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1998 Legacy Limited Engine/Power Question


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I bought a 98 Legacy Limited Sedan recently.  Car runs great as well as shifts great.  Not totally sure which engine it has but its probably the 2.2L.  I'm not a car buff so I'm trying to get a opinion as to what or if there is a problem.  Sometimes when I go to get on the gas to get up and go it seems to not wanna rev up and just go it will go up like a granny driver.  Car idles smooth and everything so curious what are things Subaru pros might think

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Edited by arod812
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remember we can't see or touch the car, good description is key.

 

any check engine lights?

does the transmission light flash 16 times at start up?

 

i don't know what "go up like a granny driver" means.

 

when you say it won't rev up do you mean: 
the engine RPM's won't increase?
or vehicle speed does not increase?

 

when it accelerates does it ever stumbled, hesitate, or make noise?

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remember we can't see or touch the car, good description is key.

 

any check engine lights?

does the transmission light flash 16 times at start up?

 

i don't know what "go up like a granny driver" means.

 

when you say it won't rev up do you mean: 

the engine RPM's won't increase?

or vehicle speed does not increase?

 

when it accelerates does it ever stumbled, hesitate, or make noise?

Check engine light is on yes,  the girl i bought it from said her dad was a Subaru mechanic and said even when it was reset it would come back on.  Trans light does not flash at all.  When I mean rev up I mean like it will pick up speed and such just not get up and go like you want it to.  Once in a while it will hesitate for a slight moment but no noise or stumbling.

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Limited more than likely has the 2.5. Easy to find out. Look under the hood, straight down at the top of the block behind the alternator there is a casting that either says EJ22 or EJ25.

 

 

Sounds like the makings of a bad knock sensor. Search for my Knock Sensor 101 thread for tips on inspection and replacement.

 

 

The plot thickens! Take the car to your local auto parts store and have them scan the codes for the CEL. Write down the codes and post them here.

Edited by Fairtax4me
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you need to the codes.  the car is probably telling you exactly what it need.

advanced auto parts, autozone, and others read the codes for free.

WRITE DOWN the code, don't listen to what the people tell you it is.  give us the numbers like P0325 (which is knock sensor).

 

knock sensor is a $15 part off ebay that takes 20 minutes to replace, very easy and they commonly need replaced.

 

 her dad was a Subaru mechanic and said even when it was reset it would come back on.

 

that is one terrible Subaru mechanic.  Check Engine Light indicates there's a problem - turning the light off wont' fix the problem!!!  that's like thinking turning the fire alarm off must mean it'll get rid of the fire.  they were wanting a light turns on and then stays off when they turn it off??? LMAO!!!!  hopefully they weren't lying just to sell the car.

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engine casting number will be on the block - look down in between and behind the alternator and the power steering resevoir - it may be dirty down in there judging by the picture you posted, so you may need to use a rag & wipe away some crud.

 

The 2 engines are very similar looking on the exterior, so your picture is pretty much useless for identification purposes.

 

knock sensor being bad wont cause any "damage" per se - but it will cause drivability issues. Get the codes read and get them posted.

Edited by heartless
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EJ22 - will just have one exhaust pipe coming out the bottom of each head. see the one port/hole on the top of this manifolld:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/95-96-97-98-99-LEGACY-EXHAUST-MANIFOLD-ENGINE-Y-PIPE-2-2L-EJ22-1996-1997-1998-/231028494167?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35ca5f0f57&vxp=mtr

EJ25 - will have two exhaust pipes coming together out of each head. notice the two ports/holes:

http://www.vincentfurniture.com/subachad/Jon/images/exhaust_headers_na.jpg

 

look underneath the engine right where the exhaust bolts to the engine - you can tell if it's the single (EJ22) or double (EJ25).

 

timing covers on EJ25 will be large two circular indentations on far left and far right ends too.
EJ25 - spark plugs go through the valve covers.

EJ22 (in 1998) - spark plugs do not go through valve covers, valve covers are under the spark plugs.

 

or put the VIN in a VIN decoder on google.

 

quite a few ways to tell.

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EJ22 - will just have one exhaust pipe coming out the bottom of each head. see the one port/hole on the top of this manifolld:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/95-96-97-98-99-LEGACY-EXHAUST-MANIFOLD-ENGINE-Y-PIPE-2-2L-EJ22-1996-1997-1998-/231028494167?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35ca5f0f57&vxp=mtr

EJ25 - will have two exhaust pipes coming together out of each head. notice the two ports/holes:

http://www.vincentfurniture.com/subachad/Jon/images/exhaust_headers_na.jpg

 

look underneath the engine right where the exhaust bolts to the engine - you can tell if it's the single (EJ22) or double (EJ25).

 

timing covers on EJ25 will be large two circular indentations on far left and far right ends too.

EJ25 - spark plugs go through the valve covers.

EJ22 (in 1998) - spark plugs do not go through valve covers, valve covers are under the spark plugs.

 

or put the VIN in a VIN decoder on google.

 

quite a few ways to tell.

Every 98 "Limited" model I have ever seen, had the EJ25 larger motor, so I would bet the farm that the car has the EJ25 engine.

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there is an ID tag under the hood on the driver side attached to the the strut towr.

you can read it while standing at the driver sdie front tire.

it will have the engine ID code on .

as well as other stuff.

 

i had a 97 outback limited.

did they make GT limited cars?

i think the LSi was done by 98.

 

how about a 98 SUS?

does it have two tone paint?

how about round fog lights?

 

or maybe the anniversary limited? edition.

those were legacys cars built in 1999, including late 98MY and most of the 99MY.

they came with a sunroof, power antenna, alloy wheels, a better sound system, all the good stuff.

 

find a picture on line of a car exactly like yours and post a link.

Edited by johnceggleston
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Replace the knock sensor. It's inexpensive enough (from e-bay) that it's not worth the time getting into attempting to diagnose it. If you change it and still have knock sensor codes, then you'll need to trace the wiring. 97% chance it's the sensor itself. It's a known failure on these cars.

 

The EVAP code can be a huge pain to troubleshoot, but it won't effect how the car runs. Don't worry about it for now, unless you have emissions inspection in your area.

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Yeah they looked it up and was 82.99 for a knock sensor. Even at that my dad works at Advance Auto Parts and gets a nice discount but if its that much cheaper.  

 

Referring to the evap you mean obviously the funnel or tube gas goes down into the tank?

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