HELP: Steady CEL and flashing cruise control light

[gumbyy]

Hi fellas,

I really need your help.

About a week ago I was driving my MY05 GT when I noticed the orange CEL (Check Engine Light) indicator came on the dash and a flashing green CRUISE. My cruise control didn't work. I stopped the car and started the engine again - it was gone.. but came back 10 mins later.

I went home and searched for hours online and found that it may be due to a loose fuel cap. I thought to myself "HAH. As if" but I went out and checked anyway and low and behold... it was LOOSE... (I seriously think somebody loosened it.. n)

Anyways, its been a week now (and I've driven about 200km's) and the CEL and CRUISE lights are still on! Has this happened to anybody before? How long before it disappeared and went back to normal?

I got impatient and disconnected the battery in hopes of resetting the ECU but that didn't do anything besides wipe my precious radio station memory.. I decided to check the code came up with P0031 - Front O2 Sensor Heater Control Circuit Low..

WTF.. Do i really need to replace the o2 sensor? How much will this cost and do I need to go through a Subaru Dealer?

[Arith]

Other places could probably fix it for you as well. But when this happened to me, lights came on for a bit, went off for a few days, and then came on again a few days later. That was just a sign that my O2 sensor was acting up. A week or two after that the lights came on and never went off again. Yup, time for a new sensor.

Took it to the dealership and they fixed it after an hour or so. This happened so long ago so I can't remember if I had to pay $70 or if it was covered under warranty.

What started this was I was in a period where I was using the octane booster quite regularly, and the car started to run quite rich. Got a lot of black smoke until a month or two later the O2 sensor failed. Learned the hard way that I should not use octane booster so much.

[jACE]

What started this was I was in a period where I was using the octane booster quite regularly

This is what caused my car to play up on me as well. I'm pretty sure I sent my car to the dealership to get it checked out. Not sure though, it happened a while ago thou. But since I believe the Octane Booster was the cause of this problem, I haven't touched the stuff since and I don't think I ever will again. And after a far bit of driving and a new full tank of fuel, the problem went away.

[Rosso]

Yeah had that happen with my MY05 too, dealership replaced faulty o2 sensor under warranty.

So take it to your dealership, they should've come across the problem before.

A few others have had this problem aswell http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?t=1189

[qship]

Had the same problem ...twice. Each time the dealer fixed it pronto. This is a "well known" problem, more so with the 2 litre cars rather than the 2.5s, but does affect all.

The issue re octane booster is that if too much is used it will leave a residue (despite what the bottle may say) and this as noted can affect the o2 sensor. More often than not it is the spark plugs that begin to foul and the engine runs a bit rough or hesitates - new plug time.

Those who race/track their cars often use boosters and suffer less issues, probably because the hard driving/high revs tend to burn off the residue. Like you I avoid boosters at all costs and if I do use them, it is in small doses, just enough to get me to a 98 pump.

[Mano™]

Yeah I had the same prob.. twice now.. the fist time was o2 the 2nd time wasnt, and they said it wasnt from the pod either.. so yeah weird shit!! hope doesnt happen again!

Take back to the dealer, they will read the error code(s) and fix it for you, still under warrenty yea?

[jACE]

IOT clean your plugs n injectors, I would recommend the nulon injector cleaner. Comes in a clear bottle and the liquid is red in colour. If ever I feel that my car is lagging or running roughly, I always add half a bottle to the tank. Its also good to use prior to a long road trip. It allows you to get the most out of your car km's wise.

[gumbyy]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Can anybody recommend a good Subaru servicing center around the Fairfield area?

Also, is this something a local mechanic can fix? Its out of warranty

[Arith]

I'm inclined to recommend Sutton's in Chullora since it's composed of the Bankstown group. But I have yet to visit their new location/service/etc. for my free car wash.

[swingn]

Its 100% your O2 sensor.

Mine went bad around 8 months ago & I got it replaced. I had issues like running over 20L p/100kms & huge performance loss.

Seems to be a fairly common problem with Subaru's. I have a mate with a MY00 Forester GT & he has had the same issues.

[04GT]

i had the same issue.
costed i think 450 or something to get fixed