idosubaru

didn't think that this portion might meet specifications, that should be fairly simple. the FSM is dead wrong almost entirely for the IAC, no XT6 IAC will meet the spec's in the FSM. i adjust it by ear...basically turn it until it wants to stall then back it off a hair.

i would not spray anything liquid on the pulleys. the seals aren't all that "weather proof" so to speak, some amount of what you spray on there will probably get in. based on the fact that they all loose grease over time, i'm assuming stuff can pass both ways. wipe it off with a cloth, they typically come clean just fine that way. sounds like you got it right, they should feel a bit tight and not too loose or noisey. even loose/noisey ones will last quite a while (as evidenced by the many 20 year old EA82's on the road, most have pulleys like that), but it becomes a more substantial risk on an interference engine like yours. those 5% of failures are $1000 - $2000 fixes (major engine damage)...not $200 (like the older models.

best to inspect, there's really no "yes or no" answer without looking at it. i wouldn't replace it for no reason but i wouldn't assume it's good either. you are correct in assuming this pulley isn't a typically the first to cause issues. on these engines with 105,000 mile timing belt intervals i think an inb between inspection is very wise. if you do that, then leaving it becomes a non-issue. remove belt, inspect pulleys. at the first belt change you're looking at 200,000+ miles for the next replacement and that is a bit of a risk for timing pulleys. the real issue becomes down time...you don't want to pull it apart...then go scrounging for parts, that's really annoying. nice to have everything you need and put it together.

have you checked for spark at each plug wire and then also out of the coil? check fusible links. pull and inspect, don't just look at them. could just need a tune up...plugs, wires, cap, rotor. when you pull the cap to see if the rotor turns you can check the condition of the cap and rotor contacts while you're in there. the coil or the FET (it's the little wired mechanism that is attached to the coil bracket) may need replaced as well. the FET is grounded through the bolt on the coil bracket holding it to the strut tower i beleive, make sure that's good. i've had two that sat for awhile, that baffled me for awhile (you can probably dig up the looooong, old threads), they needed the distributor replaced, the crank angle sensor resides in there.

can anyone post a picture of where/how this spring fits? real easy to see. i have a couple EJ25's and it seems none had this spring. a diagram or picture would help, i don't see any obvious holes or clips for where to put the spring.

well they're annoying since they are rather expensive and seems like subaru dropped the ball on mass production by making each model/style different...but those ABS sensors are really easy to replace. don't even have to jack the car up. turn the wheel all the way to one side such that you can access behind the wheel from the front, so turn the wheel all the way towards the side you're working on. sensor comes with a bundle of wires/brackets attached, but it's easy. 4 12mm bolts and you're done without even jacking the car up. super easy.

yes. all older generation subaru's (EA/ER) have the e-brake on the front. this means the piston rides on a threaded spindle inside the caliper bore. the only way possible for the piston to go back in is to be turned in. pressing will not do it, without breaking at some point anyway. and even if you wanted to break them, you would have to press them extremely hard to damage them. i doubt he did that to both sides, he'd realize something was wrong before continuing. you would have to have non-stock calipers if they pressed in. maybe he turned them and you didn't know?

excellent pictures, that helps a ton since i haven't worked on nearly as many SPFI as others. he's got a spare parts car or two so hopefully we can test stuff with my meter and swap if necessary.

follow your owners manual on oil weight, you won't notice any difference between the two. i personally would stick with the 10w-30. you can read more and verify as my knowledge of oils is very limited. but synthetic blends from what i've gathered are pointless. use synthetic, not the blends, they are mostly conventional oil so the benefits aren't there, but the marketing is.

i wouldn't expect this problem to just go away. it usually gets worse before it gets better. a very temporary solution is to just tap the motor casing and knock some of the internal dust and build up off. there's even a hole at the back of the pump (the cap part that comes off, where all the wires bolt too). i imagine you could pull the rubber plug out of it and blowin in that with compressed air. keep your head away, if it works a fair amount of black dust will puff out. have the brushes ever been replaced? if not, then it's probably time. pull the motor apart, clean it and reassemble with new brushes.

did it run okay awhile ago? the TPS is a pain to adjust and there's no spec's to adjust it by. i'd make sure all the tune up stuff is good - particularly the ignition stuff, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor. the crank angle sensor is located in the distributor housing, so swapping the distributor replaces the CAS.

excellent, thanks. what does it look like and where is it located?

you can't, unless you have access to very rare, almost non-existent equipment. these are not OBDII systems like your 02 subaru which can easily be plugged in and checked. it wouldn't do you much good anyway, like you said, that it's showing a code is telling you something already. i wouldn't swap the harness, that's a rather annoying job and most likely the "nicer" one isn't as nice as you'd think. address each connector independently. have you actually looked at it yet, sounds like you haven't? check it out and let us know what the TPS connector looks like. the fan issue isn't causing your non-runnign issues...unless the running hot is deteriorating the wires quicker...but the bottom line is the problem is elsewhere.

someone just posted about this and there were some excellent suggestions, unfortunately i can't recall them off the top of my head, but try a search and i bet you'll find that thread. seems it's not more than a month or two old.

buy a new axle, not worth the effort replacing the boot. it's a messy and can be a tricky job, particularly your first time. this is one area it's well worth it to just get a new axle. go with MWE axles - well known and excellent reputation in the US. i imagine they'll ship international. or check on GCK, they are available at various aftermarket stores. other than them i would avoid aftermarkets.

for a good job - about $1,500 US dollars give or take a few hundred. depends greatly on parts...water pump, timing belt, plugs, wires, plug gaskets, valve cover gaskets, replace any noisey timing pulleys, metal separator plate, oil pump reseal, tighten the oil pump backing plate screws, complete clutch job?? (pilot bearing, throw out bearing, pressure plate, resurface fly wheel....or just a new clutch disc??).

aren't the drain plugs magnetic?

if you have another IAC, then swap it, it's so easy to do. but i'd start suspecting the wiring too. gently bend the wiring between your fingers as it idles. start at the harness and work your way back as far as you can. if it starts sputtering and stalls or starts running great...any change as you're massaging the wiring, means the wiring is corroded. also check the plug that plugs into the IAC and see if it's corroded or green. he's got a point about the solenoid i suppose. never seen or heard of that failure, but it certainly can. not sure if or where the solenoid is that controls the IAC, never replaced or removed one on the 20 or so XT6's i've had. there is a black solenoid underneath the IAC though that i do remember, that's probalby it unless that's for the charcoal canister/emissions system. fuel injectors are probably not your problem, i can almost promise that. if the check engine light ever comes on, you have to start there, it's telling you something. even if it doesn't make sense right away, it's telling you something, don't ignore it. one of the most common XT6 issues comes to mind...how is your CTS (coolant temperature sensor)? of the 20 or so XT6's that have come through my hands, that is the most common problem hands down. it screws into the thermostat housing. actually the sensor isn't hte problem, remove the wiring plug/harness that connects to it. how dirty is that connection? if it's green and nasty (most are by now), then your issue likely resides there. i have a permanent fix for that issue that i've posted on here. cleaning will not fix it, buying a new sensor will not fix it...those are both temporary fixes, it will return. inspect yours and when you see how nasty it is, go read my thread about it or at least put it in your "to-do" list.

bingo, start there. clean it, then source a used one if that doesn't fix it. this is good news, it should be simple. no, start with the IAC, see above. probably unnecessary, see above.

ER27 has an IAC. what's the difference between the two? i realize the idle could be higher and then lower as it warms. but the problem is if he hits the gas the car stalls and it's idling abnormally high...so something isn't right. he's 3 hours away so i can't look at it until this weekend. just happens i'll be in his area anyway and will see him this weekend, so i'd like as much info as possibly when i get there.

does this have an AAV and IAC or just one or the other? i've seen mention of both when searching so not sure if people are interchanging the terminology or both are present. if i unplug the CTS should the car still run, just as a check? that it goes away once it's warmed up seems like a very important clue.

Friend of mine has a 1992 Loyale. recently the RPM's will shoot up when he first starts it. it will often stall when he hits the gas, like it's flooded. once the car is warm it doesn't do it any more. is this an Auxilliary Air Valve issue? i'll be visiting him next week fortunately so give me some pointers for when i'm down there. i'm not familiar with the AAV set up since my XT6 is different. should i be looking to replace that valve?

i've been poking around on Zapar's thread about using WRX struts in the Impreza wagons to get rid of the sagging rear end. anyway...he mentioned he used KYB GR struts in his OBS and liked them just fine...much better than stock on the OBS. he knows subaru's fairly well, so i took that as a vote of confidence for swapping my OBS as well to the same thing.

the best rule of thumb is to not use any aftermarket wires on Subaru EJ engines. they work fine on EA/ER series stuff, the older generation stuff from the 80's and early 90's, but not on newer motors. IMO/IME the only acceptable aftermarket wires for an EJ engine are Magencor wires, they are excellent and never need to be replaced and very reasonable in price. they have specifically spent time addressing the sensitivity of those motors to wire construction and design. they are excellent if you put 100,000 or more miles on a vehicle, but otherwise Subaru OEM is the way to go for most people. +1 on stock/OEM NGK plugs as well, there's no point in using anything else.

there are other threads about this "debate". "best" is so arbitrary of a word and subjective there's really no answer. the reason there's no answer is because the question if flawed. the first major caveat...all things being equal (which is hard to do given other excellent engines are older and more susceptible to poor maintenance, bad condition, low oil, run hot...etc). ignoring that fact...the EA81 could easily be argued to be "better", depending how you define that. it's more reliable. it doesn't have a timing belt, doesn't have timing pulleys to fail. it's gear driven, wow, that's bullet proof. but they're also gutless. the EA82 is also a fabulous engine, capable of some sick mileages. but the EA engines are older, it's harder to find them in great condition or low mileage. so while they may be just as capable, the ability to find one in great condition is much more difficult. the EJ18 could be argued to be better for reliability because it's the exact same motor as an EJ22 but it has more material that theoretically may allow it to withstand more extremes. there are also various forms of the EJ22 with minor differences. for reliability i would suggest a manual non-EGR EJ22 from 1995. it's a non-interference engine and doesn't have an EGR valve system to crap out on you. 1997 and up EJ22's are interference, if the timing belt breaks you will have internal engine damaged (most likely). now if power is part of "better".....let the debate begin, there's no end to how long that discussion could last.