Bad Brian

Right you are Mike, he is apparently from Tasmania. He does have AutOBarn, Supercheap, Auto One, etc. They all seem similar to Autozone, Oreillys or Advanced that we have. One of the must let you scan the codes. Then again, it may be trying to tell him something about his girlfriend. She might be quite the devil!

I had that problem on my 98 OBS 2.2 this winter. Get your code read! I bought an OBD2 scanner because I would not have made it to a place to scan it The code said it was the MAF sensor low signal. Dealer list is up to $390 so I bought a used one on Ebay to see if that really was the problem, only $22 including shipping. Takes 5-10 mins. to swap out. Problem solved! But since I now had an older used part I decided to get a back-up to carry in the car, again from Ebay, only $17 shipped! It also works. Then I got the third one last week, $1.25 plus $5 shipping. Total cost for 3 working MAF sensors $45.25, price for peace of mind, priceless! If your other car has the MAF you may be all set.

Fro my research all of those vehicles are likely candidates. I was recently there with my 98 OBS and will give you the link to my thread from last month with part #s. You will find different #s but they are still interchangeable parts. I have since picked up another MAF that also has that same different # than mine to carry as a spare, it also works fine. The total price for 2 separate listings on Ebay including shipping came to $39. These were small gambles compared to some of the other prices out there for new OR used ones so I made out. I will get one more to keep on hand if I see a deal like those again. My OBS will only hit 56K next time it goes out for the day so I will have it for quite a while. I went thru emissions this past Wednesday by the way. Here is the link to the thread with #s. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=109005

Yes, you can leave the fuse in for now. I did 2 of my ATF changes without putting the car up in the air, BUT I know how to get at the drain plug from along the drivers door, I have a drain pan that fits under the car and cardboard to catch spillage, I have a socket and breaker bar and a pipe to extend it giving me enough leverage to get the drain plug loose, and I know which of the 3 dipsticks under the hood is for the tranny rather than the oil or front differential and I would guess that you do not have a a ATF funnel to refill the tranny. So, if your torque bind really is gone, you can ask the dealer to change the ATF or buy your ATF fluid and call a friend to come over and talk you thru your first ATF change and monitor your progress. Physically an 8 year old can do it if he was being shown what to do. Do not overfill the tranny. If 3.5 qts. come out, 3.5 go back in.

did you do the fuse thing yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After that we will see if any changes are worth talking about.

ATF= Auto. Tran. Fluid Use Dexron III or IV, they may have V now. Actually if it appears that it is working add Trans X ( I think that is the product they rave about here) at the last change THEN top it off with with 3+ qts. of ATF. As-is or not you just bought it from a dealer and here in CT. there is a minimum of some rights regarding repairs for used vehicles just bought from dealers. I do not remember the details.

mine had a bit over 50K when the problem showed up without ever having had the ATF changed. You probably do not know if/when yours was done.

It certainly sounds like torque bind and I know because I had it with those same symptoms. My thread about this problem was started in April '09. If the problem is that the Duty C solenoid is bad then , yes, it will require replacement, labor and maybe other parts. But first you need to see if the Duty C can be forced into operating. Under your hood, on my Impreza it in above the left front wheel well, will be a plastic box. In it is a place to insert a fuse and it should be labeled "FWD". A spare fuse may already be inside the box for you to use. If your Duty C is good, inserting the fuse will force the Duty C to to put the car in 2wd, driving the car this way will reveal if the rear wheels are still engaged or not. If the shuttering is gone, that is a good thing. Your Duty C works. Remember to take the fuse out, you will never have AWD again until you do! If the Duty C works the fluid changes may fix the issue. My car took about 3.9 qts. to change. Of course draining it does not get the fluid out of the torque converter but you do dilute the dirty stuff more each time you change it. I ran it on the new fluid for 2 days then did another fluid change. During those first 2 days I had noticed the car's improvement but it was really noticeable during the 2 weeks that I drove it with the second change. After 2 weeks I changed it again, the fluid coming out looked almost as good as what went in. PROBLEM SOLVED! So for less than $35 and with a little elbow grease and some mess I saved a bundle in parts, diagnosis and labor costs because no garage will try the fluid changes before giving you a line of bull************ and selling you parts and services you may not need. Of course if the putting the fuse in does not alleviate the torque bind problem then you do have more serious issues. Good luck.

It seems that you misunderstood about the fuse under the hood BUT this does not sound like an issue testable by forcing the car into 2wd anyway

My 98 OBS was essentially dead. I had a code P0102 regarding low input on the MAF sensor. I picked up 2 used sensors and the car is fine with either of the "newer" sensors in. I cleared the code but my OBD scanner has only gone from red to yellow regarding being emissions ready. I have 3 monitor symbols blinking down from 5. I still have EV, 2A and either OH or O, I forgot which and the scanner is in the car which is outside in a snowstorm at the moment. How long before they straighten out or will the car get thru emissions with the monitors still blinking? The car is due for testing in Connecticut next month.

You can try some MAF spray cleaner by CRC and see if the sensor is just dirty. I got my can at Advance Auto Parts prior to sending for the part. Obviously a dirty sensor was not my problem.

Suddenly 3 months ago my OBS would not idle for more than 10 mins before dying out. It did not leave the driveway. I finally bought an OBD scanner 2 weeks ago and then last week I ordered a used MAF off Ebay, it arrived Saturday and today is the 3rd day that I have used that car. I bought another MAF last night as a backup to carry in the car (you can swap one out in 5 mins. at roadside if needed) and maybe I will get a 3rd one to keep on hand! Total investment including shipping so far, $39 for 2. Worth the gamble? I think so! The code will not clear on its own. It stays in memory until cleared. Disconnect the negative battery cable AFTER you make any repairs to erase the code. If the problem persists that code will come back.

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I just did some of the homework for you at Autozone. If your vehicles are both 2wd AND your Impreza uses 14 inch wheels then they have the same rotor but not if you have 13 inchers. Those 2wd Legacy rotors will also fit an AWD Impreza but the AWD Legacy rotors will not fit the AWD Impreza. Maybe they will if you swap out calipers also but that is maybe! This is not a final word on the subject. These parts stores can have wrong info. The pads Advance said were for my OBS did not fit in the caliper. Everything was the same size except that the end tabs were too wide so I brought mine in to match up and the ones for supposedly non Outback Imprezas were what I needed.

So are the 5 pins older or are they replacements for a broader spectrum of years? Or maybe either is possible depending on the particular part. The 5 pin clearly works for me, but my OEM one could not have been used on older cars.

Grossgary, I just came in from the cold after walking the dog, happy to be in the warmth and then I saw your post! So it was back out to the tundra to look things over! The connectors are identical in both cases. From the harness side there are 5 ports in each connector and the wires either enter each port traveling thru a foam(?) plug OR the port is filled by a solid foam plug in the spots where there is no wire. Numbering the wire locations from engine outward toward the fender my Impreza has wires in ports 1,3,4 but not 2 or 5 however there are sensor prongs at 1,2,3,4. The replacement sensor has prongs at all 5 spots but the harness that came with has wires at 1,2,3,4. So neither connector utilizes the #5 spot. Also the wires on the 2 connectors are not consistent as far as what color goes to what spot either! I did wonder about the turbo possibility. I only know that I use 3 prongs, somebody uses 4, somebody uses 5!

A couple of posts above me I think that I read that 30 of 32 valves were bent. Arithmetic was never my strong point but since most Soobs are 4 bangers that means he has 8 valves per cyl.? That sounds like the gal last week who was told she needed a new engine AND a new cylinder!

To all Soob gurus, my 98 OBS would start but not run more than 5 mins. I got the code P0102 for MAF low input. My original MAF sensor is #22680 AA160 A36-000 R60 made by Unisia in Japan. My harness has a 3 wire connection but the original sensor has 4 prongs. I have acquired a used sensor #22680 AA160 J A36 000 RA0 by Autecs in the U.S.A. which came with the harness connector attached. It is a 4 wire connection and the "new" sensor has 5 prongs! I do not understand how or why but the car is running fine with the substitute sensor in place and no new codes. I have not gotten enough driving in to cycle through all the diagnostics yet. There is also another Unisia version out there with a slightly different part #, #22680 AA160F JA36-000 RA0, also 22680 AA160 A36-000 R60. Does anyone know why the # differences and what about the 3 vs. 4 wires and 4 vs. 5 prongs?

When the original B-stones finally come off my 98 OBS (only 56K) for next winter I will replace them with BFG Traction TAs. They made a big difference on my 98 Civic over the original Firestones or the Mastercrafts. They should be great on the OBS!

Got a used MAF sensor delivered today. Installed it and the car would not start but was firing. After 3 long tries it started and took 3-5 seconds to smooth out.and then I decided to walk away after a few minutes, made a bowl of cereal, checked on the car which was still running, went to eat the cereal and then found the car still running!!!!! Eventually I felt confident that it would keep running and went for a short spin and it ran great, first time out of the yard since October. I came back, cleared the code restarted it, checked for codes, no more code! My OBD scanner had been getting a red emissions light, it is now yellow. On Sunday I will have to really do some driving to get it to cycle all the way through. Regarding the MAF sensor. My original one had a 3 wire connector at the harness but 4 prongs in the sensor. The replacement sensor still had the harness connector attached, it had been snipped off from the harness. This connector had 4 wires and the sensor itself has 5 prongs!!!!???? From what I see, this style of MAF sensors all start with #22680 aa160, then a second set of numbers varies. Some end in RA0, others in 160. Anyway, my car is running even with extra prongs that are sucking wind.

Thanks, I do have a used test MAF sensor coming tomorrow or Sat. but I did not think that the MAF unit is actually the problem, that is why I am here asking for more input.

If the putting the fuse in eliminates the TB then definitely try the fluid changes. It can work! It may work for you. It has worked for me and plenty of others! Look up my post regarding it. It costs about $30!!!!!! Also make sure that your tires are matching and inflated to the same PSI. A smaller circumference on the tire will cause that tire to have to rotate faster and the car will believe AWD is needed when it is not.

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The OP stated on page 3 that the mechanic says she needs a new engine AND a new cylinder! That is not kosher! You cannot need both. He misspoke, she misunderstood or mistyped or they are still playing with her.

Good reason not to have ABS, $200+ per wheel, and that is not at the dealer or with labor! DIY special and you are still broke.