Manarius

Subaru's headlight wiring is..not good to say the least. There's been far too many cases of headlight connectors and wires melting or catching fire :-\. Unfortunately, it's hit or miss and usually the best way to fix it is to add in some extra relays to aid the system.

Maybe your need to look into replacing the PCV valve. I think that this could have caused that "pop" off - especially if it was clogged.

Because if someone who is new to this board sees this thread in a search, they're going to assume that all EJ style engines have "disasters" that are becoming common - which simply isn't the case. I think they should be...maybe "Problems to look for" but not common disasters, especially on the EJ22.

Funny. In all the posts at Legacycentral, I can't seem to find very many (if any) having anything to do with the Oil Squirters falling out. I'd call that very rare. Extremely rare even. There's a reason that any person who knows anything about Subaru's knows that the strongest block to ever come out of Japan is the EJ22T block. All of the EJ22 reasons listed here, aside from mine about the interference design, are MINOR problems when it comes to the overall integrity of the engine. I wouldn't call them "EJ Disaster" ideas. Also, what in the world does the 4EAT have anything to do with the EJ engine? We've already determined that the 4EAT is a great transmission.

Worn out water pump? Blockage in the system?

1. Car doesn't have a carb so... 2. I think fuel pump as well. Is this 1/4 tank by gauge standards or when it does this, can you actually put 12 gallons in the tank? The gas gauge in these cars usually starts to lie by this point in time. 3. The fact that the ECU is throwing a code for the VSS means that you need to fix that. The VSS is probably causing the ECU to go into limp mode which is why the car would drive so slowly.

How about the Phase 1.5 2.2 with the reshaped heads for Interference design (1997). And in 1996, they went to Solid lifters (that need adjusted) as opposed to Hydraulic Lash Adjusters like the 1989-1995 design.

Have you posted here? http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewforum.php?f=5 We have some very very good mechanics there who might be able to further diagnose your problem (it's a first gen Legacy specific forum - not that I doubt anyone's skill here).

Were the MAF's exactly the same? JECS - JECS or Hitachi - Hitachi?

It should do just as well as any other Subaru. If the SVX can do well, the WRX can too.

I think you need your transmission brake band adjusted.

I can show you the place on the road where that happened. It's 20 minutes from here.

Coolant Temp sensor might becausing that weird idle.

Why exactly did you get an underdrive pulley? I would think that perhaps the underdrive pulley is causing poor charge and the injectors aren't getting enough electricity to do their job correctly. Long shot, but it might help.

The transmission is almost 100% electronic. If I recall correctly, the Thottle Position Sensor is what the TCU (Transmission Control unit) uses to decide whether to lock up the torque converter (because there is no Overdrive in these cars). It may be that the TPS needs cleaned and then the TCU will decide to lock up the torque converter. Exactly what is "high" RPM's to you? At 60mph, the RPM should be around 23-2500 and at 70mph, the rpm should be at ~3000.

That is another possibility. I always forget that one. Usually though the shift indicator on the dashboard would make that obvious. I know on my car, I can put it in park, but pull the shifter back to fool the car into thinking it's not in park.

If you clean up the connections and it still clicks, odds are it's the starter contacts. Replacing them will require removal of the starter, but it is a $8 repair.

Exactly. My car's maintenance costs (which amount to less than $200 a year most years) is a lot less than going out and getting a new(er) car with a payment. Plus, because it's old, I can get a good insurance discount (I'm 19 and my insurance per year is $700).

Happens with my 91L as well - no big deal.

I agree with nipper. Mine was cracked and not throwing a code. I think that having a new knock sensor this winter has kept me in the low 20's for mpg even with 20-50w oil and winter blend gas.

Same here. My car - as far as I know - has never been towed in its 154k mile experience. And, when it comes to reliability in my house, we all know we can go jump in my 1991 Legacy over the 1997 Camry and the 2003 Grand Prix. I'm extremely grateful to have learned how to drive in my '91. It's been a dependable beast (albeit, an electrically annoying one as of late). But, the nice thing about it is that if something breaks, I can fix it myself! I only have to take it to the mechanic for the things I physically don't have the tools for. You can't beat that. Add in the fact that I know the engine is good for at least 200-250k and you have a car that is well worth having. I seriously think that the drive train of my car will outlast the car itself (I'm in a losing battle with rust on the fenders). But, as long as it moves, I'm going to drive the car and I have no qualms on taking it anywhere.

The transmission will not shift into 4th gear (the final gear) until a temperature of 45-50F has been reached on the inside of the transmission.

Since the transmission is electronically controlled, it has no vacuum connections.

I take issue with some of that. The early 4EAT's are not bad transmissions. They may get torquebind, but it's not fair to say that all of them get it and they get it between 70k and 120k miles. Mine and many others have gone more than 120k miles and have little or no torquebind. Torquebind is not a transmission killer as long as you don't make the car shudder all the time. The Phase II EJ22 may have a better torque band, but it is an interference engine which means that you need to change the timing belt more frequently and regularly or else you'll need a new engine. The old EJ22's are just as reliable if not more reliable than the newer ones because they are not of interference design. The Subaru 5MT is not a bad transmission as long as you don't beat it around. I saw one 5MT with 450k miles on it and it was attached to a turbo engine.

A few mpg...3-5 on the high side I think. I really think though that you should go through a few tanks, figure out your MPG, and then come back to us. Don't use the gas gauge, figure it out the correct way, came back with your stats, and we'll go from there. It may just be a winter gas thing or it could be something more. Before you go and throw money at it, we need to know hard facts.