What code was on the computer? That could tell you what caused the problem. If it was a p0300-p0304 code that could mean a piece of carbon grounded a spark plug causing the miss and then burnt off.
SOURCE: 1997 subaru outback legacy overheating
I hate to tell you this but the guy isn't returning your calls because the head gasket is blown and he probably knew it.
As for the 1990... have you checked the water pump for leaks? (front/ driver's side on the bottom of the engine) My guess is that it's faulty and unfortunately, it's behind the timing belt.
Both of these repairs will be a pretty penny.
Good luck!
SOURCE: P0420 and check engine light
A p0420 code is set when the computer determines that the catalytic converter isn't doing it's job. In almost all instances that code can't set as a result of a bad o2 sensor so they probably didn't have to be replaced. The catalytic converter will need to be replaced, prefferably by an oem part. This can be pretty expensive and should be considered before purchasing the vehicle.
I have replaced a few bad converters on late model subarus in the past few years.
SOURCE: subaru legacy/liberty 2.2eng lacks power under load and cuts out
There are two common issues with the 2.2... Both relate to valve guides. If you're confident that the sensors and controls are functioning well. Knock sensor? it doesn't hurt to pull it clean its mounting surfaces and bolt before reinstalling it if you're certain that it's good - you may be retarding timing significantly if there's an errant signal there. This would be noticeable loss of power, but not "cut-outs" as in your presentation.
You may be looking at a hanging exhaust valve. The valves sometimes will 'hang' and not close as anticipated leaving you with a vicious stumble (a 4-cyl running on 3-cyl) two "causes", if you will.. The valves may just hang in the guide (sticky & tight from build-up) or the guide itself may be sliding in the head (unfortunately, a few of the 2.2's of this period do have this issue).
If you're interested in the diagnosis, you can drop the exhaust manifold at the head you can look at & compare how far the exhaust guides are protruding from the head - all of the guides should "sitck out" from above the exhaust valve the same amount -- if you have a loose guide they tend to be "out" a bit further -- The thinking on this for your symptom is that the guide will push out with the valve opening and NOT return far enough to allow the exhaust valve to fully close - the result is a loss of compression at various times/conditions that is hard to track down. The "fix" would be to R&R the offending head to press a new over-sized guide.
The other sticky valve issue is also not too uncommon, the diagnosis is less straight forward - in that you'd need to watch vacuum, power, and DTC data at the time that the this power issue occurs. Typically, I'd recommend going with a strong and safe engine-oil flush and some sort of strong induction/injection cleaning to try to loosen and remove any build-ups on the valves. Many people with the 2.2 have switched into Synthetic engine oils for this reason... Some discussioin have included a few of the "snake-oil" additives for use after the flush (the very thin "metal penetrating" kind of snake-oils get good comments in a lot of the discussions) - It's your vehicle, I find the flush and regular good oil changes can clear-up the 2.2's sticky valve issues without wondering what I've put into my crankcase.
- best of luck
SOURCE: 2004 subaru forester, 99,000 miles. Check engine
Drop in to an Autozone, or Pep Boys, or similar big parts store & they will usually scan for codes free. This will hopefully eliminate all the guess work, or at least point everyone in right direction for better diagnosis. If not obvious from codes what the problem is, get back to us and we'll help you out.
Testimonial: "Thanks for the great suggestion . I'll have Autozone read the codes on Monday. Thanks again!"
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