Check Engine Lights Question(yes i searched)

new here,new subaru owner too,have an 08 Legacy GT with about 14k on the clock now. wife's ride actually,but anyway,my story is this.

 

her fuel gauge started going crazy while driving. she shut the car off,and when she turned it back on,she got a CEL,flashing cruise,another steady light lit up for the anti-skid control(or whatever that light is with the car and 2 tires tracks next to the CEL in the lower left corner of the cluster),and the Si-Drive knob in the center console doesnt work,but now the fuel gauage is working fine.So i call the dealer,he says it sounds like the fuel sending unit,and they had to order it. while waiting for the parts to come in,Lights stay lit up for 2-3 days,then turn out and everything works again. so we take it to the dealer when the parts come in,they replace both tank sending units,fuel level sensor and fuel pump assembly under warranty. everythings fine.

 

The very next day(saturday),same exact thing happens again,fuel gauge goes crazy,she shuts car off,all the same lights come on along with the Si-Drive knob not working. Call dealer on monday morning. they couldnt look at it till tuesday,so wouldnt ya know,tuesday morning all the lights shut off and everything works fine again. they plug it in to check the codes,and all that comes up is a code for the fuel tank sending unit,which at this point has been in the car for 4 days,so back to square one.they cant find anything else wrong with it,and he said they highly doubt its the sending units again,but i guess there is the possibility the brand new parts are bad. so my brand new $32k car is being driven around by the service manager trying to get the lights to turn back on while the wife is cruising around in a bare bones impreza loaner hatchback.

 

anyone have any ideas on this???

never happened to anyone else i guess huh?

dealer called me back yesterday,subaru tech told them to replace the computer,so we'll see how that works..should have it back tonite or tomorrow

Never heard of anything like this... Very strange... Hopefully the computer issue will fix you right up. :S

 

At least they didnt give you a Hyundai for a loaner Thats what I've got right now while they replace all the bearings and such in my center diff.

At least they didnt give you a Hyundai for a loaner Thats what I've got right now while they replace all the bearings and such in my center diff.

 

well they also sell BMW,VW,Audi, Mazda and Porsche,so we were hoping for something along those lines,but it could be even worse cuz the dealer also sells Kia haha..the first time we took it in they gave her a 2009 Legacy(non GT) but it was fully loaded with leather,so when she got the keys to the hatchback she was pissed

I can imagine... I'll tell you the absolute worst though... Some chevy dealership was pulling their car out onto the highway and the cheap crap hubcap came off their suv and slammed into the front of my less than 2 weeks old LGT... I was pissed, scratched it all up, scrapes, the works... So I took it to them and told them it needed to be fixed. So, they send me to their specialty shop (they repaired it really nicely though, for the plus side), I was furious at the loaner vehicle I had to drive for 5 days... A 98 dodge caravan with 4 different hubcaps, 4 different wheels, cracked windshield, and the list goes on... I was like WTF?!?! I turn in a 32k car to you and you give me a 3k VAN!!! It wasnt pretty... But because I was only 21 at the time, I guess they figured they could jack me over like that... I tried getting something else even through the manager and they just ignored it.

 

How soon do you get your car back? Let us know if that fixes it... Sounds pretty strange, havent heard anything like that before.

hahaha that sux

 

should have it back tonite or tomorrow,i'll post up any results,good or bad

Believe it or not, this just happened to me this morning on the way to work and that is why I am searching this tread. I have an 06 SE wagon that just turned 30K miles. I left for work this morning and everything was fine. Five minutes later I noticed that my gas gauge was on empty, the low fuel light was blinking, the check engine was on and the cruise light was blinking. I pulled over and shut the engine off but when I restarted it nothing changed. After about 5 miles driving the gas gauge started working (although it showed a little over 3/4 tank) but it should have been full. The check engine light and cruise remained the same and I could not engage the cruise which sucks as I travel 35 highway miles each way for work. When I got to work I checked the gas cap which was fine. I'm just going to wait until lunch and see if it goes away. If not I'll disconnect the battery for the afternoon and see if it resets the putter. I will keep you informed.

Just disconnecting the battery will not reset the puter... You'll have to DC the battery and then hold down the brake pedal for 30 seconds, then connect the battery again. That resets the puter

Before you reset your ECU, find out what the trouble codes are:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57243

back with an update to my story,we got the car back last friday and all is well so far. Subaru engineering had the dealer replace the "body control module",which basically is the main computer from what the dealer tells me. it controls everything from thr security system to the sunroof switches,we even had to get new keys cuz the codes in the old ones dont match anymore and they wouldnt start the car

 

vetterin,my guess is that your fuel sending unit(s) is acting up. The guy at the dealer told me its a fairly common problem and they replace 4 or 5 a month. I would take it in(or to auto zone or wherever) and have it checked for trouble codes

Well, I went out at lunch yesterday and reset the ECU and my 35 mile trip home went without a hitch. After supper I pulled out my air box and reattached the air silencer as I have had it off for the past year. The air filter was a mess (K&N) so I washed and reoiled it. The trip this morning also went fine. Actually, I think the car sounds better with the silencer than without so I guess I'll keep it in. I didn't pull the codes yet but I will if/when it acts up again. The fuel sending unit does sound like a likely cause though. Thanks.

we even had to get new keys cuz the codes in the old ones dont match anymore and they wouldnt start the car

The dealer gave you new keys and you still have your old keys?

well they took the one we left with them,and we threw out the original valet key,but i still have one original key with the trunk/security buttons on it..i was gonna save it in case theres a battery inside i could use for the new key,just didnt get around to checking inside it yet..it still will manually unlock the doors and trunk,but it wont start the car..believe it or not,the valet keys even have codes in them..i tried the old valet key before i tossed it,it would unlock the doors and steering wheel,but when you turned it the car would not start

I have also had a VERY similar problem. I also have an 08 LEGACY GT with onley 2,300 miles on it. I turno on my car, then i hear a beep. Next thing you know my CEL is on and I am not able to change into either intelligent or SPorts #. Its in sports mode. I thought it was because I needed to let the car heat up, but as i waited it did not go away. I plan on going to the dealership tomorrow, but I am furious this is happening to a week old car. if anyone here has a solution I would appreciate it. I dont think my fuel tank is messed up because my fuel hasnt been acting up.

*update*

 

so i went to autozone to get my CEL checked on. The code I received was P0031 (Front O2 Sensor Heater Control Circuit Low). I have an appointment on Tuesday at Carter Subaru here in Seattle and once the problem gets fixed I will update you guys on how the repair went and if it was affective.

Well I have the exact same problem now on my 08 GT with 19K on the odo. It actually happened last week and the dealer reset it for me, as it was just after a fillup. But looks like it is a bigger problem. The Engine Light is on along with the VDC and the Cruise control.

Cruise control always comes on with CEL, indicating cruise control has been disabled. I wonder if VDC is the same way (don't have it).

Well they told me it is the CamShaft Position Sensor. The reset the code and ordered the part in. First real problem with the car since I got it.

do these cars have a reputation for electrical/sensor problems?..ours is still ok since the new computer was installed

The main ones I see are Knock sensors and Air/fuel sensors. Occasionally a rear o2 and then a sending unit in the fuel tank followed by erratic operation of the fuel guage.

Dealer said I can still drive it, as it seems fine no noticeable problems, I am however driving it more granny like now until the part comes in.

 

As for the question - this is my 3rd personal Subie and 4th in the immediate family and its the first time we have had to take one in for any problem other than standard service intervals.

I just replaced the bank 1 rear O2 sensor on our '04 OB with 53,000 miles. (DTC P0037). Just had both cats replaced under the recall. 2nd set of front pads, 1 set of rear in 53,000 miles. Seems Subarus throw more trouble codes than most Japanese vehicles and certainly are not as reliable as my Honda and Toyota products.

Yeah I know what you mean with my Bimmer a few years ago I replaced various sensors and finally before I got rid of it I had a cracked cylinder head, fixed once and then finally they replaced the head. Thank goodness I had extended warranty. I know the pain of having to constantly go to the dealer, it's not at all any fun.

 

--- they part better come in soon for my subie, driving my wife's CooperS to work.