norfolkRX

Thanks for the link - It'll take some time to see the wood for the trees as there's 1000 posts on that thread!! Did you have any thoughts on the front O2 sensor not being monitored? . . . or is it called something else in FreeSSM?

Just trying to get to grips with OBD-II and have been looking at FreeSSM which I've got working now on an old tablet. I wondered what your thoughts were on whether FreeSSM is sufficient for normal problem solving or if there are bits of the live monitoring that are handled better by a commercial code reader and which reader? For instance, looking at the FreeSSM measuring blocks, I notice that the front O2 sensor doesn't seem to be monitored or am I missing something? It's a pity that FreeSSM is no longer being updated, maybe I'll have to learn C++ . . . . . .

I'll have to read the manual again but I think it says something to the effect of not cranking the engine for longer than 8 or 10 seconds and not to try again for 30 seconds (don't quote me). Of course I ended up reading that after the problem. I think that what you're trying to avoid is putting unburnt fuel on the cat. No DTCs were present so I'm assuming the car cleared them when they did not re-occur. Mine's a 2010 reg, but the VIN points to a car built in 2008. Haven't yet worked out which models & variants get the push-button start.

Well, code reader arrived today and I did a quick check without the engine running. Shows no pending or permanent codes which is good, but also shows time elapsed since DTCs were last cleared was 1255 miles and 52.5 engine hours. Unfortunately I can't remember what date I first had the issue, but this distance might be about right for it. As I haven't cleared the DTCs, I'm assuming the car cleared any pending codes cause by the starting issue, itself. So looks like the car just got its knickers in a twist when trying to start before. Will try a check with the engine running tomorrow and see if that's OK too. Still looks OK with running engine (though there's a lot I need to learn about ODBII to be sure). Found this at: https://www.engine-light-help.com/oxygen-sensor-codes.html "The most common issues for lean codes are: . . . . . . 4. Engine misfire - Yes I know this one may seem weird. You might think that if there is a misfire then you will have all that unburned fuel and it should read rich; right? Well the O2 sensors read only oxygen content in the exhaust, so if you have all that unburned fuel from incomplete combustion then, you guessed it, you also have all that unburned oxygen. High O2 content in exhaust equals a lean reading! " Which I suppose explains the petrolly smell when the engine didn't fire.

I'm near Watton but don't worry, I've got a code reader on order now ('bout time I entered the 20th century anyway). I know what you mean but I'm thinking the petrolly smell is a symptom of the lack of desire to fire rather than the cause. I was thinking along the lines of the crank sensor as I've had these go before and they usually give you a few warnings before they quit altogether. Start procedure on this car is foot on clutch, press start button, and the electronics are supposed to take care of the rest. The time it refused to start 3 times in a row, I did use the accelerator on the final time and it eventually struggled into life.

I gather you guys like pics, so here's one . . . BTW I seem to be getting 35 mpg which I'm guessing means I'm far too laid back . . . ?

Sounds like I need a fault code reader . . . A mixture, 30+ mile mixed in with 2 or 3 mile journeys. Probably idles a bit slow as it's easy to stall - and then a restart is necessary which would count as a short journey - why do you ask?

Hello Mark, Yes, I've really noticed the difference with the AWD, no more skittering around corners; I live out in the sticks with no salt on the roads, just mud and ice, about 20 miles west of you. Tyres I've got are Falken ZIEX ZE914 which seem OK. Used to be a serial Alfa driver until I finally got fed up with it spending more time getting fixed than on the road. Getting garage withdrawal symptoms with the Subaru.

I'm have occasional trouble getting the car to start. It is a registered in March 2010 (2009?) non-turbo model with push button start. It seems to turn over OK but is reluctant to fire whereas normally it springs into life. The most times in a row is 3 tries after which it reluctantly started but with a petrolly smell. No warning lights were showing but would there still be a fault logged that I could read? I have checked the battery/charging which seems normal and it has had a major service including spark plugs 6 months ago. Other times it behaves quite normally. Any help appreciated as this is my first Subaru and I'm still finding my way around.

Hi All, a quick intro, I'm a first time Subaru owner in Norfolk with an Impreza 2.0 RX which I've had for a year. So far I'm pretty pleased with it.