I'm brand new to the forum, so bear with me. I just purchased a seemingly bone stock 2002 Wrx and it drove perfect during the test drive, but over the past few days I've noticed some strange inconsistencies. At times the turbo will seemingly not provide any boost. The gauge is extremely shakey and if I try to push through, I hear a hard click/knock and the boost gauge will drop all the way down. Also, the cruise control has stopped functioning as ha the heater fan.. additional information to know is it has an aftermarket downpipe that I have no info on as well as a turbo timer that I have no info on. I have fallen in love with this car, but I leave for college in 10 days and it is an 8 hour drive from my home and it is very cool where I'm going, so I absolutely need cruise control and heat. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide! I'd be more than happy to post pictures or give you any more info I can!
'02 Wrx Issues..
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You should take it to a reputable Subaru shop near by and have them go over the car.. preferably one who does a lot of aftermarket work since the car has been modified. There could be (and probably are) a lot of different things going on with the car at this point. If it's at all possible, I would try to return the car and get a refund.. unfortunately, there's a decent chance that it will cost more money than the car is worth to get everything fixed on it.
None of these issues were prevalent when the car was purchased though. I fixed a rattle in the door speakers, performed the normal maintenance, fluid changes, etc. and that is when the issues arose. I think it may be a fuse or relay issue.. Do you truly think that that is a valid reason to sell the car????? Thank you for your fast response!
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If it's as simple as a fuse or a relay, then no, I wouldn't sell the car.. but that is unlikely based on your description. If the engine is failing, and/or the repair costs exceed the value of the car, that would be a valid reason to sell it in my eyes.
If you want to work on fixing it yourself, I would do a leak down test first to check the condition of the engine. I'm assuming there wasn't any sign of metal in the oil when you changed it? Exhaust doesn't smoke at full throttle?
If you're good on all those fronts, I would go ahead and rip out the turbo timer and check over all the electrical components associated with it. It wouldn't be the first time an issue arose from the previous owner having installed a turbo timer.. just the fact that they installed one shows that they don't know much about cars and probably shouldn't have been working on one in the first place.
Once you're done with that, complete ALL scheduled maintenance (including plugs). Then do a boost leak test and fix leaks if there are any.. clean the MAF, clean the throttle body, inspect all the ground points in the engine bay and clean any that are dirty. For the HVAC fan, check the ground wire from the blower motor under the dash. The ground on the blower motor in my Forester burned up, melted the connector and everything. I replaced it with a 10 gauge wire grounded directly to the chassis and never had a problem with it again.
If you want to work on fixing it yourself, I would do a leak down test first to check the condition of the engine. I'm assuming there wasn't any sign of metal in the oil when you changed it? Exhaust doesn't smoke at full throttle?
If you're good on all those fronts, I would go ahead and rip out the turbo timer and check over all the electrical components associated with it. It wouldn't be the first time an issue arose from the previous owner having installed a turbo timer.. just the fact that they installed one shows that they don't know much about cars and probably shouldn't have been working on one in the first place.
Once you're done with that, complete ALL scheduled maintenance (including plugs). Then do a boost leak test and fix leaks if there are any.. clean the MAF, clean the throttle body, inspect all the ground points in the engine bay and clean any that are dirty. For the HVAC fan, check the ground wire from the blower motor under the dash. The ground on the blower motor in my Forester burned up, melted the connector and everything. I replaced it with a 10 gauge wire grounded directly to the chassis and never had a problem with it again.
So I've actually been experimenting a little bit with the car and if it is running poorly, if i just simply turn it off and back on. It works just great. Running at full boost. Everything is great! I got a new rear O2 sensor for the car to take away the CEL, so hopefully I will know by tonight if that fixes my cruise control issue.
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