BigMattyD

I would recheck your measurements and make sure you are checking the right pins and connectors, especially the step number two, checking continuity between the ECM and the MAF sensor connector. Unless the cable was cut in two, you would likely have continuity on some of those wires. It is possible that you are misreading the pin numbers on the ECM connector or the MAF connector, so that you are not checking the same wire at both ends, but putting one end of the meter on one wire, and one end on a different wire. Also, how are you connecting the meter? are you using a long piece of wire connected to one of your probes to reach the Air flow sensor connector, and the other probe on the ecm? Do you have someone helping you with the connections? It's often hard to keep a probe in a connector that's in the engine bay, while the other one is in the interior of the car.

You can check to see if the fins on the condenser are dirty or bent. I noticed on mine, that the bottom few inches has a ton of gravel, road dirt, bugs, etc . that have kind of clogged up and bent the lower few inces of the fins. I have a fin straighetner that I got from Harbor Freight. I need to get out there and deal with it. Matt 03 Outback 2.5 SOHC AT

After you rotate the steering wheel lock to lock a few times while parked, look inside the Steering fluid reservoir to see if there are bubbles in it. If there are, you likely have an air leak on the pump or the suction side of the system. I don't know how it is set up on an impreza, but on my 03 Legacy Outback, there is a hose from the PS reservoir to the top of the PS pump. There are 2 o-rings inside that flattened out and lost their seal and caused air to get in the lines. Just a thought.

As far as the vibration is concerned, what about checking the engine and transmission mounts?

Well, now you know that the fuel pump is not the problem... Good thing you didn't go buy a new one. The fuel pressures you saw were normal. So now you have a whole bunch of other stuff to work on... But see how buying a 14 dollar gauge kept you from buying a new fuel pump? It's great... Matt

You're welcome. If you want to be more thorough, you can try to attach the gauge right at the pump outlet at the fuel tank to make sure it is not a fuel line restriction between the pump and the engine bay. Make sure you attach the gauge after you replace the pump, so that when you install the new fuel pump you can see if the pressure is correct. If the pressure is still low, you may still have more work to do. Also, you may want to check the calibration of the fuel pressure gauge, considering it is from harbor freight. I found my HF gauge to be accurate, but you never know with the Chinese made stuff. To check the calibration, I applied pressure from my air compressor to the gauge, and it was the same as the pressure gauge on my compressor. Matt

This is a really inspirational story of how tragedy and despair can quickly turn to relief and triumph! I had no idea they would just pull out. I would have been under the car with vise grips, hammers, drills, etc for hours! Not to diminish my sense of manhood, but there have been at least two or three times in my life that a car repair project brought me to actual tears due to frustration, fatigue and hopelessness. But every time, I've been able to pull through.. Matt

I think when you replace the fuel pump and reset the codes, it may solve your O2 sensor code as well. If the fuel pump has been running poorly for a while, it may have caused the engine to run lean enough that the ECU could not properly adjust the mixture, which might cause it to say that the o2 sensors weren't working properly, when really it is because the fuel/air ratio could not possibly be adjusted correctly. I had an O2 sensor code on my car that started happening several months before the fuel pump finally failed completely. O2 sensor was fine. New fuel pump, and no o2 codes ever since. Matt

I think it was regarding CV Joint problems...

Hi, I did not have this problem yet with my Subaru, but I just got done with a similar experience with my 1995 Nissan Quest. Here is how it went: Intermittent sluggishness, hesitation, or outright failure to run. Very spotty symptoms, but always worse when outside temp and engine were hot. After letting the car sit for 20 min. in the parking lot when hot, would often be difficult or impossible to start or keep running. When it cooled down for a few hours, it would be fine! I spent hundreds of dollars and many days and hours working on ignition related issues because I was too stubborn to buy a fuel pressure gauge. Finally, I went to Harbor Freight, and bought their Fuel Injection Pressure Tester for about 19 dollars, hooked it up and found my fuel pressure was 14 psi when it should have been 43. The pump was operating, but just barely keeping enough pressure for the car to run. When it would get hot outside, either the pump would reduce in effectiveness, or some fuel was vaporizing in the lines causing the problems. Replacing the fuel pump solved all the problems immediately, and the fuel pressure was back up to 43 where it should have been. My advice to you is to get a cheap fuel pressure gauge now, and test the fuel pressure to see if it is abnormal. If so, you will have immediate verification that that is your problem. You will also be able to determine if your old pump from your parts car is working properly. The gauge is simple to use. It thas a T-fitting that you use to connect it into the fuel line between the fuel filter outlet and the engine. Use thread tape to seal the threads on the cheap HF gauge to T-fitting or it will leak. Seriously, 20 bucks for a real knowledge of what is happening is not a big deal. If there is no harbor freight near you, you could order it online, or even maybe borrow one from a friend, or a big parts store like autozone, or whatever you have in your area. I cannot believe I waited so long to purchase mine. It would have saved a lot of time, money, and stress if I had checked that first... Matt

The reason the gas pump reads differently even though you always fill it up when the low fuel light comes on is not because the pumps are that inaccurate, rather that the low fuel light in your car is inaccurate. As another poster stated, the low fuel light can come on under various different situations. It is not an accurate measurement of how much fuel is left in the tank, just that it is "getting low." A perfect measurement might be to run it completely out of fuel because then you know for pretty sure that it's a reliable measurement, but there is no point in doing that. If you start with a full tank, and divide the miles driven by the number of gallons it takes to refill the tank the next time, you will get a good measurement. If you want to be a little more accurate, you can add up the results from a number of different fill ups so that you can minimize the effects of the variables you listed, like methanol concentration, impurities, slightly incomplete fill-ups, over fills, wind speed, hills, other driving conditions, etc. Matt

I am not sure about you guys, but here in central /eastern NY, I could never get the bracket anywhere close to shiny using wire brush, chemicals, etc. The clips, I could always get nice and clean, but the whole caliper and bracket assembly develops a nice thick brown rust texture to it. Also, over time, the somewhat thin backing plate splash shield behind the rotor rots away, usually in stages... Oh, the joys of salt and snow.... Matt

I agree... I think the rust that develops on the caliper brackets actually decreases the clearance available for the pads. I used to try to clean the slots, etc on the caliper, but then I wised up and just took a grinding wheel to the ends of the metal tabs on the pads. Some brake grease on them helps them slide really nice. Matt

Steve, I found that I had to put a message on their Facebook page after over a week of inactivity on the order to get them to take action on the order. I hope your order moves along more smoothly. I had used them in the past with no problems, but it seems like they are lagging behind lately. I don't know why... Matt

Subarugenuineparts does suck now. they are very slow and have poor communication. they just don't keep up with their orders. I got the parts, but it took forever, and there was no response to emails, etc. I would not use them again.... I had good luck with 1stsubaruparts.com and subarupartsforyou.com in the past, though. Matt

Here is a related article I found online regarding electric steering in GM vehicles: "GM issues Recall on Vehicles with Electric Power Steering General Motors is recalling 1.3 million 2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 to 2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada, and 2005 to 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico to fix power steering motors that might fail. GM says these cars are still safe to drive, but warns that a power steering motor failure can increase steering effort significantly, especially at speeds under 15 mph. If the electric power steering motor fails, you may see a warning light come on and hear a chime, or you may not. Eitehr way, brace yourself because the steering will suddenly feel much stiffer require much mor effort to turn the car. GM says it will replace the electric motors on all 1.3 million vehicles, but that it will take some time to get the new power steering motors from their supplier, JTEKT Corp.. GM says it will notify car owners when the parts are available for installation. The recall is in response to an investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in response to over 1,100 complaints it has received about cars losing their power steering assist. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury. GM says it will fix the older models first because it typically takes about 20,000 to 30,000 miles of driving for the condition to develop. If the power steering assist fails, it usually comes back for a time after the car is shut off and restarted. But the problem won't go away. Fixing it requires replacing the electric motor that provides the power assist." Maybe you have a similar problem. Perhaps Your motor is faulty or overheating. Matt

You probably have air trapped in the cooling system. You can park the car on a steep uphill slope to help the bubbles come up to the radiator, or you can jack up the front end as high as you can to achieve the same result. Turn the heater on full heat to get the water circulating thru the heater core. You can search the forums for threads on other ways of bleeding the air out of the system... Matt

It sounds like the engine is "dieseling" or continuing to run after shutoff due to hot spots in the combustion chamber, probably from the excessive carbon buildup in those 2 cylinders. That is why it would keep running for 4 seconds after you shut the engine off while the seafoam is in there. In this case, the seafoam is acting as fuel, and being ignited by the hot spots in the chamber till either the hot spots cool down, or the seafoam runs out. Anyway, that's my thought.

Yeah, the only time I have ever seen the brake and battery light come on, it has been the alternator. Maybe the belt is loose or there is an intermittent failure in the alternator. Anyway, I would look at getting a new one soon, just in case. I know I got a good deal on a rebuilt subaru one from on an online subaru dealer. I think it was 1stsubaruparts.com. But that was 3 yrs. ago. Matt

I replaced the brake cables in my 1996 Legacy Sedan a year or 2 ago. I would not recommend cutting the carpet. The carpet is not too difficult to lift up and put back into place. I removed the seats and lifted the carpet up. It takes some time, but it's not a hard job. You will need to remove the rear brake discs and disassemble the emergency brakes, so you might want to buy a new set of ebrake pads and hardware if your car is old. The hardest part for me was getting the cable out of the rear brake drum back plate. It was rusted into place, but eventually I got it out.

It will fit into an extra large U-Haul Moving box.

Ok, I removed the compressor clutch disc and removed the spacer washer. After replacing the disc, the clearance is much better. It seems to be working now, but only time will tell...:-\ I guess I should plan to replace the compressor sometime soon, as I am sure that eventually it will wear out again. Hopefully, it will get us thru the summer... Thanks to ferret for his post on another thread re: the failure of some of these types of clutches: Quote: "Now to the other I have seen. A/C seems to work, but on VERY HOT days, or after using it for a while, it just stops. What's happening here is the CLUTCH is no longer engaging. ( usually the ZEXEL Compressors ). The clutch IS getting the 12v to engage, but with the heat, AND PREVIOUS WEAR, the clutch gap had increased and will no longer engage. Let it cool off and like magic, it works again. When failing and at an idle, you may try to 'carefully' pushing the front plate with a piece of wood ( my choice ) and CLANK, the compressor engages. 2 options here, Replace the compressor. I suggest NEW, I would not use a Used one because the clutch on these DOES wear and like buying a used tire, a used compressor already has wear on it. This option also requires vacuum/charge of the system. Please Note, Zexel supplies to its vendors ( Subaru included ) the compressor/clutch as an assembly. They do not supply clutch replacement parts. The other, is buying/borrowing a clutch removal kit ( usually $50 and up ). Remove the clutch. Clean both sides of the clutch surface. DON'T SAND OR ROUGHEN them. Remove a shim or 2 from under the center bolt mount to get the .0011 to .0015 clearance between the clutch face and pulley. I really suggest getting the tool for this. By just removing the 10mm center bolt, the clutch is pressed on and does not easily come off. Prying on the edges of the clutch will bend and destroy it resulting in replacing the entire compressor." Matt

Thank you for this info, This is what is happening on my car. The clutch is worn and the gap is way too large Off to pull the clutch apart and remove some shims!! Yahoo!!! Matt

Nipper: The Clutch is still getting the signal to engage, even when it is not working. When I tap the front plate of the clutch, it will re engage and stay engaged. Initially, I thought it was a pressure issue, but the high side and low side pressures are within the normal ranges. The clutch is definitely being commanded to engage, but it is intermittently actuating. I am thinking a weak magnet coil, that gets worse when warm, or that the distance between the plate and the coil is too great to reliably function. I know the brown dust is common on these compressors, as it appears to be product of wear between the clutch plate and disc, and that is why I measured the actual gap between the plate and disc and found it to be well outside specifications. I'll update with any further info. Matt

Hi everybody! Recently, the AC compressor clutch will operate for a while, but after 20 min of driving, will fail to engage. The clutch is getting the +12 v signal to engage, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. If I pull over when this happens, and lightly tap the front of the compressor with the wooden end of my hammer, it will reengage and work properly, so I know the magnet is still operating. When I test the clutch on a stopped engine, using a +12V jumper to the clutch, it engages, and I can cycle it on and off again. The main thing I notice is a lot of brown rust dust around the compressor. I believe the plate is worn to where the clearance between the plate and clutch is too large. The FSM states the gap when open should be 0.45 mm, and on mine, it is about double that at 0.85 mm. I think that would be enough to cause an intermittent engagement. I am about to pull the front plate off the compressor and see if there are spacers underneath it that can be removed to tighten the clearance. I just want to know if anyone has experience with this and can tell me if there are shims or spacers that I can remove to bring the plate closer to the magnet wheel. I disassembled the compressor clutch and pulley on my 1996 Legacy to replace the pulley bearing, and I think i recall a set of spacer washers. But I am not sure about the more modern era compressor clutches. Matt