Fairtax4me

Holding the throttle open allows the maximum amount of air into the cylinder during the test. With the throttle closed you may only get half as much compression as there should be. Only removing the spark plug from one cylinder also brings down compression because it slows down the cranking speed of the engine. To get an accurate compression test you need to remove all 4 plugs, and crank the engine with the throttle held wide open. You should then test the other cylinders to see if that cylinder is low compared to the others, and by how much. A more conclusive test for a burned valve is a Leakdown test, which requires shop air around 100psi.

HLA = Hydraulic Lash Adjuster HLAs do Not typically cause valves to stay open. HLAs automatically adjust for valve seat wear. Regardless, your 2.5 does NOT have HLAs. Lash adjustment on your engine is done by shims on top of the valve. These are much more prone to burning valves because the valve seat wears, and adjustment has to be done manually by removing the lifter bucket and changing the shims. A burned valve will act exactly as you describe. The engine may run fine when cold, and at rpms higher than idle. But will misfire at idle. But more often than not, the cause of a misfire is old spark plugs and wires. When you did the compression check, did you check compression on all 4 cylinders? Did you remove the spark plugs from all 4 cylinders before the test? Did you have the throttle all the way open for the test? If you can say No to any of these, your test result is inconclusive and really doesn't tell you anything about the health of the engine.

The is because gear oil turns damn near solid when its cold. Hard as hell for the engine to turn. Think about it like trying to stir molasses with a spatula. The colder it is, the thicker the gear oil gets. And it gets so thick that it actually transfers enough torque to the output shaft to make the car start rolling even if its not in gear. It won't hurt anything though. If you had the car in the air on a lift or jack stands and everything totally warmed up with it in neutral and the engine running, there is still enough torque transfer to make the wheels turn. They wouldn't turn very fast, but they would turn. The noise from the transmission is probably the mainshaft ball bearing. It's a common failure on the EJ trans. Replaceable if you have a press.

Its growing!!! Did you try leaning on the top to see how easy it is to compress the spring? (Good for a laugh when you see how worn out the spring is) If you pull up on it it'll probably extend the rest of the way.

I don't remember which size that pipe is off the top of my head. I wanna say 1-3/4", but not 100% sure. Usually the parts store will let you return the one that doesn't fit if you buy both sizes. If you get the type of flange pictured above, you may need to trim part of the heat shield on the cat to get it to fit. There is another type that's made from two sections of bent steel wire about 3/8" diameter. The ends are stamped flat with holes cut out. It doesn't clamp down around the pipe, but it still works well if you get the correct size and have enough of the weld hump left on the pipe. Here's a picture of one: http://m.summitracing.com/parts/wlk-31871

You can get a split repair flange at Napa that fits around the pipe. About $10. Just knock off the rest of the rusted out stuff and the two halves wrap around the pipe just in front of the hump where the flange was welded on. Might need some longer bolts, but they don't need to be the spring type. As for the question about magnaflow, those are generally high flow type converters, and won't do much good performance wise on your car. They're usually stainless steel though, which won't ever rust out again. But how long are you really gonna keep the car?

Not a fluid issue. Electrical problem of some sort. Either the harness plug for the trans isn't connected all the way, or possibly a bad ground for the trans case. Or the TCU has had it. Check plugs and grounds first. Maybe swap the TCU if you can get one for a decent price.

If the ECU is bolted down to something metal then it is grounded. The ECU case should be grounded to prevent RFI from being generated by the case.

ANY Subaru engine after 97 is interference. If the timing belt breaks, valves get bent. Bottom end damage is not common. Used heads are probably the cheapest route. Having your heads rebuilt can be costly depending on how many valves bent and if any of the guides need to be replaced. A whole used engine generally isn't needed but its easier for some if you don't have the time or space or ability to deal with pulling heads off. Generally a T at the end of the enigine ID means its a Turbo. EA82T (80's models), Ej20T (WRX turbo), EJ22T (early 90-94 legacy SS turbo).

Even with the key On there should be little or no resistance on the ground side because there should be no potential (voltage) on the ground. Check for voltage on the ground side. More than 0.1V means you have a bad ground. Preferably you want your meter grounded to the battery negative post, so make a jumper wire to attach your meters black lead to the battery if it isn't long enough to reach. The ECU originally grounds through the wiring harness to the intake manifold. Not sure if you kept that when you made your harness, but if so make sure its clean and tight. Also make sure the engine is well grounded to the frame. You might even add a ground wire from the manifold to the battery.

Look under the dash on the drivers side and there should be a remote keyless entry module. Unplug that and see if the problem stops. Could also be the door switch. I would try the RKE module first. The other option would be a bad security module.

Used tranny time. The computer is commanding shifts to 2nd and 3rd, and as far as its concerned the shift solenoids are responding as intended. It's looking for a change in input speed signal (engine RPM) when the shifts are commanded, and since neither 2nd or 3rd are engaging, there is no drop in engine speed, so it sets codes for those gears. Like Ivan said, it could be a clutch pack, or a band problem, or combination of the two. Easiest and least expensive route is to put a used trans in.

Yes, exhaust is easy. Unbolt it from the heads, the hanger mount in the trans, and undo the rubber hangers from there back and you can drop the entire system and slide it out from under the car. Be sure to unplug both O2 sensors! Trans cross member does have to be removed. You can leave it bolted to the trans though.

Battery voltage is getting low. Have the battery and the alternator tested.

Did you check the fluid level? Have the fluid and filter ever been changed?

I can't read anymore apparently. Manual you want about 18" of clearance under the car. Entirely doable with a floor jack and jack stands. That's how I've always done them.

It can be disassembled and cleaned. Be sure to coat the contacts in the switch with di-electric grease to prevent problems There were a few years that had issues with the window switches. New switches are way expensive. Don't go that route unless you have to.

If it works it works, but just FYI, a remanufactured alternator for that car from Subaru is only about $70.

Timing can drop back significantly under load. Back to around 10-12 degrees in some cases. A while ago Presslab (I think) posted a graph showing base timing and another showing maximum possible advance beyond base for the whole RPM range. It was for a phase 1 (92 or 94 IIRC) Ej22, but it would be similar for the 99. At least similar enough to give you a general idea of where ignition timing should be. Do you have a vacuum guage? Does your setup have a MAP sensor? Could look at MAP values to determine vaccum.

I just knock the pins out and slide the trans side to side a bit as I'm lowering it out. The axles literally fall off the stubs on their own. (Most of the time) Fling them forward after they pop off and they're out of the way of the bell housing. Not sure these transmissions are more complicated than any other. The basic sections are the same as any other. There's just a combination of three different units in one. Transmission, transfer case, and hypoid final drive, all rolled into one compact housing.

Unforunately this has been the plight of many many cars since the early days of ABS. The best tips I can give: Tires: 90k mile rated Michelins will not grab the road as well during hard braking. If you repeated have to hit the brakes hard enough that the ABS kicks in, a tire with a lower tread wear rating and better traction rating will be more suitable for your driving style. Brakes: Better brakes will prevent "grabbing", which is a condition that happens when brakes are pushed beyond their normal designed limit. Basically as you're coming to a stop, you are pushing the brakes harder than normal to get the same stopping power. This extra force on the pedal causes the wheels to lock if they even slightly lose traction while braking. This is usually because the pads have been overheated at some point. Overheating causes the pad material to harden and slide too easily across the rotor. It takes several thousand miles of easy driving to wear off the hardened surface on the pads and restore them to their original abilities. This often never happens because the extra braking pressure needed causes more heat and repeatedly overheats the pads. Better pads, such as decent quality ceramic pads, help alleviate the problem because they will not overheat as easily, and the materials used in ceramics are not as prone to hardening if they are overheated. If you have a really heavy braking style better rotors may be needed as well to prevent glazing. Start braking and/or let off the throttle sooner. I know this is unavoidable sometimes in heavy traffic or emergency braking situations, but most of the time its a viable option. It'll save your brakes, your tires, and your foot.

From what I've read the EA trans doesn't hold up well long-term when paired with the 2.5. There is another option, you can find an EJ dual range oversees and have it shipped. Seems to cost about $1,500 to $2,000 though.

I would be interested to see what the scanner says. Could be running too lean, pinging and driving the knock sensor crazy, which makes it pull timing. Lean also causes misfires at idle. If it pings at idle that can make it set codes for the knock sensor. What kind of fuel pump are you running? Have you checked fuel pressure to see if its in spec? Should have 35psi at idle. About 45 if you pull the vacuum hose off the FPR. Entirely possible you just have the cam timing a tooth off, might double double check that again for gits and shiggles, even if you already have.

Timing idler or the tensioner is flapping around. Either is a good bet since I doubt they had all of that replaced at 105k when it was supposed to be. If they did anything they probably had a belt slapped on and left all the old idlers on it. Tensioner is under the AC compressor. Behind timing cover. It can be seen if you remove the drivers side timing cover and look in from the side with a flashlight. Cogged idler is below that at the bottom of the block. Have to remove the center main cover to see it. I'd give $1700 for it. People around here want $4,000 for 98's with more miles. 00-04 range goes for $6-10,000 depending on mileage.

Do you have 2.8 V at the sensor when its plugged in? (Back-probe the connector) Flashing CEL indicates a constant misfire, but it SHOULD be setting a code for which cylinder is misfiring. Kinda seems like you may have an ECU issue.