canajun2eh

The Purge Solenoid valve should not affect the running of your engine. The fault indicates that the computer does not see the correct resistance in the control circuit. This can be caused by a poor electrical connection near the solenoid valve, or a break in the wires either in the solenoid or in the cable. The purpose of this solenoid valve is to let engine vacuum draw accumulated fuel vapours out of the charcoal canister when the engine is warm and running at more than 2,500 rpm. Fuel vapours come from the fuel tank and accumulate in the charcoal canister, especially in hot weather. You can try unplugging the purge solenoid valve and then plugging it in again. Repeat this several times. If the problem is a poor electrical connection, this action may resolve the problem. If I'm not mistaken, the Purge Solenoid valve is identical to what's found on the Loyale/Leone. There may be a different electrical plug, but the rest of the unit should be very similar. Electrical polarity doesn't matter.

You can thread a couple of the flywheel bolts into the flange at the back of the engine. Thread them in only partway. Use a pipe between the bolts as a lever to counter the action of the socket wrench at the front. You'll have to extend the socket wrench at the front to give you more leverage. About 3 feet on each at the front and the back will do. Of course, you'll need someone to help you, to hold the back while you work on the front. I wouldn't use a chain wrench to hold the crankshaft pulley, unless you protect its grooves with an old V-belt. Instead, I'd use a strap wrench. The action is identical to a chain wrench, except the chain is replaced with a rubber strap. If you use a chain/strap wrench to hold the pulley, you'll still need to extend its handle as well as the handle of the socket wrench for more leverage. You'll still need a second person to hold one of the tools while you work the other.

Is the sound of "turning over" different from what it used to be? Is it turning over faster? If so, you might have a broken timing belt. Usually, the timing belt that drives the left (distributor) side breaks because of the extra load, compared to the right side. Take off the distributor cap, and see if the rotor turns. If not, you have a broken timing belt.

Sounds like a bad battery to me.

Parallel thread in the Australian board. http://www.ausubaru.com/ausubaru/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1077 Problem was an improperly seated bearing shell, caused by a burr on the bearing seat.

I agree, the Hill Holder is nice to have. However, if you don't have one (e.g., the "Brighton" model), you can always use the hand brake.

That happened to me once, but not with a Subaru. It turned out that the main bearing "halves" were not identical, and that I had mixed them up. Check the bearings carefully -- there's probably a "left" and a "right" for each of them. Remember also that in automotive terms, "left" and "right" are determined when you're sitting in the driver's seat. Good luck.

The Subaru Germany site lists a very expensive navigation system as an option, and some site pictures show a navigation system installed. The list price is well over US$2,700 Check this downloadable PDF file: http://www.subaru.de/legacy-zubehoer.pdf Lots of nice wheels, etc.

If you leave the horn plugged in, you'll see "hot" on the horn button side. That's normal. Please be more specific.

My 92 Legacy did that for a long time. It turned out to be the clutch release bearing. I suggest you just live with this annoyance, until it's time to replace the clutch plate. Replace the bearing at that time.

You'll need a pair of long needle-nosed pliers to remove the spring clips that hold the wrist pins in the pistons.

The "no start" condition is probably due to a broken timing belt.

That suggestion from Subaru Tech Support was exactly what I was going to suggest. Since the timing belt is on its last legs anyway, replace it and go from there. With any luck, that will be the end of your problems.

"2.3 gallons": You're the victim of metric-to-American measure conversion. It's 10 liters, approximately. That's what it says in my Canadian manual.

A couple of hints, not mentioned in the procedure linked to in my original post above: 1. Dont' forget to disconnect the battery! 2. When you pry the end cap off the motor, the bearing inside may be stuck in the cap. If you pull too hard, you can damage the seal between the motor and the pump because the armature may try to come out too. Take the rubber plug out of the end cap, and use a screwdriver to push the bearing out of the end cap. You just need to free up the stuck bearing. Don't forget to replace the rubber plug when you have the end cap out.

I did a GOOGLE search for "XT6 steering brush" and found this link: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/xt6/message/2319 I think you'll find everything you need to know in this post. Anthony's Subaru in Kelowna, BC will take mail or phone orders. Cost is under $7 Canadian plus tax and shipping. You should be able to get suitable brushes from a local electric motor repair place. They don't actually have to be in a Subaru parts bag.

That little hose leads from the water pump to a pipe which is eventually connected to the inlet side of the heater core. Effectively, the heater core runs in parallel with the radiator but is NOT affected by the open or close state of the thermostat. You should check the heater hoses from time to time too. I had one wear out from rubbing against the spare tire. Not much fun when you're stuck in traffic and the damn thing suddenly starts spewing coolant all over the place.

Yes, water pumps should last a long time. When I retired my 92 Legacy two years ago with 470,000 km (290,000 miles) on it, the water pump was still the original one and was working perfectly. I suggest that your problem might be the water or coolant you use. For best results, the water should be distilled or have a low mineral content. Make sure the antifreeze (coolant) is formulated for aluminum engines.

These connectors are NOT supposed to be connected. They're used to put the engine control computer into a special "test" mode for setting ignition timing, etc.

Perhaps the parking light switch, usually found on top of the steering column shroud, is on?

I'm going to go out on a limb too,... I'd check the installation of the timing belts. Since I don't know what engine is in the RX, I'm probably blowing hot air. If so, please accept my apology. Assuming it's an EA82: When you installed the timing belts, did you use the middle of the three scribed marks on the flywheel as the reference mark? These lines are NOT near the ignition/TDC marks. Also, did you make sure that when you installed the second belt, the camshaft pulley mark of the side already done was down? The two sides are not both up or both down at the same time. The three scribed lines, together with the camshaft timing hole of the pulley lined up with the top notch on the rear belt cover, indicate the camshaft position where all valves on that side are closed. You use this to install the belt, because that's the only camshaft position that's stable. You do not install timing belts when the crankshaft is at TDC. Good luck!

Sounds like the linkages in all the doors need lubrication, and possibly some adjustment (especially the driver's door). Remember that the driver's door lock works a switch located where the actuator is found on the other doors. If the linkage is set too short or if the switch is loose, the switch won't operate reliably. If the linkage is too long, the switch might operate accidentally when you close the door, especially if you slam it. The actuators in the other doors are very low-power electric motors. If the linkages are stiff due to lack of lubrication, the motors won't be able to operate the locks.

Please tell us what makes you think the motor is about to die. Subaru engines last almost forever. Subarus with over 400,000 km (250,000 mi) are quite common. Perhaps it's leaking oil or the valve train is noisy? A simple overhaul will cure most problems.

That's hard to say. A collapsed valve lash adjuster can certainly make a rattling sound. If the noise varies with engine speed, then you should suspect at least one collapsed adjuster. If you have more than one bad adjuster, the noise will be much worse. It's often very hard to describe the noise -- it will sound as if the engine is about to blow up. Don't worry -- it won't. If it's a loud clacking noise, you need to worry. That would be a connecting rod bearing. Where in NY are you? I might be persuaded to see you. (I have a bunch of O-rings & a couple of lash adjusters, none of which are doing me any good at all.)

Give it a little more time. If they're still noisy after a week, do an oil and filter change and use somewhat heavier oil. 10W40 would be OK. On my 92 Legacy (now retired after 470,000 km), noise in the valve train was always an indication that either the oil level was low, or the oil needed changing. I used 10W40 all the time except in the summer, when I switched to 20W50. Listen carefully to your engine. You should be able to tell which side and which cylinder is noisy. The lash adjusters are easy to change. You remove the valve cover and the rocker arm assembly. Nothing else needs to be removed. Pull each lash adjuster out, one at a time, and inspect. Look for a collapsed adjuster. Check the surface that mates with the rocker arm for pitting, both on the rocker arm and on the adjuster itself. Replace the adjuster if there's any pitting. It's important that you put the adjusters you're not going to change back in the original location. Be careful when you install the adjusters. It's possible to damage the O-ring. A little oil on the adjuster helps. Instead of changing the entire adjuster, it's possible to change just the O-ring. They're a special-order item from the dealer, under $3.00 each. That's usually the cure for a collapsed adjuster.