P0171, CEL and Blinking Cruise.. fixed

The other day I ended up getting a CEL and blinking cruise light after pulling out of a parking lot. Car was running ok for the most part, but was having a problem idling nicely.

After doing a quick search on google, seems most subaru posts related to this code said it was likely a vacuum/boost leak. First suspect is always the blue T under the intercooler. To my dismay, mine looked ok when viewing it in the space between my intercooler and UIM. I had zip tied most of it previously.

Decided to do a pressure test to see if I could hear a leak.. So I capped my intake hose and I pulled the little hose off the bypass valve and stuck my compressor air gun in there and gave it a toot.. immediately I knew it was leaking. Could hear the air rushing out, but sounded like it was everywhere.

So decided to pull the intercooler to make more room since it mostly sounded like it was coming from under the UIM somewhere. I used a papertowel roll tube to try and narrow down the location. After a bit It seemed like it might be the tube that goes between the inlet tube and the bypass valve. Wasnt looking like an easy job to replace.

Got some soapy water and a spray bottle and sprayed it all over the place.. no bubbles.

So almost feeling like I was about to call a tow truck to bring it to the shop, I happened to look down in front of the intake manifold and noticed a little black thing with a tan nipple.. that surely looked like it should have a hose connected to it. But looking around in that area, I could not see a hose hanging around there. But did notice that the sound of air coming out was a little louder in that area.

Did a quick google of what that device might be and where a hose might be that connects to it.. turns out I think its a fuel purge valve and the hose connects to one of the ports on the Blue T!

Gave the lines on the blue T a few tugs and low and behold, a hose that pointed forward towards that valve came out along with the source of the air noise! I was so relieved!

Snaked that hose back up front, plugged the purge valve into it, gave it a nice zip tie job.. Gave it another pressure test.. NO MORE leaking sound! Buttoned the car back up, started the engine.. idled great! Reset the CEL took it for a drive.. Golden!

Just wanted to make this post for reference for others searching on that CEL code. And to gloat a little bit!

Glad that was an easy fix.

It would have been much easier if the threads in my turbo weren't long gone and I didn't have to use a nut and bolt to hold the turbo on. Its a major pain in the ass every time I have to remove the inter-cooler. Have to fashion some crude tools to hold the nut under the turbo flange while I start the bolt from above.. then have to find another way to hold the nut while I tighten it down.

This time around I finally found a tiny, thin wrench that I was able to bend at a good angle, hold with a set of vice grips, that allowed me to tighten everything down.

I know you can rethread/helicoil or add studs.. but I never seem to plan a day to do this kinda work.. its always out of the blue.