mikeamondo

Hello again! We just bought a 99 Legacy Wagon, AWD, 83k miles, Auto and loaded up very nicely. Noticed today that the car doesn't like to stay in 4th gear. It will go into fourth about when you'd expect it to, but when you let off, even on level ground or going downhill, it will shift back into 3rd. In fact, I THINK it shifted down into 2nd from 3rd once at even lower speeds. It's pretty annoying, but doesn't really hurt the drivability. Any ideas on this issue? Please don't say the word 'toast'. ALSO.... while looking for info on the tranny issue, I say several comments about tranny issues and head gasket issues on 99's. What wonders do I have to look forward to with this car. We named him 'Jasper' by the way. He just looks like a Jasper. ALSO ALSO...... We will be selling our beloved 'Blubaru'... a 90 Legacy Wagon, auto, 155k miles, runs okay, lots of little stuff here and there and some fairly significant torque bind. Anyone interested? Asking $800. --Mike

Thanks for all the replies! I'm already having to replace the fuel filler tube where it's leaking like a sive, and then I noticed the tranny... thought we might have picked up a lemon. Good to know the transmission is acting normally! --Mike

I understand the 4EAT tranny in our daughter's 95 Impreza has a self protection feature which prevents it from shifting into 4th gear when cold. I just wanted to check to make sure that's correct.... our 90 Legacy should have the same tranny, and I've never noticed it in that car. The Impreza will run fine thru the first three gears for about 5 or 10 minutes, then will finally start shifting into 4th. Is that normal? thanks! Mike

Thanks for all the info! By the way... I just checked prices on both those sensors and found $188 for the cam angle and $279 for the crank angle.... can that be right? I could probably find an entire wrecked car for less! Due to business related time constraints, I think we are going to take the old boy to the shop instead of figuring this one out ourselves... but I'm going to print out the pdf files you've posted and take them along... it's not a Soob shop specifically, so any info I can pass on to these guys will help! --Mike

Can you test those sensors? How difficult are they to change out? Which should be first, pulling the cover to check the belt or testing the sensors? --Mike

Hello all... My '90 Legacy, "Blubaru", (if you name them, they last longer... scientifically proven) very suddenly began running very rough today. The car is an AWD, auto, wagon... 141k miles and has been running pretty well lately. In fact, we took it loaded to the gills on a 60 mile interstate trip two days ago and he ran fine. So... it has a solid, obvious and consistent miss, causing it to idle rough and accelerate with about 50% of the power it should have. It is the same cold as it is warmed up and seems unaffected by throttle settings or selected gear. I ran codes with both black and green connectors. The black connectors coded 35 - Canister Purge Solenoid (which it has been coding for a long time) and 13 - Cam Angle Sensor. With the green connectors hooked up, only the Purge Solenoid showed. My first theroy is this: The timing belt has slipped a tooth (or a gear has stripped a tooth), throwing the car out of time and for a moment, tripping the cam angle sensor. With the belt once again turning the cam, albeit out of time, the car no longer codes the cam angle sensor, but runs like crap due to the miss-timing.... I then found this thread, which seems to lend credence to my therory: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74169&highlight=Cam+angle+sensor So what do you guys think? Can I pull the front cover easily to check it out, without pulling the engine? Any ideas? --mike

I searched on both of these sites... I found listings for 4 speed sensors... one for each wheel as part of the braking system. The other site listed two, one for the front and one for the back, again dealing with the ABS system. I don't think it's what I'm look for... Is it? --M

Hi guys... I've decided to replace my fuel pump and VSS1 on my '90 Legacy LS, AWD, automatic... the car is coding for VSS, and I changed / fixed the VSS2 already... (it was broken at the tranny where the cable comes in from the speedo)... so I'm assuming VSS1 is now failing, as the speedometer is still working fine. (Any input on that assumption appreciated) Anyway... I can't find a place to buy the VSS1. Where can I get one? Looks pretty easy to change in the Haynes manual... is it? Thanks-- Mike

Well, it seems to me that the best plan of action would be 1) replace the fuel pump first and see if that fixes the low fuel problem. Then replace the VSS if it is cheap and easy to do so and maybe wait to see if the problem reappears if it isn't cheap and easy.... How hard is it go change the fuel pump? Where can I get instructions on the how to do it? How do I determine what part of the VSS system failed to throw the 35 code for VSS? How do I know whether it's VSS1 or VSS2? --Mike

Thanks for the input! We'll be checking the filler tube and vents to see if they're blocked... we normally don't let this car run nearly dry, due to the sputtering at low tank problem..... I normally fill the other car and three cans and then pour the cans into this car. As far as the VSS.... the descriptions here of the VSS fail mode seem to match what we've seen.... but to clarify... hooking the green connectors didn't neccessarily make the problem go away..... the problem simply did not repeat itself while they were connected. After I unconnected them, we drove the car 12+ miles (so far) with no further problem. Which leads to the next question: Can the VSS fail intermittantly, or is it a die suddenly kind of part? AND.... Where can I get instructions on how to replace it. Is it a fairly easy job? The car is an automatic... so does that mean there are two VSS's and if so... which one is bad? These questions and more will be answered in our next exciting episode of "Blubaru - King of the Soobs!" Thanks guys! --Mike

Fuel filter was replaced not to long ago.... 8 months or so? The fuel filler neck did in fact rust out and was replaced a month ago..... an odd side note, however... a week or so ago we started having a problem filling up the car.... the gas has to be trickled in slowly or else it backs up and shuts off the pump... I've filled the tank several times with gas cans (a free gas program through Giant Eagle stores gives you "up to 30 gals" at a big discount or free... so I fill the car and three gas cans to get all 30 gals.....) and my fear is, perhaps I let a cap or something fall down in there partially blocking the filler tube.... I can't think of anything else that could be down there. Would that play into these issues at all? The O2 sensor, I believe, was a Bosch... but I can't remember for certain. The problems are certainly intermittant... we drove the car about 12 miles this morning and the old boy ran great! Didn't miss a beat and threw no CEL codes at all....... Mike

The fuel guage in the car is a liar. Works about half the time, so we reset the odometer. Not sure if it's exactly at 1/4 tank, but certainly close. The fill up the other day that fixed the problem was maybe 11 gallons? The car is AWD... sorry I left that out. So.. the VSS. How hard is it to change that? Arn't those mounted in the tranny somewhere? Wait a minute.... I think I changed a VSS on this car. I'll need to check my records, but doesn't it mount low on the tranny, right at the fire wall, with one bolt into the housing.... I might be thinking about my Bonneville. Are there one or two VSS's? The one I changed was a VSS1.. so if the Sub only has 1, I prob. changed the Bonnie's. Too many old, decrepit cars. Thanks! Mike

Hello again... I'm still dealing with my old '90 Legacy, "Blubaru". He's blue. Anyway.... there are two issues and I think they are unrelated, but I'm curious to see what you guys think.... Here's the story. Problem 1: When the fuel tank gets below 1/4 tank, the car starts to run rough. It will also stall at intersections, with the miss becoming worse and worse as the tank empties. If you fill up the tank, the car runs fine... doesn't miss a beat... until the tank gets low again. This sequence is well established, and is not intermittant. It does this on every tank full. My guess on this one is...... Weak Fuel Pump. Less gas = less pressure pushing gas out of the bottom of the tank, leaving the system to rely more on the pump, which being weak, fails to provide enough fuel..... What do you guys think? Problem 2: Drove the car into town in the morning. Let it sit most of the day and started home. About 5 miles into the drive home, the car lost power at all throttle settings except for the first few inches of pedal travel. From standstill, the car can accelerate slowly, with very little pedal... but if you push the pedal further down, the engine "Bogs down" and sputters.... even backfires through the carb. Let off again and it will catch and run... very slowly speeding up. If you're on level ground, you can get her up to 40 or so... uphill only about 20.... Anyway, we limped the car home like this and then let it sit for a day. Today I went out and checked the codes. The CEL has been coming on now and then for a while. Codes came up as 32, 33 and 35. Then I connected the green connectors, followed the instructions and drove the car. Ran perfectly. Never missed a beat. Drove for over 10 miles. Nada. Codes are O2 Sensor, VSS and Canister Purge Solenoid. The canister purge thing has been coding for a long time.... hasn't seemed to mess up anything before. The O2 sensor was changed only a couple thousand miles back. So... whatcha' all think? Since it seems to be running okay now, we're going to take the car into work tomorrow, so maybe it will repeat the issue and I can reconnect the greens and see what it codes whilst messing up. Thanks! Mike

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm going to swap the tranny fluid in the next day or so, and I'll let you know if it helps. Not that it makes a diff... but I posted '93... it's a '92. Anyone want to buy a parts car?:-\ --Mike

Second opinions! Dear God, let there be second opinions! (and I don't mean "Okay... and it's ugly, too!") Alright.... I accept the fate of the car... so tell it to me straight doc.... how long have I got with the old boy? Is there any hope at all? Could the overfull tranny oil or the low differential oil possibly, maybe, pretty please, any chance in hell, be the culprit? I figure I'll do the tranny fluid swap just in case......... ugh. Thanks, Mike

93 Legacy Wagon, auto tranny... When first starting out, normally in reverse, the tranny will slip for like 2 to 4 seconds prior to engaging. Once it warms up it normally does not do it.... but has at least once while warm. Has not done it going forward.... yet. I checked the transmission fluid per instruction in owners manual. It shows way overfull. Not sure how this is possible, as I've done the maint. and know that I've not put any fluid in this car anytime recently. (Sears might have when they did an oil change.) Also... the oil looks a little brown when cold... not very red. I drove the car 6 or 8 miles and checked with the engine running... then the tranny fluid looked more red (a little) and frothy. Do you check engine running or engine off? The fluid was way passed F both ways. Then I checked the Differential fluid, on the opposite side of the engine. (Never even knew that bugger existed!) It was solidly low... even more so after driving. It looks like engine oil on the dipstick... is that what goes in the differential... or is their special diff oil? Stupid question, I know.... And of course the big question... could low diff oil cause the slip in the tranny? Any advice on this car would be greatly appreciated.... We've put the old boy up for sale... I think he's punishing us. -Mike

Cool. But would that broken base piece at the tranny make the TCU code 33... VSS2? And... where on the tranny do I find the connection? What is the best source to buy the part shown in the pic? Thanks for the help! --Mike

Hi... I've got a nother problem with Bluebaru... 90 Model Legacy with 125k miles, auto tranny. Speedometer quit working and the CEL came on steady with flashing power light at start up. TCU (thanks for the great instructions on pulling codes, by the way!) codes 33 - Vehicle Speed Sensor 2. I see from other posts that this sensor is at the speedometer under the dash. How easy/hard is VSS2 to change? Are there instructions anywhere on here for changing it? Where is the best place to order it? Anything else I should check out before swapping the VSS? Thanks! Mike

The saga continues..... my '90 Legacy (Blubaru) has a made a very slight sound in sharp right hand turns for a while now. Not quite a clunking, but more than a ticking.... like a tunking..... Anyway, while in a parking lot yesterday, while backing up and turning hard (wheel all the way right) it made horrible clunking noises and the shifter (automatic) vibrated violently with each clunk. I figured it was done for. But then it went away when I straightened out. It did it one more time a short time later, again while turning sharply in a parking lot. After that, I tried to re-create it, but it won't do it again, so far. The minor ticking-clunking sound in sharp corners on the road is still there as aways, but I can't recreate the other more severe issue. Any ideas on what's up? As always, I pay homage to the Gurus of Subarus! Thanks for your help in advance! --Mike

How can I easily check the belts? Is there an easy access port I'm missing... or do I have to take off the cover to get at it? --Mike

Howdy and thanks for the replies..... Got the o2 sensor in the 93. Thought I was buying a direct replacement.... got a universal and (surprise) the wires were different colors than on Bosch's handy dandy little chart. Figured it out with the help of this board. What an amazing resource! After the O2 was in, I reset the codes, got the steady flash. Hooked up the green connectors and drove. Got the steady flash. Drove the heck out of it. Got the steady flash. Drove home and parked. Steady flash. Rehooked up the black connectors, just in case. Steady flash. Unhooked the connectors, replaced the kick panel and started the car and the CEL came on. It was like a bad sitcom. Mike and the Sooby, Tuesdays at 8! The good news is that the only thing it's coding now is 35, the canister purge solenoid valve.... which after all the rambling leads me to my question. Where can I get one? A quick search of some places I've seen listed here did not have one. I'm assuming I need to change the whole valve unit and cannot buy just the solenoid. And on the 90 model.... I'll give that coil pack a shot and will probably do plugs and wires at the same time...... Thanks! Mike

I've been looking for a resource that I don't think exists..... (maybe it's not possible)... but if it did, I'd gladly pay for it. A few bucks, anyway... I would like to see a chart listing all of the various sensors that show up on the ECU codes along with the function of each and a list of symptoms that result when each sensor fails. That way, when receiving multiple codes, one could begin to proceed in an order that makes sense instead of shooting in the dark, so to speak.... Of course, creation of such a list might be hindered by the fact that some sensors seem to cause multitudes of differing symptoms..... Any thoughts? Does it already exist? --Mike

I'm really trying to keep my 2 old Soobies running for a while longers.... FIRST: '93, auto.... this car starts and runs good, but occasionally, when trying to jump out into traffic, the old boy lets us down.... just sputters and inches his way onto the road. After a few harrowing times of this, my wife does not want to drive it any more. It also seems weak on steeper hills. I ran the codes and it was showing 4... Cam Angle Sensor, Throttle Position Sensor, O2 Sensor and Canister Purge Solenoid.... I've already bought the O2 sensor and will put it in tomorrow, with little expectation of fixing the hesitation. The Cam and Thottle sensors are both very expensive, so I was hoping to get an idea of which one is most likely causing the issue.... AND.... how hard are the cam and throttle sensors to replace? Do you have to remove the timing belt cover? Any help would be greatly appreciated! SECOND: On the 90 legacy, auto, I've solved most problems and now have a good running car with no CEL's..... until I've run it for a good hour or so.... long after reaching "operating" temperature... it develops a miss at highway speeds, starting on the hills but becoming worse over the next 30 minutes or so. Eventually, you can't top a moderate hill above 35. Cooling down for a short while will restore it's running condition...... for a while, until the whole thing repeats. If you didn't drive for more than an hour, you'd think it ran perfectly. Any Ideas? It has a new o2 sensor and fuel filter.... Thanks again!

Okay... I've got this '90 Legacy named Blubaru.... mainly because we already had one named Emeril... Emeril Legacy.... (BAM!).... and couldn't come up with any other name. And he's blue. So old Blue was developing a miss on the hills and the check engine light would come on... coded O2 Sensor. So last week I changed the sensor and the light went out. But the miss is still there. Here are the details..... Starts easy and runs nearly perfect while cold. After an hour or so, once the car gets good and hot, (not overheating), it begins a subtle miss while going up hill or during aggressive accelerations. This gets worse over the next half hour or so, until it barely wants to climb any hill faster than 35 or 40 mph and you can forget about jumping out into traffic! If you park the car for a little while and let it cool down, it runs good again until it heats back up. The check engine light does not come on. What is the consensus on the next thing we should change out or test? We are determined to fix this car without taking it to a mechanic! Thanks! Mike

Weak pump? Really? I've been told by more than one person that "they don't fail that way. They either work or they don't." I suspected it might be "weak"..... but was shot down. The filter is new, by the way. So, is there a report on this site somewhere is instructions on finding and replacing the O2 sensor? thanks! --Mike