What's your Year? Engine ? Model?

 

2018 3.6R OB Limited

 

When the car throws a code it lights up like a Christmas tree to get your attention. It can be a simple as a loose gas cap or in my case a vacuum hose was not put pack on after a service.

 

 

Yes, lots of people have gotten something like this. "Christmas Tree" can result from any number of mostly trivial electronic glitches such as bad sensors, battery problems, etc., including intermittent ones. Eye-sight will shut down if virtually any of the electronic systems generate a flag from some failure mode or another. Other warnings may be consequent to the non-operation of some linked system or, as people say, may be a gratuitous means of capturing your attention. As in this case almost all the failures are false, but somewhere some one of hundreds of possible faults has been generated.

It took Subaru two years to chase down intermittent "Christmas Tree" in my car to a faulty original battery. None of the diagnostics detected by computer were an actual problem, but they spent what had to be thousands of dollars replacing engine control computers before they figured out that simply replacing the battery would do the trick, something a lot of people we now know would have done first off. Just a little bit too low voltage for a few milliseconds in some circuit can set a fault flag.

 

"Christmas Tree" is not really gratuitous. Check engine light actually shuts off several automated systems - rather than send them erroneous data - and as they shut off they each set their own warning lights.

 

Yes that is true. The systems often depend on information or function from other systems to function. The issue is still there that the actual fault may not reside in any of the systems, such as my battery problem which generated fault codes that directed service to replace computers instead of replacing the battery, for which apparently there was no fault code to be generated. They also fault checked the wiring harness, another possible source for this sort of thing, but that was not the problem.

 

Happened on our 18 OB 3.6 11K miles last month while on vacation. They said it was an O2 sensor and I asked that paperwork be sent to me on what was done but haven't seen it yet. Running fine for 2K miles so far. She felt fine at the time.

Have to add that DeVoe Subaru in Naples Florida had a tech taking the car within 5 minutes of us walking in the door and problem diagnosed in less than an hour. We were treated like we had a new Bentley. BEST experience I've ever had at a Dealership.

 

Happened on our 18 OB 3.6 11K miles last month while on vacation. They said it was an O2 sensor and I asked that paperwork be sent to me on what was done but haven't seen it yet. Running fine for 2K miles so far. She felt fine at the time.

Have to add that DeVoe Subaru in Naples Florida had a tech taking the car within 5 minutes of us walking in the door and problem diagnosed in less than an hour. We were treated like we had a new Bentley. BEST experience I've ever had at a Dealership.

Same here with Flow of Winston Salem - walked in and told them and the service guy had the handheld plugged in right away.

 

O2 sensor going bad will do that.

We also see it when people don't put their gas cap back on. When I'm doing my delivery, I specifically warn them about this.

 

Sorry, I missed that they were on continuous. Carry on!

 

OK got the car back - it was diagnosed as: oxygen sensor slow response bank 1 sensor 2
Swapped rear 02 sensors between RH and LH converters and performed drive cycle - problem stayed on RH side converter. Took fuel sample (7% ethanol which is OK)

They replaced:

Exhaust Pipe AY Front

GSKT EXH PIPE F
GSKT EXHAUST JOINT OUTLET
RH catalytic converter

 

Then he came back and wanted to know if I used a fuel additive

Do I interpret this correctly as to mean fuel additives are verbotten? (Did I spell that right???)

 

Correct - no fuel additives allowed

 

beinahe one too many t's

 

I use only Top Tier Fuels.

https://www.toptiergas.com/
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/study-shows-top-tier-gasoline-worth-extra-price/

 

I use only Top Tier Fuels.

https://www.toptiergas.com/
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/study-shows-top-tier-gasoline-worth-extra-price/

Is that aimed at me? I see Chevron is listed as a top tier brand.

 

Thanks to everyone on these forums it has been beneficial in resolving the Christmas light issue on a 2015 XV. Replaced the battery and fixed the problem. Thanks again.

 

Hello question my son 2011 forester had a miss hap and need to replace part behind drivers wheel
The abs and check engine all all still light up and it is not drive properly not finding a next gear or sliping gear. No power any more. Help what could it be does not show on our ob2