idosubaru

i'm having similiar issues with my XT6 AWD Auto. new radiator, water pump, radiator caps, thermostat, radiator hoses and the fans work fine. only really did it when it's above 85 degrees outside and the a/c was on. turning the a/c off would typically make the gauge drop back to normal. climbing mountains at highway speed it would do it as well. now that it's late in the year and cooler it stays pegged normal, but it'll surely return next summer.

is it possible the new to you pedal assembly needs greased or is bent, keeping it from reaching it's full range of travel? those are two items i wouldn't be surprised to see from a junk yard pedal assembly.

i unplug my transmission dropping resistor because i like the way it shifts better without it. drives much better that way and it causes the trans indicator light to blink on start up (16 times or whatever it is indicating a "fault"). you may try unplugging it just to see if how things change. it only takes 6 seconds to unplug it and doesn't hurt anything. it could be argued that it actually helps the transmission to not have this thing....quicker shifts, less heat build up as the clutches are engaged quicker so less slipping and heat build up. i know it's a stretch, but all that to say it definitely doesn't hurt anything. i'd swap out a TCU (TCM) as well to see. has anyone traced the lines from trans to TCU? with all the accidents it's been in i'd wonder if there's a wire issue somewhere (hence the buzzing as well and the problem carrying over to the new trans). was the transmission ever replaced before, i'd also be curious is if it's possible a different trans was installed and the TCM isn't quite the exact right one. being all 4EAT's, they are all close and semi-compatible, but being a little off could cause issues?

sounds like one of the plugs is still connected that shouldn't be.

the ER27 engine in the XT6 is an EA82 engine with 2 more cylinders slapped onto it. same pistons, rings, rods, valves... after that almost everything else is compeltely different. the steering and the air suspension (AWD only, not FWD) are two of the weirder and problematic XT6 issues... if it's AWD then beware of the air suspension. plan on converting to coil overs as the air is very tricky, failure prone at this age and parts are really expensive, and noone will know how to work on it. if it's FWD then it already has coil overs so no worries. steering is electric and typically people don't know how to fix them. they usually need new brushes installed. special steering fluid as well, no ATF or power steering fluid recommended on these jokers. if the tires don't match, be cautious as that can ruin an AWD transmission. if it's FWD don't worry about it. biggest cause for concern is overheating. this engine will run forever, but even the best engine gets destroyed if overheated. problem is this car is old...almost 20 years old. radiator is probably old and in bad shape. if you're lucky and it's new or in good shape, then you're not as lucky as you think...it's probably been replaced which means the last one failed and the car may have been overheated before. same with water pump and thermostat, i replace them right away, no point in wondering if it's 20 years old or not. radiator and coolant hoses and radiator caps too. radiators are REALLY expensive because no aftermarket version was ever made. Subaru only and big dollars. this unfortunately encourages people to put off replacing them. the transmissions don't have many problems either. when you get it changing fluids is recomended and changing the ATF (if it's an auto) is highly recommended if you want it to last. keep them from overheating and running out of oil and they will usually run about as long as you feel like relpacing brakes, rusted out exhaust, tires and other maitenance items.

it will run, i'm sure the vehicle is fine. that's a good deal, get it and fix it. big question is if the check engine light is on or not. that will make a huge difference on how you go about fixing it. it'll be something easy. FET, CTS, ignition, t-belt, no fuel. make the call based on fixing it and selling it. take it from me, i've bought and sold (or kept) probably 15 or so of them. parting out is not the way to go, winter coming won't make it any better. unless you have alot of time and really enjoy doing that sort of thing. parting out isn't worth it to me and i keep lots of spare parts for my own herd of XT6's. it takes a long time to pull parts, store parts, take and post pictures, post ads, keep them in decent shape, test them, answer everyone's questions, shipping takes forever to deal with and you typically need to hold them for quite some time because you will only get a good price if there's someone that really needs it. otherwise you'll get $50 for the motor and trans, if that. i just sent an Auto AWD (80,000 miles) and a manual AWD to the scrap yard with excellent trans and motors in them. noone wanted them. everyone says "do it", "part it", "sell those rare and hot parts"....thing is places where these things are rare...there is not anyone there to buy parts either!

he just mentioned slight vibration while going straight down the road. it wasn't there when first installed, started coming on after a week or two? i'll check with him. i actually tried to talk him into a used axle (i posted here with no response) or MWE rebuilt because i've had bad luck with new ones exploding.

a local guy i know has a 1988 GL Hatch, EA81. he had some vibration issues that turned into noise making issues. he first tigthened the axle nut which was loose. then he ended up replacing the ball joints, wheel bearings and axles up front with all new stuff. all went away. this is a couple weeks ago. he said it has started to vibrate again recently, just like it did when it started to go bad a few months ago. sounds to me like either the axle isn't tight again and worse the hub might be shot? where should he go next?

look out for infrequent gas stops. i had a 91 XT FWD manual and got 40 mpg (42 in the winter) on all highway driving. the radiator is likely older than dirt and water pump is ???. like he said, heat will kill this engine. and you don't want to do that since this engine won't have any problems going well past 200,000 if you don't over heat it or run it out of oil. to protect against overheating i'd replace the water pump, thermostat, hoses and clamps. keep your eye on the oil level. or replace all the seals - oil pump, cam, crank seals are all right behind the timing belt and easy to replace if you're comfortable doing that kind of work. if not, just don't run it out of oil!

i would not use the radiator cooler, i don't even use them for my ATF. dedicated is much better. the radiator gets hot and stays hot. i'd get a dedicated oil cooler if you want one.

wiring is not compatible from auto to manual...i'm sure you can cut and splice if you wanted to do something fancy with it, wire is wire so to speak. but nothing plug and play beween the two. you do not want to drive with the diff lock locked. it is "locked" when the button is depressed and the lever is pulled. the lever is movable by hand, but you have to disconnect the actuator to give the cable some range of motion. then just switch the lever back and forth by hand (it's on the passengers side) to "lock" and "unlock" the center diff. i can't recall if forward or back is unlocked off the top of my head. FSM will show it. if it's locked and you can't get it out, just don't install the rear half of the driveshaft, then it won't matter. install the rear half once you get the diff lock figured out. you'll need the front half installed to keep gear oil in the trans, as it seals the rear extension housing. you can probably also supply vacuum or compressed air to the actuator to get it to move the lever...maybe...never done it but it may be possible.

slow down hotdog. a little (or a lot) of oil leaks isn't a big deal. millions of cars are leaking oil right now, not a big deal. if it showed up really low on your dipstick....that's not really as low as you'd think. if it's showing up on your dipstick you're probably 1 quart or less low, that's not a big deal. even at the bottom of the stick you still have plenty of oil in there to prevent any engine damage. now...it is imperative to add some oil. take note - the distance between the full mark and the other mark at the bottom of the stick is one quart - add accordingly.

for what you want the EJ22 sounds like the best option. they are much lighter and can should easily get you to the 150+ hp mark. they are super cheap, easy to find, light weight and will fit easily as well. and you could get an entire donor car for next to nothing as well. SVX EG33 will be much trickier on all accounts and much more front end heavy. EJ22's are a super cheap and easy to find.

there could be an O2 issue there but i doubt it. i think you'll find the new ignition goodies or the coil pack will solve your problems and yes that may take care of a residual O2 sensor code. you are right to focus on one problem at a time.

crazy!! so you can tell a difference between 7 psi and 20psi? (i know nothing about off roading). i do drive through snow and off road alot as necessary for hunting, etc but i don't know anything about ofroading in those terms. would have never guessed 7 psi though. is that mud, rocks or anything?

You can still install them yourself, buy them from the dealer. i'd never recommend letting the dealer do something that simple. many subaru addicts highly recommend sticking with NGK plugs. those you can get anywhere, you don't have to go to Subaru . but that's not nearly as critical as the wires, the Bosch you likely wouldn't have any problems with. if the plugs and wires don't help, swap in another coil pack, it is very very easy to replace. it's the little box that all your spark plugs plug into. i think it only requires removing 2 or 3 bolts and it comes off. very easy to do and easy to find. post in the Market Place forum here and someone probably has a used one you can buy for cheap. i would at least try that before taking it to a mechanic...that is, if the plugs and wires don't help. actually swapping in another coil pack is easier than changing the plugs and wires.

WOW! that's huge!

i have heard great things about the EG33 in terms of supporting forced induction. the ER27 is a terrible candidate for high power applications from the highly experienced and knowledgeable people that i've talked to. catch 22...sort of, the one that needs the forced induction (ER27) is a far cry in terms of block design for supporting it. the EG33 with 230 hp, comes with almost 100 hp more right out of the box than the ER27. and it's a better block design for high power applications. there are also kits available for that motor. there is nothing for the ER27. (the EG33 also functions as a non-interference engine !!)

radiator cap and thermostat are cheap and easy to replace so it's nice to rule them out right away and not risk further overheats for something simple. for your instance, i'd say the cap sounds like it's doing it's job. any more problems after your refill and i'd replace the thermostat. radiator, water pump then head gaskets is where we're going to go after that.

on a side note, has any work been done recently, any accidents, anything prior to this starting? or it just all started happening randomly? worse when it's raining? is your charging system okay...alternator and batter?

they will not cut it. maybe temporarily, but they are far from the best choice i can promise you that. throw everything you know about engines out the door when you're talking about EJ series spark plugs, these motors are not forgiving. any other Subaru motor will run fine on whatever. you do not want to use anything but Subaru spark plug wires on an EJ series engine (EJ22, EJ25). if you do install them, i'd plan to replace them very soon. better off just returning them, get your money back and getting Subaru. if you don't know this engine very well, it is in your best interest to heed my advice. spark plug wires are spark plug wires.....for everything but the EJ series engine that is in your vehicle. these motors are not forgiving at all. i'll quit my rambling, but i am certainly not suggesting this for kicks or as a matter of oppinion...well except to say my oppinion is that spark plug wires that don't last very long are a bad thing. the coil pack is the little box that all the spark plug wires connect too. since a cylinder mis-fire is almost always ignition related, you have 4 mis-fire codes and all 4 spark plugs connect to the coil pack, it sounds like that's a good place to look.

make sure you're using Subaru only plug wires. dont' use any aftermarkets (magnecor are the only aftermarket options that are good, but most don't get those). i'd be suspicious of the coil pack.

good point. that's probably not even enough to make up for the inherent speedo error! either the road signs or the odometer was off on mine by about 2-3%. that's over a few hundred miles of straight highway driving, so something was off. odometer always reads less than highway mile markers.

maybe i meant to say it won't up-shift. grrr for not driving it....

that's the thing, you'll be very very hard pressed to even come close to 200 hp in an ER27. i can't stress enough how limited they are stock, even with all the basic intake, exhaust and other tidbits...they don't even come close to 200. huck over at http://www.xt6.net just finished installing an EG33 into his XT6. it was tight and required a ton of work, but he is documenting it. he's included a basic list of everything that was needed. it was very tight in an XT6, not sure how a loyale would fair. i think the EG33 would be the way to go. i've seen a number of SVX's sell in the $400 - $1000 range. usually had issues, but you just need the engine and goodies. thing that sucks is that all SVX's came stock as auto trans so you'd be hard pressed to find a complete donor with EG33 and manual trans.