Mikevan10

Well, this topic has become well and truly hjacked but since the discussion is interesting, I may as well continue with the side track... So here are a few comments that I'd love to get more comments on: I may have inadvertently said something to indicate otherwise, but I do appreciate that having pulsations under braking develop is not "normal" and that it indicates that something is wrong. Would it be safe to say that the pulsations are the result of brake tor overheating and consequent warpage? What is the failure mode of the green Permatex brake grease? Does it get hard? Sticky? Washed away by water? I still have trouble with the notion of OEM brake rotors (or any brake rotor for that matter) lasting the life of the vehicle. Even if a rotor is performing satisfactorily (i.e. not causing pulsations), isn't it proper practice to resurface it when changing out the pads? If so, then my experience with contemporary rotors (OEM or otherwise) is that they allow very little (if any) extra thickness ("meat" in common parlance) for this so they soon become unuseable. Thanks for the discussion! Mike V.

Thanks for the comments GG. I will admit to using the Permatex brake lube (I "think" it's green. Will check tonight) but whenever I check the brakes, the calipers are typically nice and free and the grease still greasy. I do go ahead and clean the pins and apply new grease each time anyway. Just to be clear, is the issue with sticky calipers that the pads will rub on the rotors when the brake is NOT applied which causes overheating of the rotor and rotor warpage? You did mention the retaining clips. Good point since replacement pads (I tend to use EBC) do not always come with new ones. Are there other causes of this pulsation (which is cured, temporarily, by replacing the rotors)? I really hate paying dealer prices for parts but maybe this is a case where I will have to suck it up and pay the dealer and get the OEM parts...

Not to hijack the thread, but GrossGary's comment that "Subaru rotors routinely last the life of the vehicle" knoocked me for a loop! I know GG knows his stuff so that's why I am so surprised. My experience has been that pulsations under braking (at least on my wife's '97 Legacy wagon with MT) return within a few thousand miles of replacing the rotors and pads. I will acknowledge that I have never bought a Subaru new (or with low mileage) so I assume that I have never experienced an OEM rotor.

Swapped in my spare sensor. Speedo is back! The old sensor is clearly shot. You can feel that the drive blade is not driving the pulse generator. Thanks all. Will now clear the MIL codes and hope for the best.

So, Nipper, since I am getting P0500 and P1540, you would say I either have failed VSS or failed VSS drive gear (or an issue with the harness between the VSS and the speedo)?

Yeah, I only see the one sensor. I am trying to remove the one from the car but it aint coming out easy. I will try harder but I expect I will round off the hex (using a 17 mm open end spanner). Thanks for the feedback!

And I just drove the spare sensor with an electric drill and the AC voltage across the pins varied nicely with drive speed. The AC voltage varied from zero to over 10 VAC corresponding to the drive speed. This suggests to me that my spare sensor is working normally (even though the resistance seems out of spec). And it also leads me to believe that if I were to remove the sensor from the car I would get the same result (of course, I d not KNOW That at this point)

I disconnected the speed sensor and measured the resistance between the two pins in the connector and it is less than 1 ohm. I then tested a spare speed sensor and also got less than 1 ohm.

OK, I hooked up the scanner, which does display real time data. The Vehicle Speed stays at 0 mph (the other parameters do display and change with operating conditions). Does this indicate a faulty sensor and/or wiring out of the sensor? Or does the sensor reading get "conditioned" in the speedometer module before it gets sent to the ECU which could mean the problem is in the speedo and not the sensor? Either way, the fact that the OBDII port is putting out 0 mph suggests to me that the ECU is not getting the vehicle speed, and yet the car runs great... Mike V.

Thanks Tex (and GG)!

I meant Norway, Maine (but we are getting a little off-subject now). Regardless, in my old age I am less and less tolerant of the cold - and I do all of car work OUTSIDE!

I am only joking around. Thanks kid.

Ouch!! Now I am not only stupid but also a Newbie (and at my age.)! Thanks anyway 2-7.

I have a borrowed scanner. I do not know if it will display "real time" vehicle speed. I will look at the manual tonight. I am familiar with Maine winters. I have family near Norway. Thanks, Mike V.

Won't lifting it degrade the handling?

Thanks Tax. (although you have once again shown the world my stupidity).

Will driving the AC compressor when the system is not charged with refrigerant do any damage? Or should I remove the drive belt?

Thanks for the comments all the way from Northern Maine! I have not done anything yet to troubleshoot my issue but, just to update those of you who were wondering, I drove the car about 150 miles yesterday (mostly highway, some urban) and had absolutely no issue (other than the speedo not working and the MIL being illuminated). So I guess one (or both) of the following is true: 1. The sensor is working fine and its signal is getting to the ECU satisfactorily so the ECU can process that information as required (even though the gauge is not responding) or 2. The speed sensor info is not used by the ECU to effect any of the running parameters.

I had to service that pipe on my '92 this year and I replaced those O-rings while I was at it. I am pretty sure they were round in cross section (like an O-Ring should be!) but to be brutally honest, my memory is shot and I don't clearly remember! But the bottom line is, they are not expensive and my opinion is that this is one of those cases where you really should replace them "as long as you are in there". You will kick yourself if they leak after you reassemble all that stuff.

The speedo on the '97 Legacy 2.2 with manual transmission just suddenly stopped functioning last Thursday evening. Dropped to 0 mph and sits there. Odometer non functional too. I did some searching around the forum and saw several mentions that this would result on driveability issues, engine speed (rpm) limitations, etc. but I am here to tell you that there is absolutely NO other symptom besides the gauge not working and the MIL getting lit up. The trouble codes are P0500 and P1540. My plan is to jiggle the connector at the end of the sensor pigtail. Other suggestions? Thanks, Mike V.

Well, I have not gotten the P0440 trouble code in a couple of weeks (Although I have gotten P0136). But the readiness for Evap Sys. Monitor still shows Incomplete! So this has been over 100 miles and numerous starts yet the "Inc" remains. What the heck does the thing need in order to feel complete???

Just bought some cheap NAPA "Premium Performance Gear Oil". Going to dump that in and see what happens.

Like I said, there are too many conflicting, yet emphatic, recommendations for me. So I plan on going with GL-5 dino oil, Actually, I was about to pick up some Valvoline last night at the AutoZone but the label said meets GL-4/GL-5 standards but it also said it was for use in NON-synchro transmissions! How many non-synchro passenger car gear boxes are made anymore? Even my 1950's sports cars were all synchro except for first gear for Pete's sake.

That thread offers a variety of opinions. I guess it is like any motor oil thread - lots of widely differing opinions with no clear consensus. At this point I will probably go ahead with a conventional, name brand GL-5 oil and see how it shifts.

The FSM calls for GL-5 gear oil for the manual transmission on this car. So I should be fine with any conventional gear oil that has the GL-5 rating on the can? I plan to go with 75W-90 as far as viscosity rating goes. Thanks. Mike V.