I own a 2000 automatic subaru legacy L with 133k. in the morning when i first start my car and put it in reverse it almost stalls and the engine sound is going up and down and the car is jumpy as the engine revs. Then when I put the car in drive it happens in the beginning but goes away as I accelerate. after about 10 minutes when i have been going at cruising speed there are no issues with stopping at lights, etc. any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Update: The check engine light came on and I checked the code and it’s P0304 Cyliner 4 misfire detected…what should I do? Is it expensive? I do not want to spend any money on this car. Thx.
Suggest you have a good independent mechanic look at it. Could be something very simple and inexpensive. A little maintenance history about when the plugs, air filter, etc were changed last would help.
Some of the mechanics here on line can venture a better guess than me, but at 133K your Subaru has a long ways to go before I would not spend more money on it.
Our Subarus have been very reliable and not very expensive to fix…
“I do not want to spend any money on this car”
With all due respect, I have to ask–
Do you know of any repairs that do not cost any money?
I can well understand not wanting to spend a lot of money for repair, but you have to accept that repairing a problem will involve the expenditure of some money.
Among the problems that could be involved are spark plugs that are old and no longer effective. However, there are other, more complex issues that could lead to this problem, and none of these repairs are free.
Did this car have its 90k and 120k maintenance done, as per the mfr’s maintenance schedule?
If you are averse to spending any money on this car, I am wondering if you might have skipped maintenance. The major cause of driveability problems such as you describe is lack of maintenance.
When was the last time the spark plugs were replaced? How about the spark plug wires?
If you don’t want to spend any money on this car the problem will get worse. Cars require periodic maintenance, which costs money. There is on way to get around it.
There are many possible causes for a misfire. Someone is going to have to start testing components to see which is causing the problem. The last time I had a misfire it was caused by a bad spark plug.
Take it to a mechanic versed in Subaru(non-dealer) and get a good diagnosis.
If you want Subaru guru advice visit: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/