Diagnosing Your Subaru's Check Engine Light

In this video I will show you how to diagnose the check engine light for your OBD1 (1996 and older) Subaru. In this video I am diagnosing my 1993 Subaru Legacy LS Special. Learned how to do this myself and figured I would share to the world how to do it. By diagnosing the check engine light yourself you could save the money it would take to have a shop or a dealer diagnose it, and you can also save money as opposed to buying and OBD scanner which could run a price of up to $100+. The website that I found most useful for trouble codes was www.troublecodes.net. Enjoy

--UPDATE-- My Subaru has been destroyed. I was driving the other night in the snow and a moron in a 4WD Jeep was doing at least 45 in a 25 zone, and he started swerving all over the road and he ended up swerving his passenger side rear end right into the front of my car. After he hit my car, he was going so fast that he continued to slide an additional 40 feet away from my car. My car is totaled, and the stupid ass hole in the Jeep got away with his rear end smashed. The worst part is that I did nothing wrong and now I am out a car. RIP.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Subaru
• Check
• Engine
• OBD1
• Diagnositcs
• Instructional

[manolo19991]

i have a 1993 legacy as well, and my check engine light is on. but when i turn it on it does not flash at all so it gives me no codes. it just stays continuously on, what does that mean?

[Jessekrs123]

@manolo19991 That just means that it is on. You have to plug in the green self diagnostic wires under the steering column in order for the light to flash you the codes. Watch the video.

[requiemforneurosis]

HI, I just bought a used 96 legacy outback and check engine light and TCS lights are on. The TCS light stays on even when the car is off. The guy I bought it from said he JUST replaced the o2 sensor and I was curious if you might know what it is. I have a diagnostics machine, I just haven't had a chance to hook it up and read the code yet. The device is currently in my room mates car who is off running errands all day. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Jessekrs123]

@requiemforneurosis Get the scanner and pull the code for the CEL. As for the TCS, there is a different way of diagnosing it, I will look through my 4EAT book and see if there is a way you could flash the codes using the TCS light.

[whatchain]

hy man, is this the same for all other subarus? i have a 2002 legacy b4, do i look for the green plugs too or is it different?

[Jessekrs123]

@whatchain No, your car is OBDII, this video shows how to diagnose a CEL with an OBDI Subaru. You would have to get a code reader and plug it into the OBD port under your steering column to retrieve codes for your OBDII vehicle.

[bjalvors]

thx man, after scratching my head and going over everything I could think of for an hour I go inside and find this video. Problem found and fixed after 10 minutes

[sa997]

I have a Subaru Impreza 1.6 94. I have two questions. Social the plugin. Black and showed error 35. (canister). I checked it and it correctly. 44 Om. He closes vacuum. Opens, and no liquidity. I did a test with the green connector. Travel in all normal. I wanted to delete the problem connecting two black authors black and green to green. But the problem is not deleted.

This is a problem because I have error traveling with Air Conditioner. After 10 minutes. The engine stutters. Check lamp turns

[VL125]

@devilspimpdady

It was a broken Lambda sensor, i fitted a new one and it was gone.