Any update??? I'm having the same issues and no luck???
Any update??? I'm having the same issues and no luck???
FINALLY, ordered a new MAF, FPR, and EGR. Considering an alternator after all that is replaced. I am hopeful these items take care of the 171 and 174 and I will definitely post results.
Gary Noonan
'01 S/C VX / '18 Forester XT
Good news. FedEX delivered my goods today so the VX will hopefully getting a mild tear down to get the goods in. FPR, EGR, and MAF all nice and shiny. I will certainly post updates on how well these treat the 171 and 174. Keeping my fingers crossed that the o2 sensors aren't part of problem.
Wish my Green drop in filter came today, but no luck. Such is life.
Well, it was a "no go". Changed out the FPR, MAF, and EGR, reset the codes last night. Drove it around all day running my errands and catching up with some friends. Ran wonderful. Really felt like she was breathing better. Upon jumping in to leave to come home this evening, she sputtered on startup and stalled a couple times in park. Next thing ya know, "CEL". Same issues as before the parts swap. 171 and 174 remain.
I got her home and let her sit running at idle in the driveway while I tinkered around a bit more. I found that when i wiggled some wiring, the idle RPM would dance around some. I may want to look at some of the rewiring I had to do when I extended lines for the S/C install. Something may have come undone over time or something.
I may just go ahead and add the o2 sensors to my TO DO list next.
I am seriously losing patience (and wallet fat) with VX maintenance.![]()
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]"If its fast and reliable, its not cheap;
if its fast and cheap, its not reliable;
if its cheap and reliable, its not fast."
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
Indeed, it all came down to wiring. Squeezing on the TPS line/wires would oscillate the idle rpms. Plus, it threw a TPS CEL code, so that was GOOD. So, I knew where to look....
Now, dig this....
Last night, I tore it all down again. Pulled all vacuum lines, pulled all wiring harnesses, and removed the S/C. It appears I have found the villain playing castaway in my engine. Under the S/C plenum I found a family of well-done field mice and a handful of medium-rare babies. ALL wiring that was anywhere near that area was chewed right down to the copper. I am surprised my problems weren't 10X as bad as they are now. Luckily, it doesn't appear that they chewed on any vacuum line, gaskets, etc.
I shop vacc'd out what was left of the bastards (sorry, I had cell phone pics but they didn't come out, heh) and cut all new wiring. Started soldering my wires again and hoped to have it all done but sadly, I couldn't find my shrink tubing, so work came to a halt.
While on this subject, the stock wiring is absolutely HORRIBLE. Cheapest damned wire I have ever worked with. Thin, brittle, and not easy to work with. I get this crap done (and hope it solves my plethora of dodgy problems) and then it's off to solving the trannie/mode switch/clunk. *sigh*
Little bastard mice!! They have caused me a lot of grief too. I'm afraid to start up the 928 each spring for fear of where they've built a nest and will the thing catch on fire once the engine warms up. I've had them in the VX, in my wife's old car, in the Mini Cooper... EVERYWHERE.