OB99W

An engine that's oil-starved can develop all kinds of problems. It's certainly possible that a connecting rod bearing (at the piston wrist pin or crankshaft journal) is damaged, but smoke out the exhaust suggests more, perhaps scored cylinder walls and piston rings, etc. As to accepting abuse, I'm not into dishing it out; you already know the consequences of ignoring bad noises, and by the time you heard them it might already have been too late. However, I'm not above making a few comments. 1) The "oil light" doesn't directly indicate low oil level, it lets you know the oil pressure is low; that may indeed be caused by lack of enough oil, as apparently was the situation with your engine. 2) Because of #1, the oil level needs to be checked periodically, especially if an engine has enough miles on it to be burning significant oil. 3) Although rare, a sudden failure can occur, causing oil loss and further engine damage within a short time; sometimes you just can't do much to prevent bad things from happening. 4) I'll let others offer suggestions on a 2.2L swap for the 2.5L. 5) Welcome to the forum. Sorry you're having significant problems.

The first section of the following may provide some clues: http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/drivetrain/02WinterInsiderInfo.pdf

Torque converter drain-down could explain #1, failing front pump in trans might explain both #1 and #2. Other things also might be causing #2. Can you be more precise as to where the noise seems to be coming from? See:http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73929 http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74486

Here's an old thread where we discussed the "rheostat"/"Illumination Control Module"/"Illumi Con Unit" replacement on '98-'99 Foresters, (starting with post #10): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64758 . I don't know offhand where the "Illumi Con Unit" is located in a '97 OBS, but it's probably in the vicinity of one of the locations listed in the thread I linked to, and the label on it should help to identify it.

As far as I know, MD-3 is "functionally" equivalent to Mercon/Dexron-III. Since GM is no longer licensing Dexron-III production, the oil companies are unable to use the name, and they apparently have changed the formulation as well. The fluids "should" be compatible, but perhaps a flush with all new fluid would be prudent, especially if trans mileage is high since the last change. Of course, there's always Dexron-VI. See: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:fh4YK5t3UxkJ:www.gm.com/automotive/gmpowertrain/transmissions/DEXRON-VI-Service_Fill_Release.doc+Dexron+vi+iii&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

It might indeed be more than coincidence. There could be excess pressure due to a bad radiator cap (as Nipper mentioned), or in combination with a head gasket failure (as Cougar brought up), and those things should be ruled out. However, another possibility could be that the coolant, especially if it hasn't been changed regularly, is taking a toll on the rubber from the inside out. Or, if the car is somehow exposed to significant ozone levels, the damage occurs from the outside in. See: http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=2833&location_id=3369 Since the hoses "age" at about the same rate, if one went bad from the causes shown in the link, you might expect others to follow relatively soon thereafter. The coolant hose change cycle of four years that Gates suggests may be more frequent than usually necessary, but once one goes the others should at least be carefully inspected, or replaced, unless another cause is found. EDIT: Even if the cause is just deteriorated hoses, obviously if one dumps enough coolant before you catch the problem, there's the risk of engine damage from overheating (including more likelihood of HG problems). It seems worthwhile to change any questionable hoses before they can become a further liability.

Congrats, and you're welcome. Thank you, Cougar; I haven't hit 3,000+ posts yet (although somehow I seem to be creeping up on 1,000) !

Page 3 of http://www.ncvecs.colostate.edu/cac.docs/cac22/PaulHedglin.pdf says CA allows two monitors to be not ready.

The battery was probably disconnected during the work, clearing the ECU's memory. The CEL can be off and yet there can still be problems. Many troubles won't light the CEL until after they occur on two drive cycles. There may be "pending" codes, but the monitors have to complete. Just putting on mileage isn't sufficient for the monitors to complete; a specific drive cycle is required. See: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/OBDInfo.pdf I'm in NY, so I don't know CA law. The answer may even depend whether you're in an "enhanced area". The most recent CA info I could find is at http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/EtBlast/PrintMsg.aspx?QryMessageKey=18404 . However, since the goal is to reduce the acceptable number of incomplete monitors, I'd suggest contacting the Bureau of Automotive Repair and ask them for the latest regulation if nobody on the forum knows for sure. See: http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/StdPage.asp?Body=/contacts.htm

Most rodents like dark, warm places, like under your car's hood after a run, especially in winter. My OB, which is garaged, had a few ground wires chewed through by some mice, and I decided that was as far as I wanted to let it go. I took action on the dark/warm aspect by propping up the hood whenever I pull the car into the garage -- the heat dissipates faster, and it's a lot brighter in the engine bay. I also got a couple of ultrasonic repellers, although I have doubts about their effectiveness. While I still see some droppings, at least the wire gnawing has stopped.

Just what kind of "place" is it? I'd be very leery of that claim; if the problem is known, why isn't it being fixed? A "no start" condition could be due to anything from minor ignition or fuel-delivery problems to a jumped/broken timing belt, or worse.

This should answer a lot of questions: http://endwrench.com/pdf/feb2004pdf/4EAT.pdf If the trans is going into a fail-safe (limp) mode, it would normally be indicated by the AT Oil Temp light on the dash illuminating/blinking. If it isn't, perhaps it's burned out or has been disabled. Does it come on when you turn the ignition switch on (without starting the engine)? Does it remain on for about two seconds after the engine is started, then go off?

Sorry, but the crossover isn't integral to the intake manifold; it's a separate piece, beneath the manifold, at least on EJ22 and EJ25 engines I'm familiar with. See the picture linked to in: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=390049

Thanks for that, Ferret; whenever I previously explained here that my own '99 Legacy OB 2.5L has DOHC heads but a phase-2 block, I got responses of denial/disbelief/etc.

If I remember correctly, the crank sprocket has 24 teeth, the cam ones have 48. That translates to 15 degrees per tooth at the crank, and 7.5 degrees per tooth at a cam. Three cam teeth would therefore equal 22.5 degrees, easily enough to explain the compression loss. Any time a belt jumps, the appropriate thing to do is replace it with a new one, and probably change the idlers and tensioner as well. Unfortunately, there's nothing "good" that can cause water to be coming out the exhaust (assuming that it isn't just a lot of condensation). Compression testing sometimes won't readily reveal certain problems, but a leak-down test often will. See: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/EngineTestInfo.pdf Also, some cracks, etc., don't show up until the engine is sufficiently warm. As to the head gaskets, using OEM ones and the proper head-bolt tightening procedure is critical to getting a good seal, even if the mating surfaces are flat; if they're not, or something isn't clean or got scratched, trouble can be expected.

Congratulations! You have a pretty good chance of passing. I'm assuming there's fresh oil in the crankcase now; if not, change it before the inspection. See my post #3 in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73339 Be sure that besides using the proper antifreeze type and concentration, there are no air pockets left. These engines are somewhat "fussy" in that respect, and really don't like coolant voids.

Since you don't know the history of the engine, among other things it would make whether to replace the idlers and tensioner somewhat of a judgement call; they may have been replaced previously. Now that the engine is properly timed, if you have the patience, you could try reassembling things and see if there are other problems, and how severe they might be. The sooty plugs could still be an indicator of things beyond timing, including something simple like the wrong heat-range plugs; what plugs are installed? If the green paint is relevant, it may be that the timing was way off before. However, sometimes people mark the sprockets and the belt before removing it, and don't necessarily put the paint on the factory mark. It seems like you have correctly identified the marks now. By the way, the picture shows the right cam sprocket misaligned, not the left; right/left orientation is as when you're sitting in the car, and there seems to be an "R" on the part.

The answer to your question is "maybe". I'll point to two things I said in post #24 of this thread; the first is "... the rhythmic shudder and drop in vacuum could indicate valve issues, possibly timing-related; checking that the crank pulley is tight, the crank keyway isn't worn, and the timing belt hasn't jumped (among other things) is worthwhile.". The other is "I'd suggest that if you're going to tear the engine down, inspect things carefully before or as they come off; you may find one or more obvious problems in the process." In other words, even if the engine is somewhat worn, that doesn't mean finding and resolving a problem such a jumped timing belt wouldn't be enough for you to then be satisfied with its performance. One thing to consider is why the belt jumped. You should think about replacing the tensioner and idlers. Considering the timing misalignment, that cylinder bank would have trouble performing well. If I remember correctly, each tooth corresponds to 15 degrees of cam rotation; even one tooth off would significantly impact performance, and two would make it very poor. In fact, if the other bank was also off as much relative to the crank, I doubt the engine would have run at all. Whether to just put things back together is a judgement call, but it might be worth the gamble. Do consider parts other than the timing belt, however, now that things are apart.

As long as you install the belt with the correct number of teeth between sprocket marks, and the marks remain in sync, the belt is properly installed and isn't jumping. The reason that the marks on the belt don't realign within a few crank cycles is that there are many more teeth on the belt than on the sprockets, and the marks aren't evenly spaced; it takes quite a few crank revolutions before the belt "comes around" again and its marks align, but it will happen if you're patient (and the battery charge is good ).

I'm going to assume that's the only code you're getting. If there are others, please let us know. It may well be that the EGR appears to be functioning correctly, but that when the EGR monitor is run something that OBDII uses to check it isn't "quite" right, setting the code. Some tests the ECU runs are done very quickly, and if a component reacts too slowly, it "sees" a fault. In addition to the EGR valve, there's its solenoid valve, and also a backpressure transducer; if one of the latter two are sluggish, it could be the problem. Hook a scan tool up again; besides the code, it would be useful to get the freeze-frame data related to it. I'd verify that the solenoid valve is opening fully and rapidly. You should be able to hear and feel a fairly sharp "click" if 12 volts is applied to the solenoid, and check that it's free-flowing. By the way, I believe one of the parameters involved in EGR testing is the O2 sensor switching; under certain circumstances a marginal sensor might contribute to the problem, so monitoring it could be useful.

Not quite. Rather than explaining, I'll let Ferret's recent post quoting the FSM (Factory Service Manual) speak: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=604858

Of course, but cleaning other parts may make more of a difference. For example, if the EGR valve isn't fully closing (or closing fast enough) as the engine falls back to idle, the mixture will be excessively leaned; that can cause misfire. If there's carbon buildup at the EGR, cleaning it may resolve the problem.

Obviously, you're not the first to fall into that trap, and likely won't be the last. For some deja vu, see this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64923 The '94 isn't an interference engine, so no damage should occur with it mistimed. However, you mentioned this being a "newer" engine; how much newer?

Misfire is typically related to ignition or fuel-delivery (let's assume the cylinder itself is healthy). Since you've replaced plugs, wires and coil, and the code is recurrent for only one cylinder, it's likely that ignition isn't the problem now. Since the misfire apparently is intermittent, it could be due to a poor electrical connection to the #3 injector (either at the injector or ECU end), some other injector/ECU electrical problem, or that the injector has a mechanical fault. You could disconnect the injector and check for corrosion at the terminals. If you have a multimeter, you could verify that there is at least 10 volts at the connector with the ignition switch on. Also, check that injector resistance is about 12 ohms; although they vary somewhat, it typically isn't more than a couple of ohms to either side of that. If you suspect the #3 injector, you might try swapping it with another cylinder's and determine if the problem moves with it. See: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/ProperInsideEWFall05.pdf