91 Legacy SS Turbo hesitating, misfiring and overheating

[JLPM]

My 91 Legacy SS Turbo Is Having Some Problems. First, It Is Hesitating When I Accelerate, it Won't Accelerate Above 2,000 Rpms Without Jerking, Rumbling And Misfiring. Even When I Get Upwards Of 60 Mph It Will Still Rumble And Not Accelerate. It Also Has Been Having An Overheating Problen (Which Occured A Few Week After It Started Hesitating. The Temp Gage Will Go Up And It Seems To Be Leaking Water/Coolant. Anyone Who Has An Idea Of The SourcEs these problems Would Be Appreciated.

[wtdash]

Welcome to the LC BBS.


#1: How many miles on the car?

#2: Any recent (last 6 months) work done under the hood? When was the last full tune-up? (Always use NGK/Subaru OEM plugs and wires.)

#3: Is the Check Engine Light (CEL) on? Even if it's not please check for codes stored in the computer - HERE's HOW.

#4: Where is the leaking coolant coming from? Have you replaced any of the cooling system parts - thermostat (always use a Subaru OEM T-stat) or radiator - and properly 'burped' the system?

The hesitation/jerking sounds like a vacuum leak, which is common on these old cars. The overheating could be a sign of head gasket failure, but check out the other cooling system issues 1st.

GL,
TD

[Legacy777]

It sounds like you may have multiple problems. I'd start with the basic checks & tune-up stuff that Todd mentioned above and go from there.

[monkeyposeur]

My 93 SS was hesitating and overheating. Turns out the head gaskets blew, I had multiple vacuum/boost leaks, the injectors were bad, the fuel pump was dying, crappy plugs and wires, and the MAF was dirty/dyng. After simply replacing everything it now runs like a beast. I'd start by checking for vacuum leaks and cleaning the MAF.

Overheating can be caused by air bubbles in the coolant system, bad HGs, and a faulty thermostat. Only use an OEM Subaru thermostat.