Misfiring 3rd Cylinder on MY02 WRX
02-04-2003, 06:14 PM
#1
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Misfiring 3rd Cylinder on MY02 WRX
Hey folks with MY02 WRX's
I just got off the phone with my dealer in Santa Cruz. Last Thursday, my engine check light came on for the first time. I took it in ASAP and they found that the third cylinder is misfiring. After some tests and calling SOA, they get back to me and tell me it's a problem SOA hasn't found a fix for...they said recommend the customer use 91 octane and to let the car cool for 30 seconds before shut down. Well I've been doing that already since I've had it (only has 26K on it).
So in other words, my $25K car is malfunctioning although I've treated it extremely well. And SOA just offers a big load of BS.
Now, just two minutes ago I get a call again, after talking to the dealer and telling him I think they are full of sh**. He called SOA and pushed the issue so they are going to look again in places that SOA originally told them not to look. At first, the dealer said it might need to have the ECU re-programmed but SOA said it already had the latest update. Now they're going to do a valve adjustment and check all the wiring in the related area.
My question to any of you out there is have you had this happen and what did your dealer do for you? More importantly, what did SOA do about it?
The only other info they provided was that the misfiring could be due to excessive heat since the turbo is located directly above it.
I would appreciate any input if you've got it!
Regards - fil22
I just got off the phone with my dealer in Santa Cruz. Last Thursday, my engine check light came on for the first time. I took it in ASAP and they found that the third cylinder is misfiring. After some tests and calling SOA, they get back to me and tell me it's a problem SOA hasn't found a fix for...they said recommend the customer use 91 octane and to let the car cool for 30 seconds before shut down. Well I've been doing that already since I've had it (only has 26K on it).
So in other words, my $25K car is malfunctioning although I've treated it extremely well. And SOA just offers a big load of BS.
Now, just two minutes ago I get a call again, after talking to the dealer and telling him I think they are full of sh**. He called SOA and pushed the issue so they are going to look again in places that SOA originally told them not to look. At first, the dealer said it might need to have the ECU re-programmed but SOA said it already had the latest update. Now they're going to do a valve adjustment and check all the wiring in the related area.
My question to any of you out there is have you had this happen and what did your dealer do for you? More importantly, what did SOA do about it?
The only other info they provided was that the misfiring could be due to excessive heat since the turbo is located directly above it.
I would appreciate any input if you've got it!
Regards - fil22
02-04-2003, 07:01 PM
#2
@Stoptech
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA
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Car Info: 2002 WRX Wagon
Okay, first off I'm going to assume that you're dealing with Subaru of Santa Cruz since you said you brought it to your dealer in Santa Cruz. This means that you're dealing with Mark and Bruce who are two of the best service managers in the country. I can telll you that if they are working on the problem, you WILL be taken care of and they will try their best to provide you with a solution. Also since you have documented the problem before your warranty expired, they must fix it even after the warrantee expires IIRC.
You should be glad you are dealing with SSC because if you took your car to Stevens Creek Subaru, they would have probably told you that you must have put sugar in the gas tank and then thrown their own feces at you until you left.
Have patience, they will do their best to straighten it out and while that might not make you very happy, there isn't anything else you can expect at this point.
BTW I have no affiliation whatsoever with SSC.
You should be glad you are dealing with SSC because if you took your car to Stevens Creek Subaru, they would have probably told you that you must have put sugar in the gas tank and then thrown their own feces at you until you left.
Have patience, they will do their best to straighten it out and while that might not make you very happy, there isn't anything else you can expect at this point.
BTW I have no affiliation whatsoever with SSC.
02-04-2003, 07:53 PM
#3
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Fil22,
I see misfire codes all the time (including in my own car). We have narrowed the activity to cool/damp days, which the car hasn’t been warmed up properly. Yes, it has happened with crappy gas too.
In other words, we get p301, -p304 codes when we stomp on the car when it didn’t warm up and we noticed the light come on in between shifts 2-3 or 3-2.
There may be other causes, but this is just we have personally seen.
Chris
I-Speed USA
I see misfire codes all the time (including in my own car). We have narrowed the activity to cool/damp days, which the car hasn’t been warmed up properly. Yes, it has happened with crappy gas too.
In other words, we get p301, -p304 codes when we stomp on the car when it didn’t warm up and we noticed the light come on in between shifts 2-3 or 3-2.
There may be other causes, but this is just we have personally seen.
Chris
I-Speed USA
02-05-2003, 12:26 AM
#4
Yeah, I get misfiring codes also. My friend just picked up some misfiring codes also on his car and he has about 25k on it. Do not fret, even though it says that your car is misfiring, it really is not. What is causing it is that the sensor on the car is too sensitive and Subaru is supposed to have a reflash on that in the future. I get misfiring codes on all cylinders, even when my car is at idle.
02-05-2003, 12:51 AM
#5
@Stoptech
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Car Info: 2002 WRX Wagon
Originally posted by ImprezaRSDriver
Yeah, I get misfiring codes also. My friend just picked up some misfiring codes also on his car and he has about 25k on it. Do not fret, even though it says that your car is misfiring, it really is not. What is causing it is that the sensor on the car is too sensitive and Subaru is supposed to have a reflash on that in the future. I get misfiring codes on all cylinders, even when my car is at idle.
Yeah, I get misfiring codes also. My friend just picked up some misfiring codes also on his car and he has about 25k on it. Do not fret, even though it says that your car is misfiring, it really is not. What is causing it is that the sensor on the car is too sensitive and Subaru is supposed to have a reflash on that in the future. I get misfiring codes on all cylinders, even when my car is at idle.
02-05-2003, 09:26 AM
#6
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Thanks for replying. Yes, I agree that Sub of Santa Cruz, Mark & Bruce - they are the best as far as I know. And my personal experience with them has been good. But I did not like the load of bull SOA had Bruce tell me. Bruce didn't like it either...he called back and made a push. They're going to look further into the valves today. He mentioned that I'm not the only one with this problem, he was tired of telling customers there's no solution as of yet, and that he made the case to SOA for a better solution.
If anyone has trouble with their dealer, go to Santa Cruz. It sucks to hear about these problems that SOA is not working harder towards fixing.
When I get the final word, I'll post the results.
- fil22
If anyone has trouble with their dealer, go to Santa Cruz. It sucks to hear about these problems that SOA is not working harder towards fixing.
When I get the final word, I'll post the results.
- fil22
02-05-2003, 10:03 AM
#7
250,000-mile Club President
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Bizerkeley
Posts: 4,770
Car Info: MBP 02 WRX wagon
is it happening a lot?
I only ask because I have had exactly one CEL from a cyl 3 mis-fire - that at about 9,000 miles out of now over 67,000. It happened at low RPM and there was only a single incident on the fault log.
Really- I wouldn't sweat it, unless it's going off repeatedly, then I'd say you have cause for concern.
Really- I wouldn't sweat it, unless it's going off repeatedly, then I'd say you have cause for concern.
02-05-2003, 10:12 AM
#8
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Happening a lot? No. First time. But that doesn't matter...I'd rather get a good explanation as to why rather than some BS answer from SOA.
The bigger issue is this is a problem that more than one owner is having. The dealers know about it and SOA know about it and they aren't working hard enough to figure it out (kind of like the clutch rattle noise I've had since day one). Sure it could be a little glitch and nothing more, but I don't want to risk it and this turned into an opportunity for them to look closer. I'm not paying for it so what do I care?
I don't like the idea that my car, which is only a little over a year old, will have some glitch basically giving false readings about misfiring cylinders. How reliable is that?
In other words, I will own a $25K car that I operate properly, but it malfunctions. That's just not acceptable for me...I don't like paying for malfunctions.
If they find nothing still and it continues, then SOA has to go back to the drawing board.
The bigger issue is this is a problem that more than one owner is having. The dealers know about it and SOA know about it and they aren't working hard enough to figure it out (kind of like the clutch rattle noise I've had since day one). Sure it could be a little glitch and nothing more, but I don't want to risk it and this turned into an opportunity for them to look closer. I'm not paying for it so what do I care?
I don't like the idea that my car, which is only a little over a year old, will have some glitch basically giving false readings about misfiring cylinders. How reliable is that?
In other words, I will own a $25K car that I operate properly, but it malfunctions. That's just not acceptable for me...I don't like paying for malfunctions.
If they find nothing still and it continues, then SOA has to go back to the drawing board.
02-05-2003, 10:34 AM
#9
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Join Date: Nov 2002
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Car Info: MBP 02 WRX wagon
Originally posted by fil22
Happening a lot? No. First time. But that doesn't matter... my car, which is only a little over a year old, will have some glitch basically giving false readings about misfiring cylinders. How reliable is that?
...I don't like paying for malfunctions.
Happening a lot? No. First time. But that doesn't matter... my car, which is only a little over a year old, will have some glitch basically giving false readings about misfiring cylinders. How reliable is that?
...I don't like paying for malfunctions.
If you consider the complxity of these systems, the huge number of operating variables that are monitored and flagged, and the nature of electrical circuits- specifically in terms of suseptability to noise and interference, it's amazing that we don't have false CEL's going off all the time.
If you get one CEL, with a reasonable log reading (like one misfire on cyl 3, -like they told you, it isn't the first time we've seen it.) and a reset makes it go away, consider yourself lucky and don't worry about it.
If it's happening a lot- then you can get worked up, but seriously, one occurance is not that big of a deal.
Be glad you don't have an M3 with their self-destructing motors, and really- if you think Subaru dealers and SOA are difficult on service issues, you should try the BMW thing.
02-05-2003, 10:42 AM
#10
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psoper - I've already considered what you have written. But that doesn't help fix it...only helps swallow it easier. It's not like I yelled at them or cursed their names. All I did was call them on their BS answer. And now they're looking harder to make sure - it's their job and they should do it that way anyway.
I made this post because it seems like a common problem and my case, according to Bruce, has caused them to escalate it and maybe something good will come out of it for more people than just me.
I just work hard, pay hard earned money and don't like accepting BS answers. Do you like accepting BS answers often? Probably not - that's what this is really about. Let's see what they find.
I made this post because it seems like a common problem and my case, according to Bruce, has caused them to escalate it and maybe something good will come out of it for more people than just me.
I just work hard, pay hard earned money and don't like accepting BS answers. Do you like accepting BS answers often? Probably not - that's what this is really about. Let's see what they find.
02-05-2003, 11:37 AM
#11
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Re: Misfiring 3rd Cylinder on MY02 WRX
Originally posted by fil22
...they said recommend the customer use 91 octane and to let the car cool for 30 seconds before shut down. Well I've been doing that already since I've had it (only has 26K on it).
...they said recommend the customer use 91 octane and to let the car cool for 30 seconds before shut down. Well I've been doing that already since I've had it (only has 26K on it).
02-05-2003, 11:43 AM
#12
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Well I can't explain it completely unfortunately - only because I'm not a mechanic...maybe someone else can. However, the turbo sits just above the third cylinder and it creates a ton of heat which causes problems for the third cylinder sensors, etc. If you shut down right away, the car doesn't cool down gradually back to a normal temp; it cools down much faster which can stress the metal, etc. If you let the car idle a little while, the fans come on and help it cool gradually rather than quickly. It's a precaution to aviod excessive wear & tear.
02-05-2003, 12:31 PM
#13
Originally posted by psoper
Be glad you don't have an M3 with their self-destructing motors, and really- if you think Subaru dealers and SOA are difficult on service issues, you should try the BMW thing.
Be glad you don't have an M3 with their self-destructing motors, and really- if you think Subaru dealers and SOA are difficult on service issues, you should try the BMW thing.
02-05-2003, 07:31 PM
#14
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Originally posted by ImprezaRSDriver
Yeah, I get misfiring codes also. My friend just picked up some misfiring codes also on his car and he has about 25k on it. Do not fret, even though it says that your car is misfiring, it really is not. What is causing it is that the sensor on the car is too sensitive and Subaru is supposed to have a reflash on that in the future. I get misfiring codes on all cylinders, even when my car is at idle.
Yeah, I get misfiring codes also. My friend just picked up some misfiring codes also on his car and he has about 25k on it. Do not fret, even though it says that your car is misfiring, it really is not. What is causing it is that the sensor on the car is too sensitive and Subaru is supposed to have a reflash on that in the future. I get misfiring codes on all cylinders, even when my car is at idle.
Yeah ok!! My car had a p0302 mis in the # 2 3 months of work at Green Valley 2 cel resets at Green Valley New #2 head and full turbo and exahust system again at Green Valley and now the car is at santa cruz with a cracked #2 piston!!! cel mean something they dont go off for ****$ and giggels. But Bruce @ S.of S.C. is on the job and if things go good for us we'll be rolling a 03
lemon
peace out &good luck -Miguel
Last edited by DWNSHFT; 02-05-2003 at 07:36 PM.
02-06-2003, 10:26 AM
#15
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Well if you're interested, this is what happened for me. Got my car back yesterday. They checked & adjusted the valves and tightened the sensor connections & made sure they were clean and operating properly. According to Bruce at SC, 6 other WRX's that had the same problem were given the same fix and none have come back. So far, so good for me. The culprit is definitely the over-sensitive sensors so luckily it wasn't something worse. At least Bruce and I got SOA to do something more about it...if more WRX's have the same problem and they continue to push, then SOA may release a memo for the repair instead of telling the dealers to tell us BS answers.
Bruce mentioned he had reservations about the sensor design itself, so it sounds like there's a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully SOA will find a fix to make the system more accurate & reliable.
Have a good one - fil22
Bruce mentioned he had reservations about the sensor design itself, so it sounds like there's a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully SOA will find a fix to make the system more accurate & reliable.
Have a good one - fil22