Fairtax4me

Motor mounts have nothing to do with the knock sensor. That's Hogwarsh. Moving the sensor can "numb" the sensor, but if the sensor is reacting to a knock then it should not be moved because knock will eventually damage the engine. Most of the time the sensor element is damaged due to corrosion,(either the plastic housing splits, or the sensor is installed incorrectly and the housing stretches open at the bottom) or the sensor is not properly grounded to the block, again because of corrosion on the base of the sensor or on the mounting point on the block. Occasionally with a replacement sensor someone may overtighten the bolt that secures the sensor to the block and that can deform the sensor element. This can either alter the frequency that the sensor responds to (causing it to detect noises other than the ones it is designed to), or crush the element so it doesn't respond at all.

200° is 10° hotter than normal operating temp for these engines. I don't know how hot a block heater typically gets an engine (varies greatly depending on wattage and engine size) but it should never get it above normal operating temp. You really shouldn't need to run a heater for more than an hour unless you're parked outside in sub-zero temperatures. These are small aluminum blocks, they heat up pretty quick. Even on days when outside temps are below freezing you should be near operating temp in about ten minutes just idling.

I'm not sure if the STI turbo will work or not, but I do know that anytime you start changing parts of a turbo system you will need to have the ECU re-tuned to make sure those parts play nice with the rest of the system. A different turbo can create different boost levels through the RPM range, which will need to be accounted for or severe engine damage will result. If you think $1400 for a stock replacement sounds expensive, guess what a new engine costs? If you don't want to spend the money for a whole new turbo, you can often get a new CHRA kit (Center Housing & Rotating Assembly) and reuse the old snail shells from the old turbo. A new CHRA is much less expensive than an entirely new unit, but will cost extra in labor to have the parts swapped over.

You won't find one made by Bully because the Subaru market is too small for them to bother with. Gorilla Offroad makes a nice bar with plenty of light mounts, winch mount available as well. http://www.gorillaoffroadcompany.com/product-detail.cfm/prd_key/46 HTi-fab does a whole tube bumper, but I don't know if they make one for the Baja. Most of the major aftermarket companies don't really do much for Subaru. You just have to look around some to find the smaller businesses that do. If you know what other parts you may be looking for you can post up a list and we can try to help you find sources.

If the car has a spare tire that could also have a pressure sensor in it. Check the spare and make sure it has the right pressure.

Generally when you have a hesitation issue a computer reset will "cure" the problem for a little while because the computer runs on a default rich fuel setting until it learns a more efficient (lean) fuel setting. This generally takes 15-20 miles. Once it learns the more lean setting it switches to that and you get the hesitation problem back. Finding the offending sensor is tricky. If the O2 sensors are old you may consider changing those just for good measure. A skewed O2 sensor can cause the engine to run too lean, which can cause hesitation at lower RPM. MAF sensor also has a large input for fuel control. A good cleaning may work. You can try unplugging the MAF then start the engine and go for a drive. Do not plug in / unplug the MAF with the engine running.

Thanks Bob. I'll have to hook the scanner up to it again and recheck just to be sure but I think this is the right track.

Cut it out guys. Painfully slow is the only way I could describe how long it takes for these blocks to fill with coolant if they airlock. If the thermostat is not a Subaru design with the jiggle valve, it will never happen. If it does have the jiggle valve it takes over an hour to get the system full, as coolant will only very slowly dribble in through the valve. The waste of time is to stand there and wait. Pop the upper hose off the radiator and the block is filled in 30 seconds.

I've done both and it mostly depends on what tools you have access to. If you have (or can get) an engine lift, that's much better than lying on the ground with a floor jack to raise/lower the trans. It is slightly more work to pull the engine, but if it needs any other work such as oil seals, valve cover gaskets, separator plate seal, etc., pulling the engine gives much better access.

Thanks! I'll have to check again this weekend, but it seems to me this car was reading 6-7 g/sec at idle. It wasnt too happy to idle properly though, so it was difficult to get a solid reading. Gonna see if I can find a used one locally. The made in China cheapos are only about $25 on eBay... but I'm not sure if I trust that kind of high quality.

I have some background in volvos. A friend of mine owned several at one point. He drove his 87 240 wagon to just over 500,000 before the rust had taken over. He still has an 83 wagon which now has the engine from the 87. Irv Gordon's car is legendary. I think that's testament to both good engineering and strict maintenance practice.

Cool, thanks Bob. I figured I would ask you about this since you have the scanguage. The MAF flow under load varies too much. It's going to change drastically depending on if the car going up/downhill, but if you could check at 2,500 rpm sitting still that would help. Also, could let me know the engine load calculation (%) at idle? Thanks!

It would be better if you could give us the actual code number. If you replaced the throttle position sensor on the side of the throttle body, the sensor needs to be adjusted so the computer gets the correct voltage signal when the throttle is closed. If the voltage signal is too high or too low it will set codes for the sensor and cause driveability problems.

Motor oil is like religion and politics. Nobody agrees on it, and wars are started because of it. The most important things is to change the oil on a regular basis. The newer models all use synthetic oil, so start doing some research on your favorite brands synthetic offerings.

They don't normally just "slide" out. Usually need some oomph to pop the circlip out. I would pull the axle the rest of the way out and make sure the circlip is still on the end. Spin the circlip around so the opening is pointing down, then slide the axle in, line up the splines and give it a good shove.

Hmmm. Mine sputters occasionally if its under 1/4 tank and I go around a long right curve like a cloverleaf exit/entrance ramp. If you drive tight circles in a parking lot (big, wide-open parking lot) will it stumble? It only does it when turning right? Or will it do it if you turn left as well?

Fuel pressure is spot on. 35 psi at idle, 45 with the FPR vacuum line off. Found a TSB for MAF sensor. The MAF on this one has been cleaned but I will pull it out of the housing and try to get a closer look at it this weekend. I unplugged the MAF and it did run better. Have to try and find what the normal airflow should be for these. It looks like its close to the correct range but I don't have another of these to compare with. Anybody know what the flow rate should be (99 SOHC 2.5) at Idle and at 2500 rpm (in Nuetral)? G/sec or lb/min. G/sec is a bit more accurate but I can use either.

How much gas is in it?

You probably have two problems. First check the battery cables. Make sure the battery posts are clean and tight. That could cause your no-click no-nothing no-start. That could also be because of worn electrical contacts in the starter, which is fairly common. The random stall is likely to be a faulty solder joint in the MAF sensor. The MAF sensor voltage signal drops out intermittently and when the happens the ECU cuts fuel to the engine. It will stall with no warning and will start right back up again after cycling the key, or if you're rolling fast enough it will resume fuel delivery after 3-4 seconds and it'll re-fire and drive just fine like nothing happened. Often this does not set a code until it has happened several times. This has become an increasingly common issue in the 95 and 96 model years. 97 uses the same MAF design, so this will probably affect the 97 MY as well.

Getting a new hub (the round part with the lug studs) is a waste of money unless there is physical damage to the old one. You still have to press the new bearing into the knuckle, and press new hub into the new bearing. Save yourself $150 and just re-use your old one. New bearing and seals are about $65 from Napa. The only reason I would consider a new hub is if the CV axle is seized in the hub, but at that point you'll probably need a whole knuckle assembly which will come with another hub. Tire wear will not be caused by a bad wheel bearing unless the bearing is worn to the point that it has a severe amount of play. Tire wear can be the source of your noise. Uneven tread or cupping or feathering of the tread will cause tire noise which can be mistaken for bearing noise. Tire wear will be caused by incorrect tire pressure if it is worn on both edges, or by an alignment problem if it is worn on only one edge. It will not affect or cause wheel bearing failure.

To the OP, have you checked with an actual dealer for Subaru coolant? Last I checked it lists for about $25. And the coolant conditioner was less than $5. They do not run in "reverse". Coolan still flows into the engine through the lower hose, then out into the radiator through the upper hose, just like it always has. The thermostat being on the inlet side of the pump allows better temperature regulation. It keeps the coolant temp coming into the engine more consistent. On engines with the thermostat up top you can have coolant temperature drop 50°+ in the block before the thermostat can react. Sudden changes in temperature stress the block, especially an aluminum block (which almost all modern cars have). On the newer systems, if the temperature of the coolant entering the block is too cold, the thermostat begins to close to keep the block warm. There is a secondary coolant circuit, called the bypass route, which runs hot coolant from the top of the engine through the heater core and delivers it back to the water pump and runs it directly to the back side of the thermostat. (The bulb side) This secondary flow of hot coolant mixes with the cooler flow coming in from the radiator. It raises the temperature of the coolant moving across the thermostat, which helps keep it open in cold weather conditions, and maintains an even coolant temp entering the block. The problems with filling the older Subaru cooling systems come from the upper hose and the radiator cap being on opposite sides of the radiator, and the upper hose is actually higher than the core. Once the radiator fills, the small passages in the core do not allow the air in the block to get out, thus coolant can't get in. The same reason they put bleeders on brake calipers and cylinders. The small lines airlock and fluid can not flow in to displace the air. On the older radiators they put a bleed screw on the top corner opposite of the cap, so air can be pushed out of the block and coolant can flow in. But not all of them had the bleeder, and some replacement radiators may not have the bleeder. On those cars, if there is no bleeder, you simply fill the block through the upper hose before filling the radiator. On later models they redesigned the radiator. On some they run the cores vertically instead of horizontally, so the end caps are at the top and bottom. They also put the cap on the same side as the upper hose which alleviates the problem of airlock.

Felpro makes the 2.2 head gaskets for Subaru and their valve cover gaskets are good quality as well. Felpro intake manifold gaskets are fine, but I use Subaru exhaust gaskets. Any other o-rings and seals, I prefer to use dealer parts.

Subaru has a website where you can download service manuals for all of their vehicles. You pay for a subscription for a certain amount of time and download all you can during that time. I think this would be the only source for a service manual for a 2015.

Does anyone know the difference between regulators on: 1999 SOHC 2.5 1996 2.2 ? Working on a 99 Foz for a friend of mine that doesn't have much money. Started with a non-responsive front O2 sensor, her parents dropped the money on a spankin new one from the dealer. Put that in, now I can see fuel trims (they were solid 0 before). Car is running pig rich and ECU is pulling -29% (yes, negative) trim at idle. Front and rear O2 sensors both reading 0.85V or higher constantly. All other sensors reading normally. ECT reading normal on scanner. Fans turn on properly at 204° and turn off at 194°. Runs 190° when driving. After 20-30 seconds a idle fuel system switches to OL-Drive then fuel trims 0 out, and idle starts to bounce. No vaccum leaks. Vacuum line to the FPR is clean, no fuel in it. Am thinking injectors are cruddy or FPR is clogged and forcing fuel into the thing. Going to put a pressure guage on it tomorrow, and see if my high fuel pressure theory is right. If It is the FPR I have a few for the 95-98 2.2 and I'd like to try and swap one on to test. Just not sure if it'll fit.

JB weld might hold temporarily. If the pipe is rusty you may be better off to replace it to avoid future leaks. If you can't find one local, post in the classified section here.