davebugs

Fuel FILLER tube. Where you put the gas in. Often rot out at the bend at the bottom.

Search a little. I'm thinking that may be one of the symptoms of the fuel filler tube. Have you replaced yours?

The price of scrap (and it usually gets worse when gov't gets involved with "credits") has taken a toll on all older car hobbies. Folks have been crushing repairable cars for 20 years. Back then for "credits" so they didn't need to clean up their smoke stacks. Lately due to the price of scrap. And the tree huggers love it since they had higher emissions. Gov't loves it because you gotta buy new cars and pay more taxes, insurance, and they are more and more dictating what the new cars will be. Forcing CORN BASED ETHANOL down out throats that older fuel storage (metal tanks) and delivery systems(carbs, throttle body injection, real injection) all have troubles with. So the only folks that loose are folks trying to keep economical transportation running and those of us with a love of older cars. And we're definately outnumbered.

There was a similar thread here a month or so ago. I know folks who have used it with success. I put water and gravel in my tanks and shake them up a bit to remove loose rust. Then I take them to my local radiator shop and have them "red coated" internally. I do this with all my antique car tanks. I have used POR15 on VW floor pans. Believe me you can't have things well ventilated enough but it does a heck of a job.

My ex GF's 06 gets the code whenever she gets cheap, chain gas (Sheets or the local grocery store chain Giant Eagle's Get-Go gas). If she buys a major brand I think she's usually good. But I've had success with this code on 95-99 2.2 and 2.5's by running it through a vacuum line and making enough white smoke to make it look like the neighborhood is on fire.. Several cars I've done this to and put another 1 or 2k on them before selling them with no further issues. Can't beat it for the price, especially with the seeming success I've had with it. I usually get a plastic cap off of a brake clean can or something. Pull the brake booster hose (I never did find a good and convenient smaller vacuum line - but thought about pulling one on the throttle body and inserting a new" hose to do the sucking) and keep pouring the Sea Foam into that cap so that I can see the fluid level and keep sucking it into the engine. That way you can see what's going on and not kill the engine until you're supposed to. I read about it here. It was the first time I had used Sea Foam and now I always keep atleast one on the shelf.

The blue Subaru "conditioner" bottle actually has Hotts/Holts molded into the bottle. That's what I was going by rather than knowing what the contents look like for instance.

IIR Hotts or Holts stop leak. But it's like 2 bucks a bottle at the Subaru dealer so I just get it there. You can out 2 bottles in.

Excellent. Hope you sealed it up (particularly the baffle plate) while you had access.

Classic rock like including Boston, Foghat, Bob Seger, Eric Clapton Southern Rock Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd Easy listening? Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett Old country George Jones, Merle Haggard, Waylon/Willie, David Allen Coe. A lot of the mixes from the 70's for "Classic Rock", "Singers & Songwriters", whatever Sams club had that looked interesting. Mostly CNBC the TV Business channel actually - I have a crappy TV but the sound is good. Another hobby is investing - especially stocks and it's nice to know what folks on TV may say that may cause folks to make certain decisions when they are too stupid to think for themselves. I can often make money off of that to fuel my car hobby and overall it's done me well. Now that I got Sirius (radio is tough in a pole building) It's usually on the classic rock stations. Haven't purchased a new CD (unless a new realease) in probably 4 years.

This is correct. And I'm used to 2.5's in 99's. I know the Foresters got the new 2.5's in 99. It is possibly that it has the newer 2.2 in a 99. I've only seen 2.5 DOHC's in 99 Legacy's. S0 - something else to check. Look at where the engine/trans meet back by the throttle body onthe passenger side. See if there are 2 or 3 wire connectors. If it's 3 connectors it's the old style (95-98 or 99), if it's the 2 connector you gotta get the newer engine. Basically it's too big of a challenge to overcome the wireing difference. So that needs to be the key. Please report back. I've had a few Legacy 2.2 sedans and I believe they were the old style engines - but I didn't swap engines in them, and I know the Outback 2.5's are the old style. Perhaps the 99 Legacy wagon got the new engine in 99. In addition to not wanting to give any incorrect info I'd like to know for myself. There probably is a chart around here. But if you check that wireing (and perhaps Y-pipe secondarily) that should tell you all you need really.

Sounds like a plan. Remember OEM plug wires only on a 2.5. The order you try things is up to you.

Covered here many times. 95-99 2.2. If it had a 2.2 it should have a single port exhaust - check that first. If so a 96-99 2.2 should work. If it has a dual port exhaust you'll prefer a 95 2.2 auto (with EGR) or if you grab a 96-99 2.2 you'll need a single port Ypipe. Other than that the usual minor issues. 99's seem to have 8 eng/trans bolts and the earlier years have 4. You only need 4.

FYI the JY's used to tell you that a 95-99 2.2 from an Impreza wouldn't work in a Legacy - and they were wrong. Funny thing is the Impreze 2.2 was 100 bucks cheaper than a Legacy 2.2 delivered to my door with 6 month warranty. Basically 250 vs. 350. The 2 JY's I bought the most from eventually caught on - I'd always ask for a 2.2 Impreza engine first and if none then I asked for a Legacy. Mind you these were typically to be swapped inplace of a 2.5. But perhaps someone who knows here will tell you if it must be a Lecacy or Baja and why an Impreze or Forester engine won't work if they are easier or cheaper to find.

The old style tensioner idler looks a lot like all the other idlers - seriousely. It just has a tab on the back that the "pencil" style tensioner pushes against so it does have a center section to it. The idler for the newer style in essence has no center to it.

Plug wires and plugs. But the sneakiest is definately the knock sensor.

I believe it'll be old style. The idler's differ for old style and new style. In this case may be worth a call to the dealer to ask with the vin. You can innocently ask if it's the one piece (new style) or two piece(old style) tensioner. Like most I feel the old style is sturdier and more likely to last and more likely to last through the compression before install especially for folks not used to doing the compression. Thw WP bolts I've never had an issue with. I'd suspect someone had already compromised the block on the one you had problems with. I usually do WP's every TB change. But that's not many miles. Tough call.

#3 happens to be where I usually can hear it the most. I'm usually standing at the front with my right had on the throttle and stick my head on the pass side back by the airbox on the throttle body. That's where I have the best success in hearing rod knock. I don't know if #3 wears first of there is more other noise on the drivers side. But that's exactly where I've learned to listen.

Someone posted that maybe a month ago? I was shocked. I've done many, many HG jobs and engine swaps and never realized those holes were there - or usable for this. Then again I have made a proper tool for the harmonic balancers of 2.2 and 2.5's so I didn't have a need. Still amazing what a fella can learn here.

NGK Plugs? OEM wires? Those would be the first things to check.

You don't. That's why we said to make sure you got one with EGR. Some folks have though about dirlling/tapping for that metal pipe on the drivers side rear. Eventually they get smarter and give up. Do some searching. Then you can follow other's thinking and attempts at work arounds regarding the EGR.

I usually notice the rod knock the most - and this is my test. Let it warm up. Spirited drive, or 10 minutes at idle. Then grab the throttle linkage and rev it up a bit. When the engine is decellerating probably at about 2k is when I hear it the most. Try and put your head back towards the throttle body on both sides. That's my test. If it goes away when warm it's piston slap as already stated.

Don't know for sure as I don't have much experience on the newer models. But on the older ones when the alternator would start to go the ABS light and another seemingly unrealted light would come on. Drive long enough and you often loose the high RPM range as you are running off the battery. Eventually you stop. I typed this but wasn't gonna post it since I haven't had this issue on a newer moddle - usually I stop at '99. Since other have posted basically the same thing I'd thought. In short I wouldn't trust the test. Or perhaps take it to a "real" electrical shop that actually rebuilds starters and alternators.

FYI my local old timer "outdoor power equipment guy" says Seafoam is the best fuel stabalizer. I asked him a year or so ago when small engines started having troubles with all the crap they put in the gas (Ethanol) and all the harm it was doing. Knowing that when it sets it draws moisture bad. And at that time Sta-bil hadn't come out with anything for Ethanol yet (since then they have - the Marine green stuff) and I thought it was a MAJOR missed opportunity. Never used it for stabilizer, but I do recall reading that as a use on the can. I still primarily use it for the "catalyst effeciency" code on Subaru's.

Lucas - I buy it by the gallon and put it in their little bottles so that on gas cars it'll go in far enough. On cars running good - every oil change. On my tow vehicles - every tank. In my diesel every couple k. In my lawnmower - who's only gas source is usually what fuel I've taken out of cars I'm scrapping. Another way to look at this stuff. Years ago I had bad fuel problems (bad gas) in an S10. I actually forget if it was my carb'd S10 or the throttle body one (95 I think). Anyways I said I'll just run some cleaner through it. I went abotu 400 miles per week. His though was the cleaner would loosen up all kinds of crap in the entore fuel system, starting in the tank. I did it anyways, carried and extra fuel filter, and changed it weekly fo rhte next few weeks. I actually forget what I used - I'd guess Gumout. But that's a different way of looking at it. You're not just cleaning he part you want, but the whole system.

My thought is that he's caling "resistence" "interference" until "interference" is proven. And is the head isn't undone hanging a new belt is definately the way to go.