legacy2.5

i would check the idle air control valve, if its acting up tap on it with a screwdriver handle or something similar. it might free it up for the time being, but still replace the i.a.c.v. ifits faulty. they dont always set codes if they are intermittenly not working.

first off a/c compressors have a magnetic clutch on them which engages and disengages as needed. it is totally normal for this "cycling" of the a/c clutch, in fact it needs to cycle or the a/c system would freeze up. if your a/c is blowing cold, and there is no visible sign of oil on the refrigerant lines i would say your freon ( not coolant ) is ok. if you can put some gauges on the system it would be real easy to see if your low on reon, which if you are would cause the compressor clutch to engage/disengage more frequently. as far as hearing the clicking type noise of the a/c clutch on subarus the compressor is usually on the top of the motor, and on a lot of other cars it is on the bottom of the motor and it just may be you hear it more on your subaru.

try reprograming the remotes, its it the supplement to the owners manual about your security system. i have had that before and reprograming the remotes fixed the problem.

no problem, when u pull the old fuel filter look at the leftover gas in the filter, let it flow out the opposite way it normally does. because your letting the gas flow the opposite way you may see some containaments which would be a good indication of a dirty filter. let me know

have you changed the fuel filter ever? it sounds like a fuel delivery problem. have you checked all your fluid levels? has it been running a little warmer than usually? im just trying to see if there are any clues that might lead to something else? have you pulled the intake tube off the throttle body and inspected the butterfly flap for buildup?

first is the gas in the car contamainated ( water in the tank, bad gas ), second i would check fuel pressure because low fuel pressure will not set a check engine light, another part that does not make the check engine illuminate is the nock sensor,but it will set a stored code.

i have had that code on my 97 legacy gt 2.5 before, once it was after i did my first timing belt, i had the belt a tooth off, and i have seen the coil go bad also, cylinder 1 and 3 are on the same coil. i would check coil output.

check your main grounds for corrosion

i am thinking that you might have a water leaking on an elestrical component. do all the accesories work properly when the car was running?

have you checked fuel pressure?? have you changed the fuel filter??

you did not hurt my feelings. no i am not a subaru tech i am a nissan tech. and used to be a honda one. subaru's are just as easy if not even easier to work on than most other japanese cars i have delt with. that sucks that you and others have had bad experiences at dealers, i hear the same things about local shops also. someone not doing there job properly happens anywhere when someone does not take pride in there work. your car was never diagnosed properly and that was not right. it has been my experience that dealer techs take pride in there work and c.s.i. ( customer service index ) is a big part of the job. it does not sound like there is another dealer to close to you, but i can bet there are some good techs there that would service your vehicle right.

did you try the chain wrench? ask the subaru dealer if they can get the tool, or find out the manufactuer of the tool and call them, i can almost say that kent-moore will probally make it, try a tool dealer

i do not agree that techs. at a dealer are not good at troubleshotting. I dont know if you are a tech. or not, but I am. i have worked at various dealers and used to work at somwe private shops. I work at a dealer now and have for years. i dont know what you are talking about "scan mentality" but we have all the manuals, computers, and factory help to fix problem cars. I dont know how many times i have had to repair cars that a "local shop" could not fix. i dont know if you were burned by a bad tech. at a dealer, but we get all the newest traing, information, and tools to fix vehicles right the first time. dealer prices may be a little higher, but you are paying for the knowledge of the techs. that are trained properly, and use the right parts. we are trained to know these vehicles and a lot of people dont like to think that a part wearing out, and not performing to specs, can diversely affect other parts, and performance of a vehicle. I would highly recommend a dealer or someone who specializes in subaru, because they have more of a chance, and materials at hand to fix the problem.

i like that chain wrench with an old piece of belt idea. i will have to keep that in mind.

there has to be a special tool to hold the pulley while you loosen the bolt. I would not try a chain wrench, maybe a strap wrench?? Does your cam pulley have a large nut shape built in to it? Not the bolt, but on the pulley itself? When I get home from work I will check out some info am=nd get back to you.

no problem, anytime

you need to find out where the power steering is leaking from, or all the fluid will leak out again. check the high and low pressure lines for leaking fluid, and check the steering rack boots for swelling which could mean the rack is leaking internally. i work at a shop in madison.

take a breaker bar with the right size socket on it, put it on the crank with the handle of the breaker bar lying on the frame right in front of where the battery is. when this is done, tap the key once and this will loosen the crank bolt. tghe motor turns in a clockwise direction so putting the handle of the breaker bar by the battery will make the crank bolt loosen from centrifugal force. any more questions i can help with.

just replaced my leaking crank seal, water pump, timing belt, and lower frt. cover seal, cam seals were not leaking, and i have 90,000 miles on my 97 legacy gt 2.5liter. I left the am seal alone because they showed no signs of seapage. I did the job at the shop I worked at and it only took about 2 1/2 hours with air tools, and no specialty tools. I changed the t-stat, heater and radiator hoses. No more oil leaking at this time. It was a lot easier than I expected.

if the engine in your car has forged aluminum pistons it will make a knocking/tinging type noise until the pistons have warmed up all the way. This is a normal noise for aluminum pistons. I have spoke to subaru techs about this, and read the service bulletins given out to subaru techs. I have also spoke to other non-subaru car owners with the same kind of pistons, and they all note some noise from there engines until warmed up all the way. I live in wisc. and the noise is definetly more present and longer in the winter.

i want to know if some people have a 2.5 liter and have not had a headgasket problem. I have 90k and things are still good.

i just found oil leaking out of my front cover also. I am a tech. by trade and just recieved my 4 camshaft seals, a crank seal, a new timing belt, and water pump. You will probally need the same. While i am in there i am also replacing radiator and heater hoses, and t-stat. leaking oil inside the cover will get on the timing belt since you said you were going to change the t-belt, the seals wont be that bad. I am doing the job on monday and let you know how it goes if you would like. I can try to answer any questions you have.

check the rear caliper sliders, there is a good chance corrosion has built up causing the caliper/pad assy. might be binding.

my legacy gt does that too. it definetly does it more in the cold weather. I am trying to go about fixing it in steps so i know where the problem lies, i will let you know.

thanks, I will check it out. My big plans for my car have just begun recently.