idosubaru

you sure it was OBDII? side note...how do you read codes on an OBDI vehicle? never done that, i've done the old school ECU's and the new OBDII.

When is the last year the EJ18 was available, and what vehicle - impreza xxxxx? all the impreza's i've seen are EJ22. Do all EJ18's have an EGR valve? Are they all OBDI? did a search and couldn't find much. seems like they are all OBDI.

advanced auto parts and autozone both do it for free. the ones in rural areas, like where i live, just give you the scanner to do it yourself. tune up. pay particular attention to the wires, are they Subaru OEM wires or some aftermarket brand? if they were replaced, but with aftermarkets, then i'd suspect those. these EJ engines are nothing like your EA series stuff, they are very sensitive to spark plug wires. i'll throw anything on an EA engine and they rarely have issues, throwing anything except Subaru or Magnecor on an EJ engine is risky. i've seen brand new aftermarkets cause problems. sensitive little jokers.

here was the first reply to your post: check the oil leaks and use Subaru or Magnecor wires if the problem reoccurs. you are fine to drive with cylinder misfire codes, it's not a big deal and can't hurt anything.

i've never really heard of people messing with these. but i've read through the FSM's for kicks. sounds interesting. actually in all my years on these boards and in the subaru community (even my 20 year old XT6 4EAT trans has bands), i've never heard of one person even trying to mess with them. curious to see your results.

any recent work done on it? mileage? has it ever had a tune up? it's due for a timing belt at 105,000 (though that shouldn't cause this), but wondering if that work was done. vacuum leak....?

follow your owners manual. it should say 60,000 miles (or whatever that is in km). if you don't know, then you should at the very least have it checked. they can pull the side covers off and tell if it's questionable or really new. it probably needs done. if you want to keep this vehicle awhile, then you should go ahead and have it done. that's a great more and they last a long time. have the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, oil pump seals (and backing plate screws - they come loose), and cam seals replaced at the same time. all of those items reside behind the timing belt and are very easy to do once the belt it off. i doubt you'll see any performance increase replacing the belt. it is very rare and odd for a belt to cause a problem like that. probably more likely related to a tune up, bad gas, O2 sensor, MAF sensor dirty (do you use an oiled, K&N filter?)...etc. did you use NGK plugs (OEM) and Subaru wires? unfortunately your EJ engine is not fond of aftermarket spark plug wires. i've personally seen them run bad with new aftermarket wires. i use Subaru or Magnecor wires only. although...if it is wire related it *should* give a check engine light.

what engine are you talking about? EA81 or EA82? what's the holder? you mean the outer arm that the clips clip on to? that comes as an assembly if that's what you mean. buy a new throw out bearing assembly from Subaru. all i can think of is the pivot arm, the throw out bearing and the clips.

the auto's are sometimes higher amps, i believe the auto trans is harder to start due to the engine being fixed to the transmission/torque converter even when it's not in gear. autozone and advanced auto parts...and probably others, scan codes for free. they just walk out, plug it in and tell you, or some will just hand you the scanner and you go do it yourself....i wouldn't expect that in the city of course!

highly doubt that's your problem. the auto trans has a slightly higher amp rated battery. but there's no way for the vehicle to know how many amps the battery is and nor does it care. so long as it starts the vehicle, the battery is doing it's job. it'll start/run on a 12 volt lawn mower battery just fine. you may notice in the winter that the engine is harder to turn over, i don't know how much less they're rated....things could differ some across the border as well, i'm speaking from US experience. have the battery tested, ask the shop, try another batter...and have those codes read. i think i'd just have the codes read immediately. maybe they bumped something while installing...vaccuum hose, etc? if it happened right afterwards it is very suspicious indeed. even if it was battery install related, the code should help track it down. i would never use NAPA wires on an EJ motor, particularly yours, but i'm not saying that's the problem or that they ALWAYS don't work, that's not my point. but these engines are very sensitive unfortunately, not all subaru engines, but this one is. if you get a "cylinder misfire" code in the future or hesitation i would suspect your wires are to blame, just keep that in your hat for later.

BUMP for nipper. i went to MD and none of the 15" wheels i used to have are still at my place. i can't recall what happened to them, but i had more than one set last summer????

something else to consider....has your vehicle ever been towed? if it has and was towed improperly (front wheels off the ground), then the tow company is to blame. it happens.

biggest issue is getting the intake manifold bolts out of the heads. they like to be seized and easily shear off, leaving you with an intake manifold that doesn't come off and no bolt to help remove it. if it is hard to come out or feels resistant, try tigthening it just a tad first, then loosen, then tighten. that will help work it out. often they'll even come up a bit, then won't come out anymore. i'm not sure how that happens, but if you put a pry bar under the head and pry up while simultaneously loosening the head, they often come out. maybe it's an east coast/rust thing, i don't know, but more often than not i have problems with them on the older gen stuff. coolant concern is getting into the cylinders, it'll pour down the intakes in the heads and into the cylinders when you lift the manifold off. drain with the notion that you want to get as much out of the intake manifold as possible.

sounds like you do need an alignment then. i've had excellent results without ever getting alignments and i drive my vehicles off road, so in my oppinion it's a check if needed type situation, which sounds like it might be here. although it does sound a bit odd to me that both were doing it. were the tires properly inflated and rotate their entire life? and were they only warn badly at the very end of their life or did they exhibit this poor wear all the time? any front end work ever done? struts, ball joints, cv axles...etc? an unknowing mechanic could easily do these jobs without properly setting the camber bolt back to it's original position.

gaaaahhh...connie, stop working on your cars and just wait for them to brake, see what happens? seems like trying to do preventative maintenance is a curse on yours....grr.... i've seen struts go through the rear as well.

can't think of anything, battery shouldn't cause it. read the code. since there's nothing obvious, it'll be pointless for us to guess over the internet when you have access to the exact cause of the problem. what spark plug wires did you use? if they're not Subaru or Magnecor wires I wouldn't be surprised if it's a "cylinder misfire" code. the EJ motors really do best on Subaru wires only. i've personally seen brand new aftermarkets cause CEL's.

clean battery terminals. i guess you're taking a lot of gear, those two bikes should fit in the back of the wagon if you wanted to. i road trip all the time in 16 year old XT6's, i think you'll be fine.

there is no doubt that you're at an increased risk compared to say, an EJ22. that amount of risk is entirely debatable and subjective. all i can say is that i see...and buy...a lot of blown headgasket EJ25's. personally, i'd never let my wife drive one very far. you know what to look for, the gauge will shoot up quickly and randomly. you won't see a leak, becaue they don't leak that way, it's internal. good luck.

yeah, simplest thing before worrying is to look at them and see if it's been replaced. look for a solid piece (old style) or a multilayer kind with two metallic looking metal thing pieces on the end. there's a nice chunk of the headgasket that protrudes out under the power steering pump, where the head and block mate.

good thing you brought it up, probably good info for him to have..particularly if one of his legacy's is newer (with external filter) and the other is older (without). he'd surely be scratching his head about that.

waste of money on both counts. if your previous tires wore well and nothing happened to the vehicle, don't do it. alignments are a waste of money. big gimmick is all it is. i've driven 100,000 miles on vehicles before without getting an alignment. let the tires tell you if you need an alignment, with 4wd they need rotated often anyway, so you have to look at them.

93's differ in some respects to later model EJ drivetrain parts, all are not interchangeable. i'm not saying the bearings won't work, but don't assume this info applies to your year. the parts suppliers *should* have adequate info on that by now though? if i needed rear bearings on an impreza i'd swap in an entire hub assembly and do a rear disc brake swap at the same time. i don't even need wheel bearings for an excuse, i'm converting my brakes now!

woah, settle down folks. no point in offending, lets at least be constructive if we disagree? you can disagree in a constructive way, then all benefit in some way...even if it's a little tiny, tiny, miniscule bit.

i don't have time to read that, i gotta go but i'll check it out later. great thinking tracking down the wiring for the right part, i didn't even think about that!

do i own?? 1987.5 XT Turbo, 89 XT6, 97 OBS, 97 Legacy GT, 98 Legacy GT......and plenty more in the past have you followed every possible maintenance recommendation to the tee, to the exact mileage for your vehicle prior to 100,000 miles? your situation sucks, you bought a car that typically lasts twice that long without major issues...but let's try this analogy for giggles...you've got alot more things to add to your list then.....because subaru engines do have serious internal engine damage due to other things as well that aren't mentioned in the service manual....actually this is true to every vehicle ever made......so you can now, based on your rational, sue every manufacturer for every vehicle ever made. no service manual mentions when to replace timing belt pulleys. they do need replacing, they do fail and they can cause premature timing belt failure. when they do, on any interference engine, major engine damage results when pistons and valve collide...often at the expense of engine replacement depending on the mechanic. i personally know this and regrease, install new bearings or install new pullies. many mechanics don't do this extra step...best to have a good mechanic or know something yourself rather than rely on the owners manual. no manufacturer that i've ever seen has any recommendations for the timing pulleys. they are designed as sealed units and should never need replacing...but they do...because the vehicles last so long. they will easily surpass the warranty periods, but after that it's on you to understand vehicles and mechanics. how about tire valve stems, i don't think subaru mentions when to replace those either, but they are very good items to replace. i could make a list really long but i think you get the point. the owners manual will not cover in detail every, single possible failure scenario and how to prevent it. we try to at NASA on satellites but even then it's never possible, something is always missed or not planned for. BUT the rigors of the process at least design a very good vehicle either way...for space or Subaru...it lasts past it's warranty period and 100,000 miles. generally they last much longer and i'd be irritated too, but unfortunately in ANYTHING this is no gaurantee. it's past it's warranty period, i don't know how much they can be liable for after that in my oppinion. better warranty options might be something to consider in the future...unfortunately i don' tknow of many or any that go past 100k. but you can buy additional private automobile insurance, might want to look into that? i guess you've already researched, but this can be fixed. a recent board member had it done at a dealer for around $500.