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ok...#2 is on the driver's side...is it nearest the driver or nearer the front of the car? D

Hey Nipper...you should be getting paid for all the work you do on this forum! --Damien

Hello, Cylinder #2 on my EJ22 engine is misfiring (according to OBD codes)...facing the engine from the front...which cylinder is #2? Note: the ECM is for an EJ25 engine (swapped a EJ25 for an EJ22 in an automatic 96 OBW) Thanks! Damien

Yeah, that happens, too...the CEL blinks about 10 or so times whenever its hesitates bad. I had a similar problem before and when I read the codes back then it said 'cylinder misfire'. Back then it turned out that a wire got a little loose on the plug. Alright, I'll check that... Thanks for the advice. --Damien

I have an EJ22 engine which is now almost constantly misfiring. Especially prevalent going uphill or accelerating. I'm thinking wires and/or plugs. O2 sensor maybe? I recently had exhaust work done so I drove it for a while w/o proper backpressure. Additives don't seem to work and resetting the 'puter is to no avail. Any idears? --Damien

Hi, I recently blew a fuse (shorted the cig lighter) but upon replacing the fuse (2nd from left, middle row beneath steering column on 96 OWB) the heated seats and mirror adjustment won't work. Cig lighter still won't work as well! All other fuses there seem to be fine. Also, I checked fuses under hood but they also are all fine. Any other places I could check? Thanks! Damien

If TB is a mechanical problem, why does resetting/replacing the TCU alleviate the problem (albeit temporarily)? --Damien

My parents have a 96 OBW with a EJ22 engine. I believe there is a hairline crack on the block (cloudy antifreeze, occasional bubbling in OF tank, high rate of oil consumption). I do not think that it is a HG issue. I was wondering if the product from Bar's (radiator additive) is effective in helping to seal the breach in the shortblock. The vehicle otherwise drives fine, only rarely overheats. Thanks for your input. Regards, Damien

Apparently the problem is with the control valve which governs the piston pressure used to regulate applied pressure to that clutch pack. I was told that part (with the wire hanging off it) in the lower right-hand side of pic #4 of previous post needs replacing. I have some diagrams from Subaru outlining all the components and part numbers associated with the rear part of the transmission, if anybody wants a copy. You should be able to obtain them from a dealership. Cheers! Damien

Oh ok...so the insulation fails and results in a short. From a consumer perspective, driving the vehicle until total transmission failure is probably more cost-effective than forking up the $800-1000 needed to fix the problem. --Damien

I have the same problem with my 96 OBW. Replacing the TCU solved the problem...but only temporarily. Apparently, there is a piston which governs the amount of pressure applied to the rear clutch pack. This in turn controls the amount of torque transferred to the rear differential. The problem is in the system which controls the piston pressure. The current nature of the malfunction (at least in my transmission) is that there seems to be a 'bias' to apply a constant pressure. Under normal operating conditions, the pressure varies constantly depending on many different factors (acceleration, velocity, crankshaft torque, throttle aperture, wheel slip, turn radius, etc.) The malfunction results in torque bind and also a loud 'clunking' noise when shifting from D to Park after a drive (upon sudden release of pressure applied to clutch pack). Eventually the clutch plates will wear down to nothing...but they are pretty tough...hardened steel. (The rear differential is supposed to be REALLY tough!) I'm hoping to get another 30K miles out of my transmission (currently at 190K miles). It is my belief that the problem is mostly electronic/electrical in nature. I would guess the job would be $1.50 in electronic/electrical parts, hundreds in labor to get at it! Could somebody explain how a solenoid could fail? --Damien

You mean with the radiator cap off or the cap to the OF tank? After driving the car a few miles and then stopping and idling I inspected the OF tank and noticed there was a LOT of foam in the OF tank and a constant steady bubbling which continued after the engine was shut off...

Vehicle has 176k miles on it. Bubbling and foaming in the OF tank. Coolant a cloudy color. Temp gauge is steady but hotter than normal. Both cooling fans work. I'm thinking blown HG but it's an EJ22... --Damien

Hi all, My brother has a 96 2.2L OBW that is puking coolant out the OF tank. This problem only seems to occur while idling. The temp gauge does spike while idling, too. He says the problem goes away while driving. Your thoughts appreciated.... --Damien

I've spent enough time troubleshooting the problems with my 4EAT to be reasonably certain that electrical/electronic problems may very well be the matter. I'm going to go that route first before I consider an expensive shop repair. Can anyone tell me where the TCU is actually located? I know it's under the steering wheel somewhere...a picture or two of what it actually looks like would be helpful. Thanks! --Damien

Hi, I'm in the midst of trying to narrow down what's going wrong with my Phase I 4EAT. It seems right now the problem is still electrical/electronic in nature so I'm going to do what I can on my end to solve the issue without resorting to expensive mechanical work. Anyway, my questions: 1) What TCUs are compatible with the tranny on my 96 OBW? 2) I want to check to make sure the electrical/electronic system on my car is properly grounded. In particular, I want to insure the electronics on the tranny are properly grounded. How can I check to insure that component is properly grounded? Thanks in advance for your help and advice. --Damien

I stopped by our local Subaru dealership yesterday and after chatting with one of the mechanics there was able to narrow down more specifically the problem with the transmission. I know this is probably nothing new to you so please bear with me. Apparently the device which regulates pressure to the piston responsible for applying pressure to the clutch pack which transfers torque to the rear differential is stuck. From what I understand that clutch is now always engaged which explains the loud 'clunking' noise I hear coming from the rear when I park and shift from D to R or P. Is this a case of a bad connector or a failing Duty solenoid or what? I run my car now in FWD mode with no apparent ill-effects and no flashing AT Oil warning light at startup. --Damien

How do I clear the memory of the TCU on those Phase I 4EAT transmissions? --D

I did it myself...all I did was drain 4qts of ATF and put in 4qts more. This was after about 15k miles after what was basically a flush (80% of ATF replaced). --Damien

Well I put the fuse in and no more flashing AT light...car runs quite smoothly now. --Damien

What was stuck to the magnet was mostly metal 'dust' but also a couple of fragments of metal...both of which looked like parts of a metal ring. --Damien

Pics of what? Tell me and I'll happily take them. What the procedure with the fuse thing? Muchos gracias! -Damien

Hello Subaru fans, I recently changed the AT fluid in my 96 OB Wagon...soon thereafter the AT Oil light would flash repeatedly at startup. Then, I noticed some torque bind rounding tight corners at low speeds. Most disturbing, however, was when parking and shifting into Neutral and Park I would hear a big clunking sound which was apparently coming from the rear end. My investigation has lead me to believe an electronic failure with the transmission (I'm guessing a Duty Solenoid (C?) ) I did notice when changing the rear diff fluid around 30k miles ago that there were some solid pieces of metal stuck to the plug magnet. I'm guessing the rear diff days are numbered but the AT light definitely has me concerned. Upon the recommendations of some local Subaru mechanics I did put in about 10oz of LubeGuard in the tranny. Your input would be appreciated! Thanks... -Damien

Hi all, Turns out it was just a faulty thermostat...jammed shut apparently. Cheers! Damien

OK I did a few checks today....after starting the car it heated up pretty quicky...spiking to H and then settling down to a warmer than normal temperature. I parked it on an incline and then opened up the bleeder screw opposite the radiator. The upper radiator hose was very hot and steam was coming out the bleeder screw. The radiator itself was cool and only one of the fans was spinning. --Damien