McDave

Mouse, rat, river rat, squirrel, ground squirrel... I'm not sure which but every spring we get a couple cars towed in with chewed up harnesses. Tip: Bounce Dryer Sheets contain the same active ingredient as what garbage dumps use to ward off rodents. Just tape a few to the harnesses after making repairs. We've had no recurrences since doing this.

Funny, I feel the same way about Autozone (never been to PartsAmerica). As a mechanic for the past 35 years I've mostly bought aftermarket parts, but for some things like emission controls and sensors, I've always bought dealer parts. That was then. Things have changed drastically in just the past year or so. We're being flooded with Chinese crap and I'm convinced much of it is counterfeit... even at the quality parts stores like NAPA. When the Chinese stuff first hit over here several years ago it was crap, but it quickly improved to the point you couldn't tell the difference between it and USA made stuff. That has all changed recently and our shop has had to commit to buying much more from the dealers now, even though we have to wait for overnight delivery. The parts usually cost more from the dealer, though sometimes they're cheaper, but virtually every time they're better quality. That makes it cheaper in the long run, particularly if I don't get paid for fixing it twice. PS If you ever hear a buzzing sound in your motor, you might want to get the OE pcv valve. Aftermarket ones are notorious for buzzing. Here are some online dealers... http://www.subarugenuineparts.com/ http://www.1stsubaruparts.com/ http://www.subarupartswarehouse.com/?gclid=CLyWkOmXrpQCFQJvswodJhp6uQ

:headbang:

I'm sure LB understands the all the work you're doing for him, it's just all the abuse his poor spare tire is going though in the meantime!

Ok then, I would leave it alone for the smog test, but after that if you have any flat spots on acceleration, particularly when cold, I would switch them back.

What are we working on? Do you hear any pinging or knocking?

He saw the light! I'm a fan of Autolite too and as long as platinum plugs are spec for your application, I don't see how they would be a problem. BUT, my experience is more general... these guys know Subarus better than me. As far as wires go, I would get the OEs as most of the aftermarket stuff I'm seeing these days is crap (Autolite Plugs excepted). Edit: Here's another thought. If after changing the plugs and wires and it still misses, you'll wonder if the aftermarket parts are the problem, or is it really the coil (very possible)? If you use quality parts to start with, it's easier to conclude they're still not the cause of the problem.

According to the '90 fsm - The vacuum port on the front passenger side of the tb goes to the egr solenoid (just like mine and the one I fixed last week).

Sorry, I didn't mean to drag the thread off topic. Mine's only about 35 years old. (My apologies again Gary)

There ya go. With them switched wrong it was running out of vacuum about the time you needed it. Sounds like a winner! For the search engine: "Standing at the front of the car looking at the throttle body, the vacuum port on the left goes to the egr solenoid."

On my '93 Loyale the can is on the passenger side (battery on driver's). The hose that comes off the elbow on the bottom of the can just sticks out a few inches, then makes a 90 degree turn straight down for about 8 inches in-between the fender and radiator (tucked out of sight). It vents to atmosphere. It's an original Seattle car that I'm sure hasn't been tampered with. Hope this helps. PS I can take a photo in the morning of the canister and the factory (48 state) hose routing. The canister just clips in place so it's no problem to lift the canister and show the whole ball of wax. How's that egr working?

I went back and checked the dates. Almost all were for the '96 2.2s and they occurred with mileage between 35k and 80k with one around 108k, and most were fixed before 2004. Sounds like the few that were going to go bad already have. Still, on misfires it wouldn't hurt to drop the exhaust pipes and have a look-see... particularly if a vacuum gauge is bouncing around (does anybody use those anymore?).

Update I've done some more checking since you mentioned it was worse when the engine was cold. That is a common failure point for the coil. I would replace the coil for sure, but seriously consider giving it a good tune-up - plugs, wires, and filters - in case a bad plug or wire was overloading the coil causing early failure.

Aw, you didn't try the mist trick? Too bad, you might have missed a neat light show. Does your car also miss at highway speeds just as you gently start climbing a hill? Give it more gas and it goes away somewhat? That's usually a good sign of the plug wires, or coil acting up too. I would hate to see you unnecessarily replacing parts before you've run some basic tests, like the mist thing. Go ahead and try the hill thing if you prefer. Seriously

I was just looking through the Genuine Subaru Remanufactured Parts brochure at endwrench.com and noticed they didn't offer any reman heads. I guess it's hard to sell them with cracks. On a similar note, do you guys see many dropped valve guides on the ej22 heads? The technicians network seems to be full of references to the guides dropping and causing misfires by hanging the valves open.

Subaru doesn't seem too concerned about them... Cylinder Head Crack Between the Valve Seats Service Bulletin # 02-88-93 Pages: 1 Bulletin Description: Some cylinder heads may exhibit cracks between the intake and exhaust valve seats. These "Bridge cracks" do not cause coolant leaks or result in valve seat movement. "Bridge cracks" are cosmetic in nature and do not justify replacement of the Cylinder Head.

Just yer basic Loyale Wagon shortly after getting the windows tinted and w/cold a/c. It doesn't get any better in Texas!

One more thought. If your spark plugs have screw on tips, make sure they're tight. Will cause hard to find misfires.

I don't have a wiring diagram for an XT, but it's the yellow wire on a Loyale SPFI and MPFI.

Sounds good. If you decide to check for shorts in the harness, disconnect all the sensors that are on the same circuit along with the ecu connectors. Also, in case you missed my second post here it is again... One other thought. I have seen tachs themselves go bad and cause misfires, cutouts, and stalling. Disconnect the wire at the coil that feeds the tach and see how it runs.

I come to the conclusion you don't just fix Subarus, you massage them into submission.

One other thought. I have seen tachs themselves go bad and cause misfires, cutouts, and stalling. Disconnect the wire at the coil that feeds the tach and see how it runs.

I would put the old tps back on the car since it ran better before you changed it. In fact I would back up and remove all the new parts that didn't help solve the problem to ensure you're not compounding the problem with crappy new/used parts. You can always put them back on later, one at a time, after you've solved the problem. Then I would get a hold of a fsm and start checking all the grounds and continuity in the wires between all the sensors (particularly the tsp) and the ecu. Check them for continuity and for shorts between themselves and to ground. With the fsm you'll have all the resistance values to check the sensors themselves too. Good luck!

Did you have the battery disconnected?