Thread: Outback out
View Single Post
Old 03-02-2018, 03:47 PM   #1
clyde
Chief title editor
 
clyde's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,599
Outback out

2013 Outback

Running fine until it wasn't yesterday. Wife texts me midday that it's hard to start, idles rough when it does and nearly stalls when leaving from a stop. Runs fine at speed. Hard start = cranking fine, just not catching for a while. Quick internet search finds a common Subaru issue with forgetting how to idle with a 45 minute process to get it to relearn. She doesn't have time for that.

Later, check engine and other dash lights go on and car starts to run slightly better. Quick internet search says gas cap. She put gas in the previous night. She checks cap and says its fine. I tell her to disconnect battery for a few moments when she can. She does that later after getting back to the house. Next start was harder than before and she couldn't get out of the driveway without stalling.

I got home and tried to start it. Cranked fine but wouldn't catch. Almost, but not quite. Tried again and after a few seconds it sounded like it was almost catching, I gave it gas and it started. Idled rough. Shut it off and ran through the 45 minute procedure (disconnect battery for 30m, idle for 10, turn off, idle for 5 more). To get it to start, I had to give it gas. You're not supposed to touch the accelerator during the procedure, so that may have kept from being able to do its thing. When idling, it felt like in a cammed 60s muscle car with a lopey idle with a lot of low amplitude vibrations, but unlike them, it's not supposed to do that.

Towed car to the shop that fixed the car both times it was wrecked (they do both body and service) this morning. They haven't figured it out yet (they've had it about 5 hours). They asked if we'd had any significant work done recently, which it hasn't. It's not throwing any codes. Battery's fine and it's charging okay.

This is what I'm thinking: sensor (cam, crankshaft position, etc), ECU, something in the fuel delivery system, or simply bad gas (she was 35-40 miles into the new tank of gas). Maybe some kind of blockage in air intake?

Any other thoughts?
__________________
OH NOES!!!!!1 MY CAR HAS T3H UND3R5T33R5555!!!!!!1oneone!!!!11

Team WTF?!
What are you gonna do?
clyde is offline   Reply With Quote