johnceggleston

keep looking for the green connectors. until you find them un-plugged, assume that is the problem. there may also be a pair of ''black'' diagnostic connectors under there also. but i have not heard of them causing problems. but they should not be connected either. do you have a ''check engine'' light?

it is beginning to sound like it is a timing / timing belt issue. hoe long since the last timing belt change? it would not surprise me to learn that one of your idlers is going bad. that's the bad news. the good news is that when it fails, it will not hurt your engine. get a timing belt kit, belt, 3 idlers, & water pump, from ''theimportexperts'' on ebay. it will cost about $135 shipped. of course you should check the timing first to be sure.

check the timing, although it sounds like you have covered that. do a compression test, you could have a bent valve.

no, it is not part of the proper procedure.

timing is pretty easy to check. my first guess was the knock sensor. mine ran like crap, no power, even before it threw a code for the knock sensor. does it act the same cold (open loop) as it does hot (closed loop)? if no, the o2 sensor could be sluggish. if yes, then probably not the o2.

generally speaking, any manual trans 99 - 03 with a 3.9 final drive ratio. this includes the legacy L, brighton, and low end imprezas. you CAN NOT use the manual trans from the outback, GT or high end imprezas (WRX etc.)

not easily, but yes. it helps if you undo the engine mounting bolts on the bottom and at the dogbone on the fire wall, and lift the engine several inches.

glad you got it running.

i think they are 2 separate functions. the shift lock is a solenoid, brake switch solenoid issue. if you remove the cover around the shifter, you can disengage it temporarily. i used a rubber band to hold the lock out of the way. it finally rotted away. next time i'll use something a little more permanent, like thin wire, maybe. the switch on the brake pedal could cause this. or the solenoid it self. my 97 GT is intermittent.

it is either the sensor, the TCU or the AWD transfer clutch. disconnect the TCU wire connectors under the dash. (or the large connector on the rear of the engine passenger side.) this will put the trans in ''limp mode''. you will have reverse and 3rd gear, no electronics. it will / should also cause torque bind in slow tight turns. (no power to the duty c solenoid) if you do not have TB, the transfer clutch is gone, does not clutch / grab. has the AWD ever worked right? test the speed sensor, (old one if you still have it). use a very slow speed on an electric drill and measure the output with an analog volt meter. or jack up the front right wheel and turn by hand while measuring the output. the needle should jump several times for each rotation. if it is not working you will not have AWD. i do not know why there is no CEL if the sensor is bad.

+1^ dirt cheap, $15 shipped.

this is a good source for the solenoid contacts and plunger and a thread on the replacement. http://www.metroheavyduty.com/index.html http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/need-help-car-wont-start-196939.html?p=4177757#post4177757

been there done that. programming aside, the circuit boards do not change much from one year to the next. and i would guess not much at all in the 90s. i swapped a 96 TCU, in to a 95 lego L, even though the outer case was different, and had a different part number. the circuit board inside was a perfect match for the one i was replacing. same design, same connectors, same components. and since all the auto trans 90 - 98 were the same electronically, it makes sense that all the TCU were the same, unless the GT / outback had different shift points programmed.

sounds like you crushed the trans oil pump by not having the torque converter fully seated. this has been known to happen especially with your first time. but even if you had not damaged the trans during install, the 98 outback has a different final drive ratio than your 92 legacy. you would have to run it as a FWD car, or swapped in the matching rear diff.

if there is a small triangle on the front face of the crank sprocket, it should be pointing to the 3 o'clock position. (this will put the key way in the sprocket in the 6 o'clock position.) the correct timing mark on the crank sprocket is a hash hash mark, it is located on one of the ''tabs'' on the rear edge of the crank sprocket.

what timing belt alignment marks did you use? NOT the ARROWS, NEVER the ARROWS.

this^. mine was taped up on the harness. look for a fat spot in the wiring. unless you remove the side wall of the cargo area, you are going by feel behind the wheel well.

applying power to the duty c all the time activates it and puts it in FWD. before you did the re-wiring, did the FWD light come on with the fuse in? did you replace the ATF when you installed the trans? buy a used TCU.

http://www.cars101.com will list the original car colors.

yes.

the lack of EGR on the ej22 could be a problem. especially if you need to pass inspection. an ej22 from an auto trans car usually has EGR and would eliminate this problem. another solution would be to buy an intake manifold from an egr ej22 car, usually auto 95 - 98. a better choice for a donor engine would be a 95 ej22 w/ EGR or a 96 - 98 ej22 w/EGR, usually from an auto trans car.

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FWD or AWD? auto trans or manual trans?

upon further research, TZ1032J1AA - should read TZ103ZJ1AA = 98 forester auto trans w/ 4.44 final drive ratio TZ1A32C2AA - should read TZ1A3ZC2AA = 99 and up, forester auto trans w/ 4.44 final drive ratio, this not compatible with the 98 forester.

none of these numbers is correct double check them. in the first 2, i think the FIRST ''2'' should be a ''Z''. but double check the actual numbers to make sure the rest of the letters/ number are right. they both look wrong, but one could be a JDM import, maybe. in the last one, the THIRD ''Z'' should be a ''2''. (TZ102Z2CBA) that would make it an auto trans from a 96 outback. if this is so, then it is a match for a 98 forester auto trans.