Fairtax4me

Adding valves complicates things. Let the coolant just run through the core. The blend flap directs air away from the heater core when heat isn't needed, so hot air will NOT blow into the cabin. Most Asian cars are set up to work that way, I would be surprised of the Mazda air box doesn't work the same or nearly the same.

You can NOT put a valve in the heater core loop. That loop is an integral part of the cooling system. Blocking it can lead to overheating, especially in cold weather.

Compare that to a valve that burned due to incorrect valve lash clearance causing the valve to hang open. When the valve doesn't seal all the way, the edge can't cool because it doesn't contact the valve seat in the head. This burns away a wide area that doesn't extend deep into the center of the valve.

LTFT shouldn't ever be more than +/- 10%. 27% is the maximum amount the Subaru ECU can add or deduct from fuel trim. The ECU should be adding a small amount of fuel on a run like that, or if it does subtract it shouldn't be more than a few percent. You may have a faulty oxygen sensor reading a false rich condition and bringing the fuel trim out of whack. If your fuel trim is approaching the 10% mark normally this is an indicator of an issue. Another factor here is the fuel you use. Higher octane fuel burns slower. Octane resists combustion, which helps to prevent detonation/pinging. But it also has the effect of delaying the complete burning of the fuel air mixture. That mixture may still be burning as it's being pushed out of the combustion chamber, which will cause overheating of the exhaust valves. The edge of the valve is cooled by the valve seat when the valve is closed, but the center of the valve has to be cooled by the stem, which doesn't carry heat out of the valve as efficiently as the seat. What happens is the center expands, then the outer edge cools and causes the valve to crack. Exhaust gases then blow out through that crack like a torch and cause a hole to burn out in the center, which then expands towards the edge of the valve.

Your rate won't change. The other drivers rate will. If you have comprehensive and collision coverage, file a claim with your insurance. They'll pay you, then they'll go after the other drivers insurance to get their money back. If you only carry liability coverage, file the claim with the other drivers insurance.

99% positive it's the MAF sensor. A solder joint in the sensor cracks and causes an intermittent signal loss. When the ECU loses MAF signal the engine stalls. Most of the time it starts right back up like nothing happened, and it won't set a code. The rough idle is normal when the engine is started with the MAF unplugged. The ECU defaults to a "limp mode" which will allow the engine to at least run, though it may not run well. Change the MAF with a used one. A pick-u-pull yard won't charge more than $25-30 for one. Check car-part.com for other junkyards near you that pull the parts for you. Might cost a bit more, but still better than several hundred $$$ for a new one. Post in the classifieds here if you can't find one nearby. People always have a dead car from that era they're parting out.

US market? No. Electronics are totally different on the 99. You can bolt the 96 heads and intake onto the 99 shortblock if you just need the block. Easier and cheaper though to find a 96-98 2.2.

You probably won't be able to tell its bad when the engine is not running. With the engine running you'll see the tensioner bouncing around. You should only need to pull the drivers end timing cover and look in from the side with a flashlight to see if the tensioner is moving/ bouncing around.

Somehow just noticed this thread, sorry to hear about the OB!!! Insurance can be a pain. Age and mileage are the major factors in an insurance payoff. Vehicle condition really doesn't make much difference unless the car has a salvage or rebuild title. Barring either of those, a car in horrible mechanical shape is worth just as much as one in perfect shape to the insurance company. Peeling paint and rust make a smaller difference than many people think. The hood and fenders and absorbed all of the impact. Had she run into another VW, the airbags might have gone off. Airbag deployment is determined based on deceleration force. Have to have a high enough negative G force to overcome the springs in two separate impact sensors in order to set off the airbags. As the body cumples that deceleration force is absorbed, and therefore decreased. I've seen cars driven under pickup trucks right up to the windsheild. Hood and the tops of the fenders rolled up like a sardine can. Airbags didn't go off because the impact G force was just too low.

If the ends of the bolts are exposed they can corrode badly. Sorry to hear it was such a pain. I've had good luck with aluminum by smacking the head of the bolt with a hammer a few times (hard enough to shock it but not so hard to deform it) and tapping around the case where the bolts are. Now that you have it out, PB the broken ones for a few days and try the hammer tap method and you may be able to get them out with vice grips rather than havin to drill. Those roll pins are always a B. You need exactly the right sized punch, and you really have to get some swing with a BFhammer to knock it loose.

Valve cover gaskets should cure the oil in the spark plug wells. The timing belt isn't as big a worry as the idler pulleys and tensioner. The idler with the teeth likes to fail and it takes the belt with it. This IS an interference engine, so broken belt = bent valves.

Really haven't ever heard of one of these breaking. Certainly not a common replacement item. I don't know any details, but pay very close attention to where the old cable is routed (above/below certain objects/wires). Don't twist or bend the cable tightly to avoid crimping sheathing or bending the cable inside.

Did it burn the hole out in the middle near the stem or on the edge? Good old Afton mountain. Lots of heat build-up in the engine after that long climb, if you have an old fuel filter or dirty injectors that can cause a lean condition which overheats the exhaust valves. I bought my old 95 wagon cheap because it burned a valve trying to climb the mountain on 33. The valve cracked, and it burned a crater hole out in the middle of it.

So the relay was not there at all?

Pull the cover off the back of the solenoid and check the contacts. Those wear out all the time and cause exactly this problem.

Make sure it's not the timing tensioner flopping around. The new style one peice tensioners are finicky and fail if you look at them wrong. If you have the old style two peice tensioner, those have to be compressed VERY slowly or the seals blow out internally and cause it to bounce around.

That's very odd for one of these to burn 3 exhaust valves at such low mileage. How many miles were on it when the first valve burned? The second? It's probably not due to a bottom end issue, unless this car has been very poorly maintained. Ring problems are not common unless oil changes have been severely neglected. The heads on the early phase 2 engines do occasionally have issues with the valve guides dropping, which causes the valve to hang open and burn. This is a fairly easy diagnosis just by pulling the y-pipe down and looking into the exhaust ports. Unfortunately, fixing it requires rebuilding the head. There's another issue I've heard about more recently that affects pretty much every car on the road. A side effect of ethanol gas. When a car sits for several days or weeks at a time on a regular basis, the ethanol can eventually cause corrosion in the valve guides and cause the valves to stick. The only way to fix that is to rebuild the head. You'll have a hard time finding a used engine with lower miles than what you have. A 2.2 from that era is especially difficult to find since they only used it in the Impreza. And any used engine you get is a gamble. You're likely to have to replace the head gaskets, and most of the other seals on a used engine. You might as well do all that on your own engine since you know the history of what you have.

Checked all the fuses? Scanned it for codes? Might pull a timing end cover off and check the timing belt.

X3. Bent valves are almost a guarantee when you break a timing belt on that engine. Your mechanic doesn't know Subarus if he didn't advise you of that. Where are you located? Perhaps we can recommend a more knowledgable mechanic.

The switch does not directly power the lamps. The switch merely activates the fog lamp relay under the dash. The relay controls the power to the lamps. Do you hear the relay click when the switch is pushed? Need to find the relay and check for power there. Its kind of a goofy looking round relay.

If you live in the dessert (100°+ temps on a regular basis), 10w-40. Anywhere else, 5w-30.

Valvoline DOT3/4 synthetic works great. I used to use it all the time. If your fluid is old and brown looking you'll know when all the old fluid is out because it will turn clear.

That method will work fine. Just have extra fluid on hand since you may use over a quart before clean fluid starts coming out. Mention to your helper to be ready to turn the engine off if the fluid level gets too low. Zip tie something heavy (like a large socket) to the end of your drain hose to keep it from flying around like a loose fire hose.

Headlamps have to be ON on Low beam for the fog lamps to work with the factory wiring. Check for power and ground at the lamps. If you find the relay check for 12V reaching the connector. If you don't have 12v there follow the wiring from that to the fuse box, or see if the "fog" fuse has continuity to the relay connector. The harness wiring in the dash is tricky, the relay grounds through the headlamp circuit. You may see 12v on the ground side when the key is On.

Incomplete disengagement of the clutch is a hydraulic issue. That notch you feel in the pedal is the kickback from the pedal assist spring. When the pedal is up that spring forces the pedal to the top of its travel to ensure the master cylinder pistons is moved all the way back to the beginning of its bore. When the pedal is pushed down the spring assists with holding the pedal down by applying slight pressure. The tipping point for the spring is about mid travel of the pedal. Feedback pressure from the pressure plate would normally push the pedal back past that point and you won't feel the pedal kick up. When there is not enough pressure plate movement to fully release the clutch, the feedback pressure doesn't push the pedal back all the way. It only gets about 1/2 way, then your foot starts to lift off the pedal because the force pushing back on the pedal is very small at that point. Then it finally gets to the tipping point of the assist spring, which kicks the pedal back up to the top. Disconnect the master cylinder pushrod from the pedal and you can push the pedal down and feel the action and the tipping point of the spring. Air in the system causes incomplete travel of the release arm, thus incomplete release of the pressure plate. The bellhousing is a molded part of the main case and can't be swapped. Tapping threads for a bolt takes all of 30 seconds since its aluminum. The hole is the perfect size to tap to M12x1.75, and this size bolt should fit through the hole on the starter. If not there is very little trimming needed to make it fit.