crazyhorse001

Could the Duty C solenoid be stuck in the energised position? This would have the effect of the FWD fuse being in. It would also give no TCU codes. Just because they usually fail in the off position, doesn't mean it can't fail in the on position as well. Just thinking out loud. The Duty C isn't that expensive, or hard to replace.

So far, so good. I think I got the last of the air bubbles out this morning. This weekend, I'll change the t-stat. Wether it needs it or not.

I took that hour trip with a new radiator cap. No overheating, or loss of coolant. No bubbles in the overflow either. This was an hour there, and an hour back, with several hours between. I understand that EJ25 phaseI's don't act like other engines, due to the open deck design. COULD I have misdiagnosed this so badly? I've been working on cars since I could hold a wrench, and rebuilt an EA82 a few years ago. I'm not complaining that a $450 fix turned out to be a $10 fix though! Time will tell how things go.

OK Since we have a Parts car on the line, I've cleared the Leggy for work to home duties for my wife. I figure if we're replacing the engine anyways, what's the worst that can happen, it blows the engine? Odd thing is, when I check the coolant level, the radiator is holding a vacuum. How could it hold a vacuum? Blown HG's is a leak for goodness sake! Vacuum is harder to hold than pressure! I had her pick up a rad. cap today, and we'll be taking it on an hour drive in the AM. MY FULL list of symptoms: Occasional guage "spikes" not accompanied by overheating symptoms. No boiling sounds, and the upper rad. hose is hot, not scalding. Bubbles in the overflow, not every day though. Coolant leaking from the overflow. Again, not every day. When the coolant is low, there is a heavy vacuum in the radiator. The $64 question: Does this sound like blown HG's?

Put the car on jackstands or a lube rack to get all fours off the ground. Start the car & put it in "D". You should have drive action on both ends.

OK Since we have a Parts car on the line, I've cleared the Leggy for work to home duties for my wife. I figure if we're replacing the engine anyways, what's the worst that can happen, it blows the engine? Odd thing is, when I check the coolant level, the radiator is holding a vacuum. How could it hold a vacuum? Blown HG's is a leak for goodness sake! Vacuum is harder to hold than pressure! I had her pick up a rad. cap today, and we'll be taking it on an hour drive in the AM. MY FULL list of symptoms: Occasional guage "spikes" not accompanied by overheating symptoms. No boiling sounds, and the upper rad. hose is hot, not scalding. Bubbles in the overflow, not every day though. Coolant leaking from the overflow. Again, not every day. When the coolant is low, there is a heavy vacuum in the radiator. The $64 question: Does this sound like blown HG's?

Don't be, the type of failure that the phaseII has is easily sealed with Subaru's "slime". The external leaks react well to sealants. The phaseI has combustion leaking into the coolant, that's almost impossible to seal.

My wife broke my first one, an '86 XT. She hit a Ranger 4x4 head on, at low speed.

If it just so happens that a drop or two make it on to the exhaust, you'll catch a whiff of smoke. If it's not leaving a puddle, It's probably no big deal.

Cool Beans! I'm glad it was something so simple.

I have known blown HG's, I've listed my car's symptoms below. Strange, unexplained temp "spikes" Any "mysterious" coolant loss Boiling over at the overflow tank. If the bubbles are accommpanied by these symptoms you DEFINATELY need to look closer. An easy test that will help you to decide if you need to have a hydrocarbon test run on the coolant; Let the engine run until the bubble appear in the coolant tank. After they start, close the tank for about 30sec. Then open it up and sniff. If it smells like exhaust, go get a HC test done. I wish you luck.

Well said GeneralDisorder! As I've stated before, I DO care for the environment. If my car ISN'T cleaner than the old motorcraft 2bbl carb, points disty, no EGR, or Evap; I'll eat my hat. After 30+ years on the road, the primitive emissions were all toast anyways. Yes I modded it for more HP. I swapped in an '89 EFI manifold, and ECU. I guarantee it will better ALL the emissions numbers, from '74. Even oxides of nitrogen, and carbon monoxide.

Yes, $100 is expensive, on a $500 car. Spending 1/5 the cost of a car on a part, that by all admissions isn't going to improve the way it runs, is expensive. Not when that same $100 is what the electricity bill is. Keep in mind, that my Pinto is NOT my daily driver. It usually sees no more use than some trail rigs here. It's my "backup car". Am I getting this because my car isn't a Subie? At 2.3l with SPFI, and mass air, I'm betting it's as clean, or cleaner than an EA81 with a Weber. Phizinza, No offense taken, your posts were all very civilized, and well worded. You have my respect for not taking aim with a G'day

Me either In my 1st post I reccommended aftermarket cats, then got crushed under a wall of GREEN!!!! I'm all for the environment, but it's a "political" issue, and a GREAT way to start an argument! Still havin a great day here No in sight :banana: :banana: Gone nanners in TN:grin:

IF it's rusted through the filler, then it will act just like a loose cap. The Evap system will notice that there's no vacuum from the tank & cry "FOUL"

Still not ranting, and Thanks, I AM having a nice day I DO understand how they work, and why they're good. I honestly would prefer to have a cat on my car. I just can't afford to buy one. Here in the 'States you CANNOT buy them from the wreckers, it's illegal for them to sell used cats. New cats are EXPENSIVE, be they aftermarket, or OEM. An OEM cat for my '74 Pinto is non-existant anyways. You have a g'day yourself, even if you're upside-down.

Oh NAW man, Hippies go nekkid!! Yes my car DOEs pollute more than if it had a cat. HOWEVER it pollutes less than it would in it's stock form. I'm a "no budget" kind of guy, I have to fix my own stuff by necessity, seeing as it's a federal crime to sell used cats at a junkyard, buying new ones is not always an option for some. Including myself. They are EXPENSIVE, no matter how or where you buy them new. Used is NOT an option, therefore the government has legislated lawbreaking. Am I guilty of breaking this law? MAYBE:grin: Would I obey this law if it were financially feasable? ABSOLUTELY. With a smile on my face. Would I scrap my car for a cat? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! I simply do what I have to to keep my own cars going in the absence of the cash to fix them in accordance with the law. No rants here, just the facts Rock on

The problem I see with downhill in snow with ABS is that you start at well over the threshold speed & can't really get under it, in an auto. Consider for a moment, how fast does your car go, in gear, at idle? I'm betting better than 3mph. However fast your car goes at idle, WILL be your terminal velocity downhill, on a slippery surface. This is when the human safety device steps in to shift to N, or use the E-brake. In those conditions, I'll take my manual brake, manual steer, Pinto ANY day over any of my modern ABS equipped cars. Any mistakes made are attributed DIRECTLY to the loose nut behind the wheel.

NIIIIIICCCEEE!!!! I do believe that's the 1st LOWERED EA81 I've seen.

I have 2 cats, they tend to pollute the house with fur:lol:

I beg to differ, my 1974 Ford Pinto has no cat, and was manufactured with one. My car would pass any emissions test that is intended for it's date of manufacture, Most likely it'd be even cleaner, as the various HP mods I've done make it burn MORE EFFICIENTLY. IE: EFI As for the problem with the original poster's car, yes I agree you need a new catalytic converter. Seeing as how these parts can be EXTREMELY difficult to find, and even more expensive than the platinum involved, I'd reccommend a pair of hi flow aftermarket cats & a new front, or "head" pipe to be built.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here. However, that statement is like saying that Connecting Rods are a wear item because they wear against the crank at startup. This is a constant with every engine, regardless of design. My pet theory, and it is just that, is that the "open deck" design with it's lack of reinforcing webbing, allows the cylinders to move & distort with heat. Add to this the sleeve design that has a differential heat expansion, and this makes the aluminum parent material move even more. IMHO the only "true" fix for this is to "O" ring the block & heads to hold the cylinders firmly in place. Just my opinions for what they're worth.

A quick, easy check for HG's. 1. Make SURE the coolant is absolutely full. 2. Start the car & let get up to temperature at idle. Wait until the fans cycle on at least the first time. 3. Open overflow tank, and observe. If you see bubbles, close the tank lid for 15-20sec, then reopen & sniff. If the tank smells the same as the exhaust, then you've blown the HG's. Trust me, you can smell the exhaust in the tank, if it's there. If there aren't any bubbles, then there probably will be soon. Unfortunately your symptoms are the same as mine, a greasy, black film in the overflow, and blowing coolant everywhere.

If we could access the failure rates of the EJ25 HG's, I'm sure we could see that they run better than 50% over 100k mi, increasing exponentially with every 10k mi beyond that. In my book that's a defect. Be it a design issue, or bad parts. The actual cause is really moot, as no-one has come forward to explain the problem satisfactorily. I feel that Subaru needs to step up & admit there's a problem. With the age of the motors in question, I don't feel they're responsible for fixing them. Although they SHOULD find the problem & make a retrofit kit to solve it at a discount to the owners. 120k mi is WAY too soon for HG's to expire naturally. They are NOT a wear item. When I pull my motor, I intend to do a thorough post-mortem on it. While I may not find the actual cause, I may find a few things to set others looking in the right places.

Kat went 138K before hers popped '97 Legacy LSi Wagon 4EAT auto