Blinking "check engine" idiot light 92 Subie Loyale

Hey everybody.
I recently did the timing belt on my 1992 Subaru Loyale wagon (4WD), and before this the check engine light just stayed on. Seeing as there was a HUGE crack in the y-pipe after the exhaust manifold and the intake was cracked, I figured those were the culprits. Well I had the y-pipe welded and “fixed” the intake with a bungee and some duct tape (it doesn’t have to look good but it worked, I think) and now the damn light is blinking at me. I could deal with it just staying on, but now what is it trying to tell me??

is the intake duct taped before or after the MAFS?

Before.
But where I decided to tape was pretty much not attached beforehand.
The only thing I can think of is that the engine functioned better with less air…which is obviously not it.

check engine lights are usually emission related, look to your exhaust system to find the culprit

Well I fixed the crack in the exhaust, the rest looks okay. I’m stumped.
Apparently there’s a couple wires under the dash that will reset the stupid code but I have no idea what they are.

I bet your o2 sensors could be doing it.

on my car a blinking check engine light means miss fires

I wouldn’t doubt the O2 sensor theory. The gas milage has been definitly sucky. Misfires I doubt though. My Saab would misfire occasionally and I have gotten really good at picking it out of all the other car noises.
I need a live-in mechanic that fixes everything. sigh

If the check engine light is blinking rhythmically, there is a problem the computer thinks may cause damage to your car. If you notice a blinking check engine light, you do not need to stop in the middle of the bridge and call a tow truck (like you would with an oil light), but you do need to stop driving as soon as practical. Whether the check engine light is solid or blinking, it’s a good idea to drive gently.

Wonder if this applies.

Maybe you rotated a cam slightly causing it to be off?

Hmm. That might be possible. I’m waiting on a reply from Andy (the BF who also happened to time this thing) to see if it was blinking on the way back to my house after he fixed it. The Subaru was a new experience to him since he usually sticks with VWs and my occasional Saab repairs (which he hated doing).

UPDATE: Just called Frank(?) at Northtown and apparently the stupid computer resets after the battery is taken out. I would know if the timing was off, and it’s not. So either the light means nothing or the O2 sensor is shot to hell. Either way, I’m driving it. We’ll see if she blows up. :smiley:

FYI MIL “blinks” when casostrophic miss fire is happening- in other words its dumping enough raw fuel to damage the cat

[quote=“Pauly,post:12,topic:25326"”]

FYI MIL “blinks” when casostrophic miss fire is happening- in other words its dumping enough raw fuel to damage the cat

[/quote]

thats true in OBDII but i don’t think it is for OBDI, it could be different for every company.

my cavy did that for about 10 min before it snapped a rod, and bent some valves

[quote=“Pauly,post:12,topic:25326"”]

FYI MIL “blinks” when casostrophic miss fire is happening- in other words its dumping enough raw fuel to damage the cat

[/quote]

[quote=“AJC2500,post:13,topic:25326"”]

thats true in OBDII but i don’t think it is for OBDI, it could be different for every company.

[/quote]

OBDII=flashing CEL= catastrophic misfire

OBD=? take it to autozone and have them get ur CEL info. and check it.

[quote=“01AudiS4,post:5,topic:25295"”]

Usually on OBDII vehicles, (SES light on = bad) and (SES light flashing = Really Bad).

[/quote]

http://www.nyspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?p=472773#post472773

Seems to come in bunches around here, I think SilverGT is having this problem too.

:needpic: im real drunk right now, so you should prolly post some pics of your slef

:needpic: