Jdubgt530 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 So I posted in my other thread with a guy who had the same problem as me with the misfire and turned out to be his computer. Here is the thread http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/30694-multiple-cylinder-misfire-99-outback.html#/forumsite/20514/topics/30694 Well at this point everything checks out great as far as compression, ignition components, and fuel components. I replaced the computer just like the guy did in that thread, still pulling a misfire. At this point it has to be a short somewhere in the wiring. My whole point to posting this thread is to see if anyone else has this weird connector right at the computer that looks like it is wired all janky. Here are the pictures I'm talking about. If no ones looks like this then what am I looking at and could it possibly be where it is shorting out and causing my misfire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 All of the bare wires to wires where wrapped in grey electrical tape. 3 of the 4 wires lead back to the harness connector one just goes to the bare wire coming out of the grey insulation around the wiring inside. The connector shown was wedged into the middle of the ecm computer harness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 i havent gotten mine apart that far, but from experience, the bare wires look to be shielding from the cables. why they have that to other wires is beyond me, shielding isnt really a usable wire. it is usually only connected on one side to ground, to drain off harmonic energy from the wiring inside the cable housing. what wires are they tapped into? ive been under all 3 dashes of my subarus and havent seen anything like that. i have seen that on other cars, usually from aftermarket alarm install hackjobs tho. have you identified the pins they are tapped into and figured out if they are timing related? have you gone back to the sensor wires and tracked back to the ecu to make sure they arent grounding out? i do like puzzles, and this is an interesting one so far. hope it works out quickly for you tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 I haven't done any tracing yet so far. I just got confirmed by a subaru mechanic that it is not stock and suggests me replacing the whole wiring harness. Which might be the route I'm going to go. This is the only thing that makes sense as of right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 I'm actually going to try and figure it out because full harness are expensive and would have to tear apart the whole dash to do so. Got a wiring diagram that has the connector and wire locations so I'm going to find which wire goes where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 57 56 54 on the wiring harness connector. 56 is the sheild for both crankshaft and camshaft position sensor. 57 is the sheild for the mass air sensor. 54 is the sheild for both the rear and front O2 sensors. Should these wires be wired into those sensors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 Took it to a dealership because no one else in my town will touch the wiring on my car.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1692 Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Wow... that looks like a mess! I never had my old 96 apart enough to see the wiring down to that much detail. I hope the dealership is able to help you out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 I hope so too without it taking to long because 128 an hour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subikid90 Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I believe that plug was on my 98 LGT when I was working on my harness merge. -Subikid90 1997 Legacy GT 5spd & EJ251 w/EJ25D heads ~10.5CR 1998 Legacy GT Limited waiting for EJ22T hybrid swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Well that is a relief! It looks stock because there was insulation glued around it before I looked at it. I think my wiring harness going into my knock sensor might be causing it. It is bare and looks like some wires are frayed on it. Here is the picture of it. It is literally the only thing I can find wrong with the wiring other then that connector but now I know that it is probably stock. Only other thing I think it can be is my connector to my stereo. Not sure how the guy connected the harness in or wether it is the stock connector. Don't know much about stereo wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCEJ22E1 Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 That's all crazy. I've never seen a wiring harness in such bad shape like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Yeah I didn't even know that it was that bad. Probably going to pick n pull and take off a wiring harness to put on mine. Hopefully that fixes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCEJ22E1 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Be delicate with the wiring to the cam and crank sensors. They are easy to mess up. Otherwise, check for fraying and such. Often times, these cars don't get repaired as they should, so the wiring and such doesn't really get touched, but you'll find some asshole harnesses that have rust and such on the grounds. Scrape it off and you're good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Thanks for the advice! Thats the route I'm going because at this point the harness can be the only cause of this problem. I'm starting with the easiest harness to access which is the engine harness. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will fix my problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 No luck at pick n pull. All the subarus that were there that would work with my engine wiring harness had the engines torn out (should of expected this) and wiring harnesses were either cut out or some connectors were robbed off of it. Looks like I'm getting one off of eBay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 Waiting till payday to order my new wiring harness. I have a bunch of buddies who are saying the frayed wiring on the knock sensor connector (wiring harness side) could be causing my problem since it needs a certain amount of voltage to operate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 ebay knock sensors are only $12-15 and work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 My knock sensor is reading perfect for continuity so I think it is the wiring harness side because it is frayed quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scar13 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 The wiring shielding is normal. It's there to ensure your computer gets accurate voltage readings from the various sensors on the car. The common grounding of them all is also normal, If wires running next to a sensor signal wire were to be used(Like a turn signal or brake light being used), that flowing current could push (induction) a measurable amount of voltage into the sensor signal wire and give an inaccurate voltage reading to engine computer. The shielding is like a lightning rod, it absorbs any induced voltage and bleeds it to ground. the shield grounds and sensor grounds are grounded through separate circuits. The misfire should be setting the check engine light on. do you have the CEL on? If so, what codes are set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Yeah it is, it sets p0304 the most but it switches in between all of the cylinders. When the code is happening the car runs great and I can push through rpms no problem. No bogging or rough idle. Only happens when the car is under load, usually in-between 2500-3500 rpms from 35-55 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scar13 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 P0304 is #4 cylinder misfire. Try switching with another cylinder the plug wire and see if the code then sets for that other cylinder, if nothing changes then do it with the spark plug. Ignition coils that are beginning to fail can do this failing under load symptom. Its much harder for the spark to jump the gap on the plug when under load(higher cylinder pressure). The other cylinder misfire codes would be the same but end in the cylinder number, P0301 would be cyl.#1 for example. If your plugs and wires are ok then try swapping the coil out. If the misfire does not change or move I would then look at the injector next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubgt530 Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 Well the thing is that I have had my lgt checked out by my certified Subaru technician in my town and everything ignition and fuel related is in perfect working order. That's why I made this thread because the only thing it can be now is wiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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