GorgeSuby

Replaced the relay(what a pain..) put everything back together - so far so good ... diagnostic cycle fires it every time. Starts up every time so far. Frosty morning tomorrow will be the moment of truth.

So I was able to back probe the connector during the diagnostic cycle. When the pump fails to start on the regular cycle the voltage is low - like less than 1v so looks like relay after all.

So followed Rampage's advice & used the test connectors. (Thanks!) After verifying voltage at the connectors, I plugged the pump back in. The pump would cycle with the fans but not every cycle? It seemed some cycles it would run every pulse whereas sometimes it would just click faintly for a couple cycles then run again... So what do you think? Pump failing to start intermittently due to: 1) Bad pump? ... this is about a 3 year old aftermarket - Carter pump. 2) Low amperage? Seems to be getting the voltage but maybe low amps? 3 )Intermittent bad ground? Not an electrical genius, so any help appreciated!

Thanks Rampage. Maybe I will try plugging it back in & cycling the power with ground on connector grounded to frame... will look into those test connectors too.

Thanks, Don't think it would be water... after I pulled the pump & tested it direct to battery, I hooked it back up to the connector & still no hum.... will try the back probing. Thought of relay too but after searching the forum quite a bit, consensus seemed to be they rarely fail & are hard to get to... still could be it though...

Hi, Guys I have been dealing with an intermittent & worsening cold start issue with my EJ25 Legacy OB... So far I have done a tune-up & replaced some sensors: Knock, Coolant temp, Crank position. It was running well & CEl stayed off but last cold snap it would not fire again & it has been getting worse. A few days ago I noticed that when it didn't start, I could not hear the fuel pump kick on, but after awhile when everything warmed up it would kick on & start priming again. I thought I figured it out when I was getting voltage at the pump connector but no pump sound. However after pulling the pump & connecting it directly to battery voltage, it fires up & runs... when testing voltage directly at the pump connector it seems to briefly spike up to 12v then nothing. Is that normal? What do you think my issue could be?

Thanks for all the replies - lots of food for thought... As for manual vs auto I think it is a nostalgia thing for me - my car history: 74 VW Van - manual 94 Geo Metro - manual 84 Toyota 4runner - manual 74 BMW 2002 - manual 91 VW Vanagon - manual 87 VW Vanagon Synchro 4x4 - manual 87 Toyota FJ60 Landcruiser - Auto 91 Subaru Loyale - manual 91 Toyota FJ80 Landcruiser - Auto(still have) 96 Subaru Outback - Auto(still have) 03 Subaru Forester - Auto(still have) So yeah kinda partial to manual, but I believe you are right auto is fine...

Just hate an unanswered topic even if it is 5yrs old... Found this thread when I was doing mine last weekend & dropping the exhaust did not look fun so decided to find out for myself. On my 03 Forester EJ25 you can get to the upstream & downstream pretty easily through the passenger side wheel well. Take the wheel off obviously & its pretty manageable reach. I bought a 12pt 22mm box wrench & cut a slot in it for the wire, you can use 7/8 as well but the 12pt is nice for the tight space & limited throw. Just an FYI for anyone else who was searching....

hmmm... yeah maybe I don't need a manual...

...Like it.. actually was thinking along those lines as Iv'e always wanted the EJ22 but would rather have a manual... how hard to swap to manual? Or maybe just can it & start from scratch an EJ22/manual vehicle?

So I have been chasing coolant issues with my 98 Outback & after searching the forums it seems pretty obvious I have head gasket issues. Coolant overflow reservoir is always full or overfull & it has started missing a bit under load. I was about to do a major tune-up since it needed it anyway, with knock sensor etc to smooth out the miss & was going to run the codes since CEL is on, but thinking it may be a mute point if HG needs done. I have limited funds but am fairly mechanical - though I have never pulled the heads. Car needs lots of other love too - oil leaks, CV joint starting to make noise etc... Not to mention it has salvage title, & body/paint glass is not great... So, if you had say $1000 & this car, what would you do? 1)Fix it? ... 2) sell it cheap as is + $1000 on another beater? 3)Limp it along & save up for something more solid? Just looking for some informed opinions on here.

Awesome! Thanks!

Gotcha GD, Will not replace that coil. I think looking at the wires it is an early 96 EJ25 but here are some pics of the engine & passenger side heads...Also the tranny numbers match so probably not an EJ22?

Thanks! Will take some more pics... quick look on Napa website shows my coil for a 95 Legacy EJ22 so looks like you're right...

Hi guys, I am trying to do a tune-up on my 98 Legacy outback & ordered a wireset & coil from Rock Auto months ago. Finally went to put it in & it was all wrong. I thought it must be a mistake so went down to Napa to get the correct set & the one the pulled up is the same as Rock Auto. Now this is obviously wrong - the coil on my 98 has the female sockets for the plug wires & even the bolt pattern is different than the one I got on Rock Auto so it wasn't just a coil swap. My ID plate says 98' EJ25D which seems correct... Any ideas? ... What gives?

Hey Guys, Have a buddy in Salt Lake who blew timing belt on his '10 Impresa 2.5. Dealer is telling him $3,000 to change belt, repair bent valves etc... Any recommendation to where he could get a second opinion &/or better deal on the repairs in/around SLC? He is a college student & not much $$$....

Probably just do both. Fuel pump is under warranty. Where is the Crank sensor on this thing?

Yes it was. Cleared codes & restarted. CEL did not come back on until after it warmed up & tried a restart with typical failure. CEL is on again but have not checked codes yet... I am pretty sure now that the only relevant code is the Crank position. Otherwise, I think it is probably a bad pump...

So I had a chance to try a few of the suggestions & run the OBD. First I check voltage to fuel pump harness & found 11.5+/- at 1 pin & 4.7+/- at 2 other pins, the other 3 were at 0. This reading was the same whether the car was cool & starting right up or failing. First thought was this confirms bad fuel pump? Next borrowed freinds generic OBD bluetooth code reader: Confirmed Trouble Codes -P0183: Fuel Temperature Sensor "A" Circuit High (Powertrain, Generic) -P0301: Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected (Powertrain, Generic) -P0302: Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected (Powertrain, Generic) -P0325: Knock/Combustion Vibration Sensor 1 Circuit Bank 1 or Single Sensor (Powertrain, Generic) -P0335: Crankshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit (Powertrain, Generic) -P0463: Fuel Level Sensor "A" Circuit High (Powertrain, Generic) -P0506: Idle Control System RPM - Lower Than Expected (Powertrain, Generic) I'm sure some of these codes are as a result of the issue rather than cause, but 2 that stood out to me are the Fuel temp & Crank position. What do you think?

Yeah, I'll have to check that when I yank it tomorrow. Curious why there are 6 pins on that harness? If it is the pump, It might be under warranty. If so, I will upgrade it.

Thanks, will try those just to narrow it down. Had that crank position sensor go out on my old Loyale...hmmm

Hi Guys, I have searched the archives & found quite a bit of useful info but still have a few lingering doubts... my 98 Outback EJ25 is having issues with starting after driving in the heat. First off there is no indication of overheating, & the car never stumbles while driving - hwy, stoplight - all fine. But after driving hard for 20min, shutting off & re starting, it will start then die & eventually fail to start. After cooling down for an hour or so it will start & run normal. I think I have isolated it to fuel pump or fuel pump relay &/or associated circuitry. So far, here is what I have done: 1) Listened for fuel pump on turning ignition switch. As expected the pump does not turn on when in "failure mode" but does as soon as it sits for an hour or so. 2) Listened/felt for fuel pump relay clicking on turning ignition switch. Relay does seem to click reliably when I turn ignition.(...& yes it is a massive PITA to get to!!!) 3) While the car was still warm & still failing to start, I swapped out the relay with another I found under passenger side near glove box which seemed to have the same configuration. Did not seem to make any difference... 4) Tested for power at fuel pump harness. Did not have voltmeter - just test light: 3 of 6 pins have current when ignition on regardless of "failure mode". So, I am thinking I have narrowed it down to Fuel pump but want to make sure as I replace it about a year ago - though with a NAPA part Any ideas?

Thanks for all your suggestions, after checking power to the injectors & spark, it was narrowed down to the fuel delivery. So it ended up being the fuel pump. Thanks again!

Thanks all, Have a friend with code reader, so will try that after work this evening. Will check out the ignition relay as well - had a Toyota with similar issues & it was the EFI relay.