Hi everyone -- I haven't read this group in awhile, but it was a big help in my deciding to purchase my used '96 Legacy, in March of 2002. The car was basically "mint" with only 46,000 miles when I bought it from a local Subaru dealer. The previous (original) owner also bought the car there and the dealer had a complete record of its service history, which showed the car was exceptionally well-maintained.
Anyway, so far I couldn't be happier with the car. I have nothing but good things to say about it and it has run like a watch since I bought it -- up until a few weeks ago when the engine began "missing" while idling at stop lights, etc. As soon I accelerated, the roughness would disappear, but then a few days later the car began to miss & sputter sometimes during acceleration as well -- until the "Check Engine" light finally came on. It stayed lit for 2 days, during which time the car ran completely normally (no missing at all), then the CE light was off the next time I started the car. It remained off for 3 or 4 days (car still running normally), then came back on right after the engine began missing again while idling at a stoplight. Once again, as I powered away from the stop, the engine smoothed out. Got to the next stoplight (about 1000' down the road) and car beagn to idle EXTREMELY roughly, as though it wanted to stall -- and then got worse when I accelerated, at which time the CE light then began *flashing*. I pulled in to my work- place (only another few feet down the road), turned off the car and went into work. Lunchtime, 4 hours later, the car started right up, idled smoothly, though the CE light was still on (but not flashing anymore).
Left work that night, engine alternated between smooth/normal and missing during the short ride home. I then brought it to my regular mechanic who put it on his computer, which showed a misfire on cylinder #4. He suggested & did a complete tune-up (new wires, etc.). The car then ran fine for almost 2 weeks until the symptoms reappeared (but NO "Check Engine" light). Two days later brought it back to my mechanic (the CE light finally came back on on my way there). Once again, the computer reported a misfire on #4, so this time he replaced the coil pack (at the suggestion of a Subaru dealer he called). Later that day, he called to say the car was ready and that he had test driven it (even getting stuck in traffic, with plenty of idling time), and that the car seemed to be running fine. No sooner then I go and pick it up, it starts doing the same thing at idle, before I can even get out of his lot, and also on acceleration. So, I turned right around and went back. He then apologized and told me just to take it to Subaru (though he had also warned me earlier that if the coil pack didn't fix it, I was going to have to let a Subaru tech diagnose it). So... I immediately drove the car to Bill Kolb Subaru, a few miles away (not the dealer I bought it from, which is more than twice as far). I explained the problem to the
2nd "chief" service tech there and also told him what had already been done to the car. He was EXTREMEY accomodating -- sympathetic, even -- and they took the car right in, even though it was getting to closing time for the service department. After about 45 minutes he asked me if I could leave the car overnight so they could continue to diagnose it the next day (last Thursday).So, Thursday, just before leaving work, he finally called to tell me that they went through EVERY possibility for a misfire on #4 -- and that it turns out, unfortunately, to be a problem with the VALVE GUIDES on that cylinder (becoming "unseated", I think, or something -- I still don't really understand it), and that the entire thing has to be replaced, cost: $1,539.00 (I thought I was going to literally pass-out; my wife said I looked as white as a sheet when she picked me up after work). He said it was very rare for this to happen and that he's only seen it two other times in the years he's been with Subaru -- and then only on engines with more than 100,000 miles (my car has only 63K on it). When I asked "why" it happens/what could've caused it, he said there really isn't an answer for that; that it can just "happen" sometimes. Just out of curiosity, I also wanted to know why the engine wouldn't be misfiring/running rough ALL the time (rather than "just" MOST of the time) and why the tune-up I had done seemed to "cure" the problem for 2 weeks, but they didn't really have an answer for this either.
The next night (last Friday), I went on the internet to see if I could find any reports of bad valve guides on Subaru 2.2 engines. I was just about to give up when I found a site called automotiveforums.com. Within less than 20 minutes of searching, I found at least * 5 * other Subaru owners who've had the same experience with the same symptoms ('95-'97 model years, if I remember correctly), and the same difficulty with their regular mechanics attempting to diagnose/fix it. All of these other folks, however, seem to have had WELL over 100K on their cars when this happened. Again, I only have 63K on my '96 Legacy. (...and to think of all the damn research I did befoe I bought this car -- I thought my eyes were going to blow out of my head!)
Please forgive me for the length of this post (and for my technical ignorance too), but I really wanted to know if any Subaru owners here have experienced this same problem with valve guides or have *heard* of others who have -- especially with only 63,000 miles. Do you know WHAT causes it/HOW it occurs? Could it have been a problem with the original manufacturing of the engine (the Subaru tech says not)? Also, why wouldn't the engine run badly >100%< of the time, rather than, say,
75% of the time as it did (and why did that tune-up seem to cure it for a couple of weeks)? ANY answers, advice, opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening! (Guess it'll be a Nisson or something next time, but I really love(d) this car)Best, Jeff D.