Olnick

Welcome aboard, ncabear. Nope, no tricks with the CEL--should work just like any other car. OBD II reader should work like any other car too. Did your light go away or did you clear it? If so, just watch for it to come on again then try to read it again. If you haven't noticed any drastic changes in how the engine feels, then I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck.

Not so fast there, Danbob! They're both fuel injected. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the Loyales were SPFI (single port) and Legacies are MPFI (multi port). I had a pair of '85 Subies--same body and 1.8 engine as the Loyale but not fuel injected--and I dearly loved those cars. But in retrospect they were no match for the 2.2L Legacy . . . more room, more oomph and less oil on the driveway. Many of us feel the "bulletproof" EJ22 engine is the best that Subaru ever produced. Both good cars, subject to age and condition. So my suggestion would be to test drive them both before making a decision. Good luck.

Ain't it a great feeling?!! Good for you for sticking with it.

Interesting choice of words, dxrflyboy. I think you made a very heavy statement, even if inadvertently! "Hoping" is not enough when you're plonking down tens-of-thousands of dollars for a new vehicle. SOA's lack of candor and responsibility in the entire head gasket fiasco has undermined confidence in the brand. And pushing stopleak as a solution doesn't help either. I've been a Subaru driver (and lover and cheerleader) for over 20 years, but when my faithful '95 Legacy moves on to boxer heaven, as surely it must someday, I don't know what I'm going to do. Right now I wouldn't consider anything with a 2.5 liter in it. Just my $.02. By the way, I hope you're right!

Ah, yes--the wonderful '95 Legacy: Finest vehicle Subaru ever loosed on the highways of the world! Okay, I'm prejudiced. Truth is any eleven year old car's condition is totally dependent on the life it's lead and the TLC, if any, that it's received. Do you know anything about it's history? It's owner? What's the mileage? What kind of tranny? What does a visual inspection reveal? How does it run, handle? If you can answer these to your own satisfaction, then it might be wise (depending on your own mechanical abilities) to pay an indie mechanic to check it over. Now, to get off my soapbox and answer your question--Nope. No glaring problems unique to the '95. I can guarantee you one thing, though. It was an excellent piece of machinery when the original owner drove it off the dealer's lot! Good luck.

Thanks yohy and JPX. Excellent info.

Ooops, sorry! Anyway, hope it helps. Good luck.

I'll repeat what I said in my response to your original post--consider replacing the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor if you haven't already. You didn't mention how many miles you have on your '98, but Temp Sensors can weaken/fail/whatever in time. This confuses the ECU and it will often stay in open loop, which might explain some of your symptoms. They are not terribly expensive (under $30 IIRC) and not too difficult to replace. Made a BIG difference in my '95 Legacy a year or so ago.

Might consider replacing the Engine Coolant Temperature Sender. Remove and clean the IACV. Run a bottle of injector cleaner with Techron through the gas tank. Check any electrical connectors you unplugged/plugged--vacuum hoses too. And by all means use the search function here, start with the similar threads at the bottom--lotsa' good info here on the board. Good luck.

Not at all!!! And I really appreciate your comments. With the price of gas doing what it's doing, my interest in diesels is getting rekindled. I had a '79 Rabbit diesel--last car I bought new. Loved driving it (especially past service stations!) but was not highly impressed with the build quality. When it warped its head the 2nd time I gave up. Sure was a torquey little devil though. Have heard that Subaru is working on a boxer diesel and that excites me too. By the way do you ever burn bio-diesel in your TDI? Any impressions? Thanks again for sharing.

So, since you are basically a Subie-guy, I'd be interested in hearing your impressions of the VW TDI--driving, handling, maintaining. reliability?

Can't help you with the Carfax, but it's good to see your name back on the board. Hmmm, roo-less for 6 months--that's rough!

Ain't it the truth! But look at the bright side--you've got an engine that hopefully will be good to go for a long, long time. For a lot less than if you'd driven into a stealership.

Hmmmm . . . Phi Kappa Subie? And if you study real hard you can graduate Subie Cum Laude!

It's funny how timing can be so dramatic. As I was reading your post, the TV was reporting on another surge in crude oil prices--which may push pump prices to $4 a gallon. You may be the smartest person here, Bucky92!

Might consider changing out the engine coolant temperature sensor. It can cause rough running/idle issues. Although mine threw a definite code when it got weak. Also, I run a bottle of injector cleaner with Techron in the tank every 6 months or so. Can really feel a difference when I do it. Good luck.

You are a very wise man, OB99W.

Thanks for the links, Steve. Interesting reading--don't know how I missed the discussions when they first appeared. I'm still convinced that, while it may not be the cause of it, there's a connection between trapped air and HG failure. Just be super careful and very observant when you change your coolant and I sincerely hope you never face "the worst."

Makes perfect sense and is consistent with everything I've read about 2.5 head gasket failures. I've often wondered why there isn't a valve at the highest point in the cooling system so air could be bled out as coolant is being added. Nissan Maxima V6 had such a feature back in 1990, iirc. My only question here is what the heck is a swirl pot?

Could it be the starter contacts? Common problem, relatively cheap and easy fix. Try a search under "starter contacts."

I hear you, nipper, and by-and-large agree. But I think you'll have to agree that Subaru had an excellent piece of engineering in the original 2.2, then pushed it a little too close to the edge. By the way, the 15% figure is just a guess on our part (and it's for sure SOA won't release any official numbers!)

Okay, okay! Not true. But I just couldn't resist one more shameless plug for the good old pre-'97 2.2!

No. But they used to!

Way to go, JimmyJam. Your stick-to-it-iveness paid off. Must be a great feeling to turn the key now!

Way to go, Ed. And thanks for the update. Aloha.