idosubaru

interesting. mine will still go up without the a/c...has to be "hotter" and more demanding conditions though, but will still do it given really, really steep grades up hill. i'll be checking my condensor as well.

i'll be an echo of those guys...sounds like it, change the fluid anyway maybe? was it ever driven with mismatched tires or towed (improperly)?

let me go through that check list above and see what happens before you tell me you're out of ideas..that's too scarry! what would a different grade of fuel do?

the a/c parts aren't hard to replace or get to at all, they are typically very easy actually, with the exception of whatever is behind the dash. everything else is really simple actually. funny how a system that's really difficult to work on yourself is one of the easiest to replace parts on.

yes, my XT6 has a 4 cylinder bumper..or cover. good point nipper, so i checked into it and it was mildly interesting! the XT and XT6 bumper covers, and all other bumper parts are the same part number, there's no distinction. Subaru includes time in the R&I, O/H of the bumper to install the headlamp washers for the XT6. weirdo, makes complete sense but i wouldn't have guessed that. i want the headlight washers anyway and i have a "real" XT6 bumper (though it's in the wrong state at the moment), so that's on the to-do list and may have just got bumped up in priority! my check list: clean condensor fins move ATF cooler different radiator hose (probably Subaru) flush block swap bumper

just take it to the shop, don't bother testing it. if it's all new, it's probably not leaking anyway, i'm assuming all the o-rings and schrader valves were replaced as well. and the major point is that they will test it first before charging anyway, so save yourself the time and effort, you're paying for that service no matter what. most of the newer a/c machines are awesome, it's almost mindless. it's completely automated...they hook it up and the machine just starts doing everything automatically....evac, test for leaks, pull a vacuum and ready to charge...without a mechanic even being there. if i paid for all brand new a/c components like you did, i would have a shop do it as well.

don't know that i'd dump oil and pull a vacuum right away on a new system. it may pull out a fair amount of what you put in. you'd at least need to somehow distribute the oil internally. i'm not very familiar with starting from scratch like you are, so i'll be interested to see what others say. i'd plug around some automotive and a/c sites on the interent. should only take a couple minutes on a serach engine to find what you need, there's a ton of very good information out there with step by step instructions, that's how i figured it out. not that people on here can't help, but an existing, complete, detailed step by step posted on the internet might be more helpful than a few pages of threads here. i know the ones i've read addressed exactly how to do it and how to do it if you're installing a new compressor...for example, how much oil, what kind and how to add it.

that's what i would think, but it works fine in two other XT6's and it's new OEM Subaru. i also installed another radiator in this vehicle and the temp behaved identically.

i tried finding that before as well various times with no results. that would be excellent information to have.

if you're replacing it yourself make sure you know exactly how to seat the torque converter. common and costly mistake if you don't. lots of info on the board here, i've posted it probably a dozen times myself. if you want to expand your options you can go with other make transmissions, you'll just have to swap the rear diff to match the final drive ratio. depends how "exact" of an interchange you want. other than that, a junkyard or those parts databases should be able to tell you the exact interchange. it won't be anything earlier than 1998, because yours will have a spin on trans oil filter on it that prior years do not have. also, if it's just torque bind that you're experiencing you don't need to replace the transmission. are you sure the trans is completely toast?

sounds like the tire is bad, they *should* be able to tell if the wheel is bad when they balanced it. is the tire the same brand and same level of tread? i'd imagine a new set of tires would resolve this, but i'm sure you're not interested in paying for that. remember your AWD system is sensitive to tires matching, so pay attention to that.

hot....3/4 of the way up the temp gauge. i could make it go to red if i wanted to, crank the a/c up on a hot day cruising up a steep gradge. voltage seems okay, it's a new alternator, haven't noticed anything else but i haven't really checked it either. every day i drive home i climb a really steep hill, the temp gauge will creep up above normal every time i climb that hill if it's hot out...whether or not the a/c is on. so i think we can rule out the a/c or a bad gauge since it's so predictable on steep grades. it's just worse with the a/c on. the common denominator is temperature and steep grades...all pushing the limits of the cooling system, so it's not operating at full capacity. it did this last summer when i first got it, but summer went away. never ran hot all winter at all...now that's it warm out, it's doing it again. i'm going to find a new hose (different brand than the one on there now), i just marked the crank pulley (to see if it's slipping at all), and maybe flush it.

could you describe when it runs hot? always, highway or city driving? and when it's running hot, do you get hot heat in the cabin? any debris in front of the radiator preventing it from getting air flow? are your hoses collapsing? radiator cap(s) old? sounds like you were talking to me on this one nipper? expensive radiators and what not probably means XT6. i have another thread active right now, sorry i hijacked this one. radiator is a brand new Subaru radiator that worked fine in two other XT6's of mine.

crank pulley isn't slipping, checked that. it's not the a/c clutch, it will go above normal even without the a/c on....has to be a steep uphill climb and fairly hot out. i've replaced the thermostat like 3 times, so that's not it. i haven not flushed the block. would that really help? i'm supicious of the hoses too, the top hose was collapsing sometimes. doesn't seem to be doing it anymore though, it seemed a little long so i trimmed it so it wouldn't be "under load" so to speak. i went to put another hose on this morning but i didn't have one. i think i'll try another hose first and possibly flushing the block.

i've worked on a few EJ25's with headgasket issues. based on my experience i doubt they didn't know it had issues to begin with. be interested to know if it had a new thermostat and radiator caps....proof that someone knew it was overheating and tried the cheap/easy fixes first. still couldn't prove whether it was the previous owner or the seller though.

there may be an easy solution: first, is this an automatic or a manual? i'm not familiar with 80's brats, but the later soobs have a mechanism that prevents the key from being removed from an automatic unless it's in Park. often it's just not seated right, push the gear selector all the way into park, jiggle it, play with it and it'll release. your EA81 brat probably isn't like that, so there's one other possibility. is the steering wheel locked? yank on the wheel really hard left or right and jiggle it as well while giving it some good stank. try removing your key while doing that. if your key is warn so much that it came out while in drive, that's not a big deal, they do that all the time. that's not a problem with the lock cylinder, it's usually just a warn key. save that key, they often work in multiple ignitions/vehicles when they're warn that much. it may just work in your next one if you do have to get another lock cylinder (done that a few times myself and i've never had a lock cylinder fail).

?????but what???? what's wrong with that???!!!!

yep, i tossed them right on top of it...har har har. i do have gauges and it's charged properly. it seems like the a/c exaccerbates the real problem, it's not the cause as far as i can tell. it'll run odd temps without the a/c as well, but haven't really tried it when it's really hot out during the day. at night, i've seen it waver and drift around some, not really high, but not normal. since i've owned like 20 XT6's, i know exactly what the temp gauge should look like and it's not normal. bizarre, bizarre, bizarre....

i'm baffled at this one. if i'm running the a/c on 90+ degree days it'll still run hot. didn't run it without a/c so don't know if it would do it otherwise. when it's 70's and 80's it's fine. new water pump, thermostat (subaru, tried multiple ones), new Subaru radiator, new hoses, no leaks, no coolant loss, heater works fine, a/c works fine, both fans cycle on, crank pulley appears fine and alternator and a/c work fine (so the belt shouldn't be slipping)....but still runs hot. bizarre, bizarre, bizarre. i'm going to check the water pump this weekend, i'm just going to pull it and replace it and compare the impellers and see if maybe they're a weak design?? seems like a stretch but not sure what else to do.

use a Subaru thermostat, they are far superior to the aftermarkets, you'll see when you get them, they're freaking monsters compared side by side. all of your fans are working properly (clutch or electric)? check your radiator hoses often and try to see if they ever collapse. i'm still tracing a hot running problem as well...i installed a new radiator, thermostat (multiple times), water pump, hoses, fans work...still running hot with a/c running. i'm going to try a new water pump since the other was an aftermarket anyway.

if you drive normally and liked the service you got out of those tires, i'd look to get the same ones again.

nice one! if you're talking about my head, then yes.

First - go check your fluid level, i would assume the trans shop did that, but if they don't know how to read a TCU code it also wouldn't surprise me if they skipped that simple check. The code can be read by anyone who knows the proper technique, i do not know it by memory but it is in the FSM (factory service manual). like nipper said, it's time to extract the code and avoid guessing. the 16 flashes is very typical to subaru, this is not a mystical device or complicated. 16 flashes is the equivalent to the "check engine light". just counting those 16 flashes tells you nothing, it always flashes 16 times when there's a TCU code. remember...the TCU has a stored code and you need to find out what it is. you can search on here for the way to flash the code (it will flash the code via the same light), have a shop do it, or have subaru do it. call around to some shops and ask them if they know how to get a subaru TCU code before you go. next time you post back, it should be to tell us the code. the sequence of extracting codes is always something nutty...turn key to "ON", some strange shifting pattern or other actions and the light will then flash the code. i got steering codes the other week..turn car "on", turn steering all the way to the left, turn all the way to the right, put in drive and travel 20 feet, turn steering wheel again....then the code(s) started flashing.

wow sounds like it could be a PITA. is there access through the trunk for this sensor like the fuel sender??? i have a 1997 impreza Subaru Factory Service Manual. would this fuel system, pressure sender be similar on a 1998 Legacy? i'll start by replacing the gas cap and check for rust on the filler pipe then start looking into this pressure sender. that explains why i couldn't find any info, never heard of those failing before.

you can top it off, it's not that big of a deal if you know what you're doing. read up about how it works and get a good feel for it. don't fill it like crazy, but if you get the basics you can do it gradually and it'll work fine. now...if it leaks, filling it won't help much. check under the two caps, two very common leakage points are the shcrader valves. if they look wet they may be leaking. they cost about 50 cents each...replacement is hairy since it takes a special tool to replace without loosing the refrigerant..but it can be done. it would be good to know if those shcrader valves are leaking anyway, so check before you or anyone else touches anything. another easy fix, which easily works on cars as new as yours is to just turn the schrader valve a little and tighten it up...a pair of needle nose pliers or the like, or a $1.00 valve tool will work as well. snug it up and that might fix a leak. but...refillling could easily last the summer or a few years, so i'd try that after looking at the schrader valves. i have gauges, vacuum puller and all that jazz but i've done plenty of other stuff and friends vehicles without as necessary with no issues. i've even replaced a/c compressors and other various parts without anything as well, or with impatient friends that are too lazy to drive to my house and tools...they've all worked fine and are going on 3-4 years old now. of course you need a basic understanding of the system, you can't just dump and go with refrigerant. but "tools" and professionals aren't necessary at all.