I have a 99 Subaru Legacy B4 and I changed my spark plugs tonight because my car wasnt going, now it still wont start and my check engine light is now flashing, does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong!!
tatts2,
Mar 22, 6:35pm
yea its a subaru
r15,
Mar 22, 6:42pm
i'd say the problem wasnt the spark plugs
weepiglet,
Mar 22, 6:44pm
Have disconnected the battery to try and reset the ECU and all we unplugged was the spark plug stuff and disconnected the pod filter, battery and water tank thing. And it never flashed before changing the spark plugs, its only started after we changed them and we've already checked the fuel filter etc
1fordluva,
Mar 22, 6:48pm
coil,or straight leads! If its coil type,you may have a stuffed coil or havnt fitted them correctly. They are fiddly buggers if you dont know what you are looking at. Or afm
matthew_129,
Mar 22, 6:53pm
Agree with 1fordluva, either youve fitted the coils incorrectly, the can go to the side of the sparkplug when putting the in. Make sure you clip them in by hand, dont rely on the bolt to clip them in. Also make sure you didnt mix them up front and rear, can be an easy mistake to make. Check engine light shouldnt flash unless youve got the diagnostic plugs connected
matthew_129,
Mar 22, 6:56pm
Also, this is assuming that the diagnostic plugs are connected. is the light flashing steadily and at the same rate, or are you getting some long flashs and then short ones! If steadily then that means there are no codes, if long then short count them and tell us how many and it may help in trying to determine why it isnt working. Just leave the key at the on position while counting them, dont try to start it
weepiglet,
Mar 22, 6:56pm
Grr I knew youd have to make sure to remember which is front and rear but I thought they looked the same so didnt bother. Is there an easy way to tell which one if which and yeah my partner thinks the coil might not be connecting with the spark plug. Oh and Im missing a diagnostic plug so it cant be that
1fordluva,
Mar 22, 7:08pm
It pays to do one plug at a time,then refit. Its easy to refit just have a deep breath and relax lol its all about feeling your way round with the fingers. Make sure you dont force it into place and feel it slot onto the end of the plug.
40wav,
Mar 22, 7:08pm
Oh boy.
weepiglet,
Mar 22, 7:16pm
FML! How do you tell which coil goes in the back and which in the front!
weepiglet,
Mar 22, 7:18pm
Oh and by front and back do you mean the plug or the actual black suction coil part!
I already mentioned not having one of the diagnostic plugs so it wont be flashing because of them being plugged it. It also wasnt flashing when it wasnt going the first time, and the cam is nearly new.
intrade,
Mar 23, 10:51am
you do have a diagnostic plug . you just have no clue where it is. if you got a checkengine light glowing means the computer has loged a permanent fault code that can be read out with a obd-2 code reader.that is fact they sure as hell did not make your car without that plug lol.
your best bet is likely to load the car up and get somone with a clue and a code reader fix your car. as you dont seem to have mutch of a clue. My guess is the fault code is likely from your work you messed up hence it is now showing a fault as befor it was not. you could have a dead airflow meter as to why the car did not go befor you messed abouts or your fuel-pressure pump has stoped working because you did run it low on fuel once to often. these are 2 most common causes for a engine not to fire.
weepiglet,
Mar 23, 4:20pm
You dont have to be rude,I do know what Im doing, the car wasnt made without the plug it has been cut, I took it to someone with a "clue" as you put it, and they had no clue, and made themselves out to be experts with subarus. They told me also there was no plug, so you can stop calling me a smurf and stop saying I have no clue when I do. What makes you an expert!
matthew_129,
Mar 23, 7:14pm
Up under the steering column you will find 2x black plugs and 2x green plugs that plug into each other, are they there! and are they connected to each other! these are what im refering to as the diagnostic plugs, most often they are taped up to the steering column and you wont find them at a glance.
The OBD2 diagnostic plug is completely seperate and isnt required to just pull codes out of it
weepiglet,
Mar 23, 7:55pm
I am 110% percent I do not have one of the black ones. Guarenteed.
matthew_129,
Mar 23, 8:59pm
plug in the green ones, should still show the code, just wont be able to properly reset it
incar.,
Mar 23, 9:30pm
is there fuel at the engine
weepiglet,
Mar 24, 4:23pm
Yes there is fuel. Have now got the flashing to stop by swapping round the coils. But now will try green plugs because it's still not starting. Ready to take it to the dump I think
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