Brutewrench

There are at least 2, maybe 3 (my memory fails me) idlers in the timing belt loop. When I did the belt in my 90 legacy, the bearings in 2 of these idlers were pretty dry. I popped the grease seals and relubricated them. This option will not work in your case - if it is a failed bearing, it is already toast. Getting to the timing belt is pretty easy. The only trick is getting the crank pulley off. I thread a coat hanger twice through the one of the holes in the cranl pulley and wrap it around the alternator mounting bracket. Once the pulley is off, it's just a matter of unscrewing the covers. Sometimes the lower screws do not come out - the nut insert breaks loose instead. If so, just pry it off at the failed nut, then remove it from the cover and epoxy it back in place. Working on the timing belt is pretty straight forward, too - the only trick is the belt tensioner. It needs to be removed, compressed in a vice and locked in the compressed position with a small pin or drill bit. Good luck!

Unfortunately, the paint was long gone on the screw. I did scribe its position as found and returned it to close to that position. Interestingly, I just picked up a 93 legacy and noticed that the screw was obsoleted somewhere between 90 and 93.

I did the compression test cold, since that was when the engine ran the worse. All the plugs were out. The throttle was closed - I read that the test should be done throttle open after the fact. I did not squirt oil in to see a response. From my past experience with Corvairs, I concur with your assessment on low compression. I have not seem significant issues until the compression dips at least below 100 PSI. I also tried adjusting the large needle screw on the air intake after i removed and cleaned the air intake. This adjustement seemed to smooth out the idle a little, but it may have been mu imagination - Im not sure how to properly adjust it. I can see that it regulates the amount of air that bypasses the throttle plate, so its impact is primarily on idle.

You may have a bearing failing - either in the alternator, power steering pump if its external or in the timing belt drive or water pump if it is internal. You can pull off your belts and rotate the alternator, power steering pump and AC compressor to see if they are binding. You can also start the car with the belts off (alternator light will be on) and see if the noise is gone. If not, you may have to pull the crank pulley and timing belt covers to investigate further. I would not drive it until you can identify the cause of the smoke. Gary PS - just bought a 93 Legacy making a similar noise. Will post when I pull it apart - I think mine is a bad water pump or idler bearing in the timing belt drive.

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm actually going to leave the car be for now. The more I drive the car, the better it runs. Since it sat most of the fall and winter, I think I will give it some good running time before messing with it. It sounds like the heads can come off in place if you just leave the bolts in the head instead of trying to remove them completely from the head. Thanks, Gary

Thanks for the reply. How long did it take you to pull the head?

Hi all, I am reaching the conclusion that there is something off on one side of the engine in my 90 Legacy. The car has slightly lower compression on the passenger pair of cylinders (125-130 psi vs 155-160 psi for the drivers side - all with throttle closed), it idles poorly, pulling plug wires has a greater effect on the drivers side. The car has also overheated before, as both the radiator and the thermostat are bad. So my questions are - 1. If there is a weak head gasket, is there any predictable way to guess how long it will last? Other than the rough idling, the car runs OK. 2. Should there be any other symptoms with an impending failure? At the moment, both water and oil are clean. 3. Does the engine need to be pulled to pull the head? It looks pretty straightforward, but I have not disassembled a Subaru engine in over 10 years. Thanks, Gary

Hi all, I have been working on a 1990 Legacy (AT 2wd) trying to solve a flatness and rough running at part throttle. I pulled off the air inlet assembly from the intake manifold and cleaned significant dark residue from it. I noticed a needle valve on the top of this unit that seems to affect idle speed and smoothness and was seeking information on how to properly adjust it. I marked it as I removed it and reset it to the same position for the moment. Since it still was not running perfectly, I did the ECU read with the black connector. It showed an oxygen sensor failure (32). Then I did the driving test using the green connector. It did not behave like any of the articles I read on the subject. When I drove it, I got a 30 code - 3 long flashes that repeated. I replaced the O2 sensor. The car does run better, but not perfect. I can not figure out the best way to clear the fault code - the 32 is still coming up. I do not know if that means the car has another related problem or whetner it means that I just have not rest the ECU correctly. Thanks for any tips, Gary

Thanks for your replies! Well, I had ruled out a blown head gasket because the antifreeze is just antifeeze and the oil is just oil. It also does not make any funny noises that I have come to associate with head gasket failure in other cars. I had considered a burned valve, but was hoping to hear that burned valves never occur. The fact that one plug was dark could lend credance to a burned valve. I guess I'll try a compression test - I suspect it wont show up unless it is really bad. I guess neither option is particularly pleasant. Does the engine need to be removed from the car to pull a head? Also, are the blocks still prone to stripping threads? The last head I pulled was on an 84 Gl and I ended up having to put inserts in the block after the threads pulled out when removing the head bolts.

Hi all, I have been fixing up a 1990 Legacy wagon, automatic. I have overcome most of the major challenges (cold solder joints on the heater control causing intermittent operation, noisy front wheel bearing, and a leaky radiator), but I am stumped by a rough running engine. The car idles really rough (shakes the car). It has good power when accelerating hard, but if driving along around 2000 rpm, it starts to buck as if there is crossfire. It feels like it is going to die, but a sligh increase in throttle and speed eliminates the problem. The plugs and wires were replaced by the previous owner just before I bought the car. The check engine light has not come on since I have had the car, but the records indicate that some sensors have been replaced in the past. The O2 sensor appears to be original. I could not detect any vacuum leaks in the engine and the PCV valve is fine. A couple of other possible clues - The car had overheated in the past, due to thermostat problems and the radiator leak. All the plugs were clean, but one plug did have a much darler insulator than the rest. Any tips are appreciated. Thanks,