who1981

Main ignition relay, the brown DPST by the fuel relay above the ecu, ya don't say? ! I was stranded without internet, manuel, or even a meter... But the relay itself seemed to be working to me; I think something up-stream burnt open when the bell went bad. In any case, it's crazy what a single open contact can do, causing all manor of peculiar symptoms!

This was the most unusual, and in retrospect amusing, electrical bug I've ever exterminated.

So...I have a 90 AWD L Wagon, I need struts anyway (mine provide no damping), and if I got some 95-99 Outback KYBs http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-4-GR2-STRUTS-SHOCKS-SUBARU-LEGACY-OUTBACK-95-to-99_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a15Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem120395837437QQitemZ120395837437QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories They would fit my stock springs, and I would get an inch or two of lift? Sweet! (time to replace some baldy low-pro tires for some knobby high-pros )

Oops, guess that's what I get for posting after 3AM EJ EJ EJ

Thanks, but I know all about the push'n and pull'n of turbo vs NA EJs. If you read my message you may note that I was inquiring about FLYWHEELS. Specifically the ACT StreetLite from a WRX. I just wanted to confirm that it will pop into a 90 NA EJ22 without incident or Mods??? zzz I suspect the answer is yes...

Are all EJ flywheels interchangeable? I want to put an ACT Streetlight from a 2003 WRX in my '90 EJ22-NA Legacy, Kosher??? :-\

First quarter this year Toyota DID outsell GM, giving them the lead worldwide.

Yeah, I think it cleaned something out, my car is running REALLY well now, on gas.

The DOHC 2.5 motors in the 90s have head/gasket issues...the new 2.5 SOHC seem to be better, but they are spendy. You will probably need to swap the ECU, but if you get a certain year (not sure which) you may be able to user the one it has, or perhaps just the wiring harness. Other than that the 2.2 should just drop in.

I agree, great deal, I'm jealous! yeah, drop a 2.2 in there with a lightened flywheel, some headers, a better muffler, and a K&N, and you'll have stock 2.5 type power but with 300,000+ mile reliability!!!

A new station opened in my town, with E85 at 85cents off the price of 87oct. I just got done running 6 gallons of a 50% E85, 50% 87Oct, in my $180 '90 Legacy L. It was interesting, the ECU adjusted pretty quick, and it ran just fine, but different. I think it was lacking power till about 4500 RPM, then it may have had MORE, on dino-juice it starts running out of steam at around 5000, but on this stuff it revved smother all the way to 6400. As for economy, you may have guessed I tend to drive like my hair is on fire ... I usually get about 18-22 MPG, on Eth I got 17, though I may have been pushing harder than normal, for testing purposes. I'm back on Gas, and will probably stay with it 'cause of the better power band. Oh, I don't have a catalytic converter, and the exhaust smelled like DRUNK breath!!! :-p

The thing that Subaru has way over Honda is the ease of repair and maintenance. It's like Subs were designed to be mechanic friendly (for the most part), perhaps a page from the rally book. Even down to the longitudinally mounted engine...just so much easier to work on than anything else these days.

I got a 90 (same car, but AWD), for $180 with a bat auto transmission. put a 5 speed out of a wrecked 94, in it...along with a lightened flywheel, free-flowing intake, Borla headers, cat-free exhaust...all stuff from the wrecked 94 sub. It now has 201K on it, and some problems, but nothing that keeps it from getting me around, FAST! Oh.. be sure you have the fatter rear any-roll bar found in many Legacys (but maybe not the 2wd), you can get one at a u-pull it for like $20. So, yeah, they are a good, comfortable, very reliable car. as for 'rod-knock' some people think the sounds these cars make are more scary than they are...if its there, but not bad, and the car runs well, offer like $350, and drive it till it gets worse.

Switch some of the relays that will fit in the H/L socket around...worth a try.

If these things are as stuck as some I've seen: Get a good Impact style 6 sided socket (not 12 point...I had to buy one), then grind the bevel off it, so you get more bite... Don't go messing around with sloppy sockets/wrenches, and round out those low profile suckers! If that alone doesn't work, use a lil' torch to heat them to a dull glow, then let them cool a minute before trying again... Also a good impact driver is really helpful. Cheers

The aftermarket shifters will have an assortment of plastic/rubber-like bushings to adapt your shift lever to the internal diameter of the shift knob. The knobs themselves have 3 set screws that will clamp them on to the lever. 1) Make sure you get a good quality knob...that will hold up, and you will enjoy, aesthetically and functionally...Oh and keep in mind that all-metal knobs can get/stay really cold in the winter, and hot under direct sun...(but they do look cool) 2) Select a bushing that fits your shift lever quite snuggly. You don't want any slop...If none of them fit quite tight enough, use some tape to enhance the girth of your stick 3) Tighten the set screws down well, but not to the point of stripping...Keep an eye on them for the first week. If they start backing out (and you like the knob enough to keep it), put a ‘lil dab of lock-tight, or superglue on the threads JUST before you tighten them back down 4) If the knob doesn't have a ridge or something to hold your shift boot up, you can put some tape, a zip-tie, or a small hose-clamp around the stick, about a half inch below the knob, to slide the boot over, and hold it up. Enjoy... :cool:

This is exactly what I'm doing...Kind of fun really. Just hoping (probably in vane) that the head gasket just didn't seal 100% the first night...I mean it was bubbling continuously even at an idle...what would cause cracks to stop leaking for a while??? That is the mystery. So ya, I'm roding the pi$$ out of er', in hopes that if it does have cracks, or weak gaskets or something, I'll know sooner than later...close to home, instead of on a road trip or something. After all I still have a semi-clean '94 EJ22 to pop in if I can get this lump to die. As of yet though, she is staying below half hot...and I'm having fun driving like my hair is on fire!

Yeah, the shifting feels a lot nicer with good bushings, in all three locations...oh and I know on some transmissions it's possible to loose the 1st 3rd return spring...unlikely but possible...I had to rig a custom one once. Oh, and if you ever get tired of the truck-like length of the shifter... get yourself a nice aftermarket shift knob. and saw about 1 to 1½ inch off the top of your stick shift. This makes a pseudo-short-throw shifter...I know it sounds hokey, but I like it a lot better, and some other Subaru owning friends do as well... Try it out by grasping a below the top to shift. It's quicker.

The clutch is really easy to adjust, and I'd recommend doing it until you are really comfortable with the feel...unless the clutch is almost dead, there is usually a lot of room to work with...you can custom fit the clutch disengage/engauge height to your liking, as long as it's fully disengaging before it gets to the floor, and engaging with like ½inch of peddle travel at the top (so you aren't riding your throw-out bearing all the time). Here is how you do this, Get a 10mm and a 12mm spanner/wrench, unlock the jamming bolts on the clutch cable (located directly on top of the transmission, by the firewall), and loosen (back them off the cable) to lower the paddle engauge height.... this may take some trial and error. Just go a little at a time, and test the feel by doing a launch or two. When you get this right be sure to jam the nuts back together. Also, if you have adjusted this a lot, and you have Hill Holder (anti-rollback device), you may need to adjust that cable (directly below the clutch cable on the fork), to compensate... Oh, one last thing, I adjust the top stop of the clutch peddle (for a lower peddle resting height)...it's that thing that doubles as a cruse-control-cancel switch, up by the hinge of the clutch peddle. Its uhhh, a 14mm I believe.. Enjoy the car, Cheers, Stephen

Hmm... I bet I know what he was thinking... "It's a lot easier to sue a car manufacturer than some flood watter" Oh and I saw a Top Gear (awesome British car show) where they dropped a car in to a pool, to test for the best way of escape...yeah, the whole "wait till the pressure equalizes/car fills with watter", NOT a good idea...your best bet is to try hastily to get out ASAP (if the car floats for a bit, try right then)...I mean, this guy may have panicked, but he did make it out alive. And did keep his wits enough to use a tool to break the window. So he's at least at Chimp level.

This is kind of strange...you would think that the torque converter would be locked at that speed/rpm regardless of the engine...:-\ Anyway props to you, the EJ22 is an excellent engine. My friend just prematurely ended the life (dumped the oil) of a '97 2.2 with like 289K miles on it! It ran like a NEW engine...well, better 'cause of exhaust and intake mods (including removal of the Catalytic converters), and a lightened flywheel. All of which I would recommend...If you had a 5-spd. Cheers, Stephen

Yeah, wish I would have known 4 days ago that not all EJ22s were created equal...but at least for the time being it looks like this one has fixed its self. Hmm, there is a used car lot around here, owned by a guy I know, with a '90 Legacy (5spd) in good shape, except for blowing bubbles/overheating... He said it needed a head gasket, and offered $600... I bet with my new found knowledge, I could get him to take like $300. Anybody, with a spare EJ, want me to try? :cool:

Hey there Cougar, I can tell you're old school by the duality of your timing belt remark. But I agree, broken/slipped belt could be a cause...If you are getting spark and fuel, and it won’t start, either the ECU is being dumb, or the VALVE (not spark/ignition) timing is wrong/not working. It's easy to check for the presence of a belt...just 3 10mms holding the end cover on.

So I this evening I went up to my shop, resolved to the task of pulling yet another engine (3dr in 4 days)... I don't know why, but I decided to give the ol' Possum (that's the name of my '90 Legacy) another try, and/or overheat/blow it up...:-p SO I refilled the half empty rad, and went for another drive. It started acting the same, bubbling from the overflow (not as much as before though), and after it got to op-temp the gauge would climbing toward red on downhill roads...So I turned around, and pulled up in front of my shop. By now the temp gauge was holding steady at about a cm under the red... I looked in the overflow tank and noticed that it hadn't risen all the way, and IT WASN'T BUBBLING much, if any!!!!!!!!!! Got back in to look at he temp and it hadn't changed. I don't know why, but I revved the engine really hard (Like to red-line, as I was just a bit annoyed) and instantly the temp dropped to about 2/3! I revved again and it dropped to the high side of center! Once more and it was at it's normal low side of center position... I drove it all over and it started to get hot once more, I revved it hard and it cooled back down. And behaved for the rest of my test drive. After I got back and shut it off I noticed that it was sucking coolant back in from the overflow tank, like a good car should...no pressurized cooling system. Let it cool, cleaned up, drove it home, no bubbles and no excess heat. And the heater blew nice and warm even on downhills. I don't want to jinx them, but is it possible for head gaskets to not seal initially, then seal overnight? After a very mild overheating? We'll see if this lasts, but so far this car is fixing its self...even the lifters that never quite stopped ticking the night before last, were quiet as a mouse today. If she lives another day, I'll post up pictures and some info on this unique rig that shall hence forth be known as The Possum. Thanks for all your advice guys...hope I don't need to take any of it. Ciao Stephen

¡I payed $180 for this car, and my current daily driver ('82 Diesel Chevette) was $500...Only reason I am pushing to get this possum of a Legacy working is that it has a really nice alarm system, and I keep getting broken in to... I have time, but not money. So...My '94 engine looks to be the solution...the only question is whether or not it's worth the time and money of putting a main bearing in?? or just running it in to the ground as is?? (It ran OK with the end-play last time it was in a non-wrecked car) Thanks...