hankosolder2

Thanks! I took a look at Cars 101... the early Beans had an optional cold weather package which later became standard. The car seems to have the markers of the package (like the heated wiper areas on the front windshield) so the simple explanation of "no optional cold package" seems to be out. Is there a good place to download the FSM? Thanks for the offer of a '14 harness idosubaru. Let me investigate further. If the seats don't have heating elements in them, that's going to be the end of the line for this project.

We've got a recently purchased '09 Forester LL Bean (produced in '08 before Subaru and LL Bean went their separate ways, but it is the newer body style) I was wondering why the heated seats weren't working, so I pulled the center console only to discover that there's no wiring harness connected to the heated seat switch! I looked around, thinking that perhaps someone had disconnected it and tucked it away somewhere- no dice. So, I guess either someone installed a junkyard center console or pulled out a blanking plug and installed a switch? Or the wiring harness is there and I'm just missing it. It's baffling. The car is high spec, has power leather seats, the electric moonroof, the electrically heated areas on the windshield where the wipers park.... Under the driver's seat there are three black clusters of wires and one orange or yellow one for the airbags. Does anyone know how many connectors and cables a car with power heated seats should have? I think that figuring out if the car has heated seat elements will go a long way to solving this mystery. I'm open to any other theories or advice too.

To be more specific, both vehicles in question are N.A, not turbos. Looks like some of the JDM engine suppliers are claiming the same engine will fit all these cars (if the intake manifold matching the car is swapped over) so that implies that everything is interchangeable. Someone on here HAS to have done this though, would really appreciate confirmation (or not) that this will work. In the past I did an EJ22 swap into a '98 Outback which seemed like much more of a stretch at the time....

I've got an '07 Forester with a healthy engine, just a little over 100K miles on the car but a bad trans, rust, a loose balljoint, leaking A/C, etc, so I'm going to part it out. I'm assuming that engine will fit OK in a 2009 or 2010 forester? Just want to confirm with the more experienced minds on the forum.

You didn't mention if this was a regular Legacy or a turbo Legacy GT. I'd be less surprised to see a piston breaking up on a turbo engine. It might be a good idea to send an oil sample off to Blackstone Labs for analysis to see what they say before committing to repairing that engine. They can check for bearing material in the oil and such. Think it's about $40. Good luck, sounds like you've got a big project no matter which repair route you take!

Well, I suppose buying a non DBW car is the brute force solution to not liking the touchy throttle on the DBW cars! I'd really like to get in to an '05 and up Legacy or Outback so I get the side curtain air bags.... I'm hoping to hear from someone who has driven both an automatic and manual version of one of the DBW cars.

Have an '07 Forester (NA, 4eat) in the family and I find the throttle "tip-in" really annoying. (I find the throttle response to be non linear / overly twitchy for gentle acceleration... basically, it feels like they engineered it to impress people on test drives "wow, the car surges away with only a touch of throttle, it must be really powerful!" when in fact, there's hardly any difference between 1/3 throttle and floored.) I'm looking to replace my '98 OBW 5 speed and was wondering two things- do the newer drive by wire manual transmission Subarus also have this twitchy throttle response or are only the automatics programmed this way? Also, is this an issue across the model range or are specific models and years known for being set up this way? (Yes, I know, I should just test drive the cars I'm interested in, but it's hard to find manual Subarus nearby, and I don't want to drive 100 miles to look at a car and discover I don't like how it drives.) Anyway, I appreciate the input of anyone who has thoughts about this!

I know you said the plugs were wet, but I've heard of people accidentally swapping the fuel supply and return lines. I can't remember if that causes fuel starvation or flooding. Good luck, you'll figure it out eventually!

OK, this is embarrassing, but I should tell you folks to help others. After chasing down wiring diagram, I figured out that the AC was shutting off due to the evap temperature sensor. I concluded that either the sensor was faulty or something was making the evaporator freeze up. I thought "Hmm, what would make the evaporator too cold...insufficient airflow." The volume of air coming out of the vents seemed fine, but I decided to check the cabin air filter. The "pleated" sections were filled with crud to the top! A fresh cabin air filter fixed it. In my defense, I brought this vehicle to a shop for A/C repairs and they failed to figure this out too.

So, I've been trying to troubleshoot an A/C issue with my 07 Forester X and a wiring diagram would be super helpful. Can anyone point me in the direction of a download, PDF, etc. I'm also trying to locate the evap coil temperature sensor for the AC. If anyone has a photo or a diagram... TIA!

GD, is there anywhere I can probe the Evap temp sensor resistance without too much disassembly? I'm guessing the wires from that must run to the HVAC panel... I'm assuming the EVAP temp sensor is a thermistor? Do you happen to know the normal resistance at room temperature or have a resistance-temperature chart? I'd greatly appreciate any info that you can share.

I checked that, there's no +12 at the compressor clutch when it's not kicking in, so it's an electronics/control issue. (Unless something is causing the system pressure to go so high or low that it's causing the high/low pressure switch to kick off.)

07 Forester X about 80K miles. A/C works fine initially on startup, cools off nicely, but after driving for 15-40 minutes, it starts cycling on and off and fails to keep the car cool. (Temp from vents gets warm.) Eventually it drops out altogether, the compressor doesn't run at all and there's nothing but warm air from the vents. The compressor clutch is not engaging when this happens. Took it to a local shop, they said it was fractionally low on Freon, topped it up and said they couldn't duplicate the fault. I found that clicking the A/C button to off, waiting a minute or two, then clicking on again can get the AC going again, but just temporarily. Most recently, after a 45 minute drive, I restarted the car, turned the AC on and the compressor started short cycling, it would click on for a little under two seconds, click off for about two seconds, click on for about two seconds over and over again. This is on a 90+ deg day, with the blower fan set on max and recirc on. Airflow through the vents is good. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking the high/ low pressure switch ( does anyone know the pinout of it? It's three-wire deal.) the evaporator temp sensor or.... ?

Thanks, Gary.

Had a front coil spring break on my 1998 OBW 5MT, I ordered a pair of OEM replacements. There are different part numbers for the left and right springs. They arrived, but how do I know which is which? They are color coded with paint dots. I did a search and only found info for other models. Anyone know? Thanks!

On the day the light was blinking I asked at Autozone about gauges and the counterperson seemed totally confused. "A screw in oil pressure gauge for diagnostic work." He also seemed completely befuddled by me asking for an 1/8" NPT to BSPT adaptor. At O'Reilly's, I asked for an "add on oil pressure gauge." Guy looked confused. "You know, an aftermarket oil pressure gauge. Like the ones hanging on the pegboard over there" (Points to pegboard directly behind counterperson.) Sheesh! It's not like I'm trying to find a wheel bearing for the Lunar Rover or something. I see Amazon has a test gauge set for $30 someodd. Maybe worth getting, or maybe I'll just keep my ears peeled for "borking" noises per Emily.

Thanks for your responses. Readings were taken after about 45min of suburban driving, maybe 10min to pull the alternator and screw the gauge in, restart and measure. My gauge doesn't really have good resolution down there.... I was getting freaked out about the light and bought what was on hand out of desperation. Lowest gradation is around 12psi, and about all I can say is "it's less than 12psi, but the replacement 3-9 PSI oil pressure switch is not tripping" http://169.198.1.105/gauges-and-gauge-accessories/oil-pressure-gauge/equus-black-bezel-oil-pressure-gauge/255978_0_0/ I guess I'll let it ride. Nathan

'98 OBW with a '95 EJ22 engine, about 200K on engine. Castrol GTX 10W30, Bosch filter. Oil pressure light began flickering at hot idle. Car sat for a couple of weeks (hydraulic hose for clutch blew!) Problem was much worse after sitting... could only make it 1/2 way though my commute before warning light came on at idle. Changed the oil and filter to remove fuel dilution as a possibility. No change. Changed oil pressure sensor switch. No more warning light (yes, I did connect the wire ;-) Decided to check oil pressure thinking that maybe replacement switch just has a lower pressure trip threshold. I temporarily installed a aftermarket mechanical gauge. Hot: barely moves needle off end stop at idle, prob 10 psi? 37PSI at 2000 rpm, 62PSI at 4000 rpm. (both of which are higher than the Haynes manual specs) OK/normal ? Oil pump backing screws falling out? Engine totally borked?

Not sure why she's blaming the manufacturer for this. An incompetent dealer tech can screw up any brand of car. Or is she angry because SOA won't pay for the damages the first dealer caused?

No, the ej25 manifold is a different shape and won't fit the ej22 heads/block. It sounds like your donor engine might have (what would be in the USA) the 1994 and earlier style wiring harness. The US market 1995 legacy harness IS plug and play in a US spec 1998 Outback, I speak from personal experience with that. I'm a little confused by your reference to "two o clock." Is that facing the front of the engine or looking from the inside of the car out? In an LHD 1995-1998 US spec car, the battery is on the drivers side and the engine wiring harness connectors are on the passenger's side. You might be able to merge the two engine harnesses, I would suggest carefully inspecting the connectors on all the individual sensors/devices (TPS, IAC, coolant temp, injectors, etc) to see how well they match your Outback 2.5 engine harness. If there are just one or two different connectors, you may be able to do a few minor splices and have it work. Make sure the TPS has the same number of wires, US spec should have 3. The earlier US spec legacies had a 4 wire TPS. Good luck, Nathan

Did multiple fluid changes. No dice. There was another thread I had going about the trans issues (when cold, flare during shifts and slamming when TC locks up) ... this was just a trans swap thread and the conversation I was having with Fairtax in the prior thread drifted over here. I don't believe the PO was a particularly abusive driver. Mostly city driving with his kid in the car, not fiercely contending for the second slowest 1/4 mile time at the local dragstrip. :-) No towing, no hauling heavy loads. Overall, the car drives like new... except for the trans. The old fluid DID smell like gear oil, so maybe you're on to something. I don't know that it could have made it three years since the last fluid service with that kind of gear oil contamination, though. Nathan

Yeah, it's got under 50K miles, with stacks of paperwork for spare-no-expense dealer maintenance since day 1. I found a receipt for a trans and diff service from the dealer from about 3 years ago. Turns out the PO was doing the "severe service" maint schedule due to city driving. That sure doesn't look like 3 year old trans fluid to me! They billed him for the HP fluid, so they used the right stuff- at least according to the paperwork. I contacted the previous owner (we're friends)- he was really upset to learn about the issue and offered to take it up with the dealer on my behalf. He's also concerned that the dealer may have billed him for work which was not done. It's kind of hard to prove, as I would guess it's a chicken-and-egg type thing- dirty fluid can ruin the trans, but a failing trans can soil the fluid, right?

OK, that swap sounds like a whole lot of work (in mostly uncharted territory.) I think I'll either go with the fix and sell, fix and keep, drive it till it fails, or just sell as-is with a disclosure.

I have an 07 Forester (non turbo) with a dubious 4EAT, I'm thinking about doing a 5MT swap instead of fixing the automatic. I suspect the days of "ground this pin on the ECM to let it know not to look for a TCU" are long gone. Aside from the obvious (Trans, diff, clutch, clutch hydraulics, pedals, shift linkage) what would I need? ECM reflash? Are the exhaust systems the same between the 5MT and the 4EAT? Driveshaft? Nathan

Maybe you lost the ground to the fuel tank pump/sender. That could explain both symptoms surfacing at once. Verify +12V to the pump at first key on, verify that the ground on the pump has no voltage drop to chassis ground.