mikec03

The timing belt is only 10K mi old. I should have mentioned that there are no codes and that the old spark plug looked fine. Also, the way the post was printed was not the way I typed it. To be clear, at a temperature of 20 degrees it starts hard with maybe 3 cylinders; at a temperature of 10 degrees, it starts very hard on 3 cylinders maybe requiring a jump after running the battery down. At a temperature of 30 degrees and above, no problem. I don't see why the temperature sensor would cause it, but it's something I never thought of and it's cheap to replace.

I have a 2.2, '95 Soob w/ 188K mi. This winter, it's starting on 3 cylinders and sometimes not at all at temperatures minus 20 F. After starting, it runs fine. The coil, wires, and spark plugs were all OEM with only 15K. I changed the coil and spark plugs anyway but it didn't have any effect. The wires seem OK. I hate to change them too. It seems like it has to be electrical because it runs fine after it starts. I didn't have this problem in prior winters. Any ideas. What could I try to diagnose it?

I previously posted that I had the 105 & 106 codes which is Manifold Air Pressure problem on a 2.2 l '95 Soob, auto trans. It turned out that I had to replace the MAP from a junk yard and it cleared the codes. It didn't change the drivability that I can detect, but its interesting that this solid state device would flail after all these years. I would think that they would last forever.

Thanks for the help and picture. I found it! It's a lot smaller than I though that it would be. The '95 is OBD2 complient and it has both a MAF and a MAD. I have no idea why it would have both. Now if I can figure out why the code has come up, I'll be set. The contacts are clean and the tubing seems to be in place OK. I'll reset the code and if it comes up again, I'll go to the junk yard and swap it out. Thanks again.

My '95 Legacy just came up with a P0105 and 0106 code. This is supposedly a MAP problem [manifold air pressure]. I've searched here and on the internet, and looked at the engine. There are no hoses loose and I can't see anything that looks like a MAP. Does the '95 really have a MAP? I really can't sensel any drivablilty issues. Can anyone shed light on this?

Will no one will answer the question!! It's a simple question. How many of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 [before the change to the new qasket during the 02 run] will fail before 200K miles? I'll guess, based on reading hundreds of posts about the head gaskets on this and other forums. For the Phase 1, the failure rate will be 50% before 200K. For the Phase 2 <2002, the failure rate will be 33% before 200K. You ask, whats my methodology? My answer, IT'S A GUESS!

I have 186K on my '95. Oil leaks are often from the valve covers and the front oil pump seal. These arn't expensive since your going to have to do the timing belt soon and they don't leak much. Another oddity of this era Soob is that the gas filler pipe often rusts out about a foot below the filler because the plastic guard traps sand there and it stays wet. And of course, the rear fenders very often rust through just behind the passinger doors, but you can observe that.

What make's you thing that the fuel pump is OK? It would seem to be odd that it would be pumping only a very little amount of gas, enough to have the car to turn over, but who knows? What i did, to confirm that the fuel pump was broke, was to get a tight fitting plastic tubing from the hardware and connect it into the filter inlet hose and the other end taped into a coke bottle. It seems to me that after I replaced the pump, it pumped gas at about an ounce per sec. if you want to check it.

You have had great advice. It certainly doesn't sound like a HG! But to answer one point, I have a 95 and a 97, each with over 150K, and I don't have a check engine light on. It is not "normal" to have this light on.

This question brings up an interesting phenomenon I have noticed. I used to think that the value of a 10 year old soob wagon with 120-130 Kmi was about $2500. And I bought two old soobs at about this price. However, it seems that times have really changed! Some of the asking prices are now crazy high. A short answer is that the asking price for a 13 yr old car with 160 Kmi, should [in justice] only be $1500. But you can probably ask much as $4000 and may get it if there is no obvious rust.

Well, I sprinkled water on mine and it replicated the problem. So you can try that if the coil is the problem Otherwise, I assume you have a 2.5 engine. If so, the spark plug tube gaskets are common leakers. The oil drips from the tube gaskets saturate the wires which causes misfires.

I cut 3-4 in long pieces of a metal coat hanger and jammed them in between the shield and the exhaust pipe. It has worked fine.

I second that. On my '95, we have to be very careful not to move the steering wheel after pulling the key and to have the wheel lined up straight, OR it very difficult to turn the ignition key. On the other hand, it could be that the lock set is just starting to fail and you may soon have to replace it.

Just to complete this thread, my VIN "serial" number is 211xxx, which if it only applied to NA cars and they started at zero, would imply that my car was near the end of the production run. However, the dealership papers indicate that they had it on their lot in February 2002 which doesn't seem like the end of the production run. I bought it in June. The dealership isn't any help. They just say that my car is not covered by the extended warranty. There is no further information that can be obtained by Googling. So it remains a secret. Subaru is doing better then the CIA in keeping secrets.

Sommers up in Mequon is good. They have been fair with me. However, now that I am aware of Advance Auto on 35th & State, I think that I will give them a try next.

Even the official Subaru recall say that counter measures were applied during the 2002 production run. No doubt, they just changed the gasket. But what was the VIN number? Anyone. Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles. In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to the SUBARU vehicle cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced.

But Subaru stopped giving out the extended warranty, up to 100,000 mi, at some point of the 2002 production run! They must have made a change involving the head gaskets during 2002! Does anyone know the VIN number where this change was made?

In a recent thread, the Subaru letter [from 2004 or so], describing the head gasket problem, applicability, and extended warranty, was reproduced. However, the actual VIN numbers of the cars at risk was deleted. This is kind of significant for the 2002 production run since the head gasket problem was "fixed" during the run. Since I own a 2002 Legacy which is supposed to be manufactured after the fix, I'm kind of interested. The dealership says no problem, but I would like to see it from an independent source. Does anyone got the VIN number after which the fix was made? By the way, I'm at at 80K and have no leaks.

Yes that is a good price. I paid $2500 for a ten year old 2.2l Subaru with 132K [a couple of years ago] but it had a bad rust spot. Judging what I see on Craigslist, I couldn't get such a deal today. The prices seem to be $1000 to $1500 higher today. So, bottom line, buy it.

It wouldn't have done any good to tell the mechanic about the after market alarm system because there was NO indication that the alarm system was activated. If the mechanic was lackadaisical enough not to check the voltages before pronouncing that the starter was bad, he's not going to pay any attention to the possibility of a lock out by the alarm system. Fool that I am, I assumed that the mechanic's diagnosis was correct and first replaced the starter after I had the car towed to my home. After that didn't make any difference, I spent a half a day trying to find a short in the ignition wire. In my defense, there was no indication that the alarm system had [partially] activated. Finally, out of desperation, I found the fuse for the alarm system and pulled it, not really thinking that it would do any good. Fortunately, the contacts in this wacky alarm system are normally closed, and the ignition voltage was restored. I would not let this dealership fill the air in my tires.

I drove my ' 95 Sub to a local store and when I came out, it would turn over but it would not start. I brought one of my other cars over, jumped it, and tried for an hour to start it. No luck. The stores were closing and I figured it was a serious problem, so I had it towed to a dealership. The next day, at the dealership it wouldn't even turn over! The mechanic said that the starter was bad and needed replacement for $530 and another $60 for a bad battery connector. But it turned out that there was nothing wrong with the starter; the reason it wouldn't turn over was that the ignition voltage to the solenoid was zero. This mechanic hadn't even bothered to check the power and ignition voltage to the starter! Can you imagine the embarrassment if I had told them to replace the starter and then the mechanic would later have to come to the customer [me] and say that they need another $100+ to find the real problem! This is really shameful. It would only have taken him 60 sec to check the voltages. I had it towed home and eventually found that my wacky after market door lock/anti theft system was locking out the ignition voltage. And finally, the real problem, as I have already posted, was that the fuel pump had failed, which I fixed for $50. I guess that the lesson is to be afraid, very afraid when going to a dealership.

I had the same problem [on the flange just ahead of the muffler]. Midas DID weld it up for me. I was surprised that they would do that.

As said before, you don't have to empty the tank since the inlet is on the top BUT it would be a good idea to pump out the few ounces that accumulate in the low spot of the filler pipe. A few ounces of gas spilled on the garage floor could be very dangerous.

Most all of the people on this board would say to change it. In contrast, I have had 3 Subaru's that went over 200,000 mi and never changed the water pump. And I didn't change it on my 4'th at 180,000 mi. However, these were/are non interference engines. With an interference engine, especially at the first timing belt change at 105 k, there is quite an investment that could be in jeopardy if the water pump seizes and breaks the timing belt. At the time of the 2'nd change, the car might not be worth enough to worry. And finally, a word from a Subaru service rep who I asked the same question and I quote, "they almost never fail."

Yes, someone did tell me later that I should have done the breaks myself, but when I took the car to the dealership, I thought it was a front bearing. It sounded just like a bearing failing and it was very hot. Using JB weld on such a critical area as the gas filler pipe seems penny wise. Parts of the pipe were paper thin. The used pipe was in almost new condition so I can forget about a future problem in this area for $50. I did not have the dealership replace the idlers, seals, or water pump. It is after all a non interference engine [last year] so there's not much danger of losing the engine. It was probably pound foolish but time will tell. Also, I want to point out that even though I spent $1800, it could have been a lot worse. I could have easily spent another $2000 on these repairs if I wasn't so stingy.