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I haven't cleaned that exact valve, but usually you want to blow a bunch of brake cleaner through every part of it, with the solenoid removed so you can manually move it to all positions, then put a drop of very light oil on the bearing.

I'll check the IAC tonight. It's right out front and easy to access. If it's not carboned up I'll see if there's a resistance test or something I can do in the FSM. I have a few spares kicking around I could try if it comes to that. Also I did do a factory PCV reroute. I know the PCV was definitely sucking oil before I did this. I lost about 1/3 quart of oil over about 1300-1500 miles. I've checked my oil level recently (about 1500 miles since the reroute) and I haven't noticed any obvious loss of oil after doing the reroute. Then again my oil pump leaks so I'm unsure how much of the aforementioned oil loss was due to the oil pump leaks vs the PCV sucking oil. And my vacuum does begin to ever so slightly flutter above 3.5k-ish RPM. Less than 1inHg fluctuation but if you're looking for it, it is noticable.

Voltage fluctuating with turn signals is 100% normal. Also, no alternator problem, except for a bearing locked solid, will significantly affect idle speed. Valve issues are not caused by sudden deceleration. Any issues with valves closing slowly would show up at high rpm, when they have less time to close, not at idle. At cold start, the computer has the idle air control valve wide open and the mixture rich, like the choke and fast idle cam of a carb. As it warms up, it needs less air to maintain idle speed. To test the booster, stomp on the pedal as hard and long as you would for an emergency stop, while you're already stopped. If it does the same thing, you've found your problem. If it doesn't do it, it's probably not the problem. My money is still on the idle air control valve.

I'd sure hope it's not the alternator. I swapped in a new one maybe a year and a half ago. The car has always had a voltage flutter and differing fuel pump whine with the turn signals. After I did some electrical work it has gotten better and now drops approximately 1 volt with the turn signals whereas before it was maybe 3 volts or so. I can always check the alternator terminal connections and belt tension. It doesn't sound like the belts are slipping (I'm running both belts in the same pattern since I deleted my AC). PCV valve is a new OEM part I added when doing a full refurb of the engine. I tightened it with a flange wrench too and while I didn't torque it, it definitely felt tight. Sealing the threads would be an easy thing to do. The engine I have in the car now was sitting for a few decades so I do suspect one or more of the valve springs are weak from the valves sitting open for so long. I didn't replace the springs because I couldn't find a full set of inner and outer springs. I'm still in need of outers, I have a full set of inners. Perhaps the springs just don't respond well to rapid changes in RPM? Valves get a little float? My vacuum on cold start is typically 15inHg then as the engine idles for a minute or two it'll creep up to 20inHg while staying at the same RPM (set to 1500 when cold). If the engine is REALLY cold my cold start vacuum is typically in the 12-15inHg range and the creep to 20inHg may take a little longer.

Sounds like your alternator isn’t doing its job like it used to. Try coasting down a long incline off throttle, then when back on the juice pedal watch out the rear view mirror for any blue smoke. If you run synthetic oil this trick won’t show up anything. If you have blue smoke it could be a number of things, mine turned out to be a broken ring land on two cylinders from memory (was 20 years ago now). Only showed a plume of blue smoke when off throttle at speed then back on it again until the oil was burnt off. The longer spend off throttle the more blue smoke produced. PCV system faults could be an issue too. The sticky IACV suggestion from bushytails is a good one to start with, as it may be slow to adjust quickly in those situations. If the IACV is dirty/sticky, the question then is why - failing component? Lack of appropriate voltage? PCV allowing oil to be sucked through the IACV at idle, coating it in oil, leading to gumming up over time?

IAC is "new" a tested good unit that was cleaned and has a new gasket. I initially thought brake booster too. I could always swap in a booster vacuum hose to see if that works. However sometimes my vacuum will flutter with the blinking of my turn signals. My fuel pump will whine at a different tone with the turn signals and my voltage gauge will dip with the turn signals as well. This makes me believe it's a failing fuel pump. In addition to the pump being fairly noisy in general. I do have a spare brake booster if it ever comes to that. Probably wouldn't hurt to swap that in within the coming warmer months. Vacuum doesn't seem to change when I'm on the brakes at a red light. I'd think if it was a brake booster, I'd be seeing vacuum fluttering anytime I apply the brakes and that's not happening. Only on rapid deceleration. I've also noticed the idle issue is more common on downhill slopes (when the front of the car is lower than the rear). Maybe this has to do with the fuel in the tank sloshing forward and it's causing some issue with the fuel pump.

Dirty idle air control valve (long thing with a big hose coming out the top of it, bolted on next to the throttle body), or leaky brake booster, would be my guesses.

'89 GL SPFI 5DRMT. When I have to rapidly decelerate, for instance when a light turns yellow or I get cut off, when I get to a crawling pace or a complete stop my idle is very poor. It'll dip down to 250 RPM and my vacuum will flutter wildly within a 5-8 inHg range. If I give it a little throttle and hold it slightly above idle RPM for a few seconds it quickly subsides. I have no issue with throttle response when I'm having these idle issues. The engine responds to very slight throttle input. It starts cold just fine unless the car was sitting outside overnight in subzero temps, then getting it started can take a few minutes and words of affirmation. Any ideas? I'm thinking it's a failing fuel pump or maybe an injector in need of a cleaning. My fuel pump is quite noisy. I have replaced my fuel filter and the fuel that came out of the old filter wasn't dirty. I just haven't gotten the motivation to diagnose anything in this winter weather. Ideally if it is a fuel pump, I'd like to replace it when I do my post-winter rust inspections and general maintenance in the spring. Thanks :]

I’m pretty sure they’re all like this from the L series onwards 😎

I haven't given up on the '01 EZ30 I was talking about recently, but have been dealing with higher priority stuff - including acquiring a radiant heater for the garage so I can get the damn thing fixed in comfort. In the meantime, we have an opportunity to grab an (estate) '06 Outback with the 3.0R - low miles (~250K km and an initial ask of $2K CAD). That's newer than anything else we have (or have had), so I've never touched this motor. What do all-y'all think of it? [Edit] I see now that it (the EZ30D Mk 2) is basically the same EZ30(D Mk1) as I'm familiar with, but with the addition of VVT. So my question stands: Do you think it's a good/bad/indifferent change?

The trans in the turbo will prob have a 25 spline axle, so plan accordingly. Also, its going to be a 3.7 gear ratio, so be sure to swap the rear end also

I have plenty of spares, worth a try.

If you are in NO rush, I can pull them from Colorado sometime in 2025.

Thanks this was what i was trying to find.

Crank pos sensor getting flakey? A VERY long time ago, I read of an STI owner that cleaned some debris (ferrous dust particles) from a CPS and it fixed some intermittent issues. Not sure why it wouldn't set a CEL...?

Be aware, if it's like the 5spd on my 06 WRX, the shifter is held on the shift shaft by 2 spring pins...1 INSIDE the other!

I'm running DRW bushing as well. I forget what the factory bushing durometer is but if I remember correctly the DRW bushing are slightly stiffer. I make it a habit to relube the bushing every spring/summer when I descale and treat the rust that forms during the winter. May be overkill but I'm going for longevity. I'm using good quality KYB strut mounts. Took a lot of searching to find them but I trust them more than the typical chinesium parts.

There's the buffer and a buffer cover Covers are discontinued, but there are still a few buffers in the Subaru of America warehouses, Any Subaru dealer in the US can order them. $15-20 ea

I run 45PSI all around, on 13" wheels... I load my wagon heavy and drive hard, and lower psi always gives uneven tire wear, with the edges (especially outer edges) wearing before the center tread. I've been running Tornel Direccional 205/60R13 lately. Not a common size, but I've been happy with them. Been tempted to get some 15x7 Diamond Racing wheels so I can run much easier to get 15s... What brand bushings are you running? I have DRW everywhere up front except the lower control arm bushings, which are now the odd-shaped Trupro ones. Have been wondering if other brands get better life than DRW's. I still need to find a source of Gen II rear outer bushes - DRW said he can make them if I give him specs. I might mail him the shells from a worn-out factory bushing.

A lot of ebay parts are listed for Leone II... I think they're borrowing the UK nomenclature for stuff. Others are done by 1400/1600/1800, which seems extremely imprecise. AU5/AM5/AJ5 seemed to be the most accurate way to find parts... but ebay's fitment tables were *all over the place*. Doing overly broad searches and filtering by hand seems to be the way to go.

Tires are typically ran at the stock 30-31 PSI. Granted I am on the factory 13" wheels. If I did a 5-lug conversion and got some 15" wheels under it, the ride would improve. I also am running stiffer poly bushings and all my rubber components are less than 2 years old. I don't have a decade or more of use to soften the ride. I'd say I have about 200 pounds of weight added to the car and I plan to add more. The weight, as mentioned, does definitely help. In comparison to a modern USDM (we love soft suspension and cup holders here, neither of which I have) vehicle though, it's almost at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Okay, my thread hijack is over. Thanks for this write up! Any assistance getting parts on these cars where they belong is greatly appreciated! :]

Awesome write up @bushytails! Also look into https://subarino.com.au - a local guy that loves the MY models and will ship internationally. Just email for a quote on shipping. The years of the brumby will be different to your brat. We got them up to 1992 and I heard of several that were sold new from the dears late as 1994!! We don’t talk in generations - it’s either MY or L series; EA81 or EA82. No estates - station wagons GL and DL are the trim levels of the L series, the MY seems to only get the GL but I could be wrong there. That forwarding service is like one a mate used to use over in the states, they used to call them a virtual mail box and did the exact same thing you did, just the opposite way around. And good old Australia Post… they do their job well but take their sweet arsed time doing it! I usually use DHL for incoming packages and if they don’t do it to my address I either get it sent to work or go with FedX (which I prefer not to). I have king springs on my lifted and EJ’d L series with civic springs in the rear. I like the ride quality of the HD springs, but mine probably need replacing since they’re about 20 years old and probably not holding like they used to! If you drive an empty vehicle these springs will most likely not be nice to ride in. I also wonder what psi you’re running in your tyres as this will have an impact too. Thanks for sharing Bushytails, glad you got your parts and you’re happy with them!

So far I'm loving mine... but my recent experience is sitting on the bump stops with my seat being the primary suspension... I also have an EJ, lift, and various other accessories making the front of my car a bit heavier than stock.

A note on the "overload" King springs. I've had mine for about a year and I'm not sure how I feel about them. The Pros: They benefit high-speed handling, they improve the weight capacity (cargo for wagons or utes, more passengers, etc), they're yellow - they give proto wilderness trim vibes. The Cons: The ride, oh my goodness the ride. It is very unforgiving in terms of comfort. I live in an area that sees significant seasonal freezing and thawing and the buckling of the roads makes for a truly bad ride. Think sitting at the back of a school bus going over railroad tracks bad. I've been debating replacing them with my worn stock springs. The ride isn't bad enough to buy new stock rate springs but that's just my opinion. I forewarn any passengers that haven't ridden in the car about the ride. I do worry about the long term stress on the mounts, bushings, strut towers, etc. However the benefit of better weight capacity and better handling has me on the fence about whether or not they're worth it. I'll be keeping mine for the time being but I will be replacing them at the first sign of excessive wear to suspension components. If you're thinking about getting them, they do what's written on the tin. But be forewarned, they do so at the sacrifice of comfort.

Here's the parts I got: KYB 333227 Struts: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/335669990575 These are the most common/available with tons of sellers. Trupro lower control arm bushings: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/143967618417 Also available as a few other brands. Fuel filter with vapor vent nipple on top: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/132887997822 Trupro outer tie rod ends: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/132430778076 King standard height heavy duty coil springs: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232612195500 Not an endorsement of any of these sellers; those are just the items I purchased. I got KYB SB103 boot kits and Mevotech MP902931 strut mounts from rockauto. The Mevotech strut mounts are substandard, but seem to be the only thing available if yours are torn. The included bearing plate (if you can call a piece of greased plastic that) does not fit the upper spring seats. My original ones were in re-usable condition. If yours are cracked or worn too thin, you'll need to enlarge the hole in the spring seat with a large step bit to use the new plastic ones. Also, the D-shaped stamped hole for the threaded part of the strut shaft is either the wrong size or too poorly formed, and the strut shaft spins freely in it so you can't tighten the strut nut. I shimmed them with strips of copper roof flashing to adjust the fit to where the shaft couldn't spin. Copper is easy to cut, and I could have it slightly proud and it would squish with the nut, unlike steel. Also they don't have the markings for which way they should face, so look at your old mounts. The FSM is backwards compared to the markings on the mounts! The lower control arm bushings pressed in without too much work with a large C clamp. Put your 36mm on one side as a spacer, then press the bushing in from the other side. You have to press it in until end end you're pressing is almost entirely in the hole, then flip the clamp and the 36 around and press from the other side, to get both end pieces in place properly. Will see how long these last for. Got less than six months from each set of DRW bushings, so figured I'd try something new. There's also two brands of polyurethane bushings on .au ebay. The KYB struts are indeed 4wd length, even though they have a fixed spring seat. They're identical in dimensions to my other 4wd struts, and longer than 2wd struts. If you normally run your height adjustment all the way up, and it's for ride height and not just to compensate for worn springs, you might want to opt for the 25mm/1" lift coil springs. The free length of the coil springs is shorter than my OEM coil springs, but the end result is still standard ride height, because the heavy duty ones are much stiffer being made with much thicker wire, and so compress less with the weight of the car on them. They even came with a sticker on the side reminding you of this. lol Some other items that I did not purchase, but may be what people are looking for: Sachs 317002 struts. Cheap but supposedly great quality. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/226638327659 Also available from several other sellers ranging from slightly higher price to vastly higher price. Gabriel G55726 struts. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/205853986218 Also available from many other sellers. Some sellers show these with an adjustable spring seat, some with a fixed one. I emailed one of the sellers, and they checked with their supplier, and it sounds like they're moving to non-adjustable ones and you'll probably get a non-adjustable one even if they have a picture of an adjustable one. If it matters to you, you should email each seller you're looking at and check in advance. There's also Monroe struts available, but the seller with them is charging so much that I'm not going to link to it. There's "Protex" struts that may or may not fit. No one has a photo and fitment info is useless. Silly expensive caliper rebuild kit: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154070387492 Lovells Standard Height: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/143552513395 Lovells Raised: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/133357720022 This always makes me laugh: https://www.ebay.com/itm/336366210724 Things I wasn't able to find: New calipers, either front or turbo rear, late '84 clutch cables, steering racks, proper steering rack boots, torsion bars, rear outer bushes, ...