Flashing CEL on '98 Ltd OBW w/Auto, Is this a common problem?

F

Father Guido

I was enquiring about a used '98 Ltd OBW w/Auto with 68,000 miles, when
the salesman said there was a story with the car. He said it has a
flashing CEL, and lots of people have taken it to check out, even to a
Subaru dealer to test/check, but no one can fix it. The car is for sale
at a VW dealer. He says we can take it anywhere we want to have it
checked, and that it seems to run perfectly fine as is.

Is this a common problem? Is there a known cure?

Should I just forget about this one and keep looking?

Father Guido
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
I plan on living forever... so far, so good
 
A flashing cel is not a good thing. The cel is a diagnostic tool and is
trying to tell you something. These do come on when there is a problem OR
sometimes when there is not. Most Subarus I have owned the light is
solid...check the owners manual and see what a flashing light means.
Sometimes you have to work at the problem to fix it, may take a couple trips
to your mechanic but it can ALWAYS be fixed. I would be worried that it has
not been fixed because the repair is too expensive (Catalytic converter?).
What code/codes do they retrieve? If they can't tell you this and provide
an explanation of why it hasn't been fixed I wouldn't even consider it. TG
 
TG said:
A flashing cel is not a good thing. The cel is a diagnostic tool and is
trying to tell you something. These do come on when there is a problem OR
sometimes when there is not. Most Subarus I have owned the light is
solid...check the owners manual and see what a flashing light means.
Sometimes you have to work at the problem to fix it, may take a couple trips
to your mechanic but it can ALWAYS be fixed. I would be worried that it has
not been fixed because the repair is too expensive (Catalytic converter?).
What code/codes do they retrieve? If they can't tell you this and provide
an explanation of why it hasn't been fixed I wouldn't even consider it. TG

I could be wrong, but I thought a flashing CEL meant stop
the car ASAP and a steady CEL meant fix it when you get
a chance.

If you live in California, you can't pass smog with
a check engine light. I presume that you don't because
it's the seller's job to do the smog check.

In any case, get the trouble code(s) read out and
see what the computer thinks the problem is.
 
WHEN WE PREPARE FOR DEALER INVENTORY A VEHICLE, THERE IS A SET OF GREEN
CONNECTORS, (98 LEGACY MODELS WERE NEAR THE INSIDE FUSEBOX) IF THESE
CONNECTORS ARE TOGETHER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL FLASH.

IN ALL OTHER INSTANCES THE LIGHT WILL BE SOLID. IT MAY COME ON AT START-UP
AND THEN SHUT OFF... BUT A CODE WILL BE STORED. IF THERE ARE NO CODES, AND
THE CAR RUNS FINE, GETS 22-27 MPG AND PASSES EMISSIONS, THEN IT MIGHT BE THE
ECM.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I decided to pass on the 'deal'. Supposedly the car had been seen by a
Subaru dealer so you'd think they'd have figured out the flashing CEL.
Anyway, I'll keep on looking.

Thanks again!

Norm

Father Guido
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
I plan on living forever... so far, so good
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
13,885
Messages
67,360
Members
7,360
Latest member
Subie075

Latest Threads

Back
Top