Gnuman

OK, I found a lot of descriptions of the problem, what causes it, and some things to check. BTDT. 92 Legacy 130K miles 4EAT with Torque Bind. Had changed the fluid, and that helped for a bit. Now it is back. Dealer tested the Duty C (resistance test) and found it bad. I swapped it out for him. I also checked the AWD transfer clutch, which moved freely out of the car. He is still getting the 16 flashes on the Power Light, along with Torque Bind. FWD fuse has not been tested since the Duty C was replaced. I suspect: Bad wiring to the Duty C or a bad TCU. I would like to pull the code from the power light, but I cannot find the procedure anywhere. Li'll help folks?

Sounds like the shifter cable has snapped all right. It goes from the shifter lever to the right (passenger) side of the transmission. Takes a 12mm wrench at the transmission side. Not too sure about the shifter side though.

Bad? Well Bad Assed maybe. . . Sorry, just had to be said. I would steer any of my customers that needed a new engine that just had to be right straight to them. They are that good.

Yeah, that was a 96 only thing. in 97 the manual got the 2.5 as well.

Well, I thought for a second that the problem was not fixed this morning, as I got a CEL on the way to the exaust place (where I was getting the broken header pipe fixed) and the CEL came on hard. The pipe had been leaking for a while and when it snapped all the way through, it got real loud. Now I'm thinking that the bad exaust may have had more to do with the CEL than the plugs, by confusing the O2 WRT the mixture. I have a new Y pipe on order along with a new O2 sensor, but the pipe itself is hard to find and Jason has to get one in. Since I cannot be without a car that long, I got the broken section of pipe spliced with new as a temporary fix. CEL is cone for now. . .

Yeah, it is 1 and 4 that were worn down. So it is the wasted spark coil that is the problem. Hmmm. . . do you know of a fix? Would new wires help at all? I have no idea of the age of these wires, but it is over 80,000 miles. . .

Well, I think I tracked down the CEL (without cutting the tape ). I had used my #1 plug to compare to a customer's to show her that hers did not need to be replaced yet (they looked brand new. I do not like doing work that is not needed on a car). Afterwards, I looked at mine, and noticed that the center electrode was worn down a bit, and that mine needed to be replaced. I just did so and have not had a CELL since. I also noticed that the electrodes were not all worn the same ammount (two of them did not look worn at all), so I suspect that I may not be getting as good a spark on those two. Perhaps bad wires. Now for the fun part (and a reference to the Harley thread: the right fork of my Y-pipe snapped just after the head, making my car sound like a Harley. Yes, I hear a lot of cars that are louder than that on the road, but that is not the way my Subaru is supposed to sound. I called my supplier (Jason at 1stsubaruparts.com) and he said that it would take a week or so for him to get the part, and it would cost $400.I do not have that kind of cash laying about, so I'm going to a muffeler shop in the morning to see if they can weld a bit of pipe onto it. Wish me luck! (Oh, and the break is behind the heat shield, so cold backdraft is not as much of a problem. Backpressure still is, and that is part of why I want it fixed now) Perhaps this guy can help with the job. .

Emily has over 220,000 miles on her now and the diagnostic connectors have never been used. this is evidenced by the fact that they are still taped into the wiring harness the way they came from the factory. this is an impressive record, and one I dont want to bring to an end. The problem is that Emily is throwing an intermittant CEL, only on the first run of the day, and only for a few seconds (up to about 30sec), when the temp is about halfway between stone cold and operating temp. I let it idle to Op temp one day and got an unsteady idle when the light was on, but no other symptoms are evident. No hesitation, stalling, fluxuation on any instruments, bucking, nothing at all. . . Engine is strong and steady in all other respects. My suspects are :O2 sensor (I have about 80;000 on this one), knock sensor (I have never replaced the one I have as it looked good when I last had the engine apart for the timing belt), Temp sensor (that goes to the ECU) (as this seems to be a temp related thing) Should I just bite the bullet and cut the tape (I don't wanna), or is there something that points to something I can diagnose without the codes?

And you are 1mm short. on a DOHC camshaft there are flats to use a 25mm open end wrench to hold the camshaft in place while torquing the cam sprocket bolt to 60 ft-lbs. on SOHC engines, I have not seen these flats at all. A large pin spanner between the spokes of the cam sprocket is what you use on those engines. Aaaaaand after reading the rest of the thread, I see that svxpert has posted a picture of the pin spanner that I just spoke of. Yes, it works on all of the SOHC Subaru engines that I have ever seen, as well as the EG33 (SVX) which happens to be a DOHC running off of a SOHC belt.

The water pump is not an accessory, any more than the oil pump is. The engine will not last a five miles without either of them. the Power steering is an accessory, as is the A/C. The alternator could also be said to be one. All of these are driven by drive belts off of the crank pulley. The crankshaft powers the oil pump, and the timing belt provides power to the waterpump on the way to the camshafts. As for bizarre, the vast majjority of manufacturers have been doing things this way for over two decades. It makes the engine simpler to maintain, in the long run.

There are only two reasons to replace the flywheel: 1) the old one is bad (deep grooves or radial cracks in the metal) or 2) a performance upgrade (a light weight flywheel for example). If you are not going for #2, then ask to see the old part and have him explain why it is bad. Replacing the flywheel is not something that you expect when replacing the clutch.

A new cat costs several hundred dollars. A new O2 sensor costs maybe 150. Considering that a high percentage of the "Cat failure codes" are due to a dying O2 sensor (not to mention that the new O2 sensor can be moved to the new cat if it fails to solve the problem) My highest recomendation is to replace the O2 sensor first. Call it a diagnostic, if you want. . .

All I did was swap in a 91 headunit into my 92 wagon (Oh, and a CD player from an SVX). Hmmmm, what is old is new again

Buy it. Buy it now. If I had the cash in hand, I would fly out there to do just that. 180K is just getting broken in for a Subaru, particularly with the EJ-22 engine. Oh, and both of the Legacy wagons I list are well over 200K miles. . .

92 Legacy Wagon, 5MT, 218,000 miles I average 25MPG mixed. Get upwards of 28MPG on straight highway @ 75-80MPH. This is all with Arco (BP) unleaded regular (87 octane?) gas. Tires are shot, center diff is toast, and I have an intermitant CEL when the engine is cold (I have not gotten around to cutting the tape to check the codes yet. they are still bundled in the harness as this car does not give CELs often. Hardly ever, in fact)

OK, let's review: '96 Subaru EJ-22. Arguably the best engine that Subaru has ever made. Considered one of the best balanced engines anyone has ever made. Non-Interference engine makes for even more reliability. The chasis of the car is designed to keep up with the reliability of the engine. You state that no major repairs are needed. Does that mean it is in top condition? or that only minor repairs are needed? Myself, I would reward the engine with new idlers, waterpump, thermostat, and seals when you replace the timing belt. do not forget the oil pump either (tightening the backing plate screws). I suspect that perhaps a letter to SOA might be in order: "Gentlemen, if you continue making cars like this, you may want to consider adding a digit to the odometer. . " Great job. Great car. Enjoy it for many many years.

the parking lights flashing always seemed to me to be a basic security system, particularly as it also seems to disable the ignition. second, I have made that same move several times myself so don't feel bad. In the case of a totally flat battery, yes, I would keep a door open. As I have said, this has happened to me before . On the subject of a door nail, I refer you to the first chapter of "A Christmas Carol" for the definitive word on the subject. I figured someone had to say it. . .

But isn't just about anything a lesser car? I know that when I compare anything else to Emily, my Subie wins easily.

It's not just you. That is thier natural environment, after all. . .

Probably not, but we can hope. . . As for your cravign for speed, the track is a good idea. You may also want to consider taking an advanced driving course, so you are better prepared when you, or someone else, do something stupid. Trust me, I see stupid all the time here. You have already done the first thing in protecting yourself from them, you bought a Subaru. That gives you more options for getting out of thier way. Edit: reading your begining post, it seems that all of your mods are reasonable ones. The EJ22 is a bit more powerful, but you will loose some of that MPG. THe springs I don't know enough about to say. GR2s are a very good choice, and make the handling even better. This will also make it easier to maintain control. I did the sway bar mod myself, on Emily, and for quite some time the car was constantly telling me to go around corners faster (I thought she handled like she was bolted to the road before. . .), and finally brakes. You have drums in the back? go with the disk upgrade in that case as a matter of course. The disk brakes are simply better brakes, and easier to maintain. Is your "new" Legacy (Liberty?) a manual or an auto transmission? If it is a manual, you may consider a lightened flywheel as a performance option. One warning, however, they tend to come supplied with footmagnets. . . (You will notice a tendancy for your right foot to gravitate towards the firewall when on the accelerator. . . )

Looking back, I'd say that it started with the introduction of the Tribecca. . . To me the real beauty of a car is what lays under the hood. In that respect, I cannot say that I have seen an ugly Subaru.

If you are only going to use them on two wheels, put them on the front. That way you get to steer as well. . .

I have not been around much lately, as I have been working on a very off topic project. I was given a 30 foot motorhome to live in. This motorhome came with a genset that is non-operational at the moment. I saw one of the Coleman badged Subaru powered generators in Home depot wile lookign for other parts to repair the motorhome. Now, I have a 92 Legacy Wagon with 215,000 miles on it that says that I can probably pretty well depend on a Subaru Powered Genset. I'll be looking for one of these in the future, if my needs grow to the point that the cash outlay is justified. At this point I'm not using the genset at all, so I cannot justify the $1200 that the set that meets my needs would cost. And yes, I would buy a Subaru powered unit over a Honda powered unit, or a B&S powered unit.

They will fit. They are the same wheels.

Airbags save lives. AWD saves airbags. 'nuff said.