My Suburu Forester(2002) needs registering in DE and all lights must be off. I gave up trying to get the ignition light off 2 years ago, when it went off in time for registration and came back on as I drove home. (true story) I am unemployed, need help- the AutoZone gave me a diagnosis of P1443, P0442, P0139, and P0483. Greek to me , hoping not to you. Furthering my dilemma, mechanics see an older single woman as fair game, so experience says I am doomed. Suggested parts says : Vapor Canister. Do I just go ask for that??
thanks .
Code P1443 indicates that there’s a problem with the EVAP vent solenoid function. If the vent solenoid doesn’t close when the EVAP system does it’s self test, it can cause the p0442 code. EVAP system large leak. So have the vent solenoid tested for proper operation.
Code P0139 indicates that the oxygen sensor after the catalytic converter is slow to respond. This happens with oxygen sensors as they age. We in the business say that the O2 sensor has become lazy. So the O2 sensor probably requires replacement.
Code p0483 indicates there’s a problem in the engine cooling fans circuit. Have someone inspect the fan circuit for any blown fuses or for any relay that isn’t working.
Tester
Vapor Canister. Do I just go ask for that??
No, don’t tell the mechanic that. They’ll be happy to do it for you, but if it doesn’t fix the problem, that will be your responsibility, not theirs. You’ll get no refunds or extra work performed for free if replacing that part or any other part you tell them to replace doesn’t work. In fact replacing a part may make the problems worse, which will be your problem too. You want the shop to be responsible to fix the problems you tell them, using their professional auto-repair expertise and judgment.
If you don’t trust the shop, ask friends co-workers fellow church-goers etc who they use, then choose the best of the recommendations based on their past experience working on Subarus. This gives you an advantage, b/c the shop will have an incentive to do a good job. Why? Otherwise they know you’ll tell the recommender what happened, and the shop will likely lose that customer’s business too. This is a subtle but important point when working with shops. You need them to have a financial reason to do a good job for you. So provide them with that reason.
$$$ problem? Here’s a couple of idea. Since this is an emissions related issue, its a good idea to stop by a Subaru dealership and ask if there are any extended warranties for any of those problems. On an 02, unlikely, but who knows, you might get lucky. And ask somebody at the local gov’t department that oversees emissions testing if there is any help provided for low income folks. Here in Calif those with low income often do get some financial assistance to pay for emissions testing repairs, or a limit will be placed on the amount the car owner is required to spend. In other words, once the owner spends that amount, the car gets a pass on emissions testing for that time.
When you fill your gas tank, if you add gas after the handle first shuts off, you can damage the canister and purge valve. Always stop on the first click. I suspect this isn’t your issue or you would see the light go out every couple of days and come back on after filling the tank, but just wanted to let you know about it.
You may need a purge valve though, but let a mechanic on scene determine that. Anything over the internet is just speculation in most cases. Tester has a pretty good track record though.