You cant know if the Cat is good or bad without testing it. To begin troubleshooting, you must first connect the diagnostic tool to your Outback. I even did the spirited drive as you recommended. failure , my forester has never had replacement h.g.how can I make head gaskets last? I have Hes supposed to leave on a 600 mile trip tomorrow and the Subaru dealer wouldnt commit as to whether the car is okay to drive as is, so he will be borrowing my car for the next few days. Are you also using non OE 02 sensors? Report a problem with your vehicle, tires, car seats or other equipment. I have been on the hiway a few times full throttle and my gas mileage seems to be back up a bit. There are plenty of good shops that havequalifiedtechs that can test your vehicle, and there are also plenty that have guys qualified to make guesses about your vehicle as well. Webexhaust pipe containing the catalytic converter. -cat is not doing its job Does this help determine if its the cat or something less expensive to fix (rear O2 sensor)? So ran beautifully for a week after driving it 4hrs from Atl back to southern Al. vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen before the exhaust is expelled into the. Thanks for any insights you can offer! I have been doing a good deal of research on the internet on the code with the hope that I might be able to avoid replacing the CAT. pollutants to less harmful substances such as carbon dioxide, water. Following are all the error codes that indicate a problem with a catalytic converter. Today they did not do the test for the emissions (only read the code) which I was unaware that reading the code and the test you mentioned were 2 different things of until reading your site. The car was originally imported from NY and has been in Ontario since (close to 135,000km/84000miles). Lastly can I do any damage by running the car if the converter/s are damaged. Some of these owners then replaced the aftermarket bearings with OEM parts and the problem went away. There is just no Quality aftermarket Convertor on the market today, especially for the state of California. I would make the head gasket repairs, then budget for the Subaru convertor when you can and maybe replace the front air fuel sensor and rear oxygen sensor at that time as well. Lift the vehicle, allowing easy access to the catalytic converter. This is why time after time I state over and over I really cant comment on what prices will be somewhere else as the differ greatly just like house prices. Hi Justin, When the engine cannot breathe properly due to clogged catalytic converter, it causes the engine to burn more fuel. He just said to bring it to an exhaust place whenever I have the time and itll probably be a quick/inexpensive fix. Do you think I should (1) reflash the ECU and see if that helps, (2) spend the $1k and replace the converter, (3) go somewhere else and see if they will do an efficiency test and throw more money at testing, or (4) do something else. They also tried to source ECU remap codes that would just ignore the reading from the O2 sensors which is how they have solved issues with other models (our emissions laws are not quite as strict as USA or Europe) but because the Tribeca is built in the USA not Japan there is nothing available. Below we'll cover the location, price, and symptoms of a bad torque converter in your Forester. Tightening the gas cap if its loose may correct the light , but more importantly why would you keep leaving the cap loose? We review every problem as we work to keep our roads safe. I purchased a new used 2004 Outback 2.5L 4cyl Base model about a week ago as is no warranty offered from my local dealer. Thank you. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. But just before the lights went on the first time I had filled the tank and added STP engine cleaner additive, which I had never used before. Whats the Time in milliseconds and divisions during Graphing and what was done to force a reading? I havent checked to see if any new codes have been thrown but assuming no new codes and the fact that I have a P0420 code, would it be safe to say that its probably the upstream O2 sensor? The CEL for my 2006 Subaru Forrester was on all Winter and the dealer said it was a P0420. How did you get on with your problem? WebScroll down for a partial list of fixes and recalls on the US spec Subaru Outback, Legacy, Impreza, Forester, WRX STI, BRZ, Crosstrek, Tribeca. How is this test performedwhile driving or during idle? What gives? Back when I had ratings on my posts the Check engine light articles always did poorly. I love the advice you give. Some weeks later, in early December, CEL came on. I was able to demonstrate that I had taken proper care of my car, and Subaru paid for all of my entire HG repair, even though my car was at 160K miles and about 10 years old (beyond recall specifications). Full disclosure, the shop is very reputable and he was loathe to fix because he wasnt confident what was the right solution. There can be complications in trying to remove an aged 02 sensor and re installing it into a Catalytic Converter. I just did the ECM recall for 2008 Outback last week, which I understand was for efficiency and cant help but wonder if related. vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen before the exhaust is expelled into the. There is no more external oil or coolant leaks at the head anymore. Best way to tell if your vehicle is a cat theft target is to find out how much replacement is. WebVehicle Recalls. Thank you Thanks for the feedback. For one thing, universal converters are simply a shell with an internal catalyst. Should I take care of the noise/wheel bearing problem first and see if the CEL and blinking cruise light resolves itself before investigating other causes like O2 sensors and catalytic converters causing these warning lights to come on? If the temperature difference is higher than 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit, then most likely the catalytic converter is clogged. Should I just bite the bullet and have it replaced? Anything else I can do before I bring it back to the dealer? A fuel mixture that is too rich, i.e. Or is it better to let a new (expensive) cat converter be installed? Subaru Forester 2009, Catalytic Converter and Pipe Assembly by Davico. And if that happened what kind of $ am I then looking at? After driving the vehicle hard for a bit it may go away, but you most likely had a on its way out Catalyst and now that the ECM is merely looking at pass fail data in a narrow way its easy to spot the issue. when I took it to the mechanic he mentioned that it was a catalytic converter. Ill stay away from the additive I used and hope its back to normal now. I work from home so I dont drive a lot myself. Any thoughts you have would be most appreciated. The first time this happened, I took it back to the shop that replaced the wheel bearings and they found that the speed sensor on one of the wheels had been damaged during wheel bearing replacement and they replaced that speed sensor. Converter Configuration: Direct Fit. It is impossible to achieve complete combustion with the current internal combustion engine . You really would want to buy the OE catalyst which would be an assembly and yes expensive. If I dont remedy the problem, am I putting any other system/component at risk? The car is running fine, no problems. Catalytic I sensed how tricky this code could be and went to the dealer as I have not been able to find an independent Subaru mechanic here in Northern VA. We at the shop will often do induction services with new sensors followed by driving instructions, Id say it helps 30 percent of the carbon coated convertors if I had to put a number on it. When you disconnected the battery the Adaptive strategy was lost out of the Flash memory in the ECM. Catalytic Converter. FCFE2. Are there any symptoms to watch for h.g. I have a 2006 Subaru impreza and live in MA. And yet the first couple times I checked it when all this started happening, it DID seem loose! However, due to high cost of the component, it is recommended to perform multiple diagnostic tests to verify if catalytic converter is actually the cause of the problem. Yes to the BG product and higher octane fuel as a possible resolution to the 420 code. Campbell began his professional writing career in 2004 with the publication of his first book. If you dont have any good advice I have a 2000 subaru outback for sale. 85,000 miles. Please watch this video to understand the function of cat fooler/spacer: Change the beat of Subaru? Only a scan of the code history will determine if its in memory still. Your Subaru Forester leaves the factory with a catalytic converter. Its a 2008 subaru legacy 2.5i limited with 99800 miles. The most common signs of clogged catalytic converter in Subaru Forester are: limited performance above a certain speed or loss of performance, irregular running of the engine, unusual exhaust gas odor, poor fuel economy, engine check light illuminates, and sometimes rattling noises. Having said all that if you are being advised differently than that its possible the Catalytic converter is not coming close to light off and has failed completely, I am at a huge disadvantage with out data its really what is needed to diagnose the issue. But I will save that for another article.. vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen before the exhaust is expelled into the. I have been using low grade gas. Lately, the CEL will come for a few days and then go off a few days. The O2 sensors, or just replace the HGs and see if the code clears? . My outback just turned 100,000 miles and never has the CEL come on since Ive owned it. id really like to stay away from the OEM $400+ part if i could do it for less by just replacing with aftermarket. If the oxygen sensor develops a fault, it will send incorrect readings to the control unit resulting in bad air-to-fuel ratio. Poor acceleration The aftermarket Convertors just dont have enough of the three precious metals to work as well and as long as the Subaru OE. pollutants to less harmful substances such as carbon dioxide, water. It is not complete list and many of the items listed are voluntary fixes, not official recalls. Alternatively, you may call our dedicated Recall Customer Relations Team on 1300 550 994 (Monday to Friday 8.30am 5.00pm AEST. They have already charged me $95 to do the testing to date and could drive the car with the monitors hooked up for another $95 to do more testing but I am not sure what that will do. 06 Outback manual trans. I replaced it when I got home and the CEL went away. Subaru Head Gasket Problems Explained pt 2. Heres the $500 question: do I spend the money to keep her on the road for a while longer or is she going to be a money vacuum? I had a head gasket repaired last week which resulted in stopping the coolant seeping. Takata Airbag Inflator Recall. If the Cat is restricted with Carbon, that carbon will prevent the light off temperature from being realized, if the carbon can be cleaned the Catalyst may return to the light of stage. Dealer anticipates either needs new catlytic converter (still under warranty) or CO2 sensor (not warranted). If the temperature difference is higher than 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit, then most likely the catalytic converter is clogged. Unfortunate that we live on opposite sides of the country, or would bring the car to your shop for the work. I am wondering if these contributed to the deterioration of the cats. The Catalyst dont fail just because, there is 90% of the time some sort of a reason, such as an internal HG leak, a misfire, a rich running condition or lots and lots of around town type driving and not enough maintenance. Thanks so much! The Cats have to be of the same design to work and be considered compliant. Subaru has determined that the efficiency of your vehicles front catalytic converter may degrade over time. I am considering to keep my subaru another 100k. Prior to I put cleaner is a full take of gas when I bought the car, still running in that same tank of gas with cleaner. Huge appreciation for that! My 08 Outback has 90,000 miles, so conveniently out of warranty. A professional mechanic can swiftly diagnose the problem for you. The good news is that a Subaru converter is more common to fail externally by its design. I would very much appreciate your help here. After reconnection, the CEL came on with P0420 code. 1. Thought myself a genius! All catalytic converters fail eventually since its a wearing part. We thought we had an aftermarket solution but just had a comeback on a re[pair where we truly tried saving the customer the expense of the Subaru converter, sometimes it just doesnt work out the way we want when we try to find a less expensive solution, there are lots of ways we can save money on repairs, this is one instance where the Converter from Subaru is really the best option. With age and mileage, Im trying to fix this cheaply. I pretty much went through the whole engine timing belt, water pump, cluth, ect. Service rep stated that in some instances, the attached heat shield cannot be removed (due to rust) and needs to be replaced (which could require later revisit). However, it can fail much earlier due to contamination, overheating or physical damage. Learn about our recall process. Another more slightly annoying feature Subaru owners discover about the exhaust system on their vehicles are heat shield rattles. I cleared the code and started the car, it ran for a few seconds and then stalled. Also verified it had never come up before since they were the servicing dealer. its always on country lanes or motorway, never in the city, always on light gasim out of ideas, please could you through some of them? At 60,000 mile maintenance, dealer replaced valve cover gaskets and timing belt. The OBDII connector is usually located under the dashboard. What should I expect to pay. Would replacing the secondary O2 sensor do anything? I took the cables off to clean them again and a day later, same thing. The Catalytic Converter is the single most important emission device in the vehicle. My dealer is going to replace the catalytic converter because of this (under warranty, i.e. I work in a garage and been driving subarus for couple of years know. About three months ago, while he was at the Subaru dealer for a routine oil change, they told him that head gasket repairs and new cv boots and an axle were needed, which he had them take care of. Typically the rear 02 sensor does not create poor performance, without knowing the code I cant comment if your guy is possibly on the right track. Ammonia (NH 3) odor may also indicate poor catalyst function. I have a 99 outback with 144k miles. Your Subaru Forester leaves the factory with a catalytic converter. (Those are the O2 sensors, right?) It is not complete list and many of the items listed are voluntary fixes, not official recalls. Your vehicle is a cat theft target is to find out how much replacement is home the! Is a cat theft target is to find out how much replacement is their vehicles are heat shield.! Understand the function of cat fooler/spacer: Change the beat of Subaru then likely. 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