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Old 11-26-2012, 03:59 PM   #1
dunkgalvin
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Default 92 Legacy help?

Hi, While driving on the highway (around 60-65) the car starts to sputter and lose power. This started happening immediately after getting an oil change and a new fuel filter at jiffylube. When i went back and asked them about it, the manager told me to put some higher octane gas in it because there might be water in the fuel..? This doesn't seem right. Help me out please!
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Old 11-26-2012, 06:07 PM   #2
Rally STi Guy
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I'm not sure why the manager would think there is water in your fuel? Was the gas tank low for him to think that? Did the car still feel like it was losing power when you slowed below 60? Meaning is there just that one area where it loses power or is it constant after you have gotten up to that speed?
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Old 11-26-2012, 06:51 PM   #3
dunkgalvin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rally STi Guy View Post
I'm not sure why the manager would think there is water in your fuel? Was the gas tank low for him to think that? Did the car still feel like it was losing power when you slowed below 60? Meaning is there just that one area where it loses power or is it constant after you have gotten up to that speed?
The tank was about half full and it wasn't happening before i took it there... he said the new fuel filter could have agitated the calibration of the engine (maybe from being used to the old filter? i don't know).
It tends to keep acting similarly in lower speeds, just around 2-3K rpm. It's almost like the fuel is having trouble getting to the engine, in kind of a jolty jumpy sort of way.
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Old 11-27-2012, 09:59 AM   #4
Jessekrs123
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Pull and replace the plugs. Get a new fuel filter and replace it yourself.

$100 says jiffylube threw in a fouled plug or a clogged filter in hopes you would bring it back so they could charge you for an easy fix for a problem that they caused.

Jiffylube is full of ****. Start doing your own oil changes and regular easy maintenance.
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Old 11-27-2012, 10:56 PM   #5
dunkgalvin
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I had them replace the filter. They still think there might be water in the gas. I'll replace the plugs when I have a chance. Is there anything else it could be? Injectors, fuel line, pump, etc? Thanks for your help!
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Old 12-12-2012, 01:17 PM   #6
chaz345
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My high mileage 91 Legacy does the same thing. It actually happens at various speeds/rpms but is most prevalent at 60-65 around 2500 RPM and doesn't start until I've been cruising at that speed for a while. I've done both the plugs and wires with no effect on the problem. In my case the power loss is not severe, it would best be described as sort of a "stumble". If i either give it more throttle or back off the problem goes away.

The idea that the new fuel filter threw off the engine calibration is pure unadulterated male bovine excrement. The first and most important advice is to stay the heck away from Jiffy Lube in the future.

I also, on the recommendation of my Subie mechanic, cleaned the MAF, no change. At this point I'm thinking it's maybe a throttle position sensor issue.

In terms of injectors, if the problem only exists in that speed range, probably not. Not only that but my Subie guy says he's never seen the red top injectors that they started using in the 92 Legacy go bad. Not a single one.
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Old 12-15-2012, 12:00 AM   #7
oldscoobyturbo
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1. Check the power supply for steady voltage at the main relay in the passenger kick panel.
I've seen the wiring build up resistance after so many years of use.
2. Next take a look at the knock sensor if its cracked might cause this issue.
3. Lastly check the voltage to the fuel pump the ground tends to build up resistance. The quick fix is to add a new one from the fuel pump plug to the gas tank where the sending unit mounts.
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Old 12-17-2012, 03:42 PM   #8
chaz345
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldscoobyturbo View Post
1. Check the power supply for steady voltage at the main relay in the passenger kick panel.
I've seen the wiring build up resistance after so many years of use.
2. Next take a look at the knock sensor if its cracked might cause this issue.
3. Lastly check the voltage to the fuel pump the ground tends to build up resistance. The quick fix is to add a new one from the fuel pump plug to the gas tank where the sending unit mounts.
Would a fuel pump issue cause problems only in a fairly specific RPM range though?

One other piece of information in my case is that it seems to be different based on weather conditions. It does it more, and more severely the warmer it is.
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Old 12-18-2012, 03:57 PM   #9
jburke311
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honestly dont think its the fuel filter
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Old 12-20-2012, 01:01 PM   #10
chaz345
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When I described the symptoms of mine to a friend who is incredibly knowledgable about cars the first thing he said was "water in the fuel" so I'm going to get some fuel drier and see what happens. I'll let you know.
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Old 12-21-2012, 04:41 PM   #11
oldscoobyturbo
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ok given a bit of time to check out other solutions
check the fuel separator in the trunk area, its hidden behind the carpet on the passenger side. You can use a container and run the car with the purge line in the container it will show you the quality of the fuel in the tank. I too now suspect the fuel is bad. If the lines are faulty the line running to the charcoal canister under the hood can be replaced if its bad or just removed and blown out with compressed air
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Old 01-18-2013, 02:03 PM   #12
dunkgalvin
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Thank you all for your suggestions. You've been really helpful.
I did a number of things since this post and I haven't had this problem since! Only thing is that I'm not sure which one, or all things worked.
Here's what I did;

-Higher octane fuel fill ups on the next couple of tanks
-Changed the spark plugs
-Cleaned the MAF sensor
-Replaced the O2 sensor
-Replaced the starter (probably not relevant but I had to anyway)
-Manually choked on a start (may have helped with calibrating the air/fuel ratio)

I still need to fix the exhaust manifold pipe which may help with gas mileage, but the lagging is gone!
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Old 01-18-2013, 02:04 PM   #13
dunkgalvin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaz345 View Post
My high mileage 91 Legacy does the same thing. It actually happens at various speeds/rpms but is most prevalent at 60-65 around 2500 RPM and doesn't start until I've been cruising at that speed for a while. I've done both the plugs and wires with no effect on the problem. In my case the power loss is not severe, it would best be described as sort of a "stumble". If i either give it more throttle or back off the problem goes away.

The idea that the new fuel filter threw off the engine calibration is pure unadulterated male bovine excrement. The first and most important advice is to stay the heck away from Jiffy Lube in the future.

I also, on the recommendation of my Subie mechanic, cleaned the MAF, no change. At this point I'm thinking it's maybe a throttle position sensor issue.

In terms of injectors, if the problem only exists in that speed range, probably not. Not only that but my Subie guy says he's never seen the red top injectors that they started using in the 92 Legacy go bad. Not a single one.
I would replace the O2 sensor. I think that may be what helped me with this problem, if of course it wasn't the MAF.
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Old 01-22-2013, 03:02 AM   #14
Bigsurlyt
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Was gonna say MAF may be on the way out... If it does this again. Exhaust leak?
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