Saabaru question

"The Swedish Bandit" (swedishbandit)
09/19/2018 at 14:19 • Filed to: Saabaru

I’ve been driving my new Saab now for a couple of months now and it’s been great.

There is however one small little anoying thing.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT

According to the reader it’s a p0420, c ode which basically means that the cat isn’t working at optimal capacity.

The thing is though that the car only has 40000 miles on it and it basically scored a 0 (li tlle to no co2 at all) on the last emmisions test so I really don’t think it’s the cat that’s at fault.

What would be the next likley cause? Oxygen sensor?

DISCUSSION (27)

Zaxbys > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:29

Yep, that sounds like a post-cat O2 sensor.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:30

You remind me of my old SAAB, that I drove two years with the CEL on and on limp mode because I didn’t have time or money to fix it.

TysMagic > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:30

muffler bearing

MonkeePuzzle > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:42

mine saab had same. cleared it, and it didnt come back for quite some time.

worth seeing if it was a temprary issue by clearing it once and seeing what happens. as its in the cat (the cat itself, or the sensor) , I didnt feel it was going to cause issue to the engine by letting it go on for a bit longer.

The Swedish Bandit > Zaxbys
09/19/2018 at 14:42

Got it! Will probably order a new one to try with.

The Swedish Bandit > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough
09/19/2018 at 14:44

Shut up! I've done this same thing with too many of my previous cars. Basically ignoring fixing simple things that would greatly improved the car. I don't want this to be the case with the Saab...

The Swedish Bandit > TysMagic
09/19/2018 at 14:45

But according to the previous owner it was replaced just last year!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:47

Your car is more than 8 years old, yes?

The Swedish Bandit > MonkeePuzzle
09/19/2018 at 14:47

Tried clearing it multiple times. It’s enough that I even *think* about the CEL and BAAM!, there it is again.

The Swedish Bandit > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
09/19/2018 at 14:48

2005, so I guess so?

MonkeePuzzle > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:52

well then.

time for replacements

fortunately, you can save money and get sensor and/or cat from a used car and I bet you’d be right for a fair chunk of time. and I imagine the subaru one is identical, and common

TysMagic > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 14:54

never trust po.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 15:05

Damn that’s looks good for a thirteen year old car. Nvm then, I was just making sure you were outside of the federal emissions warranty.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 15:08

I’d also vote O2 sensor.

The Swedish Bandit > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
09/19/2018 at 15:29

Yeah it’s been sitting most of its life so it should look pretty good. Considering that I'm outside of US jurisdiction I doubt that this car would be covered by anything federal even if it was under 10 years.

Monkey B > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 15:58

https://www.saab92x.com/index.php

I used to frequent there when I had one. Lots of good stuff. Or just look at why WRX’s do the same and you’ll find a ton more info.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 16:01

Cats. Subaru. Common. Emissions tests are done at idle or at least not under load most of the time and are not an accurate representation of catalyst performance under all conditions. Someone with skill, experience and a decent scan tool could make that determination for sure though.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 16:09

I’ve been driving my new Saab now for a couple of months now and it’s been great.

And now starts the years and thousands of dollars in repairs to keep it on the road.

Sell it and save yourself the hassle.

Signed,

Someone who’s watched his friends’ Subarus go down the same path.

Dasupersprint - base trim is enough > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 16:19

Haha, I don’t know if it was simple as it was a turbo code (2004 9-3, 2,0t) plus, I had better gas mileage in limp mode and I was broke. Car had over 140 000 miles do I let it go that way

The Swedish Bandit > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
09/19/2018 at 16:22

“But the 2 litre turbo engine is supposed to be the one that doesn’t eat head gaskets”

The Swedish Bandit > Dasupersprint - base trim is enough
09/19/2018 at 16:23

So win-win then?

The Swedish Bandit > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
09/19/2018 at 16:27

But how could it possibly be bad at only 40000 miles?? I'll try the O2 sensor first but if that doesn't work out I'll set my sights on the cat.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 16:34

Thought the Saabaru was the EJ25 just like the WRX?

No offense to your car, it looks amazing, but after watching my friends who have Subarus stick thousands into them every 5-10k miles, I would run away very quickly from one that’s showing any sign of issue.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
09/19/2018 at 16:45

I had a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5TS wagon with 111,000kms on it when I bought it and it had 185,000kms when I sold it. I had no problems with it other than a few electrical glitches caused by a terrible install of an aftermarket security system by the previous owner.

Rust was what killed it (rear subframe rusted out), but I live in the salt belt known as Nova Scotia, Canada....so that’s not that surprising. Otherwise, it was a great car and I really miss it still, even 5 1/2 years later! The fellow I sold it to swapped a subframe over from his old car that was the same as mine (except his body had rusted in the salt) and drove it for another few years....he eventually scrapped it when the rear strut towers rusted out.

The Swedish Bandit > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
09/19/2018 at 16:51

Nope, Aero version comes with the 2.0.

I’m betting on the reasoning that as long as you by Subarus which doesn’t have the Subaru badge you'll be fine . My previous car was a toyota 86 whi ch I had for 2 years and didn’t have to do anything to it during that time.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > The Swedish Bandit
09/19/2018 at 18:47

Lots of short trips with rich, cold starts? Shitty parts? My vote is on shitty parts. It happens. But it's not a bad idea to replace oxygen sensors at the same time as the cat anyways so you'll be one step ahead of you go that way. Sort of, since it'll have to get transferred to the new one.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > The Swedish Bandit
09/20/2018 at 07:06

I hope it works for you, I really do.

Between the 6 Subarus this era in my friend group, I think they’ve collectively had 10 head gasket replacements, 4 turbo replacements, 3 transmissions, all burn oil in varying amounts, electronic issues galore, among other things I’m forgetting. All of these ( except 1 ) have been dealer maintained by the book and have no mods.

The modded one is an 07 WRX with 189k, so the 2 HG jobs, full suspension rebuild, electronic issues, and 3 qts of oil it burns between changes have a slight pass. The rest are under 120k, un- abused, and make up the rest of the issues between them.

This is my experience with Subarus/Saabarus. I hope your experience is much better than what I’ve had. Good luck.