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  #1  
Old 11-04-2005, 11:50 AM
angrydan angrydan is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Downingtown, PA
Posts: 302
Angry Slight OT: 2002 Outback Engine Idle Problem

I know this isn't very SVX related, however, I wanted to run this elusive problem past some other people in hopes that you may have seen it.

My mom drives a 2002 Outback and periodically, it has this idle issue. I have driven the car on occasion and also experienced it first-hand. When you stop at a traffic light, (or just let the car idle for a minute or so) the car starts to idle really rough. It almost feels like it is about to stall out, but the engine always revs up and pulls out of the stall.

The idle is usually between 400 and 500 rpm. The tach will drop down to around 200 and the engine will start to sputter. To compensate for it, the engine then revs up to around 700 rpm. It will pretty much do this continually until you give the engine a few good revs.

I have had this problem looked at four times by 2 different mechanics. I have also spent a fair amount of time troubleshooting it myself. It seems that once the mechanic gets his hands on it, the problem is gone.

There doesn't seem to be any pattern as to when the car will behave like this. It has happened with the heat and a/c both on and off. It also doesn't seem to matter if the engine is cold or running at temp. It can happen right when you start it cold or after you've driven it 100 miles down a highway.

So far, the following things have been considered and checked:

-Fuel Injectors were cleaned (not just using a bottle of gumout)
-Fuel filter was replaced
-Air filter has been replaced
-Checked the entire air intake assembly to make sure there wasn't anything obstructing the air flow and that everything was nice and tight
-The car was driven for 25 miles with a reader connected to the diagnostic port. The computer never threw any error codes during the whole proceeding.
-No warning lights have ever flashed on the guages when this starts up
-All plugs and wires are in excellant condition
-Car was checked for vacuum leaks, none were found
-An overall inspection of the engine compartment (from the top and underneath) the car was performed by two mechanics who found nothing out of place.

We are pretty much at our wits end with this problem. (And out of ideas!) Has anyone seen anything like this before? Is there anything obvious that we might have overlooked? Any help is appreciated!

Finally, some info about the car itself:
2002 Outback /w 43k miles
Automatic Trans
4 cylinder engine
Just passed inspection
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1996 Subaru SVX LSi (Red)
2019 Subaru WRX LTD
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  #2  
Old 11-05-2005, 03:57 PM
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Manarius Manarius is offline
1995 Subaru SVX LSi Polo Green
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Grantham, PA (Near Harrisburg)
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Alternator or Coil Pack? Check the voltage coming from the alternator..perhaps the charging system is going. As for the coil pack...find someone else with the same engine and swap with them and see if it does it.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a EJ25, right?
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(8/23/07-Present) 1995 Subaru SVX LSi (197k) Polo Green (#1102) 03/95
Mods: DDM Tuning 4500k 35w Low Beam HID, 100w H3 Bulbs, Extra Ground Cables, 15 minute $12.96 mod,
svxfiles designed transmission mount (), sporting a "new" tail light bar,
silver BBS rims, custom power steering cooler (one that doesn't dump ATF constantly), new negative lead cable, no more third or fourth gear
(1977-Present) 1977 Chevrolet Corvette (81k) Silver
(12/01/2011-Present) 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 5MT (97k)
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