Fairtax4me

After looking closer, there are 3 valves possibly back there. One that you probably can't see because it appears to be over top of the canister. Which also appears to be called a vent valve. possibly this is one of he changes on the later models. What year car is this again? http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=12556 The vent valve that I think you're looking at has fairly large hoses, maybe 5/16" Id. One loops out of the leading (forward) port makes two quick 90° turns and ends. The other comes out of the top port and loops to a hard line which runs to another hose that goes to a filter above the canister. http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=12552 The pressure control solenoid valve is the one located forward of the fuel tank next to where the rear brake lines come out of the floor pan.

How did you check/test the solenoid? Resistance? Did you check to see if air flows through it when open and stops when closed?

There are a few solenoids back there. It's either the canister vent control valve or the pressure control valve. Is it the one right next to the canister or is it the one further forward?

Did you replace the vacuum hoses or just the solenoid? I don't know if it matters which side the hoses go on but did you put them back on the sides they came off of?

You can yank the steering wheel of with brute strength, but it's a LOT easier to use a puller if you have one. If you go the brute force route, do what John suggested and loosen the nut 3 or 4 turns but leave it on the steering shaft while you pull on the wheel so it doesn't fly off and re-arrange your facial features. The airbags aren't anything to worry about really, but I wouldn't wear clothes that attract static electricity.

I have those kinda days every now and then. Stuff just doesn't "sink in" right away. Has this thing been repeatedly overheated? Very important question to ask before spending beau-coup $$$. You might be putting new gaskets on a boat anchor.

Say wha...?! I wouldn't have the patience to wait that long. Good used Ej22s in the junkyard all day long, quit trying to fix a cracked overheated engine and just drop a used one in it. Fixed and ready to roll.

Oil's going somewhere. If it ain't leaking it's burning. A compression test will tell you if the rings are failing. A leakdown test will tell you how bad. Turbo's don't generally leak into the intake when they go bad. They puke oil straight into the exhaust system and will smoke like a steam train. Small puffs here and there when coming off throttle are your first signs.

I don't think from your description that it's a head gasket issue. That much oil disappearing... you would have snot in the radiator and mayo in the crankcase if it was going into the cooling system. If there wasn't oil all over the engine, clear evidence of a leak, then it almost certainly is burning it. Bad rings sounds likely to me. Do a leakdown test, since the engine is out of the car that will be easier.

Try these guys: http://www.radiator.com/accondenser/subaru-legacy-2000-price.html They have good prices and great service. Call them for the order so they can get correct fitment info.

The grid inside can break loose sometimes and rattle around. At worst the broken section can break apart into little bits and clog the exhaust system. If it is one of the front grid sections of the converter it can cause the converter to overheat and catch fire. If you don't have the funding to fix it right away, at least take it apart and gut the converter for safety's sake. Besides, it's fun!

Smoke at startup is generally bad valve stem seals. Probably because the car has been beat on it's whole life and the seals have literally been cooked.

Very common place on these for the brake lines to rust out is under the back where the lines come out of the floor. It's in a small space right in front/above the fuel tank on the passenger side.

The shafts will come loose from the axle stubs when you knock the roll pins out, then you can slide them off as you lower the trans out of the car. I thought harbor freight had the jack adapters but I don't see one on their website. Northern tool has one though. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332755_200332755 Fits into your standard 1" jack plate hole. It makes the jack a bit "tall", but it helps a ton with lowering and raising the trans into position without dropping it. Throw the chain over the top of the trans and tighten it down. You want the car to be ~24" or better off the ground to use one of those. The shift cable just has some little clip deal that holds it to the lever on the trans, no work to be done inside.

Ramps should work fine. You want at least about 18" of clearance under the car to get the trans out. Removal is pretty straightforward. You'll have to remove the exhaust system, unhook the shift cable and electrical connections on the trans. Remove the driveshaft, unbolt the mount, unbolt the bell housing and torque converter then you can lower it out with a jack. Make a plate out of 2x4"s or a sheet of plywood cut to fit about the size of the trans pan, and place that between the pan and the head of the jack to avoid damaging the pan. A transmission jack adapter helps immensely.

Could be a shift solenoid at the least. I'd just drop in a used trans. Plenty to go 'round out there.

Head gasket issues are generally identifiable on these by overheating, air pockets pushing coolant out of the reservoir, gooey black stuff in the radiator and reservoir. It can often be confirmed with a combustion gas test or block test. What was the condition of your park plugs? Did any look wet, covered in ash, black and oily? Did you look inside the plug holes at the crown of the piston? If so how did they look? Did you find that your oil loss was external? If it is internal it may be due to ring damage.

I wouldn't put any trust in that engine. Frontal impacts can damage internal bearings. You may have a damaged thrust bearing, scored main bearings. The crank could be bent. It might run fine, but damaged crank bearings will eventually lead to low oil pressure, and more damage.

If correcting the ire pressure relieves the problem temporarily the center differential may be damaged. 4 new tires rotated regularly and keeping the air pressure in check should allow it to work properly for an un-determinable amount of time. Replacing the center diff assembly is fairly easy. Shouldn't be too hard to find a good used one in a junkyard if you feel it necessary.

Does it smoke a little blue when you start it? Under heavy acceleration? Off throttle?

Should be simple enough to swap in a cluster with a tach. And no the base model "brighton" doesn't generally come with a tach. You just get that big empty panel that says "Subaru".

Well, the guy I spoke with on the phone told me they might also cover my cost to ship the parts back if I included a copy of the receipt for the shipping. That's a big ol' "might", so I guess I'll find out if he was just blowin' smoke up my rump roast in a week or so. The kit I bought apparently consists of a Gates belt (which leaves me wondering what the hell happened to Gates quality control) two GMB single roller bearing smooth idlers, one GMB double roller bearing cogged idler, one GMB double roller bearing tension idler, and a GMB water pump. The belt is "unbranded", apparently the cost is considerably less if the name is not on the belt for copyright reasons. I think there is a quality difference as well because I've used many Gates serpentine and V belts in the past and they always seemed to be better quality than this one. I am curious if anyone who has bought Gates' timing belt kit with their branded belt had any trouble with it being too tight.

Spoke with the folks at TIE today. They are going to give me a full refund. I found out they stock the OE NSK tensioner idler and cogged idler, and OE Koyo smooth idler, much cheaper than dealer prices, so I may see if I can get a deal on just the idler kit from them.

He's probably right. You have a slow leak somewhere and your refrigerant is escaping them system. The trick is to find the leak. If you have a UV light you can poke around under the hood one evening looking for bright yellow spots where the oil from the system will have leaked out with the refrigerant. Be sure to wear UV proof glasses though so you don't burn your retinas.

I bought a kit for a Toyota from them and it was all OE parts. Mitsuboshi belt, Koyo bearings, Aisin water pump. Worked and fit great. It was an Aisin assembled kit though. Btw Aisin is the maker of the Subaru OE belt tensioner, and I think Subaru OE water pumps as well.