idosubaru

wow! nice pic. yep - you need a new axle. hopefully the boot is busted and that will verify which axle you need. if not you can sometimes sense which side it's 'coming from'. get a Subaru or MWE axle only if you can. aftermarket axles suck.

You need new spark plugs and wires. Use OEM NGK plugs only and Subaru or Magnecor wires only. Unlike other Subaru engines, the EJ series are super picky with these items. Of course the proper way to diagnose is to have the CEL read and let us know exactly what it is. This is definitely not your PCV - but it's time to replace that as well, get one from Subaru. Hopefully the timing belt has been replaced? With the maintenance history not known you are 35,000 miles past due for a timing belt on a car that experiences serious internal engine damage if the belt breaks? This is an interference engine, fi the belt breaks bad stuff happens inside. I'd start planning ahead for that as soon as you can.

someone on here has probably done it but i can't think of ever seeing anyone comment on it. if you don't get any feedback here hit up NASIOC, those guys do all sorts of EJ engine mods and document stuff like that over there. might even be able to find some off-the-shelf ported and polished EJ22 heads from a company - if they dyno'ed them it may give you and indication of what's possible. it comes down to how it's done too. a good job can make a huge difference, a bad job can make things worse. the best heads are flow tested and make significant changes. for the do-it-yourselfer you're limited to just smoothing out the casting flash and port matching the gaskets. anything more could actually loose you power.

there's a distinct possibility that the ECU is bad. the ECU can fail by not properly powering the fuel pump. i believe a specific transistor within the ECU will be fried in this case and if so everything else works fine and everything seems okay, no check engine light and the fuel pump won't power up...just like you said. in this case, the car will run if you direct wire the fuel pump (i've done it before). also.....i already mentioned this - if it's an aftermarket fuel pump that could be your problem. try an actual Subaru (get a used one for cheap) fuel pump. i mentioned my experience with an aftermarket fuel pump on my XT earlier in this thread. my car was running fine on the original pump but i wanted something younger than 20 years old so i bought a new aftermarket pump. the brand new fuel pump wouldn't work. worked fine off the car, installed it wouldn't do jack. install an old OEM Subaru pump and it ran fine...back to new pump, it wouldn't work. i don't know why and my "new" aftermarket pump is still sitting in my garage. i had no problems with the fuel system, i was just trying to get a pump less than 20 years old on my car!! if you do wire, be very careful and be sure to properly wire it - fuses and protection from the elements and stuff.

answer these questions i already asked: how are you testing "it's getting suction"...how do you know?

the green connectors are not meant to be plugged in while driving, do you know that? they are only for diagnosis, if the pump cycles on every 2 seconds that is exactly what it is supposed to do in diagnostic mode. as soon as you're done verifying that UNPLUG the green connectors, they are not meant to be plugged in. have you done two simple things - make sure there's gas in it, and see if the pump will flow fuel? with the green connector connected you should get spurts of fuel every time it cycles on. 'ive done that exact test before....plug in connectors, pull the fuel line in the engine bay - if fuel comes out it's working.

how familiar are you with subaru's? if the CEL comes on again, immediately get the code in the trunk. on an XT6 - as long as that CEL is on the green LED in the ECU is flashing the code for you, all you have to do is look at it and count.

this is model dependant as well. not all subaru's have the same answer... so keeping in mind this is the newer gen forum, this information won't necessarily pertain to old generation stuff. OEM NGK plugs and Subaru wires. (magnecor is the only suitable alternative in my opinion - that's all i use actually). but most people do and should use OEM. PCV and Thermostat should definitely be Subaru - the Thermostat differences are amazing (pictures are posted on this site of the differences). Also - on newer or interference engines (1997+ EJ22 and all EJ25's) it's not a bad idea to stick with Subaru only on the timing belts. For and older high mileage vehicle I wouldn't be against an aftermarket belt, but otherwise i'd stick with Subaru.

CTS is very common, but after that i would not keep "guessing" and throwing stuff at it. the Check Engine light shoudl come on and you shoud get a code (i think 22) for the coolant temp sensor - so check your codes like i mention below. there are DOZENS of possibilities, i doubt it's your timing belts. that's why you need to answer the questions...remember, we can't see it, hear it, touch it, smell or anything. even after owning more than 20 XT6's diagnosing over the internet is still hard, give us information and answer questions. check engine light ever come on? check the codes in the trunk - this is EASY - there's no reason not to look, pop the trunk and count the flashes of the green LED. after that - check for spark and fuel. how old is the gas?

lots of ideas......how old is the gas? is the check engine light on? check for spark, fuel, and compression or proper timing. one of those is missing. my first guess is the coolant temperature sensor (located by the thermostat housing). i have a permanent fix for that issue over at the subaruxt forum. a new sensor won't fix it properly, that's not the problem. find out which of those items above applies and we'll move on from there.

differential gear ratios (3.9 and 4.11 and maybe a 3.7 in the early 90's??) or actual 1st, 2nd, 3rd, gear ratios (there are variations)? gear ratios aren't something the general public cares about, so they don't change much. if they did that would be odd. there were different ratios available but not huge changes. depends why you're asking/talking about it. if it's for swapping transmissions then the differences may matter. if it isn't, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the transmissions haven't changed much. there are companies that have used the same engines/transmissions for decades in various lines of vehicles, that's nothing new and makes sense....it's done all the time, all over the world in multiple sectors of business. that's Industrial Engineering or what "real" engineers like to call "Imaginary Engineering" (it's easy).

you have to define "virtually unchanged". that's a completely ambiguous un-answerable statement that only depends on the interpretation of the reader. on a part by part basis or on a conceptual basis? basically - no. there is more than one subaru 5 speed and they are both very, very, very different animals. EJ 5 speeds suck for off road - they don't have the differential locking of the old school EA/ER series 5 speeds. so that's a rather significant difference. the bell housings are different and not interchangeable. the speed sensors are not cable driven any more...they have a hydraulic clutch as of the mid to late 90's verses the old school cable clutch. and they have a viscous center that the old ones never had. but.....there are some interchangeable parts as well. it's really a circular discussion (as you are about to find out by all the replies). so yeah - define "virtually unchanged".

correcto. they did post a picture a long time ago, i believe it's maroon but my memory might have a typo too....

that one has been listed for a very, very long time. they keep relisting it, can't sell it. which is bizarre since i sold an older 97 GT Sedan in Pburgh a few months ago for more than that.

i did, i verified before installing which way to wire it...and then tried both ways anyway. worked fine off the car with direct battery power. it was bizarre and no need to diagnose now.

someone in cincinatti recently had his done for $500 (i thought he said at the dealer - he posted on the boards here about it). maybe you can get a better price? you can also run it in FWD - there are people doing that right now with torque bind. remove the rear driveshaft and just leave it FWD, that's free.

how do you know it's "not getting fuel to the intake?" i would like more "proof" that it's the fuel pump. a "new" fuel pump was installed? what kind? OEM or aftermarket? i installed an aftermarket fuel pump in my XT6 and it did not work, i still have not figured out why. stock - fine. aftermarket with a stock pigtail wired to it - didn't work. keep in mind - diagnosing and helping over the internet requires as many specific details as possible. we can't see, hear, touch or smell the thing. let us know exactly what you've done and how you know things don't work or do. plug the connectors together in the trunk (i forget whether it's green or black or both of them for diagnostic mode). the diagnostic connectors should cycle the fuel pump on every two seconds as a test. see if this happens and see if any fuel spits out the fuel hose in the engine bay. you can hotwire the fuel pump but do not drive it like this unless you're really good with electronics as it's dangerous. this would be for testing purposes only, but i've done it. i also saw one like this catch on fire before as well (it was an XT even!). check your fusible links, actually pull them out and inspect them for rigidity. if the battery is ever attempted to be jump started improperly you will fry a fusible link and run the risk of damaging the ECU as well.

magnecor wires rock, they're great stuff. worth a call if you want an entirely new set anyway. don't know if the EJ stuff is longer, but worth a call. i think you can call magnecor directly and talk to them.

if you're having drivability issues - on older Subaru's you can disconnect the O2 sensor and the car will drive fine, this might be worth a shot on yours to at least narrow down the O2 sensor and make it drivable until you get it fixed. wow what a lengthy mess, follow this next time:

the MAF is basically attached to the air filter box. super easy to locate and remove. find where the air filter housing is. the first and only electrical component the air flow through that attaches to the air filter box and intake tubing is the MAF. very easy...just simple tools to get it off. no special tools or equipment needed, just pop the hood. should take a couple minutes, that's it. air box is held on by clips, flip those back, then push the air box towards the engine and down to slide it past the inserts/tabs. after that it should be obvoius, just a screw drive or small ratchet/wrench to finish removing it. very easy. i only suggested unplugging the MAF out of curiosity, i forget what it should do but seeing how it behaves when disconnected verses connected might suggest something to us. don't get caught on that suggestion too much. not sure what is meant by the exhaust side. only sensor on the exhaust side of things is really the Oxygen sensor or possibly the EGR system related components. if that's the case then you might only need that $7 (US) little tiny in line filter. you'll notice on the passengers side of the engine a small round filter with a thin vaccuum hose connected to each side. when that gets clogged you start showing EGR related codes. might want to let us know the exact code so we're not guessing and talking about two different thigns like i just did!?!?!?

ha, ha, yeah they should have made a Legacy with no back seat!!!! those goofballs!

yes and yes no GD makes some excellent points - don't act like they ripped you off...i tend to be cynical since i get all the "i got hosed" problems from friends/family, and there's a lot of them. anyway, if they did indeed do this then like GD said splitting the transmission is a beast of a job. sort of a catch 22 so walk carefully. at this point the work is done and paid for not much you can do about it unless you want to dispute with your credit card and you probably don't have enough to go on to do that...ethically at least.

are you comparing results to a vanagon with a stock cammed EJ22? any idea of what the power/gas mileage differences may be?

what are you trying to do, your questions are vague. the XT was avaialbe as a nonturbo and a turbo...but there's no "turbo" upgrades for a non-turbo motor like you're probably thinking...but i don't know what you're thinking? there's no easy upgrades and putting a turbo on a 4 cylinder non-turbo XT is a real bad idea. best to tell us what yo'ure trying to do and what kind of resources you have. keep in mind - this is not a honda civic, so all sorts of easy, bolt on mods are not available. if that's what you're after this is not a good vehicle choice for you.

this should make you feel better. get your car out of the dealer. next time your CEL comes on DO NOT go to the dealer. go to Advanced, Auto Zone or any other major store that reads your codes for FREE. then post here and tell us what the code is (not what the person who pulled it thought the cause was). your MAF sensor can indeed cause horrible running. the air flow meter could be cleaned with some Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner, they have a specific cleaner for it at auto parts stores. if that does not work, do NOT buy one from the dealer. they fail so rarely that your best bet is a used one for $25-$50. on a side note if you pull it out and see that one of the hair thin wires inside the air passage is broken, then that tells you it is indeed bad. the old ones are like this, i can't remember if the newer ones are as simple to see, but they probably are. this is a hotwire style anemometer if you've ever taken any engineering labs or anything remotely similar. same idea - just check out the wires inside, best to remove it to do that (very, very easy). if you can do any manaul labor at all you can replace this. if for some strange reason you insist on getting a brand new one (bad idea), then buy one from one of the online parts suppliers, they are FAR cheaper. or ask your local dealer to match the online pricing, they will do that...then you'll be real PO'ed at those prices! now having the head gasket done at the dealer isn't a bad idea if you don't have a good independent to take it too. moral of the story - ask here as soon as you can when something happens...like the check engine light coming on. we'll save you some hassle, money, and the sticker shock! i'd be interested to know how the car will run with the MAF disconnected if it's faulty anyway. heck, you might want to check the plug just to make sure it's not bunged up.