99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration

"i'm a consumer, and not a mechanic. but i find your use of the word
"replaced" rather than "inspected" a little worrisome. some of these

parts are expensive, and can probably be tested without being
replaced.
also, it seems to me that six months to diagnose and fix a problem
is
way too long. "

Sorry... simple matter of semantics. Everything that was replaced on
the car had a "below optimum" reading. Much of the work was stuff that
needed to be done... ie timing belt, tune up, oxygen sensor. The only
other thing that was replaced was the ignition coil which was not
putting out as many volts as it was supposed to. So it to was bad.
The other items that we checked, we swapped out with another Subaru
that was known to work. My mom has a 1996 Outback and many of the
parts are interchangeable. So we have been removing sensors and trying
through trial and error to find the problem.

The fuel pressure regulator sounds promissing. That may be the next
test. It has to be one of these numerous sensors on the car.

"otherwise, call it quits after 246,000 miles and get another car - it
seems to me like you've gotten your money's worth out of this one. "

As far as getting rid of the car...I got another 100K + miles left in
this baby! I am confident she will go the distance.

Thanks for the pointers... it is very perplexing.
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

Ummm .........Blocked catalytic exhaust?
tkt117 wrote:
> I have a 1999 subaru wagon with 246K miles. The car has been a dream,
> and has not had any problems other than a bad oil pump and normal
> maintenance. About 6 months ago the car was experiencing a loss of
> power and wouldn't accelerate when I pressed the gas. I thought it
> needed a tune up. After replacing spark plugs the problem persisted.
> My mechanic is at a loss. He puts in on the diagnostic computer and
> everything checks out okay. The problem has gotten really bad
> recently. If I floor the gas the car won't get above 1,500 rpm and
> sometimes it stalls out completely. If I "tap" the gas peddle I can
> get the rpms as high as I want.
>
> My mechanic performed all of the obvious test, replaced fuel filter,
> checked fuel injectors, check engine compression, checked the MAP
> sensor, replaced the oxygen sensor, replaced the ignition coil,
> replaced the timing belt. We cannot find the source of the problem.
>
> I have been driving the car for the past six months with this problem,
> but it is getting progressively worse. Has any one experienced any
> thing similar. Next we are going to swap out the Mass Air flow Sensor.
> Beyond that, the only thing we can think of is the computer has a
> problem.
>
> HELP!!!!
>
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

tkt117 wrote:

> My mechanic checked that as well, and he said it was fine. He is
> really stumped...
>
hmmm - seems like it could be low fuel pressure/weak fuel pump or fuel
press. regultator. I dunno. try posting this on the 'new generation'
forum at www.usmb.net as well.

Carl
1 Lucky Texan


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

i'm a consumer, and not a mechanic. but i find your use of the word
"replaced" rather than "inspected" a little worrisome. some of these
parts are expensive, and can probably be tested without being replaced.
also, it seems to me that six months to diagnose and fix a problem is
way too long.

your mechanic may be honest, but it may be time to get a second
opinion, preferably from a "subaru specialist", if you can find one in
your area.

otherwise, call it quits after 246,000 miles and get another car - it
seems to me like you've gotten your money's worth out of this one.


........ tom klein

On 2005-12-12 21:41:05 -0500, "tkt117" <tammy_kaminski.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> said:

> I have a 1999 subaru wagon with 246K miles. The car has been a dream,
> and has not had any problems other than a bad oil pump and normal
> maintenance. About 6 months ago the car was experiencing a loss of
> power and wouldn't accelerate when I pressed the gas. I thought it
> needed a tune up. After replacing spark plugs the problem persisted.
> My mechanic is at a loss. He puts in on the diagnostic computer and
> everything checks out okay. The problem has gotten really bad
> recently. If I floor the gas the car won't get above 1,500 rpm and
> sometimes it stalls out completely. If I "tap" the gas peddle I can
> get the rpms as high as I want.
>
> My mechanic performed all of the obvious test, replaced fuel filter,

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> checked fuel injectors, check engine compression, checked the MAP
> sensor, replaced the oxygen sensor, replaced the ignition coil,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> replaced the timing belt. We cannot find the source of the problem.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> I have been driving the car for the past six months with this problem,
> but it is getting progressively worse. Has any one experienced any
> thing similar. Next we are going to swap out the Mass Air flow Sensor.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Beyond that, the only thing we can think of is the computer has a
> problem.
>
> HELP!!!!
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

Valve or ignition timing off 1 or more tooth? If it jumped one tooth it will
run like that.
Poor power and hot.
It might start OK and even idle like that
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

My 95 wagon a few years ago had the exact same problem. Replacing the air
flow meter solved it.
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration 

It's probably time to try a Subaru dealer. Indie mechanics can be
good, but dealer mechanics have probably seen this one before, can
diagnosis it, and give you a repair estimate. If you ultimately decide
to DIY, the dealer will probably charge you for diagnosing the problem,
but that cost will pale in comparison to all the work you've already
done chasing the problem.
 >> Stay informed about: 99 Subaru Legacy Wagon... loss of power and acceleration