HI All , 

new to here although not new to subarus and i've been hiding in the forester forum for 6 months but just couldn't get on with it so have returned to an outback

Anyway - 

I have the check engine light after a 30 mile drive , stopped at shop, started it back up and the CEL stayed on.

I've seen a lot of mention of it being to do with the fuel cap not being tight enough or leaking pressure, is this an urban myth or fact?

I've opened it closed and tightened until a good couple of  clicks but the light is still on.

Car drives totally unaffected

Going back to where i bought it tomorrow so they can plug it in and clear the memory then see what happens

thanks

On some manufacturers if the cap isn't on the evap system won't be working at full efficency so can throw codes, or the carbon canister is saturated (if applicable) the same happens, do you have a Bluetooth dongle ? The generic ones are cheap as are the apps you'd be able to read the code and have some idea of what's coming up before taking it back for the garage to sort

dont have a dongle , didnt know you could do that , thanks for the heads up on that.

will pop to local guy who does my servicing to see if they can read the code today 

What phone are you on Apple or Android ? If android then something like this http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=391225491082&alt=web

And search the play store for this, found it to be the best

You still need the generic bluetooth module to transmit the code.

 

Does the outback have the two wires under the dash to display the blink codes?

 

Mart

Some more details would be helpfull :)

 

Engine size, fuel type, type of driving,   any issues preceding the CEL?

 

Mart

took it to local garage that i use and they plugged it in for me.

cat converter bank 1 was the warning code

they've reset it and after 20 miles stop start it hasnt come back on yet.

Is that the lambda sensor potentially?

 

and to reply to the questions - 2.5L 

gentle driving in very wet conditions on A roads then 15 miles steady 75 on dual carriageway

i think it had been sitting for some time before i bought it, would that do it ?

Drove 5 miles onto motorway , cruise on , cel back on

Hate not being able to use cruise

The way I understand it, cat efficiency bank 1 codes can be triggered by a number of causes, most not directly connected to the cat or the lambda sensor. These include;

• A damaged or failed oxygen sensor (HO2S)
• Downstream oxygen sensor (HO2S) wiring damaged or connected improperly
• The engine coolant temperature sensor is not working properly
• Damaged or leaking exhaust manifold / catalytic converter / silencer / exhaust pipe
• Retarded spark timing
• The oxygen sensors in front and behind the converter are reporting too similar readings
• Leaking fuel injector or high fuel pressure
• Cylinder misfire
• Oil contamination
• Poor fuel quality
• Vacuum leaks

You might want to try a little sleuthing before changing parts.

Wow that's a scary list

I'd read about the fuel quality / vacuum issue but I've run £40 of BP through it

There is no noticeable misfire it runs really smoothly

Hopefully that's narrowed it down a bit

If you get an OBDII cable or bluetooth dongle ( easiest)  from the bay, and the torque app,  

 

Set them up, then look at the lambda setting & fuel settings,  then run the car and observe the readings,   then clear the CEL using the app. Drive the car again until it fails, then look at the readings,   You should see what is returning the error message.

 

If the car has stood, it may be crap on the lamda sensor, or the cat has become contaminated  with unburnt fuel.

 

Try a tank of cataclean and see what values are returned.

 

Do you have an exhaust blow at all? that can also upset the fueling / lambda values. Check vacuum lines,  if any are perished, they too will have an effect.

 

Mart

One quick Q turbo or NA

I'll look into dongle and cataclean after new year

Thanks for your advice