GeneralDisorder

The hole in the strut bearing needs to match up with the upper spring perch. What does the top side of you upper spring perch look like? The differences you note are meaningless as long as the parts work together. The accordian boot looks fine as does the strut top mount and the bump stop. The design of these parts doesn't really matter - the accordian boot and bump stop are the Legacy style versions but will still fit just fine and serve the same purpose. Parts designs change. Part numbers are superceeded. Replacements are crossed over from newer vehicles. It happens. Get used to it and roll with what you can get. Enlarge the upper spring perch to work with the bearing they gave you - or order bearings from the dealer. GD

Full overflow tank that's overflowing is a sure sign of HG failure. Exhaust gasses overpressure the system, and when the cap opens they escape taking coolant with them. Eventually you run low on coolant and it overheats when it stops circulating. The bubbles can also collect on the thermostat and cause it to close - causing overheating. Replace the HG's before you cook the motor to oblivion and it's no longer worth repairing. GD

'82 gd

I gave my opinion of Jeff's business practices as they were described to me. I made no comments about him personally. Fact is - he had an angry customer that had to involve the authorities to reclaim his car. Why is this back on top after 5 months? This whole mess is old and dead. The OP sold that car. GD

It isn't needed. The power side of the fuel pump circuit is relay driven by the ECU. In an accident the ECU will cut the ground to the relay when it doesn't see a tach signal. All subsequent generations of Subaru ECU's are wired this way. This poster came to me for help. We talked at length over the phone regarding this issue. I posted here on the thread after being involved in that respect and discussing it at length. The original poster in this thread is VERY adept at communication. I had no problem discussing the problem at length. He is a former member of law enforcement as well as a fellow business owner and gave Jeff every opportunity to make the situation right. I was told by him that Jeff would not answer calls after having his car for weeks, and would not release his car to him without involving the authorities. I have never met Jeff nor do I care to. I only know what I was told by the owner of the car and he had nothing good to say. GD

It's not a slushbox either. It's a CVT using a chain drive system. The chain drives on adjustable size "sprockets". It's a variant of a Reeves Drive or Variable Diameter Pulley (VDP) drive. It's a very old concept dating back to 1940's machine tool speed controls. GD

It really doesn't matter - clutch is an *added* expense that the auto doesn't have. They both have fluid and they should both be changed regularly so regardless of the mileage you get from a clutch - it's still an expense the 4EAT doesn't have. Marginal at best. Not enough of a reason to choose one over the other. The realistic difference in mileage is maybe 1 to 2 MPG. And on the freeway it's none at all. Gear ratio differences account for most of it not really the transmission type. Not even close. You are kidding yourself if you beleive that. Incorrect again. Used properly the auto has superior traction control and can hold 2nd gear for less wheel slip. If you burn out the transmission in three feet of snow you are using it wrong. You obviously haven't ever lifted a Legacy or even driven a properly equipped outback with the right tires. The GL is not bad, but the Legacy is playing a whole different sport. You can think what you wish but I've been driving and working on Subaru's since you were about 8, I own a Subaru repair/performance shop, and I've owned all the models you have now and hundreds more. I do know what I'm talking about and I gaurantee that the 4EAT is an all-around better transmission than the 5MT. I like the 5MT for what it is - and I don't even currently own an auto equipped Subaru except for a 2010 Forester because I enjoy driving a manual - but that doesn't mean I am willing to ignore the facts. Just because I own/like something is not a logical reason to call it the best. It's the best for me because I enjoy the driving experience more with a manual. But it's not the best from a purely functional point of veiw. GD

I've never seen a Subaru auto strand a car either. You don't flush them - you do a pan drain/fill every 30k which is one gallon of dexron - $15. Much cheaper than a clutch job. $45 per 100k vs. Clutch kit and labor.... Trust me - I do this all day every day at my shop. The auto is the better choice. It's also smarter and can transfer torque more effectively. You can lock then 50/50 with a duty-c mod, and the torque converter acts like a low range off-road. I still *prefer* a manual - I like the sporty feel of it. But don't kid yourself - they are not the better transmission. Not even close. GD

I have installed plenty of these with the grease that comes with them - I have some approaching 100k. I have NEVER repacked one and I've also never had a subsequent failure. No bearing that I've installed has failed yet that I know of. Failure has less to do with repacking the bearings and more to do with installation technique, cleanliness, and attention to the seals, properly seating the hub, proper axle nut torque, etc. GD

Not actually the case. The 4EAT is a lot more reliable than the 5MT when you consider rear input shaft bearing failures and clutch maintenance. The auto's are cheaper to run per 100k miles typically. GD

'95 may have a cable driven speedo.... I can't remember if that's the last year or if '94 was.... The jumping of the needle is then a mis-routed or kinked cable if that's the case. Could be a source of the problems with the transmission as the VSS is used by the TCU. Sounds like your transmission just need to be replaced if the VSS signal doesn't fix it.... Hard shifting is not uncommon but if three drain/fill's doesn't cure it - then the tranny is on the way out and it's going to be cheapest to just swap it. GD

The Stant x-act stat line is made to match the OEM exactly. They perform the same. I use them at my shop on everything - $11 for an EJ stat vs. about $13 and some change from the dealer. GD

The owner has decided to replace the engine. At 212k with the abuse it's taken on her commute and the oil consumption.... we agreed that it's probably best to just find a lower mileage replacement engine and swap it out - along with a block heater, oil pan heater, and remote start. This way it can be warmed up for 15 minutes prior to her drive and hopefully negate the effects of her short commute. GD

Intersting theory Ivan. I think you are probably right that it's the short block that's causing these failures. It's the only thing that is consistent with all the stories of repeat burned exhaust valves that I've heard. In almost all cases changing the entire engine fixes the problem. I should also mention that this car endures a very short 10 minute commute 5 days a week - it spent about 60k miles before the first valve job doing this commute and other driving. As well as the 19k before the second burnt valve. It doesn't get fully warmed up when doing this and I feel like that is a contributing factor.... They change the oil every 2500 with synthetic. They had noticed increased consumption due to the short drive cycles but consumption was not bad on longer trips. Also - I've been told by my tuner that the #4 runs the hottest due to differences in the timing and fuel for that cylinder. He said it has to do with it's proximity to the knock sensor and Subaru trying to adjust out noise in the signal from the sensor by adjusting the #4 to quiet down background noise. GD

Ballast resistor drops the voltage when running to lower than alternator output - resulting in a reduction in spark voltage from the coil..... which pretty much defeats the purpose of the aftermarket coil in the first place since the OEM one's work at both cranking voltage and running voltage. A proper Hitachi or ND replacement coil is only about $35 to $40 and unless you are doing something crazy like forced induction it will light the fuel off with 99.999% reliability. There simply is no need for a higher voltage coil if the spark plug is doing it's job. It either lights the fuel/air mix on fire reliably, or it does not. There is nothing to be gained by expensive coils on a stock engine. GD

EJ22E, '97 Legacy, #4 cylinder has burned a valve.... again. This car had a burned #4 exhaust valve about 2 years ago at 199k. I actually mentioned it in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=116101&highlight=burned+valve The valves were done by a reputable head shop, the injectors were replaced along with the fuel filter, and the valve clearances were set by yours truely. The going theory being that the valve clearances were not checked at 105k and this contributed to a burned valve at 199k The car now has 218k on it and suddenly burned a valve again on the same cylinder. 30 psi on the #4. So now I'm considering checking the injector driver circuits on the ECU and possibly just replacing the ECU entirely after I fix the valve for the second time. Has anyone seen this and found a definite solution? I've got a neighbor a few streets over with a '92 sedan that's been through 3 cylinder heads.... I've heard of this happening on hydro lifter engines so it's got to be something to do with the fuel system or the intake leaning out a specific cylinder. Valve clearances are not the problem on the hydro lifter engines and clearly not the problem with this '97 either. ~19k miles for the problem to return..... that's not something I want to happen again so I need to find the problem once and for all this time around. GD

Do you have any wires from the ECU that do not end at a device connector, ring terminal, or are not labeled as to their exact function? Grounds and power supplies should end up being pretty obvious in the harness stripping process as they are wires that have to be cut or that end in ring terminals. Some of the ECU grounds are on the intake manifold and pass through the manifold harness connection - some years have only these grounds and no others - other years have additional grounds that you have to bolt to something yourself. GD

Well - you can use an aftermarket coil but it risks damage to the ignition amp in the distributor (perhaps what has happened to the 2WD unit?). But for the 4WD distributor the ignition module is only about $25 on Amazon. Makes them pretty cost effective to repair and keep a spare replacement around. Only need a couple flat-head screwdrivers or small pry-bars and a #2 phillips to replace the module. GD

They have proven to be reliable well past 300k miles. Don't touch it. Subaru's timing chain setup is amazingly reliable - in fact they have adopted it for the new FB 4 cylinder engines that came out in '11. It's also extremely expensive to repair or replace should it have to be. There's something like 117 bolts that hold on the front cover. The biggest problem the H6's have is the AC belt tensioner bearing :-p. GD

You also need the matching coil. For a 4WD that means you need a matching Hitachi coil in place of your ND coil. GD

Limited in what way? The tuning limitation is what this thread is talking about overcoming. If the EJ20G ECU can run the 22T so easily it's because they have essentially the same hardware minus the 4 channel ignition. That means that any "limitations" are software based and that's the whole point of hacking the code - to overcome the software limitations. When/if we have complete software control of the stock ECU it BECOMES a standalone with most of the same features and abilities. Besides all that - I don't really care what other people want to do or what they want to use. I'm more interested in the process of reverse engineering the code on an ECU.... any ECU really.... as a learning experience. This just happens to be the one I own and daily drive so it's accesible to me and I don't have to pointlessly rewire my car. I'm a former full-time software engineer and I enjoy the experience and challenge. GD

They seem to be laying around junk yard shelves all over the nation based on car-part.com. There's also the legacycentral bbs. They can be found and they have a very low failure rate. OBD-I vs. II is not really that helpful from a tuning perspective - once you have control over the maps and RTD streams there aren't any real differences - it's really just a communications protocal preference. There is nothing wrong with the SSM interface. GD

Again - that's all well and good if all you want is an off-the-shelf tune on a chip and you don't care about ever changing anything or tinkering. Personally I like to play with things - and the 22T ECU is perfectly cabable of doing what needs to be done - not to mention it's a lot more accesible - easier to source replacements. There are a lot of folks that would like to not have to source a 20G ECU and not have to mess with their wiring, and not have to rely on someone who sells tuner chips. GD

Very cool. When I get a spare minute I'm going to pull my ECU down and get some pics.... GD

Just the part or installation as well? The radiator will run about $100 to $150 depending on your sources. Should also replace the hoses - get those from the dealer. Installation is typically about one hour. I do a fair number of radiators - usually it's about $300 with radiator, hoses, and labor. GD