johnceggleston

1996 - 99 legacys i used to think that the TCU was programmed to convert wheel revolution speed into mph for the speedo and wheel revolutions into miles for the odo, but this is wrong. the speedo is designed to read the info directly from the speed sensor. i don't yet know if there is any TCU invlovement in converting wheel revolutions into odo miles, i think there is, but i've been wrong before and unless there is a really good other reason to send the info through the TCU i doubt it does. i just put a 96 leg L speedo in a 97 leg GT and there is a substantial error (about 1 mph error for every 6 mph of actual speed). the final drives are different and i assume therefore that the speedo drive gears are different, even though the tire diameter difference is about 1/2 of 1%. has anyone measured the speedo error in a 2.2L car that has a 2.5L trans (in other words when you swapped the trans you got the wrong one and swapped the rear diff as well.)?? as stated above, tire size will mess with your speedo and there is no way yet discovered to 'recalibrate' the speedo.

slightly off topic and maybe unnecessary: since you can't see the crank timing hash mark with the timing cover and crank pulley in place, maybe it would make sense, whenever you have one apart, to paint a 'timing' mark on the crank pulley, 180* away from the keyway so you could see it at a glance. just a thought.

search trannychart and you'll find which trans are exactly likle yours. as long as the final drive ratio is correct it will work. as far as the type of clutch, the trans case has the acommodation for either, you just have to move the fork and swap the parts to the new trans. or some thing like that. search for a post telling about this, it has pics. maybe by grossgary?

check to see if the cams sprockets are different, if so swap them.

i dreamed about this, i even found a late 80s d/r 5spd wagon with an ea-ej adapter plate installed, no engine, for 500$. but i decided i'd settle for my 97 obw a/t with a 4wd lock switch, and if i need a low range for off road i'd buy one, cheap.....?

this site may help: http://opposedforces.com/parts/ i'm not sure the ej20t was ever offered in the us market.

i can't resist... leave your kids home when you drive. maybe try test driving some other outbacks to compare.

it will go until it leaves you stranded, or maybe causes an accident at 70 mph. it's not going to stop turning in your drive way or at the shop. it's going to stop on the road. if you want to save some money, get a used knuckle/hub.

i was scared to death of seating the torque converter, but it is not that difficult. the problem usually is that the one doing the work doesn't know there's that last step. when you know you have to go further, it's easy to do, at least it was for me. there's a great write up on it with pics, give a search maybe check the repair manual here.

you can't completely remove the engine while still attached to the torque converter, it has a 'tail' that extends into the trans. but you can pull it forward untill you can reach the flex plate bolts or the TC connection to the tail piece, whatever you call it. i just slid the whole thing forward, and undid the flex plate bolts. this may not be possible if the engine does not rotate. but when you reassemble, you will have to tighten the flex plate bolts in the access hole on top of the engine on the passenger side. so you may as well remove them there as well. i would suggest marking the position of the TPS and remove same for better access to the bolts. ( i breifly considered cutting away part of the cross member underneath the engine so i could tighten the bolts from below, but decided against it.) if the engine will not rotate, id be tempted to lower the engine, trans, and cross member and lifting the rest of the car to remove the unit.

if you don't get a definite answer, look here: http://opposedforces.com/parts/

the ps pumps are the same, the lines/brackets are different. either will work with the 2.2 in the outback wagon, but if you have the car the 2.2 came out of there is no reason not to use the 2.2 lines/brackets which will bolt on more neatly rather than hang in the air. either way it's not a big deal. ask for the vin of the car the engine came out of and the miles. generally parts yards aren't trying to cheat you, but mistakes are made. if you say you need a 95, they're only going to offer an engine their parts interchange software tells them will fit. there might be a vin etched on the block, passenger side bell housing near the rear edge kind of low. i've seen it on my 2.2 when it was out of the car, i can't find it on my 97 obw 2.5 while it's in the car.

i use these guys to check compatibility, if they say it fits , it will. http://www.car-part.com sometimes things will fit and they don't know.

if it works like the 97 outbacks, it's unlock all with the unlock button or use a key on the rear hatch.

so i swapped the face plate today, the hard part was the speedo needle. it has to come off to remove the the plate. and putting it back on is a challenge. IN HIND SIGHT I SHOULD HAVE: removed the cluster, taken it in the house and placed it on a flat surface. then wait for the speedo needle to come to a rest. (when upright it reads "0", but when flat on it's back the needle will move.) note the location of the needle, remove the needle and faceplate (i used a flat screwdriver to pry under the needle base while bracing it on the hold down screw for the faceplate. CAREFUL THE NEEDLE IS VERY FRAGILE, ask me how i know), and then reinstall the faceplate (easy) and the needle making sure to install the needle in the same position it was when removed. i don't know this will work, but i know the way i did it doesn't. DON'T DO IT LIKE THIS: i did it all while sitting in the car. i popped off the needle (then the speedo spindle moved. i put it back together using my best guess, but it was wrong. the needle sat on "0" when i installed it, but as soon as i turned on the ignition, it jump up to 20 mph. when i test drove the car it said i was dooing 50 on my residential street. DUH, go figure. of course i didn't know this was going to happen until i put it all back together and started the car. so tomorrow i'll try to correct this. my plan is very long and bothersome. remove the cluster, remove the clear cover, remove the needle. install the cluster without the clear cover or the needle, turn on the car, install the needle pointing to "0" while sitting in the driveway. remove the cluster, install the cover, install the cluster, and test drive the car. i may test drive before i reinstall the clear plastic cover. if any one out there has any experience with this, please let me know, i could use the help!! thanks

look here: http://www.car-part.com

pm sent

in my family, when we see a parked car with it's lights on we still say, "someones testing their die hard". i guess that makes me old as well.

piston slap or timing belt tensioner. what year?

97 legacy GT, auto it appears as though there was a label(?) glued on the back of the unit. it may have been a diagram but i don't know, it's gone. any one have a wiring diagram for this? thanks

i have this on my 97 gt and the reset button is 'tightly taped' to the wiring harness about half way between the unit and where it 'taps' into the main car harness. mine goes into 'alarm' mode when i remove the battery, but unlike my 97 outback, it does not prevent the car from starting or sound the horn, just blinks a lot.

my gt came with this wireless entry unit. it was hanging down, lots of loose wires and no remote. i decided to remove it. when i took it out, the driver door no longer operates with the electric locks. anyone know how to restore this to the original wiring setup without the entry unit??

the only way to get a good test is for the timing to be correct and all valves and rings in good working order. if the compression is good then you need to look somewhere else. if the timing is off, the test will show one or both sides with bad compression. if and when you recheck the timing marks on the crank and cams, take some pics and post them. the most common cause of problems after a t-belt replacement is caused by using the wrong marks on the crank and cam sprockets. with a broken belt it's usually bent valves. the test will show which head/cam has a problem, maybe both, and then take it apart to double check the timing marks. if the timing is correct, it has to be bent valves.

jack up and remove the wheel, place one hand on the spring and rotate the hub. you may feel the bad bearing in the spring vibration. i think. try a different wheel for comparison.

i installed a used trans (125k) in my 95 legacy (170k) only to have the duty c fail within the year. i swore i'd always replace the duty c when i had the chance, especially when in stalling a used trans. replacing the duty c (~$75) proactively is similar to replacing the timing belt pulleys before they fail, yes it cost more up front but its cheaper than doing it twice. of course i haven't had to live by my oath yet, so we'll see.