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-   -   DIY happiness: fixed my wife's Subaru (https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/diy-happiness-fixed-my-wifes-subaru-30701.html)

California98Civic 12-15-2014 03:57 PM

DIY happiness: fixed my wife's Subaru
 
She had the blinking cruise light, check engine light, and traction control lights all light up on an errand with our daughter. She brought it home. I got the scan tool. P0026: Intake Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1. I added oil, got a new air filter, unplugged and re-plugged all the relevant wiring harness connections, and then disconnected the battery for 30 mins and the problem has stayed gone since Saturday morning (EDIT: this was indicated on a Subaru forum as a procedure for clearing the symptoms to try before anything bigger; her car has less than 50K miles on it).

I shudder to think what the Subaru dealer might have charged her, and what they might have replaced that did not need replacing. Online some guys have paid hundreds of dollars, and still not gotten the fix necessary.

Anyway... I learned the familiarity and the tools to do this here at EM. All of it. Thanks again.

user removed 12-15-2014 04:14 PM

What did you fix?

regards
mech

Fat Charlie 12-15-2014 04:29 PM

It's from the aircraft maintenance log:
Quote:

Problem: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Solution: Evidence removed.

Problem: Number 3 engine missing.
Solution: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

Problem: Something loose in cockpit.
Solution: Something tightened in cockpit.
He fixed #3.

A shop would have probably replaced something-anything- instead of saying "We thought maybe something came a bit loose, so we just played with the connectors in the area for a while."

2000mc 12-15-2014 04:29 PM

It's not unusual to see a similar dtc on gm's 3.6. One of the camshaft actuator solenoids is typically at fault. The first couple times the dtc fails is often separated by thousands of miles, making a rock solid diagnosis not possible initially. I'd check on Subaru forums for info to the contrary, but if you had a Gm, the next time the dtc shows its head, I'd replace the related solenoid. For Gm, a solenoid costs less than paying a diagnostic charge, and they're accessible enough for most DIYers.

user removed 12-15-2014 04:32 PM

Fortunately for the wife she has a lifetime warranty, you're lifetime. ;)

regards
mech

California98Civic 12-15-2014 04:36 PM

Hahahaha!! Missed this forum.

Fat Charlie 12-15-2014 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2000mc (Post 460070)
I'd check on Subaru forums for info to the contrary...

From the Subaru forums I've been to:
Quote:

Problem: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Solution: Performance chip.

Problem: Number 3 engine missing.
Solution: Bigger rims.

Problem: Something loose in cockpit.
Solution: Upgrade the turbo.

2000mc 12-15-2014 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic (Post 460071)
Fortunately for the wife she has a lifetime warranty, you're lifetime. ;)

regards
mech

My wife and I were talking with a group of her friends a while back, the conversation turned to car problems / complaints. I initially was just listening, people took turns venting about their issues, finally my wife chimes in that she's had great luck with cars dispite each of our cars having high miles (over 200k mi. each). I explained that I had made many repairs, comparable to others in the group. Apparently until that conversation I had consistantly underplayed my efforts well enough that my wife thought we had magic cars that never broke.

2000mc 12-15-2014 05:15 PM

Fat Charlie -
Yea, unfortuneately accurate. I think there is info to be found, it's just that you seem to spend more time just trying to separate the wheat from the chaff on so many forums

user removed 12-15-2014 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2000mc (Post 460080)
My wife and I were talking with a group of her friends a while back, the conversation turned to car problems / complaints. I initially was just listening, people took turns venting about their issues, finally my wife chimes in that she's had great luck with cars dispite each of our cars having high miles (over 200k mi. each). I explained that I had made many repairs, comparable to others in the group. Apparently until that conversation I had consistantly underplayed my efforts well enough that my wife thought we had magic cars that never broke.

I'll see your magic cars and raise you two magic houses that just popped out of the ground already nailed together with working utilities. :D:D:D

regards
mech

California98Civic 12-15-2014 05:37 PM

Yeah. To 2000mc, I didn't have much chance to underplay any role I had after she called me a little panicked about it. When I got rid of the warnings about 4 hours later, it was also hard to downplay her texted reaction on a subsequent errand: "You fixed my car!!"

She has so little faith. Now a little "humble brag" on this forum... just in fun and gratitude.

Part of the info I used, the best part, that helped separate "wheat from chaff" was this P0026 Subaru Intake Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com ...given what it said and how young the car still is, I figured it was sensible to try the simplest things first, since the oil was on the low line and the air filter was awfully dirty. Horray for not throwing parts at problems!

Frank Lee 12-15-2014 11:53 PM

Good job!

Just so happens I'm muddling through electrical issues too. Last time I put the flatbed behind the truck all the lights worked at the start but halfway through the job the right taillight went dark and there were no right blinkers on anything.

First place to look: bad bulb. So I get the assembly outta the grommet only to find it's a SEALED UNIT. :mad:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31BIJ%2BX86PL.jpg

That's right- a 99 cent bulb blows and PETERSON MANUFACTURING in Misery- I mean, Missouri (Yes I'm calling you out PETERSON MFG) thinks I am going to hunt down a store that carries these and pay over $10 for it or order it online and sit around waiting for it to be shipped?!? I think not! Out came the hand saws and I lobotomized the dang thing from the back and replaced the bulb. Take THAT PM.

But wait! That wasn't the problem! That was the symptom of connection issues upstream, like a dead short. :rolleyes: So the replacement bulb lets out all it's magic smoke and goes dark too. Hmmm. Unplugged the trailer harness, put bulb #3 in, and tried again with the pickup all alone. Blinkers on the truck! :eek: my suspicions centered around the stub harness from the socket connector to where it splices in with the truck harness. Examination showed several weak points- corroded wires and retention screws in the socket, corroded icky looking splices with wire nuts, and the like.

After a major manhunt to try to locate that can of Brasso I KNOW I have (but haven't found) I jumped online and jogged my memory (about the only jogging I do anymore) that vinegar and salt make a nice brass and copper corrosion cleaner. I went all OCD on that whole stub harness, scrubbing and soaking and trimming back wires until all looked shiny and new. This time all the wire tips are getting soldered and it's getting all gooped up with di-electric grease too. And I'm gonna tape everything shut against the elements. The lobotomized light has it's skull section Gorilla Taped back in.

Too late to lay out in the cold, dark, windy driveway tonight to see if it works... hopefully tomorrow.

Grant-53 12-16-2014 10:49 AM

The "plug and pay" lights have been around since the 1970's by all manufacturers. They were designed for trucking fleets. I have more experience with trailer harnesses than I ever wanted. A volt ohm meter is a very useful item in combination with a good manual. Corrosion, vibration, and excessive heat are the chief causes of failure in electrical systems. The "magic" of high mileage cars is preventive maintenance and being "smarter than the metal" by knowing the nature of materials.

Frank Lee 12-16-2014 10:51 AM

"A good manual" ha ha- I never got a manual. But I did poke around with a meter after the bulb incident and the readings lead me to where I'm at.

Frank Lee 12-16-2014 08:57 PM

All my stub harness work works; there is one task left (hopefully) to complete and that is de-corroding the trailer plug (female terminals). I put vinegar and salt into my soaking cup and set it up outside as removing that plug is impossible without cutting wires. It froze of course and the forecast is for it to stay below freezing so I'll apply heat to it tomorrow and see how that works out.

I'm doubly glad I didn't run out and buy a new sealed tail light unit because I would have smoked it right off.

Frank Lee 12-17-2014 04:49 PM

Yay! Above freezing for vinegar and salt in the sun so it thawed. Rinsed, dried, gooped up with di-electric grease. Routed the stub, hooked it all up. Works! :)

Now to figure out where the check valve ball for the tilt ram is hiding... :mad:

The_Jed 12-22-2014 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California98Civic (Post 460086)
Yeah. To 2000mc, I didn't have much chance to underplay any role I had after she called me a little panicked about it. When I got rid of the warnings about 4 hours later, it was also hard to downplay her texted reaction on a subsequent errand: "You fixed my car!!"

She has so little faith. Now a little "humble brag" on this forum... just in fun and gratitude.

Part of the info I used, the best part, that helped separate "wheat from chaff" was this P0026 Subaru Intake Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com ...given what it said and how young the car still is, I figured it was sensible to try the simplest things first, since the oil was on the low line and the air filter was awfully dirty. Horray for not throwing parts at problems!


Thanks for the link! I've been dealing with a recalcitrant cel, flashing cruise light on my wife's Outback for a while.

California98Civic 12-23-2014 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Jed (Post 460914)
Thanks for the link! I've been dealing with a recalcitrant cel, flashing cruise light on my wife's Outback for a while.

Awesome, I'm glad my little story is of some use. It turned out stupidly simple on my wife's car. But on some forums guys talked about mechanics replacing expensive parts to "solve" it (and of course failing). So far, after a couple weeks, no return of the CEL or any other symptoms. Good luck!


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