Fairtax4me

Check the parking light Switch on the TOP of the steering column. Hard to see from in the seat. Easily flipped and not noticed if you just cleaned the car and wiped across the top of the column with a rag.

Yeah I think I'd tell 'em what-fer! I probably would have told 'em what-fer when the AWD didn't work in the first place. Glad to hear its all fixed!!

As I said I'm not sure which way it was out. I didn't pay attention at the time. I was getting misfire codes for all 4 cylinders though, so I'm inclined to think that it was affecting spark timing for all 4. It has been suggested in the past that it could be determined by unplugging each sensor separately and checking for which process is affected. I've never tested this theory.

The sensors I had at the time measured around 580k ohms so I aimed for that. I think I put together a 100k and a 470k in series. Soldered and heat shrinked with an eyelet on one end and a connector I cut off an old Knock sensor to plug into the harness on the other end. I bolted it down on top of the sensor that way I could switch back and forth for testing purposes. Originally it was to be temporary, to be on for a few weeks while I tried different grades of fuel and such. The problem I was having would only pop up under very certain conditions so I wasn't sure if it was the KS or something else. If it actually was something else, the false sensor masked the problem. Haven't noticed any recurrence of that issue since then, but the problem was only happening when it was hot out.

I agree that it was likely a misdiagnosis due to incorrect guage readings. The pressure switch is on the high pressure side. It only sees high pressure. It can only prevent compressor engagement if the total system pressure is too low. The low side will show vacuum on a manifold guage with the compressor running if the charge is excessively low.

Different frequency. The frequency of spark knock is always the same whether its noticable or not. It's also practically the same for every engine. It can vary slightly, but not by much. A Ford knock sounds the same as a Chevy knock sounds the same as a Subaru knock. It's a distinctive sound and when you hear it coming from a car driving by you know what it is no matter what the car is. No amount of knock is considered normal. Knock is abnormal spontaneous combustion of the AF mixture that is not initiated by the ignition process. Optimally there should be 0 knock occuring in a gasoline engine. But with emissions laws the way they are, engines have to run a very fine line where the AF ratio will be as lean as possible without causing knocking. But with all the variations in temperature, atmospheric pressure, fuel quality, engine condition, etc. the fuel injection system can't always maintain that exact perfect AF ratio. If a knock is very slight it won't hurt anything in a normally aspirated engine. There are plenty of cars that knock audibly for 100k miles or more, but audible knocking can and will eventually cause damage to the engine. It's also a factor in the formation of NOx emissions which are one of the major forms that the EPA and CARB have enforced so many regulations in order to prevent. I had a similar issue last summer which I "cured" with a resistor in place of the knock sensor. I had yet to try a new sensor to see if the condition will return. This is on a 96 with 235k miles and it does burn a bit of oil, which I figured is probably the primary factor. I've only noticed occasional audible knocking without the sensor, and have probably put 8-10k miles on in the year.

The sensor is being "number" by moving it farther away. This could indicate there is very slight knocking occurring which is not audible but still detectable by the sensor. Knocking is caused by low octane fuel, too high compression, or a lean AF ratio, not by ignition components. It can also be caused by oil getting into the combustion chamber. Another factor is the EGR(if equipped). If the EGR is clogged or inoperable knocking can occur under low/medium load conditions such as during normal cruising at part throttle. The a/f mixture is lean under these conditions which leads to high combustion chamber temps. High temp plus lean mixture equals knocking. EGR helps to combat this by lowering combustion chamber temps. Try a strong fuel system cleaner (Lucas works well), new fuel filter if it hasn't been changed recently. You may also want to check fuel pressure with the engine under load. A bad PCV valve can lead to excessive oil consumption, even if the valve still rattles it may be damaged. Get a new one from SUBARU, not autozone. Make sure you have no air leaks. Check all of the breather and PCV hoses for cracks/ splits etc. Check vacuum hoses also. Front O2 sensor. Is it old? If its reading a false rich condition it will lean out the mixture.

1995 Legacy 2.2 with Zexel compressor Compressor High: 10.9mm x 1.9mm Compressor Low: 13.7mm x 1.9mm Condenser LH side: 10.9mm x 1.9mm Condenser RH side: 6.07mm x 1.7mm

Probably a good bet that will fix it. Without the seal pressure for the clutch pack will just bleed off back into the case.

There is a fuse chart in the FSM which has them numbered. It's not in the wiring diagrams, though I think its earlier in the wiring section. The IGN/SRS labeled fuse should be the correct one. So it appears you have an open somewhere between the coil and the fuse panel. As I said before, the power for the coil runs through one of the large connectors on the bell housing. I would check there on the proper pin for 12v getting to that plug. Check on both sides with it plugged together. Use the paper clip method. If you have 12v on both sides of that plug start following the coil harness pigtail, and somewhere between the bell housing and coil plug you may find a broken, cut, or pinched wire.

Double post.

What I have says FB 16 feeds the coil. That's Fuse 16 in the dash fuse box. That fuse gets power from the ignition switch. Should have 12v at fuse 16 with the key On and during cranking. Check for voltage at the fuse panel. If none there, check SBF 4 in the under hood panel.

Thanks for the update. Glad it's working well, it should continue to do so as long as there are no leaks. Like you, I'm not sure what to think of the drier situation on that car. It seems odd that there wouldn't be one. In a perfect world, a properly evacuated system will have no moisture, thus no need for a drier. But... this is an imperfect world. Proper pressure is somewhat dependent on outside temperature. FSM says low side: 18-28 psi Hi side: 213-242 psi with ambient outside temp 86-95° Anytime I've filled a system that needed a partial can I open the tap very slowly on the second can. You should open the tap slowly anyway to prevent icing of the can. As the refrigerant in the can gets cold it lowers the pressure in the can and it doesn't move as much refrigerant into the system. You do have to be careful not to overcharge the modern systems. Most run lower pressures on the low side now (vs 35-45 psi on older systems), which means the cans are more likely to completely empty themselves when the compressor kicks on.

There are fuses under the hood as well. Be sure to check there.

Someone here recently managed to fit a 130 amp H6 alternator in an older Legacy. Forester may have the correct plug already and be an easier swap. I think the thread was called "H6 alternator upgrade".

Did you unplug the connector to verify and put the meter lead directly on the terminal? And you made sure the meter works correctly? Power to the coil comes from the fuse panel. I haven't had a chance to look if there is a fuse or if it gets power from the main relay. Check both fuse boxes. Power for the coil comes through the connectors on the bellhousing so a problem there would also prevent the coil from getting power. Make sure none of the terminals have backed out of the connectors. Make sure none of the pins inside the connectors are bent.

I'm not sure how the lock cylinders are on these, but most just have a nut on the end that holds a lever. Loosen and remove the nut to remove the lever and swap it to the original cylinder.

These compressors don't move. They're solid mounted, the tensioner slides to adjust tension on the belt. Much easier to remove two tensioner bolts than to remove the 5 bolts that hold the compressor on.

A tip for removing the alternator belt. Slip the belt off of the crankshaft pulley rather than the alternator pulley. The crank pulley doesn't have a lip around the edge like the alternator or power steering pulleys have. Like Miles said, if the AC belt doesn't have enough slack just remove the bracket that holds the tensioner. It's only 2 bolts.

Are you sure the play is in the bearing? These typically don't have play without making a LOT of noise. The axle nut holds the inner races of the bearing together. If that is loose there would be play in the bearing. Axle nut should be torqued to 140 ft lbs. If the axle nut is torqued and there is still play the bearing should be replaced.

Not unheard of for 2.2 head gaskets to go. I have a 95 at 236k that's been slowly loosing coolant to I don't know where. Need to do a leakdown test to confirm but I'm pretty sure its a head gasket. Typically the head gaskets don't fail unless the engine was overheated or run hot at some point, but there are also issues on older engines with corrosion around the coolant ports in the heads. Fel-pro sells a gasket kit that comes with everything you need to do a head gasket job on these. Head gaskets, intake and exhaust gaskets, cam seals and o-rings, valve cover gaskets, even valve stem seals of you feel inclined to replace those. Fel-pro head gaskets have the Fuji logo stamped on them. They are the exact same gasket you can get at a dealer but at half the price.

When this happens does the key turn all the way back to the lock position? There is a mechanism that prevents the key from being turned to lock unless the shifter is in park. This uses a switch in the center console next to the selector which can get sticky if anyone has ever spilled a drink or coffee in the console. The console cover is easy to remove to gain access to the shifter box.

Do what now? I'm not following what you said here. Red lead should be on the center wire going to the coil. Stick a paper clip into the back of the connector so it reaches all the way in to touch the metal terminal. Make sure it doesn't touch anything else. Touch the lead to the paper clip. Use insulated alligator clips to connect the lead to the paper clip if you don't have a helper to crank the engine. Black lead should be on the battery negative post. I don't recall if there is a fuse for the ignition coil. I'll have to check.

Probably just a broken end link. They're nylon and get a little brittle when they get old. FcpImport has good quality replacements for $10 each.

Head gaskets are not too difficult on these engines. I recommend removing the engine for easy access to everything. For the overheating, is the car loosing coolant? The head gaskets on the newer engines typically only slowly seep coolant on the back corners. This is usually a manageable condition as long as the coolant level is kept in check. If it has overheated multiple times the head gaskets could be compromised and start pushing combustion pressure into the cooling system which will quickly cause overheating. Overheating can also damage the rod bearings if it is severe.