Midwst

I test drove a legacy today, the 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts grabbed a bit. I pulled out the tranny dip stick, wiped it on a clean white towel and saw a heavy grey mark on the towel. Fluid was still sort of red. Is this a sign that theres "metal in the pan?" Thanks.

all the ugly details are in my post "timing belt and idle" a few lines down. No codes. Timing is okay.

I am going to perform a compression check on my Legacy tomorrow. If it fails, i'm done with it. There is some chance that the timing belt is streched...don't know cars history. Car not running well. Will this skew the compression readings? If the belt is streched will the timing be off? Many thanks. Also what are the symptoms of a loose tensioner pulley?

No codes. Car definately runs much worse when hot. No clue. Giving up soon.

Would never recommend using new parts on differential. Plenty of good used stuff out there. MUCH LESS $$$$ And don't have the dealer do it. Find someone better. also get a second opinion. Lots of things can cause difficulty steering. No, don't keep driving it...maybe to a shop thats all. Depends how bad, might be better to tow??

I'm looking for the factory testing specs for an igniter on a 1991 2.2L Legacy. Also need to know how to test the cam and crank shaft sensors that have 3 prong connectors. My aftermarket manuals only list info for 2 prong connectors. Primary resistance on coil pack is 1.o ohms. Max specs in book is .72 ohms I think. I doubt that is enough to make a difference, but thought I would ask. Many thanks!

Finally bought a Chilton's repair manual. you're right! No listing for EGR on that car. Too bad, that was my first guess... have to keep going.

Miles Fox, thought you would be interested in fuel inejector resistance specs. From pin one to 3, 4 or 5. Junk yard part is 1.61 M ohms My part is 2.04 M ohms...sometimes reads OL!!! Others: FYI resistor pack...take of plastic cover over ign coil pack. Look straight back. Up against firewall is triangle shaped plate with 1x2 1/2" resistor pack, large conector. Right up top. Would be intersted in other peoples resistance specs on this resistor too. No info in Haynes, lol. Edit correction: resistor is not resistor. Called dealer. Its the igniter. Retail new $246!!! The junk yard tossed it in free with the coil pack.

Its a 1991 Legacy. Really need to find the EGR valve if there is one...and need to find it soon!

Yes, you are getting hosed...probably not on purpose, but by incompetent mechanics. I am an ASE certified AC technician. The first thing I would recommend is that you find you do the very simple check someone mentioned here to be sure the problem is not with the air vents in the dash. i have seen them stick before on Subarus. The second thing I would recommend is that you ask for AC leak dye to be added to the system....at a recommended repair facility....someplace your friends/family are familiar with and like....or actually Jiffy Lube...but they are expensive. An AC leak is pretty easy to find, even without special equipment. Look at the front of the compressor, and all the junction points on the AC lines. You are looking for light oil residue. Looks like cooking oil which picks up dirt. You won't be able to check the junctions at the eveperator core, under the dash, but you can check everything else. If that doesn't work, there are many high dollar (aka professional grade) ac leak detectors that sense leaking refridgerant..also an ac light for spotting ac dye which the repair facility can use. Don't drive the car longer than recommended with the dye, because otherwise it will get all over and make diagnosis more difficult. One guess is that the internal vanes in the ac compressor might be sticking. Turn the ac on/off 8 times in a row. Ocassionally that works. Otherwise, yes, you might need a compressor. If this is true, pressure tests will show adequate refridgerant but incorrect pressures. Other possibilities would be excessive moisture in the system because the morons who worked on it before didnt put it on a 30 minuite vacuum after replacing the hose. Anyone who has a clue should know better. I would insist that only an ASE certified A/C professional work on your car. Legally, I think they are required to be certified, but who knows if shops follow this law. Hope that helps.

I did pick up a used fuel injector resistor. Will try that too. Thanks.

Okay, this is a little embarassing, but I can't find the EGR valve on my 2.2L Legacy. I know what they look like on other cars, but not Subarus. Any tips on finding the animal? Thanks.

I always forget about the rodents. Thanks for the reminder.

Yeah, I am thinking throttle plate or EGR too. Where is the backpressure transducter valve? Is it inside the EGR? Here are the symptoms. Early this spring, every few weeks, I would start it up, hot or cold and it would run really rough for 1 minuite then settle down. I guess that does sound like something sticking. Then it started happening more often, especially on hot restarts, but would always calm down after a minuite or two. Three weeks ago, I started it up, hot, and it ran very roughly for several minuites. Never recovered. Had to shut if off. Now it is running sort of roughly most of the time, especially when warm. Does not settle down. Will check the EGR valve today. Can a bad injector cause these symptoms? Will also check cam and crank sensors and engine codes.

On a 2.2L, can a streched timing belt cause a car to run rough? I've tried plugs, wires, ign coil (used), checked injectors. But crankshaft pulley does not look like it is turning evenly. Is it possibly the timing belt? If yes, will try. If no, car is done. When I take the car up to 3000 rpm then let it drop down, it does not recover well. Runs ragged, then does not ever fully recover. Hate this car now.

More trauma with the 1991 Legacy, AWD, automatic. 189,000 miles Car was sitting for 3 weeks. Now the gear shift is very stiff and hard to move. shifted fine when I parked it 3 weeks ago. Warmed the car up. Problem still there. Any ideas? THanks.

I only know about engines, cooling, suspension, steering, a/c, electrical, brakes and exhaust. Drive trains are my weak spot. Too bad, because thats the one thing that is kicking my butt. Urgh. Would think twice about switching the rear diff myself.

Some of the junk yards I am talking to tell me that they wash the transmissions. I know that if one washes an engine, the spark plugs MUST be in, or water gets into the cylinders. Are there any precautions that need to be taken in washing a transmission to keep water from entering the assembly? Its on a 1991 Legacy AWD, automatic tranny. Thanks.

There are a few places that deal with parts shipped in from Japan. The story is that the Japanese cannot keep their cars over 50K miles because of very strict emissions laws. I don't know if this is true, but there are a few US used parts dealers that say they only bring in parts from Japan...low milege cars. I did buy an engine from ASAP motors and was quite happy with it. Midwest Engines is another outfit that supposedly has a very good rep. A Japanese Engines is another one, although I've heard mixed reviews. Anyone had any experience with these places for engines or trannies? Thanks.

From what I understand the only tranny that will just bolt right in is a 1990 or 1991 Legacy. If it is a 92 or newer, the rear differential also needs to be switched over. At least, thats what I've been told by junk yards. This could be done, buts ads alot of labor cost...unless I figure out how to do it myself. This does make it hard to find a tranny when it only fits for 2 years. Josh, does this sound right?

Hate to post bad news, but I disagree with the idea of driving a car any more than necessary if it has a ripped boot and/or clicking axle. I ruined my front differential when a front axle broke. Did'nt realize it was going out. Had the radio up too loud I guess. It also took out the front wheel bearing. Now have to replace the tranny...but tranny has other problems too, so not a horrible deal. But if I had caught the axle problem earlier, could have nursed the tranny along for another year...maybe?

Thanks Josh. My car...I forgot to mention is a 1991 Legacy. Looks like that tranny was only made for 2 years.

appologies on the a/c drain advice. I was listening to the Haynes manual advice...I should know better. They say on 2.2L ac has to be opened. Obviously they are wrong. lol

No. Didn't get the Loyale yet. Just wanted to know because the Legacy requires a/c drain. Not sure theres any way around that on Legacy. Since I will probably want to pull the engine on Loyale at some point, wanted to know how what was invovled. Since engines are my primary interst, always like to know more about them...and how to remove them.

Thanks. I couldn't remember if was best cold or hot....that helps. Hopefully for future reference...if I ever do need to use a heli-coil pack...how do I get the metal shavings out of the cylinder, or do they just burn up? Thanks.