Fairtax4me

EJ is new gen. Last I checked MSD had a box that would power up the ignition for a wasted spark system like the EJ engines use, but not a standalone system as far as I know. Might check their website to see what they have now. There are several standalone ECU systems out there like mega squirt, but I'm not sure what type of controls they have built in as far as ignition control. The ECU doesn't generally control the coil directly unless its a small coil like a COP. If you just need more spark, there is a coil for a dodge (neon I think) that can be used with a little wire splicing (only 3 wires) and has a higher output voltage than the subaru coil.

RTV on the oil pump? Would lead to a plugged oil feed for the camshafts. Drivers side seems more prone to getting plugged since its the closest to the pump (as far as the routing of the oil pressure galleys is concerned).

Yes, you can make both blink codes by jumping different wires in the small black 6 pin plug under the dash. At least, you can on 04 and older models. Not sure about newer than that. What year and model is the car?

Yeah that seems fine. The voltage on the outgoing side will be affected by how much resistance is in the cruise module. If there were 0 resistance it would activate the horn relay and make the horn sound. Next I would make sure you're getting 12v to the cruise module (the pump) and the signal from the switch is making it there. You might want to find an FSM for the car with wire diagrams to help with that.

You do have to make sure to shove the key and sprocket up against the unworn side of the key slot in the crank. If the key slot in the sprocket is worn then the sprocket should be replaced. With misfires still on the same cylinders after fixin the timing. You might just try a new set of injectors. (Used should be fine) make sure to use new O-rings, and replace the o-rings around the rails. Pull the rails with injectors still in them to avoid filling the cylinders with fuel. Actually before that spray some cleaner around the intake manifold gaskets to make sure they aren't leaking.

Diodes are in the select switch on the back of the cicruit board. Easy to check with a multimeter when the switch is apart. The diodes only affect the cancel setting though. So not quite as important. You don't have to pull it all apart to check them though. The switch is easy to check for continuity with an ohmmeter. The green/black wire at the switch is common. Yellow/Black is the Acc/Resume signal White/red is the Set/coast signal. Unplug the switch. With an ohmmeter touch the red lead to the green wire, black lead to the yellow wire. Should have 0 ohms if you push the switch to Set. If you pull the switch to cancel you should see close to 7 Mega ohm resistance. This means the set/coast side diode is good. Should see the same readings for the white wire by moving the switch to Acc. If you don't want to take the steering wheel apart you can check this under the column at the black connector. The wooe colors will be as follows: Green/Red is common Black/White is set/coast signal Tan is Acc/Res signal If you don't get the proper readings at the connector under the column it could mean the clockspring is bad. Retest at the switch connector in the wheel.

Fuel mixture, air pressure, humidity that day? Or maybe it just thought you looked at it the wrong way. Actually its the former, there is a lot that goes into fine tuning the fuel mixure, and just a hair difference combined with not quite up to snuff compression due to the valve timing being 7.5 degrees off, (15 degrees out at the crank) makes all the difference between fire and misfire, or what the ECU perceives as a misfire.

On the ones ive done the drivers cam is always half a tooth off from the mark on the timing cover. Make sure the cam mark is to the right (drivers side) of the cover mark. If its to the left the timing will be off and cause misfires. I would also make sure the ends of the cam and crank sensors are clean. Try swapping them if that doesn't help.

Did you verify timing marks are lined up? Could also be a problem with the Igniter.

Did you check the continuity of the select switch contacts? Did you check the diodes in the select switch? There is a black plug (either 5 or 6 pin) with only 3 wires under the steering column. This has the wires for the cruise select switch. Wires are the same color as those at the switch. Check for voltage on those while you move the switch. The switch shares power with the horn relay so should have battery voltage present at all times. There is a switch on the clutch pedal also, be sure to check that.

Tightening the cable pulls the release bearing towards the pressure plate. This would make the noise go away by putting the release bearing in constant contact with the pressure plate. This is bad because it means the release bearing will spin ALL the time, and will wear out prematurely. The clips are not likely to fail if they're new, unless they were installed incorrectly or the release lever was moved around too much prior to the engine and trans being bolted back together. Probably was the whole bearing and lever assembly rattling around because the clutch and hill holder cables are not adjusted properly or the release lever return spring is missing or not installed correctly. Loosen the clutch cable so there is about 1/4" of play at the top of the release lever, then adjust your hill holder cable until the cable just starts to pull the lever on the hill holder mechanism. The slight tension on the hill holder cable pulls the release lever forward and keeps the release bearing out of contact with the pressure plate. If you do not have the hill holder, there should be a spring on the release lever to pull the lever forward. If the return spring is missing the same thing happens. The release bearing will just touch the pressure plate, and will bounce around and rattle as the engine spins.

Did you replace the clips that hold the release bearing to the release lever? When those break the release bearing rattles around between the lever and the pressure plate.

According to FSM for 03 Legacy. Back view of the harness side connector. Lock tab on top 2 1 4 3 2 = Red 1 = white 4 = Y/R 3 = Green Y/R is 12v from the fuse box for the heater. Green is heater ground. Should show less than 1.0v with key On. White is Sensor bias voltage ~ 2.0-2.25v with engine idling. Red is sensor bias voltage ~ 1.75-2.0v engine idling.

The engine may be fine, but the cats may overheat. And they are $$$ to replace.

Google yielded this: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/1307993-post3.html

The knock sensor is designed to only respond to a certain frequency. Anytime detonation happens it is always the same frequency, just with a different volume depending on severity. So smacking the knock sensor with a screwdriver handle probably wont reproduce the same frequency sound wave that the sensor is tuned to listen for. The type of knock its looking for is more like a hammer striking the block. Though it still may not respond even to that. If you entirely remove the sensor from the block, hang it up where it isnt toucjing anything metal, then it should be "deaf". It shouldn't respond to knock even if it occurs. If it still pulls timing while the sensor is deaf, that (to me at least) implies a problem with the sensor. Especially when the problem is NOT present with a "fake" sensor, a resistor, installed in place of the sensor. Seafoam is a good thing to try. Lots of people use it with the engine warm. I think it works better with the engine cold, since you can let it soak in longer without it evaporating. Other than Seafoam and other fuel/induction cleaners, make sure all the hoses for the breather/PCV system are intact and connected properly. Check any vacuum hoses for splits and loose fit. Make sure the air and fuel filters are clean.

The permanent fix? Leave the resistor in place! Was the "known good" knock sensor brand new? It's possible the shielding on the sensor signal wire was not grounded properly and it was picking up interference from somewhere. Could also have just been a failed sensor. I have an old dead sensor that I've been meaning to cut apart to see how its constructed. Id also like to get a scope trace of a sensor signal and compare a good sensor vs a known bad sensor.

580k is approximately the resistance of the knock sensor. If you get within 20k +- tha will be fine. You should try the resistor next to see if you get pinging.

Put a bolt through the knock sensor, get a length of 18awg wire with an eyelet crimped on the end. Bolt that to the sensor with a nut on the end of the bolt. Zip tie the sensor up off the block against one of the hoses in that area. Hook the other end of the wire to chassis ground or battery -. Drive the car and see if you have the same issue, or if it starts pinging like crazy. That is what it's doing. Once the knock goes away the ECU ramps the timing back up. The ECU doesn't learn to retard timing all the time because its not as efficient to run with less timing advance. So the ECU tries to run as much advance as it can all the time, until it senses knock, then it will pull the timing back a little until the knock goes away. How far it pulls the timing back is determined by how much it knocks, and the severity. If it continues to knock after the ECU has pulled the timing a little, it pulls it back more and more until the knock stops.

Yeah the tail housing is easily replaceable. Find a junkyard that lets you pull parts. Get the tail housing and the driveshaft. The locked up u-joint is probably what caused yours to explode. The u-joints can be replaced though. Just have to chisel or drill out the staking that hold the bearing caps in. Theujointstore.com has replacements. Click the TUS-10 link.

If its were the TPS sensor the problem would happen only at certain throttle position. If your foot stays in the same place, the problem will happen at all engine speeds. Since it only happens at a certain engine speed, you can rule out the TPS by using more throttle. If you use 70% throttle to accelerate, and get the same hiccup as you do using only 20% throttle, then the TPS is not the problem. You may also be able to watch the TPS % reading change on the scanner when the problem happens. If TPS reading is unchanged when the problem happens, TPS is not the problem.

When its very cold out it can take several minutes (I've had it take up to 10 minutes in the automatics I've owned) for the lock-up to engage. It is based on fluid temperature, though I'm not sure of the exact temperature. At highway speeds, this should only take 2-5 minutes, depending on just how cold it is.

Either its leaking out and knocking, or the knock sensor is sending a false signal to the ECU. I had a similar problem and replaced the knock sensor with a 580k ohm resistor and the timing pull went away. But then the thing was knocking like crazy. Turned out to be because of the crap fuel they're making us buy around here. During that 20-30 miles after a reset the ECU is playing around with fuel trims trying to find its most efficient trim setting. It's also running emmissions monitors to make sure all of the emmissions control systems are working. Once it finishes running the monitors and all that it jumps over to the settings that it determined would be the best, and you get the lean mixture and timing being pulled back again. One thing you want to check is the mounting surface for the knock sensor. If the block is all corroded the sensor will not ground properly and it can cause false signals. It's also possible to deform the sensor by over tightening the bolt. This affects the sensors response to knocks and can cause false signals. Another thing to try is higher octane fuel. See if the problem goes away by running a tank of premium, or non-ethanol fuel. This would indicate the knock sensor is working properly and the problem is either fuel related or something causing the air/fuel ratio to be too lean (vacuum leak, low fuel pressure, clogged injectors, etc.).

Yes, the small hose off the side of the water pump. Hopefully he didnt drive it for long after the hose blew. That hose is near the lowest point of the system and almost all of the coolant would dump out in a matter of seconds.

Yeah I hear that. Here it dropped from 75 at midday Tuesday, to 25 last night with 40mph wind gusts! Crazy!