insider info.

Rough Idle On MPFI Vehicles

If you encounter a rough idle
plete before it can be inspected
for proper emissions.
23 consists simply of one wire
from the ECM to the TCM. How-
complaint on any sequential Misfire, Fuel System and Com- ever, since this is a 1995 Manual,
injection MPFI vehicle, basic ponent Monitoring are continu- the pin terminal connection for
checks should be made to ensure ously checked and will change the ECM referred to in the diag-
that the correct injector wire con- from Incomplete to Complete nostic flow charts is B84, pin 33,
nector is on the correct injector. while the ignition is turned from which is correct for only the gray
Injector wiring will either be off to on. connector of a 1995 ECM, not the
numbered or can be checked by The Readiness Codes will all blue connector on the 1996 vehi-
comparing wire colors with the indicate incomplete after the mem- cle you are working on. Referring
wiring diagrams. This may seem ory of an ECM has been cleared. to the engine control module
like an obvious check, but some- Follow the steps below to acti- (ECM) I/O (input/output) chart
times in your zeal to quickly diag- vate the Readiness Codes to (Sec. 2-7, page 68-70) in the 1996
nose a vehicle, the obvious can be complete: Legacy service manual Supple-
overlooked. If two injector con- • 1996 models: Connect the Test ment, we find that the correct pin
nectors have been inadvertently Mode (inspection mode connec- location for the engine speed sig-
switched, the symptoms can be a tor) and drive on a flat road (high- nal for a 1996 blue connector is
slightly rough or irregular idle on way) at approximately 50 to 55 B84, pin terminal 64.
a fully warmed up engine and a mph for 20 to 30 minutes. Without taking the extra step of
hesitation coming off the line. • 1997 and later: Drive on flat road looking in the 1996 Manual, the
(highway) at approximately 50 to 55 wrong wire would be checked at
Reading OBD Readiness Codes mph for 30 minutes for warm-up. the ECM and the wrong diagnos-
Many states are now including Then perform 10 minutes at steady tic conclusion would be reached.
an inspection of the OBD system speed (without any throttle angle To minimize the possibility for
as part of their emissions test pro- change) at 50-60 mph. error, always double check the
cedure. This includes, but may connector colors before attempt-
not be limited to, inspection of Blue Versus Gray Connectors ing to locate the pertinent pins.
the MIL or Check Engine Light for During Diagnosis
proper illumination, operation, When performing electrical diag- Legacy (Non Turbo), SVX
and status of the Readiness nostics involving the fuel injection and Impreza ISC Valves
Codes. ECM on 1995 through 1997 Legacy If you encounter a vehicle with a
Readiness Codes can be and Impreza vehicles, pay particu- driveability complaint (stalling, idle
checked with a generic scan tool lar attention to the color of the surge or a whistle noise) and you
and the New Select Monitor connector that mates to the engine have determined that it is caused by
(NSM). Follow the tree below to control module. Some will be gray the ISC valve, this condition may be
access the Readiness Codes with and some will be blue. The con- due to carbon buildup inside the
the New Select Monitor: nectors are not the same and the valve. In these cases, use the ISC
• Each System Check pin terminal locations that corre- cleaning procedures found in the
• EGI spond to the related systems in the 1995 Legacy service manual, Book
• OBD System car are different. 1, Section 2-7. Use Subaru Top
• 12 Data Display An example of where this could Engine Cleaner (SOA868V9160).
Any item that is a Readiness cause confusion would be diag- Products such as Brake Clean do not
Code will have an indicator to the nosing a TCM Code 23 (engine effectively remove the deposits.
right that tells you whether it is speed signal) on a 1996 Legacy White exhaust smoke during ISC
Complete or Incomplete. Com- vehicle. Looking in the 1996 Sup- valve cleaning is normal. An odor
plete means that the system has plement Manual, you’ll find that also may linger for a few days.
been tested by the onboard diag- there is no Troubleshooting Sec- These valves are pre-set. Never
nostic system. Incomplete means tion 3-2. This means the transmis- try to adjust them in an attempt
that the system has not been test- sion control system has not to repair a vehicle. If you find
ed. In either case the results of changed since 1995 and is, there- yourself working on a driveability
the test are not indicated. No sup- fore, not included in the Supple- concern, and this valve shows
port indicates that this vehicle is ment. Opening the 1995 service signs of tampering, the valve
not equipped with that system. manual, you will see that in Trou- must be replaced. There are no
A vehicle must have all of the bleshooting Section 3-2, the cir- procedures to return them to the
Readiness Codes reading Com- cuit pertaining to Trouble Code factory settings.

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 insider info.
Impreza Throttle Position Switch
Adjustment
sion is premature. Instead, you should
replace the idle air control solenoid,
When checking voltages for the clear the memory and test drive the
Impreza throttle position switch, the vehicle. Confirm proper operation of
engine must be at operating tempera- the air control valve and see that no
ture and normal warm idle speed. If Check Engine Light occurs. If the Check
not, the readings you get will be incor- Engine Light illuminates again with
rect and you may make an adjustment DTC P0505, perform all the other
that is not necessary. checks for the code as detailed in the
The throttle opener system which pro- service manuals. If the checks are good
vides cold fast idle, mechanically opens but the code still occurs, only then
the throttle valve and will cause your should the ECM be replaced.
throttle position sensor readings to Remember: This only pertains to situ-
change. The Impreza service manual ations where the resistance of the idle
instructs you to be certain the engine is air control valve has been measured to
at normal operating temperature when be 5 ohms or less.
making this adjustment. Changes when
cold can affect driveability and vehicle 2.2 Liter Impreza Fuel Senders
emissions during cold engine operation. 2.2 liter AWD Impreza vehicles have a
dual fuel sending unit configuration simi-
DTC P0507 - Idle Control lar to the system that has been used on
System RPM Legacy vehicles. There are main and sub-
Higher Than Expected senders that operate the fuel gauge. The
senders are wired in series, just like the
If you find yourself diagnosing a DTC Legacy.
P0507 — Idle Control System RPM The sub-sender is listed in the parts
higher than expected — check to see if books but not shown in the illustrations.
the accelerator or cruise control cables
are adjusted properly. Understanding P0440
In order to understand Code P0440,
Evaporative Emissions Control System
Malfunction (EVAP), we must first
understand that it is a performance
code rather than an electrical circuit
code. What this means is that to pro-
duce this code, the computer is not
looking for any improper resistances,
electrical opens, shorts, or sensor out of
range situations. Rather, it uses infor-
mation from various sensors to draw
conclusions about the proper or
improper physical operation of the
DTC P0505 Evaporative Fuel Emission System.
When following the diagnostic flow Any electrical failures have different
chart in the service manuals for DTC failure codes associated with them.
P0505, where the resistance of the idle The job of the Evaporative Fuel Emis-
air control valve has been measured to sions System is to prevent evaporating
be 5 ohms or less, make the following fuel vapors from entering the atmos-
revision to step #3 “Check Idle Air phere and contributing to air pollution.
Control Solenoid Valve.” After check- In order to keep this from happening,
ing the resistance of the Idle Control the entire fuel system needs to be able
Solenoid valve for “5 ohms or less,” if to be sealed from any access to the out-
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the answer is “yes,” the service manual side air. Vapors in the system are
tells you to “Replace idle air control trapped in a charcoal canister, and
solenoid valve and ECM.” This conclu- those vapors are later purged into the
The

22
intake manifold to be burned dur- ister) and a line that goes to the the tank is warmer than the fuel
ing the next driving cycle. front of the vehicle, where it is in the tank. This returning warm
Only vehicles with the attached to the electrically con- fuel mixes with the tank fuel
Enhanced Evaporative Emissions trolled purge control valve (pas- and gradually warms it up. As
system can produce Code P0400. senger’s side of the engine com- the fuel in the tank warms, its
To identify which vehicles have partment). Within the fuel tank, rate of evaporation increases.
the enhanced system and which there are fuel level sensors (the Because the tank and system are
do not, look for the location of the same ones that are used for the sealed, the pressure in the fuel
charcoal canister. If it is small and dash gauge) and a fuel temperature tank increases.
under the hood, the vehicle does sensor (attached to the passenger’s The control unit looks for this
not have the enhanced system. If side fuel sender). Tapped into the pressure rise to determine if the
the canister is not under the hood fuel filler neck air bypass pipe is a system is sealed. If the desired
but is large and under the right fuel tank pressure sensor (inside pressure is achieved, the comput-
rear of the vehicle, the vehicle has the trunk of a sedan or the luggage er will continue on to the next
the enhanced system. area of a wagon). part of the test. In this part, the
In the enhanced system, evapo- To test the integrity of the sys- control unit will close the canis-
rative vapors leave the fuel tank tem, the system shuts off all ter vent valve, open the tank pres-
and pass through lines to an elec- access of the tank to the outside sure control valve, and open the
trically controlled pressure con- atmosphere. When the engine is canister purge valve. This should
trol valve and a mechanical running, gasoline is being deliv- draw a low pressure on the tank.
rollover valve (both by the pas- ered to the injectors and the The computer monitors the fuel
senger’s side front of the fuel excess unused fuel is returned to tank pressure sensor to determine
tank) heading to the canister. The the tank. Since the injector rails whether the low pressure is
canister has an electrically con- are hot due to their proximity to achieved. If it is, it then proceeds
trolled vent valve (next to the can- the engine, the fuel returning to to the next part of the test. In this
Continued on page 24.
 insider info.
part, it repeats the first part of the test
to watch the pressure rise in the tank.
valve, apply a hand vacuum pump to
the valve and cycle the valve with the
After the pressure rises, the control Select Monitor in the compulsory valve
unit does some math comparing the operation mode while confirming that
initial high pressure and the difference the valve actually opens, fully closes
between the low pressure and the final and fully seals.
high pressure. If the values fall within
a specified range, the test passes. If the Note: The tank pressure control valve
values are outside the specified range, and the canister purge control valve
the test fails. After two consecutive fail- should open when energized,. but the
ures, the Check Engine Light is illumi- canister vent valve is a normally open
nated. valve so it should close when energized.
The testing of this system is only
conducted once per drive cycle and If the valves work properly, try pres-
only under very specific conditions: surizing the fuel tank (engine off) and
• The fuel tank must contain less than 9.6 evaporative system with air to check
gallons of fuel. for leaks. Do not exceed 3 psi when
• The fuel temperature must be less than pressurizing the tank or major fuel tank
113°F. damage can occur. You can pressurize
• Engine speed must be over 1500 RPM. the system through the fuel return line
• Vehicle speed over 28 MPH. or with a modified gas cap with hose
• Throttle position must be mid-range. attached. Close or block off the canister
• Intake manifold vacuum must be vent solenoid to seal the system.
equivalent to cruising vacuum. Another situation can exist if you do
• 455 seconds must have elapsed since see a pressure rise on the Select Moni-
engine start. tor while conducting the first part of
The vast majority of P0400 codes the tests when running the engine. In
occur due to gas caps that have been this case, you may have a situation
left loose or the gas cap retaining tether where the pressure won’t go high
has become caught under the cap dur- enough (due to a very small leak or a
ing tightening. With the cap loose, no poorly seating valve) or the pressure
pressure rises or falls in the tank, so the won’t go low enough (due to insuffi-
test fails. If a loose cap can be positive- cient purging vacuum). A vacuum of -
ly eliminated as the cause of the code, 1.338 kpa in the tank is required to sat-
follow the diagnostics in the service isfy the test. A functional valve test and
manual. If the diagnostics don’t lead to a check of the supply of purging vacu-
a definitive failure, there are a few um would be required.
other steps that can be taken. Remember, because a precise set of
The Select Monitor has a screen that parameters must be met before the test
displays fuel tank pressure. After starting is conducted and two trips are required
the vehicle, you should see a gradual to turn on the Check Engine Light, a
pressure rise in the tank due to the considerable number of days can pass
warming of the fuel. If you open the cap, after a gas cap is left loose before a
the pressure should drop immediately. Check Engine Light may come on. This
If you don’t see a pressure rise, there may convince a customer that the light
must be a vapor leak to the outside. could not possibly be due to their leav-
Closely inspect all lines and hoses. ing the cap loose. Nevertheless, it may
Physically check the operation of the well be, and most likely is, the cause.
pressure control valve solenoid, the
purge control valve solenoid and the Enhanced Evaporative
canister vent valve. The service manual Emissions Test
instructs you to listen to these valves to When the car is first started and you
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click, but that does not necessarily begin to drive, the Pressure Control
mean they are closing completely. Solenoid comes on a few seconds later.
Disconnect the hoses from each The computer is looking for some pres-
The

24
sure change in the fuel tank to see the Pressure Control Solenoid the vehicle is judged to be okay.
indicate that the system has been and the Vent Solenoid come on at
sealed and can be purged. the same time. When the Pressure More P0440 Information
If the computer sees a change in Control Solenoid comes on, the With the introduction of the
the pressure, after about 40 sec- computer is looking for a pressure New Select Monitor (NSM), late
onds the Pressure Control Sole- change in the tank. If it sees one, model 1997 and newer vehicles
noid will turn off, and the vehicle part two of the test has passed. with Enhanced Evaporative Sys-
will have passed the first part of The Vent Solenoid then comes tems can be diagnosed more easi-
the test for the Enhanced Evapo- on to shut off the vent to the out- ly for DTC P0440. The NSM can
rative Emission System. side air. Since the Canister Purge be set up to monitor the Pressure
If the computer doesn't see any Valve is also open at this time, the Control Solenoid with one LED
pressure change, the Pressure Con- entire evaporative system is and the Vent Solenoid with
trol Solenoid will remain on for drawn down to a low pressure: If another LED while simultaneous-
the remainder of the drive cycle. the pressure in the tank can be ly reading the fuel tank pressure.
If the first part of the test pass- lowered to below -1.338kpa, part With this setup, there is no neces-
es, the computer will wait until three of the test has passed and sity for the rapid button juggling
you are driving in a cruising con- the Vent Solenoid shuts off, open- that was necessary with the old
dition to perform the next three ing the vent to the outside air. Select Monitor to catch the chang-
steps of the test. If the vehicle is The low pressure in the tank ing pressures in the tank during
cruising over 45 mph but under should begin to recover toward the diagnostic phases of P0440.
80mph and has less than a half of atmospheric pressure. If the pres- After the system does its tests,
a tank of fuel, the next part of the sure rise in the tank is sufficient to save the data. You can then graph
test will begin. satisfy the fault code formula, part the information on the screen.
This second part of the test is four of the test has passed, the Pres- LED 6 (on the old Select Moni-
the only time when you will ever sure Control Solenoid shuts off and tor) corresponds to the Vent
Continued on page 30.

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 insider info.
Solenoid (on the new Select Monitor),
and LED 8 (on the old Select Monitor)
Continued from page 25.

Another unusual computer response

is if the computer is deprived of its
corresponds to the PCV (Pressure “back up power supply.” If deprived of
Control Valve) solenoid (on the new this power, some computers will gener-
Select Monitor). ate a false code for the Idle Air Control
valve and kill the injector for cylinder
OBD II Cylinder Misfire Codes #1. The pin location of this power sup-
If you encounter cylinder misfire ply can be found in the Control Unit
codes on Subaru vehicles equipped Module I/O Signal pages of the appro-
with the OBD II system, check the past priate service manual.
service history to see if the vehicle’s
fuel filter was recently changed. 1995 Subaru Legacy - DTC P0505 -
There is a short period of time when Idle Control System Malfunction
the vehicle is first started, after the fil- If you encounter a 1995 Subaru
ter has been changed, when the cylin- Legacy with a DTC P0505 (Idle Con-
ders may not get the fuel charge they trol System Malfunction), check to
should. This may translate into a slight see that the wire pins in connector
cylinders misfire, which is enough to B22 are securely fastened in the con-
trigger a misfire DTC. nector. If pin 13 (BY) has backed out
of the connector, you will lose two
grounds at the ECU.

Diagnostic Trouble Code P1507

If you are diagnosing a manual trans-
mission-equipped vehicle with a DTC
P1507 and can find nothing wrong after
following the trouble tree in the appropri-
ate service manual, inspect the Neutral
Switch Circuit before replacing any parts.
The Neutral Switch Circuit may cause
this code to set. This could falsely indi-
cate to the ECU that the transmission is
in neutral when, in fact, it is actually in
gear. This can cause the MIL to illumi-
nate and set Code P1507.
If the fuel filter was changed recently, Keep in mind that the problem can
clear the codes and test drive the vehi- be intermittent and it may be necessary
cle. Chances are good that the codes to pin test the connection and to shift
will not return if the filter change was into and out of neutral many times
the cause of the problem. before the switch shows any problems.

Legacy and Impreza Engines with 1995 Subaru Legacy - DTC PO325 -
No Injection Pulse #1 Cylinder Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction
Built into the fuel injection control If you encounter a Check Engine
unit is logic that will shut off the #1 Light with a DTC P0325 on a 1995 Sub-
injector if the computer believes that it aru Legacy, check to see if the knock
can no longer control the Idle Air Con- sensor mounting bolt has been torqued
trol valve. Remember this while trying too tightly upon installation. Also
to diagnose a “hard” code for the Idle check the threads of the sensor mount-
Air Control Valve or a dead miss in ing bolt and the thread surfaces of the
number one cylinder due to no injec- block to see that they are clean and not
tion at idle. A problem in the Idle Air corroded. Any corrosion should be
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Control valve circuit can be responsi- removed before installing the bolt.
ble. (Component testing shows that it is The correct mounting bolt torque is
usually not the valve itself.) 15-19 ft. lbs.
The

30