[JohnnyPheonix]

Okay, about a week ago I acquired another 2001 Outback Wagon 2.5 M/T for very little money. S/he has 152k and I got it from the original owner. It's in reasonable shape, but was the victim of repair work by people who just didn't understand Subaru's, or the concept of torque, proper fitting parts, reattachment of main battery grounds, inspecting their work, etc. The car came with all the service records, but it's more like an indictment than an asset. Over the weekend I replaced spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, and timing belt (all original ).

Another problem I was aware of was the CEL. After reading through the FreeSSM thread, I installed the program and ordered a VAG-COM cable, which arrived today. I went out and read the car's ECU, and the only code in it was P0052, HO2S Heater Control Circuit High, Bank2 Sensor1. All fine and dandy, but the code is for an H6 engine, as the H4 has but one bank. A Subaru bulletin, 11-92-08, says it's the bank2 A/F sensor, or front O2 sensor. Again, fine, but I (should) have only 1 bank on this car. I reset the code and it immediately came back when I started the car. I'm going to tear into the wiring over the weekend, but has anyone else seen coding like this?

JP

 

[JohnnyPheonix]

It was definitely a P0052 which is why it made me think "huh"? I went and read my other '01 and it showed a P0327 knock sensor problem and a P0420. The knock sensor issue is a bad connector that gets lose because the tab broke years ago. The 420...well, it's a 420. I'll follow the P0032 diagnostic in the FSM this weekend and see what I find. With some of the things I've found so far, nothing will surprise me.

The other ethical dilemma now is how to tell the nice lady I bought the car from to take her new Outback to the dealer ONLY!!! Or at least find an anal-retentive mechanic. Among the many problems I found was a bolt for a timing belt idler backed out against the belt cover. The clutch was replaced, do you think all the white caps that hold the rubber shift boot could be reattached? Or how about the lower boot reinstalled properly. I hate to be so critical, but a lot of the silly problems are basic 101 stuff...

 

[JohnnyPheonix]

*RANT ALERT*

The auto repair industry (like most industries) is becoming a tangled mess. The technology is evolving faster than many of the small repair shops can keep up. Finding someone that actually gives a crap about the quality of their work is problematic. I don't think anybody goes to work wanting to do bad work, but how invested they are in the outcome at the end of the day remains a mystery.

Prior to going into business with a friend, I worked for three years for a bank servicing ATM's and credit card terminals. From there I landed a job as a field service engineer and worked there for 17 years. I have a LOT of screwdriver time, and I was also meticulous in my work. I always insisted that the correct screws go in the correct hole regardless if the fit fine otherwise. As silly as that sounds, I always paid attention to details. As a result, I had some of the best performing machines in the region. At the other end of the spectrum was the guy that hated climbing behind some equipment to remove a screw or bolt that held a cover on, so he wouldn't re-install them. Once while working on a project with him, he showed me some screws he had just removed, remarked how he hated them, and literally flung them across the room we we're working in. To protect the guilty, I'll say his name was "Spark". Anytime I would go on vacation and he would work in my territory, I would find the screws missing. This became known as "I got Sparked"...

For me, the last time I had someone work on my a car I own was in 1990-something when I had Midas do a front brake job. They told me that it may make a little noise at first, but it was normal. I drove it a couple of miles and went to stop. I heard a "clunk". I called the shop right then (yes, we had cell phones...) and asked if it *that* was normal, and he said yes. I drove another mile and and then "clunk clunk clunk"! The caliper pin wasn't tightened and it fell out and the caliper was hitting the wheel. I pulled over, got out, walked down the road and found the pin, hand tightened it, and went back to Midas. The re-torqued the pins and gave me a card good for three free oil changes. Needless to say, I never let them touch the car again. That car went 256K before the Mrs lost it to a Toyota.

I had a company service van. I took it in to and "authorized" national service vender. It had around 50k on it and needed a brake job. Unfortunately I wasn't involved in the decision, because the service chain told the leasing center it needed new calipers and rotors and wheel bearings. WTF??? It needed pads, but what do you do?

And then there's the repair industry standard that says this job should take "X" hours and we're only going to pay you "X" hours. If it takes you less than "X" hours, you can take on more work, If it takes you more than "X" hours, you get less work. No incentive to cut corners there, huh?

I could go on and on, but I think we all agree that if not doing the work yourself, find a reliable mechanic and honor them!

JP

 

[JohnnyPheonix]

Update, sorta. I needed spark plugs for the Honda so I asked the counter guy to read the ecu with their scanner. The code they pulled was a P1133, sensor issue bank1 sensor1. So it seems to suggest the A/F sensor is having an issue. I inspected the wiring and connectors and everything looked okay, but I noticed the front and rear sensor connectors were identical, and just to verify this was the case, I plugged one into the other connector. It fit. I swapped them back, but what fault code would the car generate were they switched, say when the clutch was replaced? I can't imagine it would harm anything, but I'm not inclined to find out. I've not torn into the service manual yet, but is there a simple was to insure they are in the correct position? One of the harnesses has a price of white tape attached, but no other discernible markings. Oh the joy!!!

JP

 

[JohnnyPheonix]

Thanks for the information. I tried to compare the wiring with my original "01, but the connectors were different. I'll pull the new Subaru (Honey Badger) in the garage after work tomorrow and look into the wiring colors. I'd do it tonight, but just finished the "American Community Survey" from the Census Bureau and my brain is tired. We can shut down sections of the government, but there's always time for a survey!

JP