Fairtax4me

The inhibitor switch is checked just like checking any other switch, only there are more wires. Check for continuity across the terminals with the switch in each position. Disconnect the shift linkage so you can work the selector lever on the transmission by hand. 95 does not have a 4WD light as far as I know. It has a FWD light which stands for Front Wheel Drive. This light means the car is operating only in front wheel drive. Usually someone has put a fuse in the FWD fuse holder under the hood. It's located on the rear of the passenger strut tower. Black with FWD printed on it in white. Remove the fuse and the AWD will be engaged, and the FWD light will go out. If it doesn't go out there is a problem with wiring or electronics. This will not likely affect your shifting issue. However, the light combined with the shifting issue points more toward a TCU issue.

Is the trim in the Limited actually real wood? I have it on the window switches in my wagon and its just plastic with "wood" printed on it. Looks awful IMO. I always forget to grab some plain black ones when I'm at the junkyard though.

Inner boots can be seen from under the hood. The passenger side one is very easy to see. Outer boots can be checked by simply turning the wheels all the way in one direction, doesn't matter which way, then looking behind the wheel at the axle. There will be grease everywhere. Burning smell generally means the passenger inner boot since it sits almost directly over the catalytic converter.

I vote backing plate rubbing on the rotor. Too common to not check it. Those things are flimsy as hell and alot of times they get bent without even knowing it.

Well your cams are 180 degrees out. The crank needs to be turned another 360 degrees to bring the cams up to proper alignment. Then there is the issue of arrows vs dashes. The arrows are ONLY for marking top dead center and can not be used for setting cam position when placing the belt. Each cam sprocket has a notch on the outer edge that will be 45degrees from the arrows. This thread has links with pics for proper crank and cam alignment. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=952890&postcount=7 Courtesy of Johnceggelston's sig.

Take it up to a shop and slip one of the techs a 5 or a beer to pop the nut off with a real impact wrench. Normally I crack these loose before I even remove the wheel (if it's a steel wheel), So I can use the car to hold the wheel still. If it's in a junkyard I jam the largest screwdriver I have into the brake rotor and wedge it against the caliper, then stand on the end of the 4 foot pipe I slip over my breaker bar. Jump up and down if needed and it usually pops loose.

If you put the shifter in 2 the trans should go into 2nd gear and stay there. Start with the shifter in 1 and bump it up into 2 around 15 mph and see if it shifts. If not speed up to around 25 mph and try it. Seems to me I saw a thread about a TCU being replaced and solving a problem like this. But the Inhibitor switch is a good place to start.

What fixed it? It's paper with some kind of metal in the middle.

That is bad in more ways than one. First, as Jarl mentioned, the car could literally burn to it's shell if the short that caused that isn't found and repaired. Second, if it was the parking brake cable, the cable is now damaged and will probably break the next time you wrench up that handle. No matter what you do, the first thing you should do is go unhook the negative cable on the battery. The next thing is to figure out why the brake cable was glowing.

Yes you can use the 2.2 timing belt on the SOHC frankenmotor. The placement and design of timing components are the same between 2.2 and 2.5 blocks The 2.2 and 2.5 are essentially the same block with the exception of the piston bore size. The timing tensioner design changed after 1996, but the block has a removeable bracket that can be swapped with the tensioner to allow changing from old style to new or vice versa.

Right well the first line is 500, second line there (the thin one) is 750. Normal idle is supposed to be around 650 - 700 IIRC. Mine idles at about 550 - 600 in drive when warm, just barely above the first line.

It will cost you $5 for an input seal, and 5 minutes to make sure the converter gets lined up right when you put it back in the trans. Otherwise, you'll get the perfect excuse to drop that 5 speed in. :-p

It means the short is between the fuse and harness, or the short is elsewhere in the car. You did mention you installed a few other accessories. Make sure none are hooked up to a purple wire.

I think the first line is about 500 rpm. That is a little low. Could be IAC related, the top is adjustable and moving it will change idle speed a bit. (I think) You can also adjust the throttle stop screw to bring up idle a hair, but you need to adjust the TPS after doing that. You're not supposed to mess with the throttle screw, but that doesn't stop people who don't know what they're doing. Anyone in the past 15? years that engine has been in existence could have messed with it. The factory marks the screw and lock nut with paint. You can check it to see if it has ever been adjusted. Speaking of throttle body. I noticed the one off my wagon was stuck closed when I had the intake off during all the engine fiasco. So I pried it open and looked inside and it was full of gunk and crud, and the edge of the throttle butterfly was all coated in the same crud, making it stick when closed. Cleaned it up with intake system cleaner and it doesn't stick anymore.

Wait you mean INSIDE the car the cable was glowing? I can't even imagine a way to explain that. Jarl is on the right track. If the battery cable shorted out, the battery is probably F'd. Both power and ground cables need to be replaced. Don't forget the small wire that grounds the body to the battery. All in all, you need to find a new shop. And a new friend too if he's been working on your car.

Special order? Seems like any dealer should carry that one in stock. Not like it really matters though. The gasket makes it easy, but RTV should work as long as you don't use too much and get it in the mechanism.

Yes both temp sensors are on the crossover pipe. The one for the ECU (controls mixture) is the large one with the 2 pin harness plug. When you replaced it did you use a new part or used? If new, was it Subaru OEM? I think an IAC gasket costs $3 or $4 from the dealer and it only takes 15 minutes or so to remove it and spray it out. I recommend Intake and Throttle Body cleaner. Cuts that cruddy grimey stuff like a hot knife through butter. BTW I got the grille today Tom. It looks great. Thanks alot man!

Thus is the plight of the USMB. There are all these great write-ups for topics that were first documented years ago, but all the people who posted the write-ups (at least most of them it seems) are no longer around, and the links to pics and/or write-ups are all dead now! If I feel ambitious tomorrow after work I'll put my car on a lift and take some pics.

Always great to get info from someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Based on what Cougar said, this makes a little more sense. Also helps to find an FSM for it. The illumination wires for the radio in the dash harness need to be found and removed or taped off in the stereo harness adapter. They are: Purple wire according to the FSM, is power from Fuse 12 to the lighting in the radio. Pin 1 on the harness connector. Orange w/ White wire is the ground side of the lighting circuit. It goes to the BIM Body Integrated Module, which controls the illumination. Pin 7 on harness connector. Pins 1 and 7 are the top and bottom pins on the far left side.

Yet people still manage to cause severe bearing damage by overheating the Ej25. Though the underlying cause (low coolant due to HG leak) is different, the end effect is the same. People don't pay attention, they don't care about the blinking red or yellow lights on the dash. Some even manage to miss clouds of steam pouring from under the hood. They just keep driving 'til the engine quits.

I picked out something that's going to be a big problem on these. 3 idlers on the serpentine belt. I see those ALL the time with locked up bearings. Especially the plastic ones that like to roll around on the bearing and melt. Then the belt shreds and gets tangled up in everything. Makes a nice mess. On the FB the serpentine belt drives the water pump. A broken belt will undoubtedly lead to severe overheating, since we all know how many people will just keep right on driving once that funny squealing noise finally goes away. Nevermind the battery light, or the lack of power steering...

You can pull it out with the TC still on it. You'll have to remove the radiator for sure to do it that way, maybe even lift the condenser out of the way. Removing the crank pulley and Ac belt tensioner will give you some extra room as well. Then you just have to make sure the TC gets seated properly when you put it back. Probably smart to put a new input seal on the transmission too.

Sho' is. Part numbers here: http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=11564

Could be a bad temp sensor. Engine thinks it's warm, so it doesn't idle up. Otherwise, the IAC is sticking.

Yes, EVERY EJ engine (1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.5) has the separator plate. Replace it. Reseal it if it's already metal.