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AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 5:12 pm
by conkyd
Just thought I would let you guys know - and ask if anyone else has experienced this?
Last week CEL came on with the cruise light flashing during normal driving. Took it to the mechanic and the code was that the right hand AVCS solenoid had been stuck. It has tried to release after advancing and couldn't.
It did at some stage after between then and going to the mechanic about 3 hrs later, car drove fine.
Cleared the CEL and been driving for several days fine.......

Not too worried at this stage but it isnt a common thing as far as I am aware?

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 5:16 pm
by Tradewind
I have had it occur too

Seems part of life with some of them from my experience

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 5:23 pm
by bass_straitener
This fault is often related to cars with dirty oil.

When was your last oil change?

Here's a link.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... ml?t=18887

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 8:19 pm
by MH3.0R
I also got similar issues when the left bank sensor got dirty (after head works by Subaru). Anyway, they cleaned the sensor (think it was the cam sensor from memory) and since then, be fine. Used to make some great Porsche like noises on occasions when the left and right banks were at different cam advance angles! But also felt like the engine was fighting itself! And a noticeable loss of power!

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 7:14 am
by bosc0
bass_straitener wrote:This fault is often related to cars with dirty oil.

When was your last oil change?

Here's a link.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... ml?t=18887


FYI The OCV is very very easy to remove and clean. Is Bruce, Batman?

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 9:23 pm
by conkyd
thanks for the responses.

FYI I am a bit pedantic about oil and do changes every 6250kms

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 9:50 pm
by bass_straitener
conkyd wrote:thanks for the responses.

FYI I am a bit pedantic about oil and do changes every 6250kms


Sorry Andrew didn't mean in any way to insinuate you were slack in maintenance.

It could be anything that causes it and the link shows the Subaru ObdII code, with causes etc.

Also a fix should it happen again.

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2012 3:26 pm
by <GB>
I often see cars with blocked solinoids for VCt, vvt they often have a mesh filter before the solinoids to stop crap getting in them, not sure if that's the case with the subaru motor, we normally clean them and sometimes they are ok, fresh oil often helps and if ur really keen... Not that I would do this to my car but lifter lube or an oil flush stuff put in can often help...

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 2:35 pm
by Tradewind
My oil changes are on time and oil is very clean, flushed as well, made no difference

How about this - Check your battery terminals are tight, discovered mine were loose (lord knows how) and upon tightening (while engine was idling) the engine idle quality and rpm changed as I tightened the terminals. Hmmmm, who would have guessed that one. This can fix a lot of weird issues

Re: AVCS Fault

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:04 pm
by jdm spec b
<GB> wrote:I often see cars with blocked solinoids for VCt, vvt they often have a mesh filter before the solinoids to stop crap getting in them, not sure if that's the case with the subaru motor, we normally clean them and sometimes they are ok, fresh oil often helps and if ur really keen... Not that I would do this to my car but lifter lube or an oil flush stuff put in can often help...


The same mesh filter that collapses and gets bits of plastic jammed in the AVCS solenoid, locking it at full advance?