doc526

Check the switch on top of the steering column. You may have accidentally bumped it on. Its commonly called the "Subaru virgin" switch.

Thanks. I will check it out tomorrow. How many pins are on the connectors? This car is soo clean that there was not one spec of dust on any of the under parts of the dash. You could of eaten off of it. The interior is cherry and the only dent is from where it got hit in the tailgate a few weeks ago from an uninsured driver. I told the owner that if they decide to sell it, I want first call. She just laughed. Apparently her father had owned it since new and kept it garaged. Now her son who is in basic is driving it.

Hey Guys, Got a person at work that has a super clean 1990 Legacy wagon (85000 miles, 2.2l 16 valve, automatic ) that has thrown a check engine light. I did a search on the forum and found the codes and how-to. The problem is that I could not find the green connections under the column to connect. Did I look in the wrong place? If so, what to I have to do? The car runs fine, just idles a little rough. Thanks! Dean

I can see that. I don't think that there is too much of a demand for that as it's not a real wear item. Most dealers will stock parts that move in a short amount of time. :-\

Getting better each time.

Nice!

I just checked my owners manual and it states the following: 2.2 - Champion RC10YC4, alternate - NGK BKR6E-11 or Nippon Denso K20PR-U11\ 2.5 - NGK PFR5B-11 The heat range is shown by the part number of the plugs. PFR5B-11 - 5 heat range PFR6B-11 - 6 heat range I double checked the NGK plug website when I bought my new plugs and they also recommend the 5 heat range.

I dont see why you can't. If you have access to a wire brush or a wire wheel on a grinder I would clean up the bolt and nut to inspect their condition. If they look pretty cruddy, get new ones too. Parts you are missing are #22 and 26.

Mine was just that sloppy too. While driving mine would bounce around and make a clicking sound and make shifting into gear challenging. When I pulled it out, the bushing material was completely gone. There is a nut on top of that bolt. As far as how long it will last, im not sure. I live in the south where salt is an unheard of idea, so all the hardware was in perfect condition. The spring I refer to helps hold the shifter in the center (netutral) position. If you pull the handle to the left like you are going to go into first gear (without putting it into gear) and let go, the shifter should automatically center itself. I saw yout video and noticed that you are lacking the plate that should go on to the large shift linkage arm bushing. That is the anchor point for the spring. The other side goes to the little ear on the shift linkage. I show that plate/spring/linkage assembly in the third picture. On yours that might be the reason for all the play in the bushing. That plate acts as a big washer to hold that bushing steady. Let me know if you need any more info. Dean

Looks good!

I had the same problem about 6 months ago but kept ignoring it. Finally it got so bad that once I reset the codes it would come back within 40 miles. I changed the knock sensor since it needed it anyway and then the plugs. The plugs that the manual call for are PFR5B-11 but they are 12 bucks a piece . I used BKR5EGP at 4 bucks a piece and they work good. It turned out that the plugs were totally shot...... It has been 2000 miles and all seems to be good. When troubleshooting, try the easier things first. If that fails, then go to the hard stuff.

The gearing is good for off the line but it is bit of a screamer on the highway. I am clocking around 3300 at 70.

yep, just the indicators.

ok

I do know on the Viper alarm if you disconnect the battery and recconect, the lights will flash for like 4 times then stop for 5-10 or so minutes and flash 4 times again. This will continue untill you hold down the reset button under the dash. I found that out when I changed my alternator at my cousins house last year.

The idle being high during a cold start is normal. Also, driving when the engine is cold and you push in the clutch to downshift or come to a stop, the engine rpm will increase and then drop down. Mine has done that since I bought it. Hope that helps. Dean

It could also be an aftermarket alarm. My outback had a Viper alarm installed by the PO that controls the keyless access. It automatically locks the doors after 5 seconds of the ignition being on and unlocks when the ignition is turned off. Like you, I have the horn on the firewall and the red light in the knockout panel for reserved for some other function. You could also look for a reset button ziptied underneath the area. Most people installing aftermarket systems usually dont care about it and leave it haning. Viper sells replacement remotes but they are stupidly expensive. A replacement for mine was like 80 bucks.....

It was easier to use two sizes of punches for me. I kept slipping off the pin with the smaller punch trying to break the pin free so I used the larger punch to knock the pin loose and flush with the linkage and used the smaller punch to finish the job. Luckily, my local dealer had everything in stock so I had the parts immediately. I am still active although 99.9% of the time I lurk around without logging in. I mainly prefer to read rather than comment as I have relatively little experience with wrenching on soobs. Most of my wrenching has been on domestic cars, 7.3 and 6.0 Ford Diesels and various 1929-1950 hot rods. About 2 months ago I did change out both tie rod arms, tie rod ends, both ball joints and a passenger side front wheel bearing. Dean

You're welcome. I have been following your recent purchase and hope it all goes well for you. Since the write up I have put 40K on it and it still feels great.

I downloaded a really great PDF from a technical college on diagnosing/troubleshooting a P0400. It is actually a 97 Legacy 2.5. I found it while searching a P0400 on this site. Site is here. http://www.vcertt.org/news/11-02.pdf Dean

Cool Van!!

That kinda sucks. I hate not solving a problem but sometimes its better to throw in the towel vs loosing ones sanity. Good luck selling it! Update.... After 600 miles it returned. :-\ To keep things simple and too ultimately figure out the problem, I am only doing one repair at a time. This time I changed the spark plugs. Found that plug from cyl #3's electrode was completely worn down to a nub. Cylinder 1 was partially worn and 2/4 were ok. The old ones were the NGK PFR5B-11 and at $13 I was not going to do that. I went for the NGK BKR5EGP since they were $3 and I only had $20 in Autozone rewards. So far it has been 150 miles and the car seems to be better than when I bought it. Does anybody have experience with Yazaki wires? That is what the PO had on the car when I bought it. Dean

Hey Guys, I have solved my cyl 1/3 missfire!! It was a bad knock sensor. Car: 97 OBW, 5MT, 210K miles. Some history: Back during last summer I had an intermittent check engine light. When I read it with my handheld scanner it was defined as the dreaded 1/3 cyl missfire. After resetting it would stay off for a while, typically 6K miles or so. (I typically put about 20K on the car every year.) During this past winter after resetting the code once again, it started to come back within 60 miles. Eventually it got to the point where the car would studder from 2200rpm to 2800rpm and clear up after that. After reading the postings about the knock sensor issue I replaced mine. So far it has been 300 miles and all is well. I will keep you all posted of the results. THANKS FOR ALL THE INFORMATION GUYS!! Dean BTW, This past weekend I installed new inner tie rods, new outer tie rod ends, and new ball joints on both sides. On the passenger front I installed new front wheel bearings. (I'm lucky as I have access to a hydraulic press ) This car feels like new now!!!

Thanks. Update for the tools. Been a while since I said I would do it.. :-\ Small punch was a 1/8" diameter Large punch was 5/16" diameter.