Stevo F

Yes, It was totally a bad IACV. I put a used replacement on and everything returned to normal. The idle seems a little rougher in gear, but nothing terrible and idle speeds are normal with no fluctuation. The noise in the intake is gone as well.

Hats off to Imdew! I received the IACV's today. I went ahead and installed one of them (I already had a new gasket) and the idle is now fine. The idle did spike up for a second a couple of times when first starting the car, but didn't repeat when I ran it again (maybe the ECU and the new IACV had to get acquainted). At first I was a little intimidated by the job as the IACV had a lot of stuff in the way. Once I removed the PCV hose (which split due to age, but I got a new piece of hose for it) removed the two coolant lines, and was able to get a socket on the 3 mounting bolts, the rest was easy.

Yes I looked at my '98 EJ22 and confirm the plugs are above the valve covers there too (last year of Phase 1).

Thank you! I looked at the pics again and it looks like the spark plugs are above the valve covers, so '96 it is. Also, to pull an engine do I need a real engine hoist or could I use a block and tackle (the ceiling above my garage has 2 x 12 floor joists above it, so pretty strong. The last time I pulled a motor was when my Dad and I pulled a Pinto engine back in 1979.

I saw an ad for a Phase 1 EJ22 for sale. Basically a longblock (no alternator, P/S pump). Seller says was running well when pulled from an Impreza, has approx 170K on it but has sat 2- 3 years (presumably inside since that's where it is in the pics). He is asking $300 Questions: Seller says it's a '96 or '97- what are ways I can tell which year it is from looking at it? What should I be looking for when I go to look at it? I do plan to ask if he can turn it over by hand, since it is out of the car. This engine could be a spare for our '97/ '98 Legacy's, or possibly to find an Outback with an ailing EJ25D and hopefully be able to swap it. If I'm correct, the EJ25D had dual port exhaust and the EJ22 was single port from 1996 on. If this is correct, do I need to find a single port header somewhere if I wanted to put this into any Outback? There is a nice looking'98 Outback Limited (looks like a 30th anniversary)with what sounds like it would be rod knock, not too far away, that this engine might be a good match for. Also wondering how I should store this thing when i get it home. I need to make room in the garage in front of the cars and set it on the floor- is there a certain way to support it so nothing gets damaged, like the oil pan? I figure I might get an engine stand at some point.

Thank you sir! Hopefully once we get out of the deep freeze here, I can work on loosening the 23 year old coolant lines and see if I can remove the old unit.

I PM'd you

If they're known to be in working condition I might take you up on that.

I rechecked battery voltage on my old voltmeter. It read 12.2 volts not running, 13.2 volts running. I checked AC voltage it was 25 volts not running and 30 volts running. That seemed crazy (maybe the old voltmeter is FUBAR). Also, as a comparison I checked the same on my '98 Legacy wagon- It read 12.5 volts not running, 13.7 volts running. I checked AC voltage it was 25 volts not running and 30 volts running- definitely suspect an issue with the voltmeter with those AC readings.

Battery is only 3 or 4 months old.

Thinking of picking up an IACV but $230 new- Rock Auto, or $65 used- Ebay. I removed the solenoid portion from the top of the IACV, and the shaft for the valve moved smoothly back and forth, so it doesn't seem dirty, which makes me think maybe the solenoid itself is bad. I could take that part off my wagon and try it on the GT IACV, but hate pulling parts from a perfectly good running car to experiment on another car.

The power steering pump spun freely with the belt off. I think the whine could be coming from either the alternator or power steering. but not very load, and I doubt either would throw off the idle. The IACV hose is in good shape and connected with clamps. I also checked the operation of the vale in the IACV and it moves smoothly.

My 1997 Legacy GT (with '95 EJ22 engine) has been idling poorly lately- fluctuating, lower and rougher idle and a resonating noise coming through the intake. It has also thrown a couple of P0505 codes which makes the IACV suspect, but the IACV valve opens and closes smoothly. Then today I pulled the alternator belt as I've been hearing a bit od whine from the engine and was trying to isolate it. When I started the car, the idle was normal and smooth. I restarted it several times (until the battery died) and the same result. So maybe a grounding issue, or maybe the alternator is overcharging (voltage too high), maybe ECU is heading south? I did check battery voltage and it was right around 12 volts with the engine off and around 13.5 volts with it running (I have an old dial type voltmeter so it's a bit hard to read) I know the alternator is doing its job because 3 starts without it hooked up killed the battery pretty quickly. Here's a video clip- first with it running well with the belt off, then running poorly with the belt back on:

I had an Impreza Outback Sport from northern PA where the backing plates crumbled apart in my hand. Just removed the bad parts of rust and bent the rest of it away from rubbing against the rotor

Are sure the fuel is really good? Does it smell clean or a sicky sweet smell? 10 months (assuming fuel was fresh was car last ran) seems like a stretch without using fuel stabilizer.

I've heard where the redesigned pistons on the '97- '98 EJ22 had shorter skirts, hence greater chance of piston slap than '96 and earlier EJ22's. The EJ22 in my '98 wagon has always had a soft tap that goes away when the engine is warm, so I have attributed this to piston slap. The'95 EJ22 in our recently acquired '97 GT doesn't make this noise.

I'm still chasing around the idle idle issues on the '95 EJ22 that is sitting in my '97 LGT. Ran fine previously, installed a '95 air tube (for improved airflow over the '97 resonator) and noticed the weird noise coming from the air tube along with slightly erratic idle. I figured I messed up a vacuum line connection somewhere, so I double checked the connections on my '98 wagon (where I also installed a '95 air tube) and everything was connected tight and correctly. I also replaced the original air tube and it still had the same symptoms). I then pulled a P0505 code and the engine ran rough, like the ECU put it in limp mode. Cleared it and didn't come back for a while. I also installed new spark plugs (gapped around .43), new NGK wires and did the MSD coil mod, but no change. I also replaced the PCV valve. Now it's getting P0505 most anytime the car is started. The idle actually doesn't get any rough but a lot more erratic. I'll clear the code and it will smooth out somewhat, but idle still fluctuates, especially when in park. Does this sound like I just need to remove and clean the IACV? Maybe an electrical problem? I've also checked for any loose or broken vacuum lines and replaced a couple of dried out lines. I hate to take it to the mechanic, but can't really drive it when it's acting like this, so I'd love to fix it myself. I did another video of the noise it's making plus the erratic idle for your listening pleasure :

My 2014 Impreza windshield cracked from the lower edge the first winter I had it when I ran the defroster on a very cold morning. I did see a small chip in the middle of it so I assume it was impacted earlier by something (I've had those rocks come from nowhere too- just the other day again,likely kicked up by somebody ahead of me). the heat applied to the cold glass stressed it enough to form the crack. Luckily insurance covered the entire thing (I have $0 deductible comprehensive) which i believe was $800, but I didn't have Eyesight to worry about. In general, windshields are lot weaker on the edges- I've seen rocks smack the center but no issues.

Assuming both are wagons, they should fit.

No improvement with spraying the MAF cleaner a few times (actually smells just like the electrical contact cleaner I have). I should probably throw a new set of double platinum or iridium plugs in.

Spark plugs were in the car when i got it. I pulled one and it had normal deposits. Wires are new NGK wires. Made the same rumbling noise in the intake with either new MSD coil or older OEM coil. Oil was just changed (after the noise started). Not really concerned with the tick as much. I think it sounds louder in the video because I had my phone near the valve covers. Tick is no worse on this car than my other EJ equipped Subaru's. Might be worth throwing a new set of plugs in, but I plan to get some MAF cleaner tomorrow and see if that helps at all.

Pretty much hearing it from under the hood at idle along with somewhat erratic idle speed.You can hear it from the intake tube. No CEL's except a P0505 a couple of times. I posted a video where you can hear the sound

Actually plug wires and coil are (NGK wires & MSD coil) They made no difference, What also concerns me is the noise that comes through the intake pipe when it misses- weird!

Figured out the no start- The wire connector wasn't firmly plugged into the coil so it starts and runs again. What is weird is the miss I am hearing at idle. Actually it is making a resonating noise that's going through the air tube. Also, the idle is uneven, with RPM's fluctuating a bit. I had previously gotten the P0505 IACV code but that hasn't returned. I first noticed this miss/ resonating noise after I changed to the '95 air tube. At the same time, I attempted to change out the air box to the '95 box, but the intake hole was smaller, so put the '97 box with the MAF back on. I rechecked how the vacuum lines were installed and a couple were switched around so i copied the way that are connected to the '95 air tube i installed in my '98 wagon a few years ago, but still the miss For kicks, I swapped in a spare MAF that came with a bunch of Outback parts I acquired a few months ago. If anything the car idles even worse now which makes me think maybe the MAF needs a good cleaning, which I will try to do with my original before reinstalling it. What is the best method to clean the MAF?

The hose is connected (and I added a clamp where it attached to the new intake tube as well. I thought of the IACV valve as the cause (especially since it's thrown a coupe, of codes now), but I'm not sure if a dirty or bad IACV would cause a no start situation like I'm now experiencing.