Questions and Answers

Legacy Runs Real Bad Q. Dear Auto Repair, I have a 1997 Subaru Legacy L Station Wagon with a H 4 2.2 Liter engine, fuel injected. Automatic transmission, all wheel drive, ABS brakes. P/S, A/C and cruise control and 60,000 miles. I am the second owner (purchased in 2000) of this vehicle and have no idea what the prior repair history is on this car.

The only maintenance I've done is to have the oil changed every 6 months or 3,000 miles and all other fluids checked at same time.

Two weeks ago while driving a spark plug wire shorted out and I lost power and the engine idled so rough it could not be driven and had to be towed to the garage. Our mechanic replaced the plugs and wires plus the ignition coil and since we had it in the shop we had the timing belt replaced as well as the alternator belt and the air conditioning belt.

The morning after I got the car from the mechanic I noticed a high pitched sound (a soft/muffled jet engine scream) when starting the engine, this "noise" also was apparent when I made tight turns.

I mentioned it to the mechanic who seemed unimpressed but said if it continued to bring it back in. I didn't make it , the car died again just two weeks since the repairs and when attempting to start it the idle was again so rough it was not drivable. The symptoms seem to be the same. In both occurrences the "Check Engine" light came on and stayed on. I've just had the car towed again to our mechanics and am awaiting their findings.

I am totally at sea when it comes to automobiles and hope that you can give me some guidance regarding what the problems may be so that I can talk with the mechanics and assure myself that they have checked all possibilities this time. I have Multiple Sclerosis and am unable to walk more than 300 yards, thus my car must be reliable.

Sincerely,
Penny

A. Well the first thing to do is to access the computer and find out what codes were stored. When the check engine light came on, the computer detected a problem and it came on to let you know there is a problem. The computer will store a code indicating where the problem is. The code remains stored even though the light goes out. So finding out what that code is will go a long way to finding the problem.

I would question him on that aspect of the problem. Find out specifically what code was stored. For a 1997 model it would be, for example, P0101. You can get a list of the codes in my OBD-II Diagnostic Trouble Codes section. There is a complete list of all the Pxxxx codes there.

Since there are a number of reasons for that light to come on, it is very difficult for be to suggest a specific cause. That DTC will be the key in finding the problem and repairing it. Once you know what it is, let me know and we can go from there.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA