Olnick

No! My understanding is that the PCV line does a better job of spreading the juice around inside the manifold. It appears they moved the PCV valve since my EJ22! At any rate you'd need to disconnect the hose at the lower end (not the manifold end) to get the fluid in. Suggestion--Put the requisite amount of Seafoam in a small clean container like a yogurt cup. Then, with the engine warm and running, dip the bottom end of that hose into the cup. It should suck right up. It may tend to stall the engine but you can play with the throttle to keep it going. As soon as all the fluid is sucked up, stop the engine. After waiting 5 minutes (or whatever the recommended time is) start her up, drive off and enjoy the show!

Welcome aboard. Yeah, you did the right thing signing on here--this is the best thing going for Subarus (and the nuts that own them)!!! As for your new '79 just use your "car common sense." Check all the fluids, check brakes and tires, steering. Take it easy and make sure it feels safe before you hit the road. Good luck--and ask lotsa' questions!

Congrats! Great feeling, ain't it? By all means go for it on the timing belt. As you're doing, read all you can here on USMB and use the links to Endwrench, car magazine articles, etc. That's what I did and believe me, if I can do it . . . anyone can do it! Good luck and be sure to ask questions if/when thy come up.

Good going. Must be a great relief to have a smooth drive again.

So it really was the MAF! That's great that you got it fixed.

Well, sounds like you were properly careful with the cleaner! Did you spray the fine up and down wires too? Did you clear the CEL codes after they checked for you? Did they come back? I don't know much about automatics but the flashing oil temp light concerns me. (Someone help us here!) Wonder if it's telling you that there's a problem with the alternator. Battery okay? Any electrical problems? Enough charge to crank the engine?

My list says "P0103=Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor circuit high input." Not sure exactly what that means. When did you clean the MAF, before the problem happened or after the car was towed home? You cleaned it very carefully and gently I hope! Did you unplug the connector and check it/clean it? The rough idle sounds more like an IACV problem--you might try cleaning it. Maybe replace the PCV valve and clean connecting hoses. And generally check vacuum hoses and connections, air tubes too. I'd try these things before replacing the MAF. Good luck.

Looks good, Damian. Thanks for sharing with us. (You do realize the steering wheel is on the wrong side don't you? )

It really was. I was 17, just out of high school, Pop was between jobs and Mom asked, "Just how far is it from here to Alaska?" That's all it took--we threw what we needed in the Buick and set off to see how far we could get. Always with the understanding that when we burned through half our money we'd turn around and head home. Spent a month on the road camping out and cooking out, eating in local diners (no fast-food places then!), sharing with fellow travelers. Saw a lot of fantastic scenery and met a lot of wonderful characters--people who wanted to live their own lives their own way and simply didn't want to be hemmed in by urban society. In fact there was a lot of anti-statehood sentiment then. They made a strong impression on me. I'd love to do that trip again.

Drove from South Florida to Anchorage AK and back! That was 1958, before Alaska became a state. Great ride in a '54 Buick.

Hey, don't get me wrong. EJ25 is a fine engine but head gaskets are a well known weakness. Use the search function and you can read a lot of discussion about the problem. If you stay with the 2.2 be aware that they were non-interference up through '96. They became interference engines from the '97 model on. Good luck.

Congrats, Megell. Main question is--Does it work? If so you're probably just fine. That contact ring is more rugged than the copper contacts so it usually doesn't wear or pit as much. Happy driving . . . and starting!

Welcome aboard, Bucky. Your question is going to strike a lot of people here funny--many are dumping their EJ25s for uber-dependable EJ22s! That said, if you do it make sure you replace HGs, timing belt and re-seal before you install it. Good luck.

Congrats on the ECTS install . . . but uh-oh! Sounds like classic HG symptom. This is an EJ25 right? Try burping the cooling system (search under "coolant burp") then keep a close eye on coolant level and temperature gauge. If it keeps overheating dont drive it. Good luck.

Sounds like a scam. I got mine online from Jason at Mike Scarff Subaru in Auburn WA, 866-528-5282. You might try an auto electric shop (starter/alternator rebuilders) in your area. Or even Toyota--I believe they used the same starter awhile back. Suggest you take your starter out, remove the contacts and carry them with you so you can make a visual confirmation. There were at least 3 different configurations when I was shopping. Good luck.

In a nutshell, owning and operating a car in Japan is extremely expensive so people drive less, often only on weekends, thus keeping total mileage low. Also, Japan's very stringent safety inspections are frequent (biannual?) and expensive. Parts and repairs are very expensive too. Couple that with a cultural tendency to have "the nicest and the newest" and you find people there opting to send their "old" cars to the recyclers, cars that may have just 40k to 60k miles on them--barely broken in by our standards! As a result a thriving business has built up to pull these low mileage engines and export them to other countries, including the US. Are they a good buy? I have no idea, but I am sure there are good arguments both pro and con.

Very good. The new sensor has the male end as part of it, right? So if the old connectors are burned/fused together you'll have to find another female end to splice on. I don't know if there is anywhere to buy just the connector, which is why I suggested a salvage yard. Now if the old connectors are just a tight fit and gunked up, I'd use some Liquid Wrench or carb cleaner and try to wiggle them apart with screw driver/needlenose/channel locks. Good luck.

I think it is! Had the same problem a few years ago. You can get a new replacement socket to splice in. Maybe this will help: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41301&highlight=headlight+connector Good luck.

Forgive me if I'm being dense here (it's been several years since I changed mine), but: Are you saying the plastic connector on the harness (female, IIRC) fused to the plastic connector part (male?) of the sensor? You should still be able to remove what's left of the sensor with a wrench on the brass head, right? And I doubt you'll be able to get a connector at the dealer--they'll probably tell you you have to buy an entirely new harness! May be best to find a pull-and-pay or salvage yard and get a used one to splice in. Big question is why did they fuse together, electrical short? Good luck.

Welcome aboard! Are you in Portland OR, ME or UK?

That's good to hear. And thanks for the report.

Just keep in mind that '95 and '96 are non-interference engines. They became interference designs in '97.

Some have rammed screws or small bolts between shield and pipe then tightened in place with hose clamps. Good luck--and welcome aboard, andrew.

You're very welcome, Mike. It really is quite easy to get out, you may have to move/disconnect some of the hoses (it's been awhile!) Disconnect the battery negative cable then the wiring to the starter. One bolt and one nut hold the starter in place (17mm and 14mm IIRC). Top one is easy, bottom one I reached from under the car--some use wrench extensions and do it all from above. Once you have it out remove the pentagonal shaped backplate from the solenoid and you'll see the copper contacts. Good luck.

Pitted contacts. Look at this thread (right next to yours as I type this!): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=105427