Subardoo

Well, I was wrong. It came back. I gutted the converters, and it still hisses and loses a bit of power. Vacuum leak test is next.

I didn't have a day I could take it to get it scanned, due to work schedule, and I didn't want to risk the airbag to popping in my face. I have had bad experiences with airbags. I honestly feel safer without them. I appreciate the concern, but I am more worried about the horn not working. I'll do some checking about the clock spring, and also, thanks for the reply!

Hello, me again. With more problems. (Thanks to all that have helped me, with previous problems!) So, I had the pesky airbag light come on, one day, randomly. Anytime the car is running now, the light is always on. I took out the steering wheel airbag, and passenger airbag, since I was afraid of them just going off one day, and causing an accident. Well, the horn worked afterwards, but now is failing to work at all. The airbag light is still on (of course it is, I took the airbags out). So, I did some reading, and saw that the clockspring could have failed. I wonder how that would apply in my situation..I didn't take the steering wheel off. I checked the fuse, its good. I have assumed the relay is good, but I'm not really good with relay testing. (I'll try to honk the horn and touch the relay to feel for a click) I would guess just try to replace it with another relay and see if it changes. If not, test the clockspring? But is there a way to test the clockspring, or do you just have to replace it and hope it works? I do have a test light and a multi-meter tester. Also, I'm going to continue trying to search for all answers I can find. Thanks in advance for any and all help, tips, advice, etc.!

Just wanted to give you all an update. I took the car out and tested it, and at one point, the loss of power and hissing started, and I decided to push through the loss of power and hissing. "It's gonna go, or it's gonna blow!" lol...That's about how I felt at that point. The car got a little more noisy, but appeared to get better finally. So, the next day, I got under the car again, and hit everything exhaust-wise with a rubber mallet. You could hear the rattle inside the exhaust. I haven't heard the loud hissing anymore, though there is still a small hiss (which is nowhere near as audible), but no more power loss. So I guess that's what it was. The converters were clogging. Probably just weren't fully clogged, I got the car, then it finally decided to clog up enough. My check engine light is no longer working now, but before all of this, I did have a p0420 code, so maybe that had something to do with it. I hooked up an obdlink lx bluetooth unit to the connector, and the front o2 sensor isn't even giving a reading. That's next on the list, and then all rear bushings need to be done. Thanks everyone, for all the assistance, help, advice!!

Wait... I revved it in neutral during that video, and it was dependent on being revved. So that would eliminate brakes from that.

Thats what it sounds like, hissing. You can hear it in the video. Its crazy. I dont think it did it any since the testing. Haven't gotten to really drive it a lot since then, though. I'm gonna go test it again shortly since the weather is good. But also, since you mentioned it...I'm gonna check my brakes/calipers as well! I have heard a small, quiet noise coming from the driver side wheel, and it sounds like a small bird chirp or tweet here and there.

Have yet to vacuum test. Though, after bolting the exhaust back up, its still hissing, sooner now it seems. The thing is, it wasn't hissing before I changed the rack and pinion, why now? Its wild, I tell you. Lol

Sorry about all the multiple replies, something lagged, I'm guessing. I'll hook up a vacuum gauge as soon as I can figure out a good place to tie it in.

Okay, the results from the cat disconnect... Loud as hell hahaha. But I can't really tell any difference. 1LuckyTexan, thanks for the reply! I dont have the factory air box, previous owner had installed a cold air intake, and I double checked the clamps. All are tight, and the hoses dont seem to be busted. I guess the next step is vacuum testing.

Okay, the results from the cat disconnect... Loud as hell hahaha. But I can't really tell any difference. 1LuckyTexan, thanks for the reply! I dont have the factory air box, previous owner had installed a cold air intake, and I double checked the clamps. All are tight, and the hoses dont seem to be busted. I guess the next step is vacuum testing.

Okay, the results from the cat disconnect... Loud as hell hahaha. But I can't really tell any difference. 1LuckyTexan, thanks for the reply! I dont have the factory air box, previous owner had installed a cold air intake, and I double checked the clamps. All are tight, and the hoses dont seem to be busted. I guess the next step is vacuum testing.

Okay, the results from the cat disconnect... Loud as hell hahaha. But I can't really tell any difference. 1LuckyTexan, thanks for the reply! I dont have the factory air box, previous owner had installed a cold air intake, and I double checked the clamps. All are tight, and the hoses dont seem to be busted. I guess the next step is vacuum testing.

Okay, the results from the cat disconnect... Loud as hell hahaha. But I can't really tell any difference. 1LuckyTexan, thanks for the reply! I dont have the factory air box, previous owner had installed a cold air intake, and I double checked the clamps. All are tight, and the hoses dont seem to be busted. I guess the next step is vacuum testing.

GeneralDisorder, thanks for the reply! I forgot to mention, new air filter has already been installed and it continued the hissing. Fairtax4me, thanks for the reply! I'll give that a shot and see what happens. I suppose it won't hurt anything, since the front oxygen sensor isn't working anyway. I'll be back with results later.

Hello, I have searched and searched for an answer, and I have went over a lot of "could-be's" on what's going on with this. I'm hoping someone can help shed some light on this. So, its a 2000 model Impreza RS 2.5 N/A, with manual transmission. This is the MAP sensor engine, not the Mass Airflow version. The engine seems to run good, and I can't hear the hissing at idle, or by revving the car when sitting (unless I was driving and it started hissing, which, then I can put the car in neutral, rev it, and it will hiss still). It's complicated to explain, and it doesn't do it all the time either. It started after I changed my rack and pinion due to a faulty ring gear (is that what they call it?). I had to undo the exhaust from the heads and the collector in front of the first catalytic converter (one bolt near the first cat was impossible to reach, so I had to undo the one I could get to, and just try to swing it out of the way). So, rack and pinion replaced, I put the exhaust back up, gaskets back in, and tightened it all down. I test drove the car, and it seemed fine, but then I was trying to merge, and I downshifted, and gave it some rpm's. I heard a loud hissing noise from what I expected to be the driver side of the engine bay. Along with this, there was a lack of power (rpms increased, but it didn't feel like it had much power, and the rpms were increasing slower than when it isn't hissing). Now, I remember there was the power loss feeling randomly before this, but now I definitely feel it only when the car hisses. I decided it sounded like a vacuum leak, so I set out to start checking all vacuum hoses..ended up breaking a nipple off the purge solenoid valve under the intake manifold. So, I repaired that. Still hissing randomly. I started trying to trace all vacuum lines. I eventually found a torn hose and replaced it (I'll post the pic of that from my phone when I get a chance). I believe that one was one of the three hoses over at the fuel filter area near the brake master cylinder in the engine bay, but still, it's hissing and lacking much power when this happens. I've wondered about the previous owner using clear blue hoses to install the CAI (the hoses go from the intake to the valve covers, and the splitter between the pcv and intake manifold... can post pics of that too, later.). They don't seem to squish, but I'm wary of cheap hoses. I'm trying to get it solved, since it is very irritating. It does SEEM to have a low operating temperature idle of 600ish rpms. Here is the link to the video of it. Listen to the whole video, you will definitely hear it.. <div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:75.0%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xZ1ADxFS13Q?ecver=2" width="480" height="360" frameborder="0" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions/help/advice! EDIT: Also, I forgot to mention, I had a CEL for p0420, and I know the front oxygen sensor isn't working via using an obd link to monitor the sensors. The rear one works, but the front gives a 0 reading at all times, like it just doesn't work at all.