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If it's the single gauge one on the low side only. Yes it would read high, around 80-90psi when the system is off. Not much else to add about why it's not kicking on, but it's normal to see it high on a single gauge reading. Thinking it's more electrical than a system problem. Did you swap the relay with a similar one on the car yet?

Was the air in the cabin getting cold? If so, it sounds like something in the wiring or possibly a low pressure switch, but I’m not an a/c tech by any means.

Thanks for the replies . I had originally thought relays were either good or bad, never intermittant. After your replies I did a little research and found out that I was wrong, they can be erratic. I'll put one in next week and cross my fingers. I'll probably disassemble the old one and look for corrosion or damage. Thanks!

Unless you've had an engine swap to something uncommon, the fuel pump is what pressurizes the injectors. The injectors are electronically controlled valves, that let out a precise amount of fuel when the computer tells them to open and close. The fuel to them is supplied, at pressure, by the fuel pump. The only common exceptions to this are diesels, ancient satanic bosch fuel injection, and ultra-modern direct injection gas engines...

I had it service Nov 2024 after replacing the Evaporator due to a leak. Worked great till the other day. Then NO AC. No leaks and when I hook up the cheapo service gauge pressure is High, in the red. I pulled the AC Relay and jumped it. AC compressor kicked in and the gauge went into the green. I'll take it back to the service location, just thought I'd put this out there to get your thoughts. Thanks, Larry

Yep Relay would be my bet.

Have you checked if the throttle position sensor is set properly? Just a thought I had while reading this discussion. My opinion is to check everything you can before chasing the parts dragon. Though it is always good to have spare parts while they're still sparsely available. Never a bad idea to buy a spare if you have the scratch IMO.

Luckily those cars are still fairly simple. Good luck with the chase. Old school guy like myself would ask how the exhaust smells when that’s occurring? But sure just swap in a good CTS and check the other notorious items from the EA82 era.

@scoobydube Had some time to check the engine for an EGT sensor issue and looks like my model does not have one. Went ahead and checked the coolant temp sensor and it did have some white crud on it. After cleaning the sensor, the engine started up right away and then idled at 2000rpm before starting to climb without touching the throttle. I gave it some gas to see if it would come down to normal idle levels but the engine puttered out. Now I'm back to no start. Might try swapping the coolant temp sensor first to see if that's been the issue all along.

Hi all. I recently bought a 2003 Legacy with 108k miles. Now I am getting this P0171 code about 60% of the time, ie it turns off for about 3 hours of driving and then comes back on for about the same time. Whenever I have the cel, I get a rough idle up and down but no issues driving. When there’s no cel, the idle is smooth. Mileage is also extremely poor + soot in the exhaust. I’ve sprayed brake cleaner around and haven’t found any vacuum leaks. My next idea would be the upstream o2 sensor or an exhaust leak. Any other ideas? Thanks

Sorry to be unclear. My understanding is that the problem is the failure of the pump that pressurizes the injectors. Fuel pump itself is fine.

Is this a Carb/SPFI/MPFI/Turbo? The different fuel delivery systems use different fuel pumps. (I'm assuming you're talking about a fuel pump, if not then snap a picture of what you're talking about.) If you let us know what it is I can get you a part number to cross-reference online listings. I'm also going to see a parts guy in a few weeks, so I may be able to grab you what you need while I'm there. No promises but it's possible he'll have a spare. :]

I’d check the fuel pump relay. Maybe the contacts in that are dirty and don’t always make a good contact, making it look like the fuel pump is the issue. The fuel pump relay will be located on a bracket beside the main ignition/power relay. The ignition relay is a brown six pin relay. I don’t know exactly where it’s located in your model though. I hope it’s a simple fix like this. Cheers Bennie

An injector pump? As in an EFI high pressure fuel pump? I know it’s not a diesel so it can’t be the governor pump… If after an EFI fuel pump, use any generic external pump. Can’t recall hose size etc sorry. Cheers Bennie

The 87 GL has fallen on hard times again. All is well except we can't find an injector pump or a rebuilder for the existing pump. Any help out there?

^No - not something I've done. Just read about.

Yeah..try this too: http://opposedforces.com/ It's working, but shows the domain expired 5/2025?

Any chance you got the 3.6 vs. the 2.5 version? Unless you have the 3.6. I'd guess the 3.6 are a different p/n for the extra weight? Maybe not.

Any idea if it can be metered to see if it's bad in some capacity? I'll look into it further and see what I can figure out.

I've read about the ignition wearing out on other cars and causing similar symptoms, so likely Subars can too.

Sorry for a long post. My car is a 1995 Legacy with 135,000 miles-really. It was parked for several years after the owner died. I’ve had it for about three years and replaced most sensors over that period due to codes. Mostly runs like a scalded dog except...When I bought it the owner said the fuel pump was less than a year old. I’d had it for about 9 months and one day the car wouldn’t start, no fuel delivered to engine. Replaced fuel pump and put in a new filter and tank screen. In April I took it on a trip and it ran great except once after a fill up the car would start but only idled very slowly/ 200rpm or so, then die. Fuel starvation? After about a dozen tries it fired up and ran perfectly for the 500 miles back to my home over 4 days with lots of starts and stops and fill-ups. A week after getting home it would crank but not start at all. Fuel pump again, right? I replaced the pump with a mid-range pump from Rock Auto. After installation we went for a short test drive (15 minutes, less than 10 miles, ran great). After a 10 minute stop it acted like it had before: very slow idle and died within seconds. Wouldn’t run, got towed. On an older car I’d say it was vapor lock. Checked fuel filter for flow. Tried removing the gas cap. Let it sit for a few days. Didn’t help. I replaced it with a Hitachi pump a few days ago. It starts and runs great. I let it idle for an hour, shutting it off every 15 minutes and restarting. No problems, no codes. Here’s the thing, the last failed pump that only lasted 10 miles runs when bench tested. What if the slow idle problem that went away once (but not the second time) is some other problem that acts like a bad fuel pump? What else could it be? Now I’m hesitant to drive the car. Any ideas?

So about a year a go, I replaced the main ground contact on the block under the air box. It was green, no copper insight. I cut it back to fresh copper, put a new end on it, and called it good. At the same time, I replaced the battery with a new AGM. I had no further issues until today. The radio started flickering again. I also noticed that my key no longer stays in the ignition when the car is running. It's old and this isn't my only car with this "issue". My question is, could this be an issue in the ignition switch since the dash/radio/clock all flicker periodically? I guess I'll continue chasing grounds down...Any other suggestions?

Shoot man, that would be a trip.

I love the ea81 wagons. Back in 2007 or so my two friends took a low mileage 83 wagon from southern British Columbia down to Nicaragua. Someone smashed one of the side windows so my buddy sold it down there. I couldn't go at the time cuz I was in college. They beat the hell outta that car driving through Mexico. Took it down the baja on their route.

I should mention, I'm thinking about making the XT6 rwd and using the donor axles for a ej22 swap. The XT6 interior is actually in really good shape and no sign of mouse occupancy.