1 Lucky Texan

take a look at the radiator itself, maybe it could use a good blasting with a hose to clean out bugs. testing the t'stat is a good idea, but it's at least 9 years old. they aren't pricey so, go ahead an re-install a new one. from the dealer or, a Stant Xacstat 48457. the one you remove BETTER look like;

well, yeah, anything stock is pretty old by now. Have the plug wires been replaced? With OEM? (this is an application that doesn't do well with typical aftermarket parts) many folks have also fixed misfires with new plug wires. and, from what I've read - typical rebuilt alts are suspect. is it always better after it's warmed up? I suppose the Engine Temp Sensor could be bad. On an older car, probably can't rule out a sticking IACV. does it throw codes? Have you had them scanned?

triple check all your cable connections and that the belt hasn't loosened up.

is it Six Star ?

I used seafoam too recently. It has a huge following on the boards and I had a weird issue with my WRX. Dunno if it actually helped - or coincidentally the problem hasn't returned. It's hard to know for certain with most of these 'mechanic in a can' solutions. Ivan, have you checked for old fuel filters or for some kinda partial failure of the fuel pumps - low pressure/volume? Maybe weak fuel pressure regulators?

could you create the noise by creeping along with someone pacing the car to locate the noise? left right front rear, it would help. comparing the temps of the hubs after a drive might find one wheel hotter than it's mate - perhaps indicating a bearing or possibly a brake problem.

I'm under the impression Techron gas treatment might actually help with injectors. Maybe experiment with it in a 'test' vehicle as well. any rumors from other shops about this epidemic of 420s?

Just remember, the system will try to make changes, and can be fooled by mis-information. Either from air/vacuum/exhaust leaks or from bad/marginal sensors/parts. for example, if worn spark plugs are missing, then unburned fuel leaves the combustion chamber, the front O2 sensor may signal a 'rich' condition, then the ECU leans out the injectors. Then that may lead to high nox, more misfires or ??????? Is there year or model in common? are they all PZEV cars? H4 and H6es?

is there anyway the - uh - Province or government could test gasoline samples from several of the affected cars?

I still wonder if there is some way to just bypass that chamber. Some kinda alternate plumbing routing . Might be tricky finding hose or pipe materials we could be certain would survive the environment. Also, have we really pinned down the size and material for the o-ring? That new, larger, filter cap doesn't come with one. and, wondering if all that extra mass of the larger cap might make failures MORE frequent/likely?

was it the tab with the ground connection?

AH - gotcha, very important that the valve is working on all cars - imperative it does on a turbo vehicle. Hadn't considered the backwards path but would be really bad for the intercoole and - well, everything downstream from the breather connections.

good point, there is a product promoted around here called RXP that 'seems' helpful for some individuals. Others seem to use it prentatively/regularly every 6 months or w'ever.. I haven't needed to try it out, but it seems highly regarded. But, I live in a non-attaiment area an we have had 10% ethanol for a long time and I have not noticed, nor are there 'rumors' or 'local legends' of it being the cause of emissions failures GENERALLY. But the situation does the beg the question if something has JUST changed. I I wonder if Ivan can check with other local shops to confirm a rash of issues across years/models of cars. There has been some noise made about us going to a 15% ethanol - folks are really concerned about that. OH - I just remembered! I wonder if the warm temeratures is causing some phase separation or other problems with the gas/ethanol? Ed Wallace is the local 'car talk' guy and he may have some info on the ethanol phase separation. I wonder if the cars Ivan is seeing sit in the heat unused for some period of time, then throw codes? There must be some common factor here if he has noticed a drastic increase. **********Later-model cars and trucks were supposed to have been re-engineered to mitigate the corrosive properties of the E-10 ethanol-laced fuel. Ed Wallace, writing in Business Week, finds that this is not necessarily true. “Not only is ethanol proving to be a dud as a fuel substitute, but there is increasing evidence that it is destroying engines in large numbers.” He goes on: “It now appears that in just a few years since the government forced ethanol use on the country, engine and fuel system failures caused by ethanol are causing major damage to more and more new and used vehicles.” Wallace concludes: “Sadly, when a truly bad idea is exposed today, Washington’s answer is to double-down on the bet, mandate more of the same, and make the problem worse. Only this time around motorists will be able to gauge the real cost of ethanol when it comes time to fix their personal cars.” Ethanol has two other properties that further complicate the process. Ethanol and gasoline do not bond chemically. They simply coexist in the fuel system in an “oil and vinegar” relationship. While ethanol may hate gasoline, it loves water. The term to describe this is “hygroscopic,” or “water soluble.” Ethanol attracts and absorbs water. As long as the amount of water in the fuel system is small, this can be a good thing: In the winter it limits the possibility of a fuel line freeze-up. However, as the water content gets higher, the new ethanol/water compound sinks to the bottom of the fuel tank. This process is called “phase separation.” If we continually drive our cars (or cut our grass every week or so) these ethanol-unique characteristics will not normally be an issue. But after about 90 days (the shelf life of E-10 gasoline), problems begin to manifest. The result: “bad gas.” The engine won’t start or there will be “missing” or “sputtering” problems. This is the reason you don’t want to leave gas containing ethanol in the lawn mower over the winter. Because of the separation and corrosion problems, ethanol cannot be transported through pipelines. It requires its own separate and costly distribution channel dominated by rail and trucks to keep it apart from the gasoline as long as possible before retail. *************************************** from; http://www.thefreemanonline.org/features/government-moonshine/ **

I'm no expert about this stuff for certain. Maybe other scanners use a different term. On my old Innova 3100a scanner, if I get a single code, FF shows in the display and I push the FF button, then scroll through the listings. It shows stuff like the speed when the that code was set, the coolant temp, etc. and the Short Term and LOng Term fuel trims. If there's 2-3 codes, FF is only avail;able for one of the codes. mine looks like the one on the left in this pic - you can see the term FreezeFrame in the display and the FF button on the panel;

then we had 2 separate incidents posted at nearly the same time. we really need a source of replacement caps. Plus, this issue needs to be a sticky I think.

this would be an extremely helpful development if it works. Kinda concerned that separate part number isn't shown. I once emailed Airtex to find out if the cap/o-ring for their replacement assembly was available to purchase separately. Got a response that they were not. maybe someone should email Bosch.

isn't the PCV 'downstream' from the IC and throttle body - into the intake mani ?

second or 3rd one for me - definitely more reports from the H6es though.

got a link? I couldn't find it at B-A's website. the Airtex and Bosch assemblies are twice that price fro RockAuto.

this; http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b13/type_32/intake_and_supply_system_turbocharger/fuel_tank/illustration_2/ doesn't show any separate part numbers. ebay has helped some folks out that need this part. Supposedly, beck-arnley has an entire assembly that isn't 'too' expensive. someone could probably sell a kit with a cap and o-ring them for $39.95 and clean up. I always wonder how many soobs have been towed to a dealer/shop and owners sold an entire pump. Probably charged $500-$750 for that stupid cap - plus the hassle of a tow!

is 7wayne7 your buddy?

OK, did you install a new pump assembly? Or just a pump motor. There's a known issue with the metal cap on the assembly. Usually a tab cracks allowing an o-ring to push out. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/41182-symptoms-fuel-pump-o-ring-problem.html

if you can get freezeframe data (that's what my Innova scanner call it), look at fuel trims, you may see that the ECU is pulling the fuel. large negative, maybe 2 digit negative, LTFTs. I dunno, but it seems to me a marginal front O2 or maybe a marginal MAF could 'fool' the ecu into thinking it needs to pull fuel.

yep, for the diagram shown, that allows the adjuster to have a RH thread and be adjusted by pushing up on the star wheel from 'inside' (behind the backing plate) still, that same assembly will work fine on the other side IF the stud faces the rear of the vehicle. ugh - my head hurts.

looked at some pics of hardware kits for the rear tiny drum parking brakes for a '95. By zooming in (ctrl +) it seems fairly clear there are no left-hand thread adjusters or parts. And I see no reason the assembly can't be installed 'reversed' from the other side. There's no advantage to creating a left-hand and right hand assembly. You'd have to remember which goes where. Just as easy to install the same assembly reversed and fewer 'special' parts. So, I'm calling any manual for a soob after about 1994 that says the 'stud' must be installed the same way is likely wrong(for the parking brakes in the disc rotor system) Again, other, older, year models may be different. And for models with rear DRUM brakes , there ARE LH and RH parts as shown at opposed forces (see below) interesting. Legacy Oct. '93 to '99 tiny drum in disc rotor (adjuster is number 19 - no LH or RH shown) Rear DRUM brakes (note LH and RH for adjuster)