normal operating temp, a red light will illuminate. On my car (08 Outback), there is a temp gauge and it takes about 3-4 miles for it to get to full operating temperatures at -20 to -40F. So, at zero, it will probably be on for a couple minutes or more. At room temperature, it might be as short as 30 seconds.

In short, this operation is normal. I would think your owner manual should explain the normal function.

paisan · February 2008

Yup, even the gauges in todays cars are generally idiot lights. There may be a physical gauge there, but it really only has 3 positions...

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

tuttt · February 2008

My backup lights are not working. I have concluded that it is the switch since I can make them come one sporadically by wiggling the shifter.

Does anyone know where the backup light switch is located on a 1997 Subaru Impreza Wagon with manual transmission?

My car has State inspection coming up next month and I don't want to have to pay a mechanic big $$$ to fix it.

If I can find it, I can fix it

Thanks!!!

jimv1125 · February 2008

i just bought a 94 impreza i really like this car but the check eng light comes on after about 15 minutes of warmup time and 30 to 40 minutes of driving then it runs rough and it starts to burn gas i get good milage when light is out and bad when on could it be the o2 senser or map

scott011085 · February 2008

I'd suggest taking your car to a car parts store that will read OBD codes and determine precisely what your problem is. Although it sounds to me like a faulting knock sensor (I had similar problems on a 2000 impreza - would have check engine light on some days, off others - car idled/ran rough when it was on). I ended up moving the knock sensor to a different thread about 2 inches away and this solved my problem. You could try running a higher octane fuel too - if your check engine light doesn't come on, then it's most likely a knock sensor issue.

daz5461 · February 2008

have 53 sti, start car when cold, leave to tick over no problem but start and drive down road engine starts struggerling then dies or when stopping at the end of street,does this once or twice, once warm no problems at all changed plugs,coils.water temp.sensor can any one help

paisan · February 2008

Unfortunately a 94 won't have an OBDII code in it cause it's OBDI. My guess is that it's the cat, but that's only a guess. Bring it to a dealer and have them read the code. It'll cost about $95 but it'll tell you what the code is for.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

paisan · February 2008

My guess is a faulty intake manifold gasket.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

graz · February 2008

my 08 impreza just randomly started making a rattleing noise, it seems to be coming from the front on the passenger side. any suggestions?

xwesx · February 2008

Interior or exterior?

If interior, is it intermittent and loud or is it consistent and muffled?

graz · February 2008

it is exterior, it kinda makes a noise like a loose exaust pipe would, but i have no problems accelerating and it doesn't get that loud.

xwesx · February 2008

Hmmm. Does it do it constantly? If it sounds like a loose exhaust pipe, I almost want to say "heat shield," but more information is good...

graz · February 2008

someone else said that the heat shield might be loose and that subaru's are famous for having problems with the heat shield. it didn't make the noise on my way to work and 8 hours later when i started it, it was making that noise

xwesx · March 2008

Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start. Unless they are very loose, heat shields are not necessarily consistent rattlers.

Oddly, the only problem I ever had from a heat shield on my '96 was a bent shield due to running over a large rock through a construction zone on my way up to Alaska. The bent shield rubbed against the rear driveshaft and caused it to squeal. Eventually, once we made it home, I put it up on ramps, located the point of contact, and moved it back into shape. Problem fixed.

jimv1125 · March 2008

ty taking it to a dealer to get code dont have knock sensor

jimv1125 · March 2008

ty mike am taking it in to get code

graz · March 2008

started the car up today...no issues. it was 50 out today and i heard that they do that in the cold and they can be tightened but they'll eventually loosen up again. guess i'll take it in to get looked at

mutty122 · March 2008

hi can anyone tell me ............ my turbo kicks in alot better cold than when hot ? and what sort of turbo would a 1994 wrx import have.. td04 ? td05 ? thanks .andy

ateixeira · March 2008

Cold air is more dense, so that makes perfect sense. Also, a turbo compresses the air, which heats it up, so you lose some of the power gains, which is why intercoolers are so common.

Not sure about the specific turbo, though.

jimv1125 · March 2008

anyone know what an asv solenoid is?

tunerguy87 · May 2008

hey i have a 06 subaru wrx and i was thinking about taking out the cayalyicconverter but i was told that it might be a bad idea but others say its all good. what should i do. p.s. i was looking for extra hp and a better sound. will that work

paisan · May 2008

Well first of all it's a Federal Offense to remove the Cat. I believe it's about a $10,000 fine or something.

As for HP and Sound, you can go for a high-flow cat and a cat back exhaust which will increase HP and Sound.

-mike

kabuji · September 2008

Gooday all, I have a 2002 WRX that I'm in love with, ha ha. Only thing is, I'm havin some interesting fuel problems (I'm pretty sure anyway) and was wondering if any of you could help. My original problem was that it had trouble starting, I would have to crank it for a few seconds before it caught and started. The check engine light would come on and off, and eventually stayed on. I brought it into the dealership, they did a compression test and found that the #3 cylinder is firing low. They replaced the fuel pump, spark plugs, fuel lines and it seemed to work alright after this. (Luckily it was under an extended warranty, so the cost wasn't too bad!) Anyway, that seemed to fix most of the problem, but now it's kind of going back to the old problems, after only about a month or two. For about the past few weeks, the check engine light came back on, and it was hard to start, and now it's off and it's acting fine. Can anybody shed any light on this or if anybody has had anything similar happen?

ateixeira · September 2008

If it failed a compression test, nothing they fixed addresses compression problems.

It's most likely the head gasket or the piston ring. Something is not sealing, basically.

Fuel pump, spark plugs, and fuel lines have no effect whatsoever on the compression.

kabuji · September 2008

What about the starting problems though?

paisan · September 2008

My guess is that the compression isn't that low.

Instead I'd think the problem is related to the evapo/checkvalve that keeps fuel in the lines. The CEL if it's one for the emissions system will show what's up with it.

Try this next time you start your car, put the key into the "on" position for 5-10 seconds before starting. If it doesn't give you a problem there is a check valve in the fuel system that has failed.

-mike

oldladydriver · October 2008

I recently purchased a new '08 Impreza 2.5i 5-dr hatchback (auto transmission), and now have about 2300 miles on it. After about 1500 miles I began to notice some mild engine knock or pinging when the engine's under load (going up hills, or acceleration). More noticeable when car is warmed up, or outside temp is warm. This has persisted through several tanks of regular (87 octane) gas -- and I currently am trying 89 octane gas to see if it makes a difference (so far, no). And yesterday, the car didn't start on the first try (cranking, but didn't catch), ok 2nd try. I will be taking it to the dealer -- but want some other opinions first. I don't think the engine on a new car should be pinging. I am enjoying my Impreza, but am worried about engine problems this soon.

merogul · October 2008

Hi,
I have a 2007 subaru impreza 1.5 engine, automatic (1000 miles on it) . It is a great car when it works. If the weather is too warm (above 77 degree Fahrenheit) or cold (below -2.2 degree Fahrenheit), I cannot start the engine. The engine makes very weak sound than usual. The engine light does not behave strangely. (A subaru mechanic said that if something was wrong, the engine light would have been on.) It is like the battery is very low or there is no gas in the gas tank. If the engine catches on, it dies by itself if I do not step on the gas pedal. First, I had the cold weather problem. The subaru service in Turkey replaced oxygen censors and installed a quick start program a couple of months ago. ( I thought that they would run some full checkup to see what the problem was) There is a 2008 subaru impreza in Kars (the city I am living at) and that car does not have these kinds of problems (She is using the same gas, etc.)
Thanks
Mehmet

loretts · October 2008

I want to change my own oil to save a few $$ and priced out a filter at a local auto parts store. I then checked the dealer price and it was actually lower. So I got the dealer filter.

Got set up to do the change and I took the new filter out of the box, and just on a whim, compared it to the filter in place, holding it up under the the old one. It was smaller, not as wide in circumference as the one there. So doing this for the first time, I decided to wait. It was a Friday night and I had to work Saturday and could not call the dealer to question if I had been sold the right filter. Is it possible that it is the correct one and it fill work?

Also I have heard that those quick change oil centers use a lower grade oil, hence the lower price for a change? Is this true and is it not a good idea to get oil changes in these places?

Thanks

paisan · October 2008

Not sure what year your car is, but a few years back they changed the specified filter for the subies to a smaller one because the old wider ones put the oil too close to the exhaust headers and heated up the oil too much.

-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

xwesx · October 2008

Hmmm.... strange that it would happen on both the warm and cold ends of the spectrum, but it seems to me that it might be related to sensors and fuel pressure, or, perhaps, the battery (at least for cold). If the weather is below -2.2F, you should certainly have the car plugged in with at least a block heater - especially if you have a stock battery in it. I do not know about Turkey, but in the US the stock batteries are something like 260 CCA (cold cranking amps), which is severely inadequate for cold weather. Warming the engine, so it is easier to crank, tends to help nurse the battery along.

When you first attempt to start, turn the key to the "on" position for a couple seconds before actually trying to crank it. That will give the fuel system time to pressurize. I would not think oxygen sensors to be a possible problem, as I thought they did not provide feedback until after the car reached operating temperature - perhaps someone can correct me if I am wrong.

The one time I had serious issues with cold starting (in any weather conditions), it was a result, I think, of a faulty knock sensor, perhaps in combination with the crank and camshaft sensors. The computer threw a code for the camshaft sensor when that happened, but I replaced all three simultaneously due to some other issues that lead me to suspect the other sensors may be co-conspirators, and all problems were resolved. I am not recommending that you start throwing all those parts at the car, but you might consider having your knock sensor tested and/or replaced.

As yours should be under warranty, it might be more difficult to get the shop to test for these things, but the car is obviously not running right, so keep on it to seek satisfaction. It is frustrating when a shop can only diagnose a car based on the computer or a factory T.S.B.

Good luck!

merogul · November 2008

I would like to thank you for your response. Last winter, I have tried your suggestion which is turning the key to the "on" position for a couple seconds before actually trying to crank it. However, it did not help anything. I also checked the voltage of the battery a couple of times. Nothing was wrong with the battery. I will go to the Subaru service in December and ask them about the knock sensor, the crank and camshaft sensors. I am not sure if they sell block heater and stock batteries in Turkey. I think my car is getting worse. Most of the time I have to step on the gas pedal while starting the engine. If I do not do that, it either does not start or dies itself after the engine starts. When I push the gas pedal half way before turning the key to start engine, the car starts perfectly as it should. Sometimes, the engine starts and waits at the 200-300 RPM about 3-4 seconds before going to 1500-2000 RPM.
This is a small city and I am driving my car slowly around 2000RPM. Can this cause these kinds of problems? What would be the appropriate RPM for my 1.5 engine automatic subaru impreza?
Thanks.

merogul · December 2008

I would like to give an update about the engine problem.
After my previous post, the engine did not start at all when it was cold. While turning on the key to start position, I had to step on gas pedal several times to get it started. I took my car to the Subaru service. The mechanic told me that the butterfly valve in the engine got dirty and could not close itself. The angle of the valve should be 0º in closed position. However, it was 0.5º in my car. When I had turned the key to start engine, it had sent a lot of gas and choked the engine. ( I do not understand. If it was sending a lot of gas, why the engine started when I pushed the gas pedal several times and send more gas to the engine) The mechanic changed some part of the valve. He also said that he cleaned the sensors in the engine. The engine works perfectly in warm weather. However, now it is very cold. The engine starts immediately in the mornings and then it quickly stops by itself when I release the ignition key. If I hold the key in start position about 8 seconds (even the engine got started), the engine catches on and continue to work. I do not think that this is a normal behavior for the Subaru engine. I am glad that it is still under warranty and Subaru service is very helpful in Ankara, Turkey. I hope I could express myself clearly. I also hope that no one else is having this kind of problems with their car.
Thanks
Mehmet

aka5505sic · February 2009

I'm looking for some good independent Subaru repair shops in the Sugar Land area as an alternative to the local dealership. I have a 2000 Impreza RS2.5 with only 53K miles, but it looks like the dreaded "head gasket leak" has begun, Of course the car is just out of the warranty for the "fix" the factory sent out for this problem, and the local dealership is quoting me $1800.00 for the replacement. Love the car, but I'm going to have a real problem purchasing another Subie based on this experience. Any advice from anyone who's already gone through this process would be appreciated. Thanks.

jaymary · March 2009

The check engine light has come on a few years ago and nobody at the dealership mechanic shop has found out why. When it comes on the performance decreases. We overide the code with a computer and it works good again for 2-3 restarts of the engine, then the light comes back on again. The brake light comes on and off since a few months, too. Sometimes when it is snowy and specially if the heater is turned on and we are waiting at a stoplight there is a sudden smell of gas. Now after our last 600 mile trip the light has started to flash and the engine vibrates when the car is standing. Has anybody out there an idea what is going on with our Subaru ? Does anybody know a good Subaru mechanic in the Greater Antelope Valley,CA, or Bakersfield, CA area ? Please let me know....

ateixeira · March 2009

You forgot the most important part - what was the error code?

Could by anything, from emissions to fuel system to electrical.

claudettec · March 2009

I own a 2007 Impreza. I have trouble starting the engine sometimes. It does not matter if it cold or hot outside. I wants to start, but stops. I am afraid to give it gas, sometimes I have to, for flooding the engine. What is this problem about?

merogul · March 2009

I have 2007 Subaru Impreza too. I have similar problem too. Dealer cannot fix it. They just change the spark plugs and install a new program. Nothing helps. I have sued the Subaru company in Turkey. I hope I will get rid of this car. It is giving me a lot of headache. I cannot sell this car since I believe that this car has an important manufacturing fault. I do not know where you live but I suggest you to go to court and sue them. I discussed this issue here and some other forms and most people said that my 2007 Subaru Impreza is a lemon. I just hope that all 2007 Subaru Impreza cars are not like our cars. I have heard that some people like old subaru cars better.
Good luck.

claudettec · March 2009

Thank you for your input. I just came back from the Subaru dealer today, they cannot find anything wrong with it. Figures. I think they think I am crazy. I had it checked before in the past. The car is only 2 years old. They suggested using a different key to start the car. Sometimes there is a chip inside the key that is bad. They checked the starter, everything. The car does not always have trouble starting. It is very weird, I saw you post and was happy someone else had this problems. I thought it was something I was doing wrong. The car wants to start, but it just quits, Almost as if there is not enough gas getting to the engine,

I guess I'll just wait until it happens again, I'm sure it will. I really like the car, I've had Hondas in the past, and no such problem ever happened. I really don't want to go down the legal path.

Thanks again Merogul.

merogul · March 2009

I think that I used the spare key a couple times and it did not help. I will try again. This is an interesting suggestion though. The dealer in Turkey is accusing the dirty gas. However, other cars in my town using the same gas are working just fine.
If the winters are not severe in your town you might be okay. I have to get up at 12:00 or 1:00 am and go to the street, start the engine, and drive my car about 15 minutes every night in winter so that my car starts in the morning. Otherwise it won't start. Dealer says that the car is working fine in summer. So it does not have any problem. (Actually, it does not work well in summer either. The RPM of the engine of other cars go to 2000rpm as soon as they start. However, the RPM of my car stays around 0 a couple of seconds before going to 2000rpm in summer when the engine is cold.)Their computer cannot show any errors either. The dealer is having a lot of computer readings and sending them to Japan. I think that those Japanese engineers are trying to figure out SOMETHING. If there is something wrong with some of 2007 Subaru Impreza cars, this respectable company should not torture their customers.

claudettec · March 2009

Dear Merogul,

I have not tried the different key yet. The dealer said they called Subaru and they said to try a spare key when the engine does not start. I never noticed the RPM's on the car when I start it, or attempt to start it. I just can't understand why it is so random, and not all the time. I know the mechanic though I was starting it incorrectly. I live in the USA, I kind of wonder about these Subaru mechanics, they sort of look like hoods!!! I even showed them your E-mail messages about the butterfly valve, they said they never heard of it!

My car is not as bad as yours though. I hope you find a good lawyer. Let me know what happens. If it gets worse, I might have to sue. Thanks. /You certainly are being tortured!

Subaru Impreza Engine Problems

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