mattgold

Don't know, but here is a handy link I found - http://www.northursalia.com/modifications/drivetrain/cbleed/cbleed.html - athough the article seems to assume the system has already lost prime??? Anyway it shows how to flush the cylinders I guess. M.

For the 5MT, seems (Redline) 75W90NS for the gearbox and 75W90 for the rear diff is the recommended way to go, IIRC 4 litres for the front and 0.8 litres for the rear, not sure if this has changed for the 2007. Fill and drain plugs for the rear diff are at the rear of the diff, easy to see but probably a pain to fill. Front drain should be easy to locate once you locate (and don't confuse it with) the engine oil drain. Fill through the (transmission) dipstick (probably requires a small funnel or two and some hose). I'm about to do this for the first time to my 5MT so I'm keen to hear any other tips. M. (coolant capacity should be at the back of the service manual)

OK, I wasn't sure which way around it worked, whether the pressure difference was opening/closing a switch or, as you suggest, the vacuum line is controlled by a solenoid. Suffice to say that my cousin was having real problems diagnosing some serious performance issues until he stumbled upon the cracked unit. Even two local Sub techies didn't know what it does, but they do cost $NZ70 to replace. M. BTW this is an EJ20TT, and this unit in question is under the alternator cover thingy, to the left (looking from the front).

OK, so what is the sensor pictured, that has two vacuum lines and a two wire cable attached? And what would be expected if there was a crack in the top part of the green plastic connection? M.

I have a feeling the O2 was replaced shortly before I bought the car but I don't have the paperwork to refer to, but this makes me believe that in this car the sensor isn't lasting much more that 80k km. But then again this car has had other 'issues' so that complicates things Anyway, I know what I'll be thinking of replacing when she gets to 250k km.... M.

OK, so finally got around to having the car looked at, and it turned out to be the O2 sensor after all - it was really leaning out the fuel mixture to the point of stalling. Here is a link with a picture of the sensor in the exhaust manifold: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73753 Boy am I happy to have the subby back to its old self.... M.

I think it is in front of the cat, because it would be alongside the front left wheel... You can't see it in the photo above but I have another that shows when looking up at the sensor the windscreen washer bottle is in the background (ie almost directly above) - the wiring from the sensor actually runs back towards the front of the car, joining into a wire bundle near the battery iirc. Here are a couple more pictures from underneath, not sure if the cat is part of anything there or not - hey maybe it even has two cats??? See the heat shield on the rhs of the first pic (ie lhs of car), that is where the sensor is iirc. Presumably that is in the exhaust manifold before the turbos (so it would have to be before the cat then ....) M.

OK so I am wondering whether this is an oxygen sensor, I am suspecting that my current hesitation problems could be due to a broken sensor. From what I have read modern subes have two o2 sensors, one before the cat and one after. (Mine is a '99 ej20tt RHD) This is a picture from under left side of the exhaust manifold - is this the one after the cat? (I have found the sensor is always slightly loose when I am under there changing the oil and I try to crank it tight with an open crescent, but the heat shield makes that very difficult) Searches here indicate that the first o2 sensor is located on the RHS under the air intake ? (I believe the current o2 sensor was replaced >80k kms ago, so probably is due for replacement anyway???) Matt.

ej20tt's were being built right up to 2003. Not sure when they started, but the earliest I've seen is 1993. Power-wise you could get up to 205kw in the manual versions. Some limited editions claimed 215kw iirc. M.

I did suggest to the mechanic that the wires needed changing, but he was adament that was not necessary. Two things make me believe that it is electrical/spark related; (1) The jerkiness is similar to what I have experienced with other cars having distributor/ht lead faults (2) the problem 'seems' worse in wet weather. Looks like I might have to get the car hooked up to a computer and analysed... M.

I believe I read your thread on the neutral position switch, but for some reason I was thinking that was only an AT thing. I'll go back and search the archives again. Probably is a long shot though. M.

Greetings all. I have a '99 ej20tt manual, 175k km, and I am getting really frustrated with an annoying hesitation/jerkiness when driving. Most noticable while the engine is warming up, the throttle response seems hesitant and sometimes quite jerky, often scarily so when in 1st gear. Once warm, the hesitation is most noticable doing 2-2.5k rpm in traffic and you're trying to adjust your speed slightly - the throttle will seem to 'stick' and then suddenly open. Could this be caused by running a wet oil air filter (I know, I know), and if so, what has that damaged/screwed with? The wet oil air filter was in for around 20k before I noticed the hesitation, then I changed back to paper. Since then, the car has had (@171k); New cambelt/tensioners/idlers/plugs/air filter Coil packs checked and cleaned New MAF Upper engine cleaner (OEM, inlet manifold onwards) Oil change One thing I have noticed during all this; usually after each of the above was done (and even just trying CO contact cleaner on the old MAF) the engine would seem fine for a day or two, and then gradually get worse. Could this just be my imagination??? When I purchased the upper engine cleaner from the dealer, they recommended spraying into the throttle body, which entails removing the intercooler. Needless to say, I was not so keen to do this, but now I am thinking that I should have? Changing the oil is about as mechanical as I get. At 143k I had the CEL come on several times when climbing hills (5th gear, 3k rpm) , and when taken to (a different) dealer, they pulled codes 12, 32, 61, 62, 63, 64 and 67 ! They suggested it was a wastegate issue, couldn't find any problems with solenoid valve connections, but couldn't reproduce the CEL. Needless to say, the CEL re-occurred And I haven't had a CEL after the oil change at 150k IF it was the wet air filter, what else should I test/clean/replace? TPS? Clean throttle body? OR what else should I look at? (Keep it simple, post pictures preferably ) Matt.

Nice buy, I think that is what we also call the 'Gravel Express' elsewhere? I'd buy good fuel, and take it easy for the first couple of thou' (I'm sure you are). The engine will take time to wear in, and there are right and wrong ways to drive a new engine. And make that first oil change earlier rather than later. Just my 2 cents. M (still waiting to own a car from new... = I'm too mean to buy one!)

Hey nipper, is that true that the cat only has a lifetime of 100k miles? I really don't know how a cat works, but is this likely to affect the exhaust flow or just the emissions? My '99 leggy is getting close to 160k kms on the clock. I guess I'll need to check that o2 sensor and see if it has ever been replaced (I'm sure either that or the maf was when I bought the car).

The owners manual in my '99 leggy is for 'Legacy and Outback' models, FWIW...

Yes, I have just replaced mine as well (99 sedan), sounds like the same setup, row of three tabs at the bottom, and the two clips at the top. I found the easiest way was to hold the filter into the _top_ of the box, then get the tabs lined up at the bottom before closing and fitting the clips. I have seen installation instructions recommending the removal of the entire air box (two bolts hold brackets to the body) but this would seem like an almost more difficult operation, needing at least an 8" socket extension? I also loosened the two circular clips and removed the inlet pipe section after the air box, this makes things a lot easier.

Yes, tire size is critical. Do a search here and you will see many references to subaru recommending (nay, requiring!) tires on awds to be within 5%(IIRC) (diameter) of each other, or the diffs will fry. I was under the impression it was usually the centre diff with the VC (viscous coupling) that went first, so that may require replacing as well??? (pray not, that is a very expensive bit of kit to replace). This is the sort of thing that any tire shop should know, so send Walmart the bill (via a friendly lawyer if you know one, that usually helps ) No seriously, let them know what happened and that you suspect the fault was theirs, and then when you get the final bill ask for a written opinion from the mechanic (or even just ask your local subaru agent to put something on paper) if they suspect that was reason. Then ask Walmart to contribute (whatever you think is reasonable). Whew, sorry for the rant. Good luck.

... and those comments were???

Yes, a grubby air filter should be replaced, but be warned that that will only mean you can burn more gas! Seriously though, running on premium gas is likely to reduce any pinging, but perhaps someone with an owners manual can enlighten us on whether the early NZ GT's were tuned for 91 or 95? Certainly the later turbo legacys were designed for 95+. I'd recommend sticking with premium, as you get what you pay for (ie. your fuel economy will be better than with 91) and less chance of damaging the engine.

I'm no expert on the earlier subarus, but almost certainly a 2 litre block (ej20). You say you sighted a turbo in the engine bay, I believe from '93(?) the NZ GTs were twin turbo, so your's is almost certainly a single (a pic of the engine bay would be good:) ) However, if you sight a turbo on each side of the intercooler then you have a twin-turbo. ( a quick search on http://www.trademe.co.nz revealed no twin-turbos earlier than '93) The link you provided was aimed at the US market, where the 2.2l and 2.5l engines are more common because of emission regulations I believe. Only after seeing the pictures did I click that you are also from NZ! Remember that most of the guys and gals on this mb are in the US where the badging of the cars is completely different :-\

Looks like a toy, not what I would buy. But I'm sure they'll sell if they have the right gadgets under the bonnet

Could be an import? In other parts of the world the GT badged sedans and wagons both were the twin turbo ej20s. Interesting quote from the BMW site, Skip, I have been considering a K&N filter for my sub. I have heard of problems with MAF fouling, especially the hot film type (as I believe mine has), whereas the hot wire type seems to 'burn off' any contamination and be less affected ??? I've also read this fouling may be due to excess oil being left on the filter. FWIW Faith, I was quoted part no KN 33-2232 as a replacement element for my '99 twin turbo ej20, but I'm guessing the air box is completely different on the '91? And if you haven't already, http://www.fuelsaving.info/ is worth a read.

Hi nipper, questions from a newbie here; anyone have suggestions where one would plumb in a vacuum gauge on an ej20 twin-turbo? Some early subarus(ea81?) apparently had unused ports on the intake manifold where you could 'plug-n-go' with your vacuum line, but I'm guessing I might have to tee into another line? Is it really worth doing this? That is to say, is there an optimal rev range this will highlight to me, or should I just stick to the common sense approach, and use higher gears, go slower, etc.

Yeah, thought about that after I posted, but then the 'net got so slow I gave up. Yours would be the US-spec 2.5L I guess? I think all the GT's in NZ were twin-turbo ej20's. I filled up tonight, after emptying the tank that had a bottle of wynns injector cleaner, and got 25mpg, admittedly after mostly highway cruising.

Yeah, thats what having turbos does I manage 20-21mpg on my daily commute (75/25 open/traffic), and get close to 24mpg on the open road in the B4, according to my at-the-fuel-pump mental calculations (do any subs have trip computers???). I am hoping a K&N air filter will improve things and have seriously considered fitting a fuelstar. I'm sure the car can do better, maybe its just the lead in my right foot