idosubaru

Misdiagnosis on the cat. USMB > Subaru tech. I'd make sure it's the valves first, they've already mis-diagnose and possibly did a poor job on the repair. I'd have a proper head gasket job done complete with valve job if the car is in decent condition over all and you plan on another 100,000+ miles out of it. They should be treating you nice after all this. Hopefully the first head gasket was under warranty (Subaru had an extended head gasket warranty to 100,000 miles on 2000-2002 models).

Stuck caliper is a great suggestion. Hand held laser thermometers are awesome here - will detect one side much hotter than another. Warn steering rack bushings. Often accompanied by "delays" in steering, you turn but takes a split second to go the way you turn. Could be tires? Got another set to install and see? I doubt struts.

Trans failures happen but aren't common. Input shaft bearings, torque bind, front diff, synchro's can fail. With moderate driving as a daily driver I would expect the synchro's to outlast other potential issues. I've known older 80's Subaru's to last a very long time without any substantial change in synchro issues, so I would expect the same with newer ones. I would change the trans gear oil to a high quality synthetic, maybe even Redline...but I'd read some reviews of those who have more substantial info on that than I have. Personally I'd rotate the tires often and get the best gear oil I can in there and call it a day. The synchro's will tell you over time how bad they are....how quickly they deteriorate, or in my experience, stay the same. Should the trans start to fail a low mileage used unit is a far better bet in my opinion than a rebuild. Given the low rates of failures the transmissions are cheap and easy to find. If you did rebuild the synchro's, replace the input shaft bearing for sure. Another option is to just source a good low mileage unit and plan on swapping it when the clutch needs replaced....which might not be a very long time if you drive moderately.

i would lean towards there being a good chance the headgaskets have already been done. if you can find someone to hook you up, they can look it up in the Subaru system and see if they've ever been replaced. still a chance they were done even if subaru doesn't have a record of it. quite a few of the EJ25's i've bought had the headgasket replaced already. there are vent caps that cost a few dollars that are least a temporary fix and last quite awhile so you're not worried about getting stranded. by one and put it in the glove box just in case. i'd be more concerned with timing belts. interference engine, if the belt breaks you'll have internal engine damage that's more costly than a head gasket job. at 10+ years old it needs replaced regardless of mileage and all the pulleys should be inspected too. again - chance it's already been done. we can help you "check" if you'd like to remove 3 10mm bolts and snap a picture of the belt - takes about 10 minutes. not really a money pit - the timing belt and head gasket are the two big issues to consider - but lots of vehicles have timing belts or other significant maintenance items at higher mileage. i'd verify the timing belt and change the transmission fluid or at least check it and then be prepared for some inexpensive high mileage.

Hmmm, a GL Hatch should have an EA81 (no timing belts), not an EA82 (timing belts). Zero spark to the coil means the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor aren't the current issue. But it could be your disctributor. On FI models of EA82 the disty houses the crank sensor which is needed to pulse the coil I believe. So try a disty swap if you can easily. MAKE SURE to take note of orientation before removing so you can install the new one the same way. Or you'll be posting a swap about how to properly line it up, which we get a lot of. When you swapped coils did you swap the FET (or does your car have one, i'm not sure since I'm still confused about EA81/EA82 in your case?). The FET is a little device on the coil bracket that can fail too and prevent spark. But yes if it has timing belts it could definitely be those. Drivers side is more likely to fail but at this age with unknown maintenance it could be either side.

Any more description about exactly when/how it happens? Can you tell "where" - center or a particular side? I would suspect the top hat of a strut or the strut. Top hats will cause clunking like you describe and they do fail sometimes. The strut itself could be bad too. I'm not a strut expert but I had a 97 Impreza that would clunk on bumps/holes and everything else seemed fine, strut even seemed okay - but replacing it solved the problem. One particular year - either 96 or 97 OB's had a strut or spring recall.

Any kind of closets, cabinets, hangers, etc help. I used some old land scaping timbers from my yard to build a few levels of storage shelving. I have a place for most things - engines, trans, struts, hubs, brake stuff. As it starts getting smaller I use boxes or plastic bins and just keep all stuff together. When I need something I pull the bin out - get parts everywhere - and they sit there for 4 months until I decide I need the room and put them back in the bin. So it's still "organized" eventhough my messiness still comes through. Spend some time organizing then try to move towards middle ground by tossing some stuff to fight the pack-rat attitude. Some stuff just doesn't pay to keep. I'd rather buy one $20 part than try to store two hundred $20 items so I have that "one part" I need every now and again. Just doesn't make sense. But everyone does finances differently. If you're mechanically inclined it's almost silly to pack-rat stuff. I can make $1,000 (or more) in a days work flipping a car, why bother storing, keeping, organizing, getting stuff lost to try and save $20 here or there? I'd rather flip another car. As for tools I have the same thing. I like, if not need, portability. Something that has helped tremendously - two hand bags. I put sockets in one (1/4", 3/8", and 1/2") with a few of those long socket holders. The second bag is for everything else - punches, pliers, wrenches, screw drivers, etc. Should make for easy clean up and organizing, just toss them back in the bag, but of course you're probably like me and leave it all lying on the floor, in the car, on the work bench, etc. So when the next project calls somewhere else it's still easy clean up tossing them in the bag. :lol: Good luck!

Sounds like probably a radiator leak Kevin. In case you forgot, I moved 3 hours west of where I used to live, that's why we don't see each other now....and having our first child. It's me Kevin, not you :lol: But yeah I'll help however I can if you need it, just let me know.

It appears 1991-1999 Legacy and Impreza MAF's all have that same part number you listed. Interesting indeed that it has an extra prong. Maybe they're interchangeable but the extra wire is for some oddball engine - like the Turbo models or something? Does your connector have a blank or a pin at that 5th prong? Same question for the harness that came with it - of course that probably does.

Seems like we're seeing more steering rack failures. With EA, ER, and early/mid 90's EJ stuff I've hardly seen any failures (one leaking rack in an 80's Subaru a couple years ago is the only one I've seen). Seen quite a few late 90's and 2000's now. Another weak point on EJ's?

woo hoo it's kevin! someone get this kid back in the game, kevin is the man!!! good to see you beast, i miss being able to shoot up your way now and again or you coming to my place. good luck finding an RX - I look for Subaru's weekly and I can't hardly remember seeing one in the past year. is an XT Turbo an option too or just RX? paul singers supercharged XT6 is back on the market, actually running i think. he only wants $14,000 for it i think

Hey that's not very nice! I've been shocked before guess I could handle it again Other than running a few sets I'm not versed enough to talk about all that, you guys are way past me. I was wondering about the unburnt fuel? A certain percentage will always go unburnt right? It's not just because it's too rich? Unless of course you buy the Basalt Magnum Super Triple Plated HP spark plugs And - if there's enough to burn worth worrying about does that "reduce" power by impeding the piston or increase it, or nothing? I'm not sure where it is on it's stroke but was curious.

i'd price out new and price out rebuild kits and compare from there. if it looks like it's just a reservoir leaking then that might be a simple fix.

that's fairly common across all junk yards i've ever been too - no return on electrical parts. and understandably so actually, there's all sorts of problems with that.

Yes, they fail occasionally. Not sure how to test/daignose for sure though. I have so many parts lying around that I just swap something this simple. Used would be a good fit for some people due to low cost , ease of replacement, and low probability of failing again.

Since you've referenced the DIY site I guess you've already seen this: http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_articles/how_to_megasquirt_your_subaru_rx_turbo.htm

200k probably replaced early by Subaru and more importantly is that considered expected out of EJ engine ignition cables? I think most would say no, particularly for Phase II which by far has the most issues. Magnecors don't cost 3x OEM. I'm not looking for any answers or feedback to any of that, but we understand your filter is OEM and better wires are not available. I agree no one needs to buy Magnecors and I rarely mention them. This isn't about right/wrong, I think they're a good fit for a few folks. They can outlast OEM wires, have excellent customer service and warranties to facilitate that. Subaru doesn't offer that. I buy them for those reasons, not for the hype, colors, or GO GO powa I'm not sure someone with zero experience adds much to keep bashing them and looking for any and every way to negate a possible good fit for someone else. We understand you have a zero tolerance for aftermarket cables, all responses towards that end will be to negate them and you disagree with most of what I just typed.

Headgasket, lots of information on here about it.

Will having those vent tubes and small snorkels will result in their own issues over time? dirt, bugs, weather, snow, ice, water, mud. There's so much wiring behind the dash, is all that getting wet? the instrument cluster, wiring harness, fuse box, blower fan, all sorts of relays, radio.

Since the code didn't noticeably "move" and the code never returned it's hard to say what that means. Maybe nip will have a better clue. They fail occasionally, but not enough to warrant the price of a new one. Post in the parts wanted forum or get one from a yard, they're cheap because few people ever need one.

Nice write up, I've always wanted to do this just for kicks. Dont' have the time but should I ever this thread is a nice start. Thanks for sharing, good stuff. Do you have an approximate time for 1. Construction 2. Install 3. Tuning ? 4. Set up - sensors, etc?

I'm with nipper, you're going to replace somethign anyway so just pull the boot back or rip it off and check it out before you dig into it. Might want to source a used rack or know where one is ahead of time just in case.

Another option is they may want to outlast the OEM ones. That's been true in the past including older Subaru's, so seems reasonable to give them some chance at continuing to produce quality products now. I'm not much on aftermarket parts, but in this case i like their product and vision. Or I did, I haven't made any comparisons in years so I'm basing this on decisions made a decace+ ago and the experience since that time. OEM wires don't typically hold up to swapping onto multiple vehicles for the kind of miles I've gotten. I've been able to do that with Magnecors.

Have you found any other threads about this? Surely someone has had to deal with this before? I recall hearing folks talk about valves but I haven't seen that happen yet so zero experience. I wonder if GLoyale has seen similar before? that's what i expected, i understated my thoughts even by saying this:

You looking for alternatives to Subaru/Magnecor wires or work arounds or...? I've used one set on up to 3 different daily drivers over the years. Easy solution to cylinder misfires, poor running, and no starts, and cheap for long term service.