johnceggleston

it is hard to say what was causing your ''popping'' when turning. it could have been the ''transfer clutch'' or it could have been the mis-matched tire. or maybe an axle, that would have been my guess, but probably not. but here's the problem now. you paid for a repair, more than the going rate, but you did get new tires so that eliminates some of the over charge, you paid and they failed to repair it. now they are tinkering with your car and will probably fix it but you paid for something you did not need. i would be very upset. there is no reason for them to have not fixed it the first time correctly. i would ask for your money back. they failed to fulfill their half of the contract. and even if they fix it now, as you said, you didn't need what they did. i'd go get the car before they say you need a trans. the line about the additive is just an excuse to justafy working on it more so they can find the real problem. and they say the flush has helped and is needed, but you have no way of knowing unless you drive it. some one here had their transfer clutch rebuilt for 900$ at the dealer 4 or 5 years ago. tires are $400 - $500 max.(mine were ~$375) they overcharged you and didn't fix it. good luck.

what is a 'cps' and or a 'cks'????????

google trans rebuild kits. some one, nipper i think, posted a link last month or late fall. there are companyie that sell parts for rebuilding an auto trans. i'd look there and maybe search nippers threads. it's a place to start. call them. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118510 EDIT: ooops, i didn't read all of the earlier posts before hand.

send them back and get a refund. order new ones from http://www.subarugenuineparts.com .

i don't know about current OBD systems on any cars, subaru or other, my newest car is a 98. and obd2 is a good thing even if it was government mandated. but for subarus in the late 90s, lots of thing can go wrong, be failing, old and tired, cause problems, without throwing a code. so if a sensor outright fails or is disconnected you get a CEL but if it's just not working properly you often get nothing. and then figuring it out isn't really helped by the OBD system. now, back to your regular program.

i assume tickover means ''idle'', what does ''lambda'' mean? do you have a CEL, check engine light, on? does it run differently when it is hot than it does when it is cold?

plus, if the wire fell apart at the connector, then it could well have fallen apart somewhere else. and working with to make repairs could have ''stressed'' it .

if one flywheel is bigger, wouldn't you have to change the starter? or does the trans housing make up the difference? different part numbers : (click on usage) ej25 http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/12310AA210/ ej22 (ej18) http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/12310AA091/

disconnect the battery, turn the key to run / on and reconnect the battery.

good info on the butt connectors. i don't think he actually swapped the TPS though. i'm not clear.

4) Throttle position sensor In this case, repair the following: Poor contact in throttle position sensor connector Poor contact in coupling connector (B21)Replace throttle position sensor. Replace throttle position sensor.

3. Engine does not return to idle. 1) Idle air control solenoid valve 2) Engine coolant temperature sensor 3) Accelerator cable (*6) 4) Throttle position sensor In this case, repair the following: Poor contact in throttle position sensor connector Poor contact in ECM connector Poor contact in coupling connector (B21) 5) Mass air flow sensor

your math appears to be correct, but have always understood the second number to be the distance from the wheel to the outer diameter of the tread. not the width of the tread. but i may be misunderstanding the terminology. the diameter of the 205/75/14 is ~26.10''. stock outback, late 90s, is ~26.30'' stock legacy, 185/70/14, is ~24.20'' but all of these number are theory, actual tire size may vary.

true, but standing out front with a sign may be the stick that gets their attention. some one posted recently that they got no where until they started picketing the on the sidewalk. small businesses can't afford to have customers, old or new, turn around and walk away. ''protesting'' on the sidewalk will not scare off all customers, but it willl make a lot of them think twice. repair shops tend to have a bad reputation any way, regardless of how honest they are. kind of like home improvement contractors. at least until the customer has had a good experience. maybe park you car out front with signs in the window if you don't have the time to do it yourself. but nothing is better than a complaining customer out front. and one more thing, if and/or when they talk to you, get everything in writing and signed. that way they can't back out.

i would agree with what others have said, but i doubt that the shop owner will. i would be surprised if he / they acknowledge any fault at all. so you will have to ''convince" them. i think i would start with ''give me my money back and pay to have my engine repaired by the dealer''. and then introduce them to the BBB and a lawyer. and if you have to park out front of the shop with a sign saying they do bad work and cheat the customer. i would settle for getting your money back. you can use that to make a good running car to keep or sell.

P0325 -Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction the hesitation could be the knock sensor. mine was old and tired and caused hesitaion under slight load, driving uphill. if i punched it it would eventually catch and go. mine did this for a while before it threw a code. P0325 is actually a circuit problem that could be a connector or corrosion under the sensor, maybe. but depending on the miles, it may be due anyway. P0500 - Vehicle Speed Sensor Malfunction any speedo issues? does the AWD work properly? if it is an auto trans, put the FWD fuse in and take a test drive. see if you can feel a difference. i usually can. P1101 - Neutral Position Switch Circuit High Input (A/T) P1101 - Neutral Position Switch Circuit Malfunction (M/T) i have no idea about the last one? but it too sounds like a circuit issue?

when i said scantool, i was thinking the ''subaru scantool'' or whatever they call it, which does diagnostics and some programming of the computer. i didn't think / know it plugged into the OBD2 port. i don't even know if they still have them. but the connector in question looks kind of like one under my dash, drivers side, mounted onto the center console thingamajig / hvac / radio whachamacallit. those are technical terms. take a look.

scan tool connection maybe?? is it under the dash driver's side.?

did you replace the wire connector and the sensor or just the connector?? P0120 - Throttle Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction P0121 - Throttle Position Sensor Circuit Range Problem P0122 - Throttle Position Sensor Circuit Range Problem P0123 - Throttle Position Sensor Circuit High Input these code definitions are from http://www.troublecodes.net/Subaru/ , i really don't know if they are accurate. but i have no reason yet to doubt them.

try this tomorrow morning. shift into R and then just wait, do not put your foot on the gas. if possible maybe take your foot off the brake too. see if it clunks, or just engages slowly. or, back into your spot tonight and do your normal take off in the morning. see if it clunks going into D. the next day, back in and try shifting into D without any gas.

the front speed sensor is an easy replacement item. but i'm not sure it is the cause if the speedo works. although i have heard that the ECU will use the rear for speed info if the front one fails. but i didn't / don't think it will operate the speedo. i guess there is also a possibility that that the connections between the speedo and the ecu have some problem. the rear speed sensor is a simple device, no moving parts and has to be wire spliced in, no easy wire connections. i guess there is the chance of a failure, but i doubt it. a broken wire is more likely in my mind. but i don't really know. manauls only have one speed senor. just a guess. my guess is the front sensor or speedo / instrument cluster connections.

the 99 auto trans has a known ''slow to engage'' issue which has corrected for some folks by using a trans fluid additive ''trans-x''. i don't know if that's what your ''clunk'' is, but there is a great thread about it. use advanced search, look for ''trans-x''+ fixed + slow + fluid and you should find it. it has 100s of responses. i think rooster, maybe rooster2, started it. holler if you can't find it. clunk could also be a bad trans mount or maybe a drive shaft issue, but i would think it would clunk in more than just reverse and first thing in the morning.

subaru changed the wire connector to the knock sensor in the late 90s, 98 i think. they went from a one wire set up to a 2 wire set up. the second wire is just a ground, the earlier version relied on the block for the ground. adding the ground wire helped / tried to eliminate corrosion between the sensor and the block causing issues. this is very common in automotive stuff. the knock sensor didn't change, i don't think. sounds like some one installed the wrong sensor or screwed it up. are you saying the wires are tied together and the sensor has been removed from the circuit. that would cause knocking, i think. if the car is not knocking i doubt the wires are causing your issues. but the sensor could be tired and not working properly.

check the link below for your ring and pinion final drive ratio. it will be the same as outbacks of similar years. your trans should be the same as others 00 - 04 as long as the final drive is the same. in the late 90s the legacys and outbacks had different ratios. but at some point they changed that and i think they are the same for your year, but you will need to check. you should be able to use any 5 speed from your model year group, 00 - 04, as long as the final drive matches. http://opposedforces.com/parts

if you have tried 2 ECUs, yours and another, and the car does not run then it is not the ecu causing your problem. even if it was not the perfect ECU the car would run but maybe throw some codes. i am not 100% sure about this statement, but it is highly unlikely that both ECUs are bad and unlikely that the one you have, as similar as it is , would not work at least a little. if you had swapped the engines instead of the ecus the car would run so the reverse should be the same.