mattslote

@montana tom Bad valves have been something I always knew were a possibility, but you're really raining on my parade. I have the same engine in my '00 Legacy, and when it skipped a tooth a couple years ago it was just fine. I was really hoping this was the same deal. I don't know why the engine started cranking without the charger, but when I've been working on it more recently it hasn't needed any help. Will the sensors throw a code if the engine hasn't run and the computer's been reset? I can definitely check them. Will the same voltage test I used on the knock sensor work on the other sensors too?

The knock sensor and ECU reader today. Nothing different happened when tried to start the engine, even with starter fluid. ECU said there were no codes. Next steps: check fuel system and compression. I also think the gas might be old, so I'm going to try to check that too. But the car should still run with starter fluid, so I'm still stumped. Also more worried that there might not be any compression. Gotta do that tailpipe suction test that 1 Lucky Texan suggested. Any advice would be appreciated!

I've got an ECU scanner coming from Amazon with the knock sensor. I went through my history and found the posts about the knock sensor that got me started on this: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/111-gen-1-1995-1999/85481-1997-legacy-obw-cranks-no-start.html#/forumsite/20514/topics/85481?page=1 And my knock sensor only gave me 2 volts instead of 5. So even if it's not the only problem, it needed to be replaced.

I had the same thing happen with a friend's '08 Forester. Make sure the airflow sensor is plugged in and at least have that part of the intake manifold assembled. Edit: Disregard. Just saw the other thread on the same topic.

That's right. Cranking but not starting. Though that's what it's done since I got the timing belt on. The starter seems strong, so I'm going to leave it for the time being. When I got the car the timing belt was off. Previous owner said it skipped a tooth, and one of the idlers was shot. I'm taking him at his word because I haven't seen anything that indicates otherwise. I did pull the plugs yesterday to inspect and check for signs of damage. Everything looked good, and they didn't have fuel on them. Should they? Extra information: Since getting the car I got a new idler and replaced another that sounded bad, put on the new timing belt, and replaced the battery. I just picked up a compression tester and a fuel pressure gauge. If the knock sensor doesn't resolve the issues, I'll use those to see if there's compression/fuel problems. Last resort will be to pull the engine and see what I find. Previous owner also said they had a mechanic replace the head gasket in the last year, and the little bit of the gasket sticking out looks pretty new, as do the valve cover bolts.

Finally got the time to look at the car again. The timing belt position looked fine but I reinstalled it just in case. Double checked plugs and spark wires which all seem fine. Got the starter fluid, opened the butterfly valve and sprayed a little in there and still no firing when I cranked. That part had me stumped, because even an engine with poor compression or no gas really should do something when there's fuel as volatile as starter fluid in the cylinders, so I took to google. I found a page on the outback forum where I guy with the same problem needed a new knock sensor. This youtube video ( ) had a nice idiot-proof tutorial on checking the knock sensor, and I was getting ~2 volts on the multimeter when I should have been getting 5. Amazon is delivering a new sensor tomorrow. Hopefully that's what I'll need. Followup questions: Why does Subaru charge $100+ for a new knock sensor? Should I be okay getting the $15 sensor from Amazon? It seems like a pretty simple piece of technology.

Oh man. If it is the timing, that would be great. I'll try that and the starter fluid. Then fuel pump/filter if I have to.

Hey USMB, it's been a few years! I hope you didn't miss me. Just picked up a Forester on the cheap. The timing belt had failed (skipped a tooth, as best I can tell) and all the evidence I've seen so far indicates there's been no damage on the inside of the engine. And until I know otherwise, I'm going to continue under that assumption. I replaced a couple idlers, put on the new belt, reattached the battery, went to crank it and....nothing. Turns out the battery was toast. But even the new battery couldn't turn the engine without extra help from jumper cables or a 20 amp charger. Checked the spark at the distributor, and if the shock wasn't enough, the arc to the block was also proof. Now that I'm writing this, I'm feeling like I need to do a little more homework before anyone can give me a good diagnosis. But could the starter be failing? Even with a bad starter, why isn't the engine turning over? For what it's worth I think I can hear the fuel pump running. Anyone else run into something like this? Thanks for the help!

That's the best news I've heard all day.

So...I don't have to re-torque my heads? To be more specific, I followed the instructions on torquing the heads (torque, torque again, -180, another -180, torque (different for inner and outer), +80-90, and another 80-90). If it would help, I'll definitely open it up and re-torque the heads (I've never written torque so many times in a paragraph). But if it's not going to affect anything, then I won't bother.

Maybe I need to take a step back. What is/how do I retorque? I'm searching through the archives now...

Retorque a head gasket? That seems very inconvenient. At the time my (faulty) logic was that Subaru made the bad head gaskets in the first place, so why use one of them again. Also, the gasket was the "improved" version...not that that means anything. Anyhow, I'm going to watch things and see if I can see any other evidence of a bad seal. Even if the job lasts me a year I'll consider it a success.

Update: I let her cool down while I sulked in the house for a couple hours and drank coffee. When I returned and started it back up the steaming had stopped, which is encouraging. MLS Fel-Pro gaskets Visually checked and cleaned by me This is my first HG...or significant car project of any sort It fired up right away and ran like normal...except for the steam. Though the steaming stopped it's still giving signs of that I might have botched the HG installation. I filled the coolant up to the cap and it did overflow, and I saw a couple bubbles in there too. They weren't micro bubbles like I remember reading elsewhere; just a couple straw-in-the-milk sized bubbles every minute. I'm going to go drive it around the block and see what happens.

Righto. 2000 Legacy Brighton with 248k miles. I don't know if it's an EJ251 or 252.

So, I just fired up my scooby after replacing the head gaskets and I'm getting a lot of steam from the exhaust that smells like coolant. Is this just residual from the HG failure and/or something benign? Or is this evidence of my fear that I did it wrong.

My 2000 Legacy does the same thing when I open her up. I asked my friend about it and he said it might have something to do with the valve timing change when accelerating quickly. His volvo did it too, and that's what caused it for him.

I got it! Thanks, guys. I don't think any of your suggestions ended up helping, but it's the thought that counts, right? I'm waiting for the snow to stop so I can finish putting the car back together. Then I'll know if my first head gasket job was successful.

Sounds like you're doing that thing where the dealership lets you take the car home and play with it for a day or 2. If that's the case you should be able to take it back and ask them to look into the vibration, fix the problem, and even run a carfax report for you. If that's not the case, take it to a mechanic you trust and have them look it over. It can cost a few dollars but is well worth it.

Where would I put the screwdriver, and what should I pop off?

This is a little embarrassing. I got my wrench stuck in this hole in the back of the engine block by the flex plate. According to the internet, I was supposed to use a screwdriver to provide resistance as I loosened my crank pulley to get to the timing bolt, but I used the wrench because I thought my screwdriver wasn't sturdy enough. Anyway, it got stuck. I've wiggled and pulled and cursed and grunted, but the thing just won't come out. How I managed to get it stuck in the first place has become something of a mystery. Of course, I'm looking for tips how to get it out. Has anyone done this before? The engine's still in the car, and I'd kinda like to keep it that way as I don't have access to a lift. I'm not ruling any possibilities at this point though. Photographic evidence here.

Hey USMB. Checking in with my first post from frigid Spokane, WA. I started visiting the forum about a week ago when my car died, and just had my account activated. The HG failed on my 2000 Legacy Brighton with 245k miles and the information on this forum has been super helpful as I've been working on it. It should be noted that I've never done any serious work on a car before...so this has been quite the adventure. That's all for now. Gotta make another post on the new gen tech board about a little problem I created for myself. TTFN