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U R a Bus may have left the building. Possibly to get a new alt?

Next time - loosen the lock nut/bolt This is located in the center of the idler pulley. You are not the first person to not realise this locks the adjustment bolt.

I'll try and shed some light on these problems. Which incidentally, I have experienced all that you mention. Most of which is a reiteration of what GD said. Disconnect the EGR solenoid and put an ohm meter on the leads to the solenoid. Wiggle and twist the leads, see if the reading varies. It should remain at approx. 35 ohms. If it ever goes to infinity that will set the CEL. Bumps and bruises. There could be two issues here One side of my cranium tells me the internal voltage regulator OR the alt brushes are going south. They "brighting up when reved" could be the brushes coming back in contact with the stator, or if the voltage goes above 15 volts when this happens, the VR is going. I have also seen in several instances where the main rectifying diodes go open in such a fashion that the contacts come and go. The other side of my brain is dead... wish I could remember if it hurt when this happened?? also: Be sure the alt connection to the charging fusible link (small black box behind the battery, link closest to washer bottle) are tight and clean. I have had the connection to this link get corroded, this in turn causes heat and the connector looses it's temper - so to speak. Hope some of this helps. In finality, if it has to be a domestic, the blue oval is also my choice. They may make a lot of changes, but at least they are trying to correct the issues rather than ignore them like some General I know does.

It has been said to properly burp the system the front of the vehicle should be raised, such as on car ramps or raised high with a floor jack and jack stands.

Dave, thanks for taking all the time in this endeavor. When I attempt to turn the slotted drive is spins freely. I can feel it catch on some material but it is more or less free spin. I learned yesterday that the speedo slowly died, working now and then. No doubt as the drive gear lost more and more of it's beveled teeth. I talked to a local tranny shop familiar with the 4EAT. He said he has seen this multiple times. Also said postal delivery wagon have it happen, this OB was used to deliver a free local newspaper. (My blue wagon was used for mail, may have had this issue dealt with before me maybe by him?) He explained the problem as getting the driven gear up and out of the way. Saying it must come down and out, not up and out. He also suggested they be replaced as a set. If I get the gear set he said he'd do it for a hundred bucks, that I don't have. Looks like I get to smell like gear oil for a week. but as reported in another post, the engine I put in may have head gasket problems. So I am going to drive it for a while as it is inspected and see if the HGs need R&R then yank the lump and tranny. Thanks once again for the concern and the effort.

John thanks for the reply and the link to the most excellent photos. This kinda pulls a large vacuum, if you get my point? No VSS# 2 = no AWD and worse, no pass the emission test due to the OBD II. Does anyone know if I can remove the output spline cover/bearing support to gain access to this gear? Some of John's picts make it look plausible. My bet again is no I can't. My Suby luv is waning.

for got to add installed VSS with voltmeter connected car on stands with her feet in the air ran in drive and got no voltage from VSS (when VSS is turned by drill voltage varries with RPM)

major up date: engine replaced car runs speedo does not show speed connect the VSS and spin it with a drill - speedo reads fine The drive is now replaced and what the real problem appears to be is the slotted base is not being turned by the gear in the diff. My bet is it's nylon and part of the drive broke off (found a small portion of it in the slot). This in turn jammed the slotted drive and stripped this nylon drive gear. Anyone know if this is feasable? Or fixable without removing the tranny? My luck probably not.

Sorry for the mistake guys, I didn't know they went to el.ig in '80. I thought it was 81, again sorry for the error.

Dear Greenie Please pull your dist. cap and see if you have a points and condenser ignition. My bet is you do and the points want adjusted. The transistor you refer to is probably an ignition noise suppression capacitor. If I am way off base please excuse this post.

Dale, I do not mean to turn you away from the USMB but the foruum linked to below is dedicated to the early Legacys lots of good info and a big classified section. (as the owner of 6 Legs (3 turbos) I use it a lot) http://bbs.legacycentral.org/ My SS "Ruby" nfs

Just a couple of pointers from recently "yankin' a 2.5 lump" You may want to loosen the crankbolt after removing the rad. A chain wrench is handy if the clutch is slipping or you can use the kamikasi (sp?) starter technique. Remove the charcoal canister bracket, the cam cover hits it on the way out. (I read every post I could find before I yanked mine and never saw this mentioned. It was kind of tuff getting it off with the cam cover in the way.) Be sure to get a pilot shaft alignment tool to center the clutch disc in the pressure plate (many "clutch kits" come with one. Hope this helps

Thanks for all the replies guys. Esp PAezb, I did read many articles using the search function but missed that one. Nipper, I guess my wording was not to clear. Thanks for the clarification. There is no engine in the car now so no CEL. PO (Previous Owner) had no money thus the dummying of the TPS not the VSS.

Okay folks first off let me say thanks for taking time to look at this post. Second let me add that I have not driven the car in question as the engine is being swapped. It was reported to me by the PM (Previous Mechanic) that the car was driving very poorly. He said there was a problem with the vehicle speed sensor and another mechanic "dummied it" so the car could be driven ("it" meaning the engine as I found the TPS idle switch by passed) I have read where the ECU uses VSS#2 to trigger various maps for the spark and fuel. I will assume you know that a 4EAT uses two Vehicle Speed Sensors (VSS) to control when to engage the clutch pack for the rear wheel drive. One for front wheels and one for the rear. If the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) sees a difference in the rotation RPM of the front compared to the rear, it brings the rear drive into action. As I understand it, VSS#1 is located in the tail shaft housing and for years VSS#2 was located in the speedometer head unit behind the dash. My research shows this model tranny ( a 1997 4EAT) has VSS#2 located in the transmission instead of the speedometer head and VSS#1 having an external vs. internal mounting location. Both can bee seen at http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl833h.htm But when viewing my tranny the mounting location of VSS#2 is about ten inches in front of the location shown in the link provided above. This brings me to my question Has any one removed VSS#2 as I need to know what type of drive mechanism it uses. My VSS#2 looks like this The sensor is said by some to be a reed switch which feeds the ECU the road speed via digital pulses. Mine has a square socket for a drive. When I connect an ohm meter across the output terminals and rotate the drive I get no evidence of a reed switch, i.e. no pulsing. But when using a square drive bit in a cordless drill and spinning the drive, I see an AC voltage which varies with RPM. I have read where a test of the VSS is to watch it's AC output volt voltage and verify it changes with road speed. Mine was laying loose in the mount where it picks up the signal. Looking into the mounting hole there appears to be a brass slotted head. (see above photo) Does anyone know what the drive should look like? Can I purchase just the drive? I am going to assume that Subaru was in a state of confusion during the 1997 campaign and may have used a variety of configurations of the 4EAT. This would explain why mine seems to be in an Abby normal position.

Thanks for all the replies, guys. For those of you who I confused with my wording, I did a "leak down test" not a "compression test". If you would like to read bout this test procedure please visit http://www.xs11.com/tips/misc/misc3.shtml I did have the cam (valve) covers removed. With them removed and with the aid of a long screw driver I could verify that the cylinder I was testing was on TDC and was on the compression stroke. Your replies are all very sound and I know I should heed your advise. But, I have more time these daze (sic) than money (or common sense for that matter). I was hit with forced retirement due to redundancy (read I trained the monkeys too well) Feel sorry not as a shot of my shop shows I'm in a fine state of confusion. I have the EJ25 boat anchor hanging in effigy and think I may roll the dice and plop the EJ22 in - I probably will come up craps but I need the practice. Once again I thank you for your replies and your time. I will be honest and tell tale of my foolishness after the fact.

Hi Chris, thanks for using the search feature. PM on the way to you Rgrds. Skip

I got an '94 EJ22 (154 Kmi.) from the local boneyard, yanked the lump myself. Came from a car that had been sitting for only two months. Car was crashed in the pass side front (popped both air bags thus the total) but damage did not hit the cam sprocket. Engine looks real clean and well maintained, as did the remains of the car. The coolant overflow bottle still had coolant in it. The level was between the two marks and was not milk shaky, oil was also clean and non frothy with no signs of coolant. But.. I was bothered to find no thermostat in the lower housing. This set me to wondering if this engine may have a headgasket problem / overheat issue and the owner removed the T-stat in hope of repair. (Rad was totaled in the crash but did not look antique, I did not look inside of it though) With the engine now on a stand, I decide to do a leak down test on the engine. I built the leak down tester pictured here Pulled the cam covers (very clean inside) so I could verify compression TDC for the cyl. I was testing. Used a clamped T wench on the crank bolt to lock the engine. Timing belt looked new and all marks lined up as they should. Cylinders one and three showed 50 psi with balanced leakage from intake and exhaust. But 2 and 4 both showed goose eggs - nada! Air could be heard coming from the exhaust on four and intake when testing # two. I next put another leak down type spark plug fitting in cyl # 2 with a 0-30 PSI gauge (read rather sensitive) locked the engine so both #2 and #4 valves were closed and fed #4 full air compressor pressure, no reading showed on the gage in #2, the needle never twitched. Listening for air in the cooling system, I could not verify any leakage. So I sealed the cooling system and used and very sensitive (inches of water column) gage to monitor the cooling system pressure. Again not a twitch in the needle of the gage. Fed the cooling system 15 psi and pressure held. I rolled the engine so I could look at the exhaust valves through the ports. The exposed parts of the stems showed some rust. What could be seen of the valves looked normal. No large carbon deposits. What is the chance that #2 and #4 were open while sitting and rust has formed on the valves/valve seats preventing them from closing (this rust would probably be dislodged are a few revolutions with fire in the hole)???? As it takes what? all of one or two hours to install and test -- should I chance it?? I thank you for taking a few minutes of your life to read this diatribe and.. All comments and suggestions are appreciated. ________________________________________________________ Be careful - its a bone yard waiting to happen out there!

I am buying a 97 Outback that has a 2.5L with a 4EAT trans. Both engine and trans may have issues. I also may have the chance to pick up a similar year 2.2L with a 4EAT. Assuming the rear diff ratios match, will the 2.2L 4EAT work with the TCU from the 2.5L 4EAT, as in plug and play, or will there be wiring issues? The manual says the trannys are different (atleast they have different fluid capacities, possibly only the Torq Conv is larger?) I have used the search function with many different terms but can not find an answer to this. Thanks for any insight.

The mech said the owners did not want to put any more money in it. Guess they have paid him to do all the recent brake work ect. Plus the head job and.... It is the only Legacy in the yard (small town, old time yard) They are willing to help with the missing part (front hub and BJ) Anybody know if a 94 hub will work?

small update Vehicle is a one owner, heated seats, rear spoiler, cargo cover is good, bolster on driver's chair needs repair. All work since new, done at the shop connected to the bone yard. Talked at length with the mechanic who did the service. Has had a broken timing belt repair with all OEM parts about 30 kmi ago (did bend some valves). Timing belt is intact (cover loosened by mechanic to check this). Has new brake pads and front rotors, new pads on rear. No wheels or tires. But I have several sets of spares, All struts look good. No leaks. Needs a front hub (previously sold) Transmission drives fine but needs VSS 1. No coolant in the oil, no milkshake froth in the over flow. Can't see coolant in rad filler neck (there was clean coolant in the overflow but it was not over full). Squeezing the lower rad hose makes me think it low on coolant. Maybe a head gasket blown into combustion chamber? Now get this. Boneyard owner wants to move it into a spce where I can examine it better before closing the deal?? Tomorrw morning I'm taking wheels and tires down.

I found this is a bone yard near me. 97 OB 150 kmi. has normal title. Other side is just as clean, needs a strut, may need a timing belts (he says engine spins "kinda fast"), and the tranny needs a VSS. Comes with the alloys and good tires. Several board members in another post said it a 250 dollar car (one said "free to $100") Are they correct or is it worth 500? Thanks for your input

yes, it would pass no problem. PA IM test is a no worry as there is no orig. equip. inspection where I get my inspection done. I'll offer less but it is real clean and is inspected until 11/30/06.

I will not see Mr. Boneyard untill Tue. maybe I'll sleep on it and ????

Thanks guys for the reality wake up call. Guess I'll opt for the NYC way out as I doubt I'll get Mr. Boneyard to come down to that level. but a sweet running EJ22T (turbo) Outback for less than a grand would be something a lot of us would go for?? Say yea -- Nay or Yay??