Fairtax4me

Trans side.

Fouled plugs could mean they're too cold. Might need a higher heat plug for the break-in. AFR at 11.2 is pig rich. Is it getting out of open loop at the correct temp?

Do you mean there is no cable going to the hill holder valve? Does it have a hydraulic clutch? The 95-97 had cable operated clutch with a small cable for the hill holder. When they changed to hydraulic clutch they ditched the hill holder from what I understand. If your 99 has a cable clutch then it could be a stuck hill hold valve. The valve is mounted to the side of the drivers strut tower below the master cylinder. I think you turn the lever counter clockwise to release it.

The trans ground strap isn't even necessary, but if you're inclined to repair it, crimp a new eyelet to the end and it bolts to the trans by one of the 12mm case bolts on top. I think its the 3rd or 4th from the front. Very tricky to get to wih the trans in the car, so bolt it to the trans first, then attach itntonthe firewall after reinstalling the trans. I had one about 3 years ago that did the same as yours, the eyelet just yanked off. Pulled the trans to do the clutch and didnt see the ground strap. Fixed it up, new eyelet, bolted to the trans, put the trans back in. A year later I was poking around under the hood and found that ground strap hanging loose. I forgot to bolt it back to the firewall after I put the trans in. Didnt hurt a thing as far as I could tell.

Awesome!! Glad to hear that fixed it! Did you cut the hole in the carpet or was it there already?

Because of the proximity to the car the parking sensors will not notice a tow hitch unless it is high mounted or inordinarily large. Parking sensors are sonar based, and the tow hitch is generally between the waves of the center sensors where it can't reflect the signal back.

It's under the carpet IIRC. Have to remove the seat and pull the carpet up to see the wiring under there.

The slop comes from the u-joint kinda thing on the transmission end of the linkage. Scoobymods used to have a thread with a write-up on replacing the joint on newer Impreza. The legacy joint is similar but on the older ones it has bolts instead of rivets so you could replace just the bushings for about $3 each.

How bad did it overheat before you changed the head gaskets? The DOHC blocks are famous for eating rod bearings after overheating. Hard to tell from the videos, but to me the knock sounds too deep to be an exhaust leak. Did you make sure all of the buckets and shims on the valves went back on the valves they came from?

Yes it can be connected. If the purge valve is stuck open it creates a vacuum leak which will throw off the IAC adjustment. Misfiring during warm-up is often due to fouled spark plugs. How old are they?

Possible the O2 sensor is unplugged or could just be dead. Need to figure that out and get it running in closed loop. In open loop its dumping fuel in and that may be causing the hard restart. No way to check crank and cam sensor signals with a regular scanner. Need a SSM scanner or o-scope. Doubtful these are an issue or you would have codes for them. BPT valve is the black thing with the shiny sticker on top by the EGR. If that has been replaced make sure the vacuum hoses are properly connected. Check the hose routing diagram on the hood. Could have also been replaced with a faulty part, or just removed and cleaned. There are several hoses that attach to it though, so make sure they're all in good shape.

Yes. Just pull the top part of the console off and you should see an adjustment nut on the end of the cable. This has to be adjusted occasionally as the cable stretches with age/use.

That's just way too low. Timing is off or the valves aren't seating properly.

Lean code and an EGR code usually points to a vacuum leak. There are lots of old brittle vacuum hoses on that engine especially the 4-5 hoses that go to the BPT valve and EGR. The EGR is vacuum controlled so any loose or broken vacuum hose can set the code you have. Also failure of the BPT valve is common. A diaphragm inside ruptures which keeps the EGR valve from opening properly. Hot restart problems can be caused by a bad ECT sensor. This will also send fuel mileage down the drain. If your scanner can read live data, check the ECT reading. Generally if that sensor goes bad it will read -40° on data display.

The factory toe adjustment or the rear provides about .5 degrees adjustment in either direction. If you need to adjust toe more than that something is bent. When was the wreck?

If the charge is low enough to keep the compressor from engaging, a 12oz can will not overfill the system.

Im too far away to do any good. Hopefully just some yahoos on a joyride. Fingers crossed they get caught without destroying the thing!

Probably around $150, depending on labor rates in your area, to have a shop service the AC system. It's usually not much cheaper to only have them evacuate and vaccum the system since those actions take the longest amount of time. Freon is only like $10-15 for a system this size. If you had a Chevy Suburban with the rear AC system that would be a different story since those hold like 48oz of freon. Newer Subarus only need like 18oz. The older systems hold 21-24oz. If the system isn't open for long it can generally be recharged without vacuuming it down. Especially if you can do the work on a dry day (low humidity). But if you have to pay someone to do it, might as well have them do everything.

TransX is used on these mostly for a specific issue that affects only 99-00 transmissions. It may help shift feel in yours, but won't do anything about the torque bind.

The switches almost never fail. The condensers like to corrode in the bottom corners and leak. Also leaks around the lines on top of the compressor are VERY common. The refrigerant is low. Find the leak, probably an o-ring on the compressor, fix it, recharge, and you'll be good to go. If you don't have time to mess with it right now add a can of refrigerant and it'll probably last until the end of the season.

Change the trans fluid. Do 3 drain and fills. Drive it a couple times around the block in between. CEL is probably something simple. Knock sensor codes are very common.

That link says the mileage is around 120k. Is the car in a junkyard? Does it look like it has that kinda mileage on it?

Nah, they don't close threads here unless people get feisty. Do you have any tools? You can check quite a few things on your own. Might even be able to get it back to normal without having to pay someone if you're up for some tinkering.

Subarus are highly prone to heat shield rattle because the shields are just kinda clamped around the pipes. Most other cars have them welded or bolted on. After years of heating/cooling and some rust thrown in they get loose and start moving around. I fix them with a 2-1/4" exhaust clamp. Screws always fall out. The hose clamps don't always stay tight. Exhaust clamps are forever. At least, forever enough to last until the pipes rust out.

Heater core/ blower motor housing is all one unit and yes, the dash has to come completely out to remove it. You may get some extra room by removing the bolts/nuts on the lower corner of the dash on that side. This will allow you to pull the corner of the dash out about an inch and a half (don't pull too far or the dash may get damaged) and may give you room to get to the actuator or remove other bits. I know on the older models there is a control module of some sort over there. You might also try fishing around in the blower housing to see if there are leaves, acorns, dead mouse, etc., down in there blocking the flap. You could also remove the wiper cowl and try going in through the vent in the firewall.