The Chad

Update... Installed the new knock sensor (which I got from my local Subaru Steal-ership, who matched on-line pricing which was cool of them). Wow, what a difference already! More power, less hesitation, smoother running. It was more of a pain to install than I'd expected though, because of such little room to work. The plugs and wires are ready for pick up today, so I'll install them as soon as I can and update further at that point.

Thanks again, I'm meticulous about vehicle maintenance so that'll be no problem at all. I'll post how it turns out as soon as my parts come in!

That's what I'm going to order very soon. Suburapartsforyou.com seems to have everything I'd need; the plugs, wires, and knock sensor. They're all OEM, too (Subaru of America, that is). When I'd gotten the car, I noticed that there was a LOT of dust/dirt covering and stuck all over the engine, and in all the cracks of the vehicle. The air filter wasn't too bad though. Maybe the lady that had it lived up a dirt lane or something. Anything else I should check or clean due to all the dust that my Legacy used to live in?

Thanks guys, your wisdom is priceless. The CEL went off literally about 30 minutes ago when I started the car to go for lunch, and the engine was very quiet driving back to work here, very smooth too, but definately still sluggish and now has a split second hesitation when I give it gas. I give it gas and there's a very brief hesitation and then it kicks in. Like the throttle response is delayed, or like it bogs our briefly or something. This problem may be a temporary side effect from the Seafoam and correct itself, I don't know. So suddenly the CEL is off for the meantime, but it was throwing the code for cylinder 3 misfire. Would the CEL turn off if it was still misfiring? The CEL has been going on and off even though I still need the knock sensor, so that's why I'm not sure.

I don't know the age of the plugs and wires, so I'll be ordering those, too. The vacuum lines I'd used to Seafoam were the brake booster (which some say only goes to one cylinder), and the vacuum line to the left of PCV, which is indicated in the picture, and I now realize that it looks like it may only go to cylinder #3? Could that be part of my problem? [/img] I used a third of the Seafoam bottle as it says to do, and put one half of that third into the brake booster while at the same time putting the other half of the third into the vacuum line indicated in the picture. My wife fed it into the booster while I fed it into the vacuum line. Both were sipped in slowly and simultaneously, took several minutes at least. The way that I did it, I'm realizing that the Seafoam may not have made it into all four cylinders, correct?

Seafoamed my 98 Legacy L 2.2 (154k miles) today, running it through the brake booster and another vacuum line on the opposite side of the engine. It smoked, I turned it off for 10 minutes, started it up and took if for a spirited drive, and it ran really well until moments later when the CEL came on, along with a noticable lack of power, too. Took it to Advance Auto so they could scan it, and it's code P0303 for cylinder 3 misfire, and P0325 for the knock sensor (which I already knew about the knock sensor code from several days earlier, and am ordering a new knock sensor). Any ideas on what the Seafoam could've done to cause the P0303? The Cylinder 3 misfire code seems directly related to the Seafoam, what do you think?

Funny you'd say that because I'd also wondered if that would change anything. I'd checked out some websites that do ECU mapping, and didn't find anything for N/A Subies. For the last couple weeks I'd been driving it a little harder to see if the ECU would adjust, but doing so gradually of course. Lately it actually seems a bit more responsive than it used to, but that could very well be because I just think it is (the power of positive thinking, lol)! Someone out there probably knows details of how the ECU responds, I'd be interested to hear what they say!

Yeah baby!!! LOL! I'd already cut the top of the car off and replaced the sheet metal with tin foil. Heck, I'd even removed the driver's seat (I use a bicycle seat now, it's lighter). I will drain half the oil though, great tip! Oh, and I'm also careful to not consume any liquids before driving and to take an Exlax to shed a little extra weight. Oh man, sometimes I read these posts just for a good laugh, you guys rock! Seriously though, I never realized that it was 3,400 lbs., the car's a little porker then! I hadn't read that before, thanks for the input. It's hard to know if a cleansing additive will do more harm than good, especially with a situation like mine. I'll do the intake manifold for sure.

I just edited my profile to include where I live, forgot to do that earlier. Anyway, you think 10w-30 is fine then? So do I, maybe I'll add a little stabilizer to it. I'd had success in finding ways to free up or add mild horsepower in my other N/A vehicles, without compromising the vehicle's health that is, so I'll see what I can find for my Legacy and let y'all know. I'm excited about using the MMO (Marvels Mystery Oil) or the Seafoam, I'll let everyone know how that works out, too.

I don't know, the ghetto look is kinda' in right now! Anyway, good looking ride. You'll love your Subie. I'd recently gotten a '98 Legacy sedan, gave it a little TLC, and now wherever I go people are amazed that it's 11 years old and is in such great condition. Have fun with it.

Then a'Seafoaming I shall go. Just about ready for an oil change, I'll drain a quart of oil and add a quart of Seafoam for about 500 miles and then do the oil change. Thanks for the exhaust info. If I find anything out, I'll post it for sure. I probably won't do the turbo, unless I buy a turbo'd model one day. Good to know that up to 5 lbs. boost won't be too risky. About oil, the Subie shop (not a dealer, a local shop that specializes in Subarus) recommends me using 15w-40. I use synth 10w-30 now. Gas mileage may go south on 15w-40, but it would be better on the engine. Any thoughts?

lol, the VTEC stuff was funny! I didn't think that there was too much that could be done, thanks for the answer. I've owned turbo and supercharged vehicles before (own a supercharged one now), and am pretty schooled in the N/A vs. forced induction engine differences. Wouldn't do the turbo kit on my EJ22, too much work for too much risk and too little reward! Will do the K&N panel filter for longevity purposes and a tune up, at least. Talking about the heavy foot, the person that had owned my Legacy since new was an elderly lady who had a serious light foot. Poor car hadn't had a good run its whole life yet, probably. Your ideas on doing a Seafoam or MMO at this 154k mileage?

I've just bought a '98 Legacy L sedan that's in great shape, automatic, with 154K and hoping to see 300k. I don't want to race my Subie, I would just like a little more pep out of it. Stock plug wires/plugs and new air filter may help, but I'd love to hear what you guys have to say. Anyone have any benefit from using a K&N air filter (panel style, like the stock filter), aside from being able to clean and re-use it? I read someone say that there's not too much you can do for more pep, but you guys know what works, what doesn't, and what's just a waste of time. I'm new on here, and eager to learn.

Cool ride I had an '84 GL Hatchback 4x4 and loved that little thing, I can imagine that you're having a great time with your Brat! Tons of info on this site, have fun checking it out!

Hey guys, great to be here. Long time lurker, first time posting. This forum is great and you all rock. My first Subie was an '84 GL Hatchback 4x4... it was silver with white wheels, sunroof, a/c, manual, and beautiful (man do I miss the heck outta that car, it was a beastly little dude ). I was only 17 and it was Subie Love at first sight. I was young and dumb and ran it hard in the snow, dirt, and road. Always ran like a champ though, and it still ran great when I'd given it away 2 years later. About a month ago I'd bought a '98 Legacy sedan for my wife, and found myself loving this Subie, too. Paid $2,200 for it with 150k but runs smooth as butter, it was owned by an elderly lady who'd bought it new and she'd religiously had every scheduled maintenance done at the Subaru dealer that she'd bought it from (I mean every scheduled maintenance, from oil changes to timing belts). I'd sanded and painted the trim, wiper arms, wheels and hubcaps, and now it looks amazing, too. Anyway, good to be on here with you all, look forward to chatting with ya. My other cars are a lightly modded '01 Grand Prix GTP, and a sweet '69 GTO. I gonna have to add an STi to that list at some point, and if the Lord helps me find one, maybe even an '84 GL Hatchback 4x4 just like my first love!