Fairtax4me

Oil and oil filters are like religion. I have my reasons for disliking and not using Fram filters. I know plenty of people who use Fram exclusively. God or Allah. Fram or Purloator. Auto Extra or Drive-rite. They all work... but for how long will they work?

Bad injector o-rings, really dirty/cruddy injectors, or really low fuel pressure. If fuel pressure is too low fuel just kinda dribbles in and doesn't vaporize well enough to fire. Same with dirty injectors, fuel can either spray in in the wrong pattern or it will just dribble in and won't vaporize properly.

People buy JDM engines as replacements for dead 25D motors all the time. Low mileage and decent cost compared to junkyard stuff here. It does say ej25 on the block right? Trim the timing cover to fit around the water pump. If it gets pushed outward it will drag on the crankshaft pulley and possibly the AC tensioner pulley.

It would only be in limp mode if the CEL is on, in this case with a code for the knock sensor. Ayer you replace the sensor re-check your pulse width and see what it does with a good sensor. Maybe the ECU also cuts fuel with input from the knock sensor.

Something must have fried?! Got an android phone? Get a Bluetooth adapter and the Torque app so you can check live data and maybe find some clues there. If you have an iPhone there are similar apps but the adapters cost more. Bluedriver is good, but the adapter is $99 last I checked.

Awesome! I love those old wagons! They're just so cushy to drive! You really feel like you're in a tank! And yes, they haul... stuff!

TPS Throttle Position Sensor MAF sensor, if it has one it will be attached to the air filter box on the passenger side. Black plastic housing with a 5 wire plug on it. Some of the 2.5s from that era had them and some didn't. If it doesn't have a MAF sensor, it will have a MAP sensor bolted to the top of the intake manifold or throttle body. Small square dohickie with a 3 wire plug. A bad MAP sensor can cause similar problems. Your first post mentions you "cleaned" a MAP sensor. MAP sensors can't be cleaned. If they are covered in oil or carbon they generally need to be replaced.

No cable on 99. All electronic. 99s have a common problem with a solder joint on the back of the speedometer cluster. Search for 99 speedometer fix and you'll find a how-to thread with pics.

Cars with electronic throttle don't use an idle air control valve. Idle control is done by the throttle plate. Common on most ETC vehicles for idle settings to be weird after disconnecting the battery. Couple ways you can get the idle to reset faster. Start the engine and let it warm up to operating temp in the driveway. Its best if you can do this from a totally cold start, but can be done after sitting for an hour or so. Don't use the throttle at all while its warming up. Let the computer do what it needs to do to figure itself out. It may idle high/low or hunt around. Just let it. Once it's warmed up, take it for a drive. 15-20 minutes in a residential neighborhood with stop signs. You need to come to a complete stop for several seconds so the computer can adjust idle speed if necessary. Again if it tried to stall, don't use the throttle to keep it running. If it stalls, put it in park, restart as you normally would start the car, put it in drive, then continue on. After 15-20 minutes stop the car. Turn the engine off. Wait 30 seconds to a minute. Start the engine, then go for a short drive on a highway/freeway where you can maintain a steady speed for 5-10 minutes. After that drive it home, making sure to come to complete stops when stopping. Park it and allow it to cool completely. After that it should be pretty well straightened out.

It happen pretty often. Subaru put the ATF dipstick in a terrible spot.

TPS gets 5v from the ECU. 95 was a weird year. Some just had a MAF, others had both MAP and MAF.

Did you start the car with the alternator unplugged?

Doubt subaru would cover it if the car is out of warranty. Might consider an aftermarket replacement. Amazon has some for $150 range. Also saw a Subaru WRX OE mirror on Amazon for $120.

Do you have a code scanner? Have you checked it for codes? I've heard of alternators causing no start issues and some other odd things. Not a redline idle, but who knows?! The radio thing kinda smells like bad ignition switch. The only way it gets power to turn on is from the ignition switch. Maybe something goofy happened in there.

Pretty simple. Two bolts and you can lift/flip the box over. There's a dust cover on the bottom that just kinda clips on. Pop that off and you'll see there are several connectors on the bottom of the fuse panel, and a nut that holds the charge lead and the main battery lead to the fuse box. Check the wiring under the fuse box for any damage. Maybe you can see some corrosion or a cooked mouse in there?

Bad battery won't make the radio stay on. It really shouldn't cause the high idle problem either. Maybe try unplugging the alternator?

Meant to post a link in my previous reply and it didn't paste for some reason. Added that in. I've never found a situation where it was necessary to poke a hole in the wire insulation. The grommets around the wire are silicone and stay pliable for a long time. You can slip a needle in them easily without causing any damage.

Kinda thinking that's a problem in the underhood fuse box. You did pull all of the large slow-blow fuses as well right? Nothing goes inside the car until it comes through one of the fuses or relays in the underhood fuse panel. So If everything has been removed from that box, and the problem is still there, the problem is internal in the fuse box. (Assuming there are no accessories wired straight to the battery)

Did you also unplug the two wire connector from the alternator? Do you hear any relays clicking inside or under the hood when the amp draw changes? Have you pulled the fusible link (looks like a wire) in the underhood fuse box?

#8 won't work because 95 is OBD2. Engine codes have to be retrieved with a code scanner. This can be done while driving. If you buy a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter you can use an app like Torque to monitor live data while driving. But data is limited on these older OBD2 models, you will probably not be able to see knock sensor inputs or injector pulse width. Avoid sticking needles through the wire insulation. This allows moisture into the wire and will cause corrosion which will cause problems down the road. Back-probe the connectors for any wires you need to test by sticking the needle between the wire insulation and the weather seal grommet in the back of the connector. Push it in until you feel it hit the metal terminal. http://www.enduringautomotive.com/how-to-back-probe-a-sensor/ These guys are using paper clips. T-pins or needles work well, especially if you apply some silicone spray or di-electric grease to help it slide between the grommet and wire. If you need to probe multiple wires, be sure to wrap your needles in electric tape to avoid them touching each other or other metal parts and causing a short circuit.

Oil filter bypass valve is built into the filter, opposite end of the filter base. Look straight in through the opening, and that metal cup looking thing at the other end of the filter is the support plate for the bypass valve spring. There are very few cars that still use engine mounted bypass valves because they never get changed. They get clogged and can cause the filter media to blow apart and get sucked into the engine. Exploded Diagram of a filter. Scroll down a few paragraphs. http://www.aa1car.com/library/oil_filters.htm

Try unplugging the alternator. Bad diode can cause this. Mid 90s cars with ABS have some problems with the ABS relays sticking on. If it has ABS remove the smal black cover on the front of the ABS hydraulic module and pull out the two relays in there.

Yes. Pin 1 = 12v batt supply Pin 2= 5v ECU reference Pin 3= ground Pin 4= signal voltage to ECU Pin 4 wire is sheilded to prevent interference. Sheilding is grounded at the ECU. Knock sensor is easy to check and easy to replace, and often causes the symptoms you have. Intermittent hesitation at low rpms. If the housing of the sensor is cracked, the sensor needs to be replaced. If you have some resistors laying around, wire a few together in series to about 580k-ohm, stick one end in the harness connector for the knock sensor and bolt the other end to the block. This will eliminate false signals from the knock sensor, and keep the ECU from going into limp mode.

Power steering leak won't hurt the head gasket. Certainly not the internal section of the gasket that fails. If the bolt was rusty on the threads, that's due to water/moisture getting in under the head of the bolt and condensing on the bolt. Once its in there it's very difficult for it to get out, so it keeps on rusting the bolt a little at a time. That also causes the alinment dowels to rust. They're just plain steel sleeves, so rust makes them jam up bad. You may end up having to replace them. Dealer is the only place I know of to get them, but they're only a few $ each IIRC.