idosubaru

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.

if you replaced the belt you should be able to tell what it drives, what did it go around? water pump (to the right, drivers side, and a little low), a/c (also to the right but high), alternator...sounds like you know which one the alternator is, and power steering pump is to the left (passengers side). then the crank pulley, that's the big joker in the middle that both belts share. the oil pump is driven by the timing belts, not the accesory belts so the belt you replaced shouldn't have anything to do with the oil pump. that it made noise was coincidence or water pump related. if it drives the water pump, then the engine could have gotten hotter than normal and that can cause abnormal noises. owners manual may show where things are if you have one.

yes. someone is going to do it, millions of timing belts have been changed, so it's not that difficult. what experience and tools do you have? the accessory belt is really simple, the timing belt is rather technical. the beauty of this board is that every single thing you need to know is already written on this board. TONS of information, including links to Subaru's ENDWRENCH site which details subaru's guidelines on this job as well. search and read. you'll need to determine whether the time researching and reading is worth it to you, but the information is already here. if you've never changed oil before...then maybe this isn't for you. if you've rebuilt aircraft engines, you'll be fine. so the question remains, where do you fall between those two extremes?

i second that notion. although...at least you got 35,000 miles out of it the last time and the car will run on 3 cylinders. at least i think it does, mines a 6 cylinder and runs fine with one missing anyway (forgot to plug one in before).

nah, won't be that much unless you're paying someone to do it. the system only takes a bottle. i just flushed mine this year and i don't think it took an entire bottle to do it. if you're doing that, it wouldn't hurt to save the old stuff just in case for later.

let's start from the top, some very important info: does the check engine light every come on? if so, what code is it showing? (real time, not in D Check mode) when is the last time a tune up was done? spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor? i'm betting it's just the IAC (Idle Air Control Valve) is sticking. very common and costs 98 cents for a can of cleaner to fix it. you'll see the large valve sticking up above the engine on the passengers side of the engine cover, it's one of he "highest" items sticking out the top of the engine. it has a wiring harness plug right on the top of it. it has a hose going in one side from the intake hose and the other side hose is just a real short one going into the intake manifold. based on that description you really can't miss it. remove that and clean it out really well. keep runnning cleaner through it until it's perfectly clean. or just swap in another one. at the same time you're doing this, remove the intake hose (the big black hose from the air box to the throttle body). these often crack around the bends. remove it so you can look underneath, flex it a bit and make sure it doesn't have any cracks - which are essentially vaccuum leaks.

thanks, i went ahead and purchased the set.

awesome. that first kit looks like it only has two adapters in it, but gauges have three fittings? what am i missing? those look as if they connect to my gauge set so i can use them on newer cars, seems like exactly what i want. thanks!

Search button is your friend here, you'll find everything, including pictures of exactly where it is on the engine. they crack and need replaced, so just get a new (or used) one. call junk yards, post on here, order one new. don't click on anything, scroll to the bottom left of this screen and you'll see posts with similar topics to what yo'uve just asked, it's titled "Similar Threads". everything you need to know is here. all you need is a 12mm socket and some extensions to change it, but it is tricky to get to. just be patient.

i have a set of R12 compatible a/c gauges. they have the screw in type connectors. the R134 connectors are the compression fitting type. is there a way to convert mine so i can use them on R134a or do i have to get a new set of gauges?

as usual it did it this morning. i popped the hood, wiggled the IAC wiring harness and TPS as well and it went into gear perfectly right away. could be coincidental of course, i'll have to test it, the wiring, or just swap another one.

sounds like a diamond in the rough to me, that's great! wow, there's people like that in NY? i'm baffled. traveling through the NE is no fun just based on the attitudes up there. maybe this is rural NY?

if money is an issue i would not go $1,500+ into this job with new heads and all that. that's a significant amount of work. i don't think that's necessary. if threads are the issue, fix the threads. at least have a mechanic look at it, they should have seen this before. your best bet is to check into a machine shop. they are very experienced working with metal and some will actually look at your vehicle and for work like this i've found machine shops will charge less than mechanics because it's more their specialty. i orchestrated a machine shop from 900 miles away to fix my friends toyota 4 runner that the dealer said "needed a new engine". my friend called me from the dealer and i told him they were FOS (full of stuff). i went to Yahoo! yellow pages and looked up all the machine shops in the area. i called a few of them and found one that was willing to look at it and work on it. a couple hundred later he was back in business. this was about 3 years ago, he drove his toyota to work this morning with a happy 260,000 miles on it. i've also had machine shops do many things for me in the past, they are very good at what they do. i'd call around and see if a local machine shop will fix it. if you want to spend $1,500, let me know where you are in Ohio! i have a spare 2.5 engine that i might sell.

if the insurance company is admitting guilt and paying for your expenses, then you can get almost whatever you want (within reason). i gaurantee you *could*, if you were so skilled, get them to pay to repair your vehicle...even if the damage far exceeds the value (been there, seen it done). ...it all depends on your abilities and willingness to be persistent. they will buck and balk. they are in the business of making money and show higher profits based on what kind of claim layouts they make. they employ full time salesmen, psychologists, lawyers and public relations people to determine the most effective way of settling claims for the lowest amount possible. if you go in knowing that, and knowing that the amount they will give you is not set in stone, they will pay out a lot. it's up to the individual, but most people don't know or understand how to work it...so they get away with paying minimal fees like the "value" of the vehicle. it mostly comes down to lawyers and court. you don't have to go there, but you at least have to make them truely think and believe that you are willing or starting that process. they will much rather settle out of court than in...particularly if, like you said, they are admitting guilt and paying for your vehicle. most people aren't good at or understand this sort of thing and need a lawyer to make them budge, but you can do it yourself. remember just because an insurance company says "we can only give you this amount", what they are really saying is "this is what we're willing to give you"...they can literally pay out whatever they want. look at it this way -think of an economics curve...the point at which people start thinking they're getting lowballed and want to go to lawyers and court....just above that amount is what insurance companies want to pay you. just enough to make you disgruntled and willing to swallow the lumps, but not enough to convince you to go any further...any less than that and they loose money uneccessarily. just like you don't offer the grocery store a few extra dollars for that fat steak because it tasted so good and was a reasonable deal...businesses aren't created to loose money. even if they offer you a reasonable amount (and some insurance companies do that), they will pay out more as well.