four-fleet-feet

I've been cursed with EGR problems on 2 vehicles now. Yes, that would cause the bad mileage! First of all, check under the hood for all your vacuum lines going to/from the EGR itself. Maybe one came loose or cracked. Lines good and tight? Test the EGR to see if it moves. Suck on the hose going to the EGR from the vacuum switch. If the EGR moves, it's not clogged. No movement? Look through the hose. Hose clear? At that point, you could try cleaning the EGR itself. Don't use solvent! If that doesn't fix your problem, that's when you test everything else (solenoid, etc.) until you've eliminated what it can't be. Still have the $%@*^@$ code? You could try other suggestions (I'm sure other posters will have some) but if NY has a dollar limit on emissions repair for yearly license renewals, it might be time to bite the bullet and have a shop take a peek. Your fees to the shop should count towards the repair limit for a waiver. If you believe it is your EGR valve, you could try finding one at a junkyard (do a vac test on it to see if it's OK) and popping it in before you spend money on a new OEM part. If it moves in the junker and the code still pops up, I'd consider it's not the EGR. You'd be out the cost of a gasket, but it's still cheaper than a new one if you're not sure it will fix it! In my area used EGRs don't cost a lot. Remember to disconnect your battery after doing all the EGR work so the old codes are cleared - I know people will tell you 1 minute is plenty, but I've found that some cars need 10 minutes. Hate to see you fixing a 'problem' that isn't one any longer just because the old code is still stored.

Thank you all for your replies! This now sounds less like an annoyance and more like a must-do-before-trip. Is this as hard as it sounds - can it be done in a driveway or should this be a dealer repair? As far as the mechanic-in-question, it's fellow new poster aircraft-engineer. I'd been telling him my water leak was coming from the tail light - your responses to him were right on target and proved I wasn't a turnip! If I can't answer he will, but the two of us need to get to the bottom of this. Thanks again for all your help, four-fleet-feet

Pop into AutoZone or Checker and have them hook up a reader to your car (they won't charge you and I know they're in AZ). Find out what the code was for; it's stored in memory. Do it even though the light is out. If it came on the problem is there; it's just intermittent. Catch the problem when it starts and it's often much cheaper to fix.

I bought a 97 Impreza L wagon, 2.2 with about 161k on it, about a month ago, and have put 1k on it since. The previous owner had no real maintenance record to share, other than a timing belt two years ago (dealer service). She bought it at 80k and put 80k on it. My first duty after title/ins/all that was to get an oil change and checkup that very day. Diffs/trans looked good, but the previous owner had mentioned it had a slight leak, *maybe* at the oil sensor. We pressure washed it after the oil change, thinking it was coming from the valve cover gaskets. Not. Not one drip on them in 300 miles. It was too dirty underneath to tell the origin of the leak. It has the same four drips from the front end, all in a line, directly behind the bumper but not back to the axle. CVs look good, not taking any fluids save power steering (day of purchase it was down in the reservoir, but has not needed a drop since). I need to take a 1500 mile trip and do not want to leave until this is fixed; it's a little smoky after hard climbs at freeway speed, and I don't want to take her into the mountains until I stop the leak. Any ideas what could be wrong (with the specific line of four drips off the front end, none ANYWHERE else). I'm not taking more oil than I would expect a high-mileage car to have. It's not a gushing leak, just an annoyingly smoky one. I call my new Subie my Dragon, but that doesn't mean I want her smoking like one! As far as knowing my way with a high-miler, my last truck was a 91 S-10 with 348k on the original engine/trans - and I'd still have it if a commercial Peterbuilt driver had seen me on that bright sunny August Seattle day... but I'm much happer with my Subie! If only we could fix the Dread Oil Leak... Suggestions as to where to look? If it's something I can't fix and I have to take her into the shop I want to know if I'm being fed a line of hooey.

It's not an OEM ashtray, but have you seen the cupholder ashtrays? Since the you-must-be-joking cupholder in the Imps is too narrow for many cups, waste a spot in it for an inexpensive ashtray. I've seen them at Wal-mart for cheap. If you haven't seen one, they look like half a can of soda, with a lip for resting your cigs. Basic black. Drops into any soda-can-sized holder. The only problem with them is that it will sit directly in front of one side of your AC/heat controls if you get an tall extra-capacity one. Not as pretty as the factory ashtray, but probably easier to find (and, depending on your favorite junkyard, probably cheaper, if not in money then in time and hassle).