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The alternator doesn't do anything until after the engine is running, then it provides power to run the the electrical system. Now if the alternator isn't connected my car idles high because the computer "thinks" revving up the engine will somehow help...

Why would you say that?! The engine doesn't need the alternator to start up and run.

My mom has an 08 OBW with the 4cyl and 5speed. It's a pretty good little car. It isn't fast and doesn't really handle the best, but it's a smooth ride and pretty roomy and comfortable inside. The clutch is nice, it shifts nice. It would make a good DD. It hasn't had any major issues. Just regular maintenance. The engine does burn about 1qt/3k miles, which I feel is completely unacceptable for a car with 38k on it.... My ea81 doesn't burn any. Probably the water-thin 5w-30 oil. But I digress. The 08 IS a very nice car, and if I could afford a new car for my DD I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

I drove a wheel bearing in my parent's outback into the ground a few years ago... I ignored the awful helicopter noise because it wasn't my car, and ended up getting it towed because anything over 5 mph made a terrible sound and shook the whole car. This was a rear one too... After that experience I've been careful about wheel bearings that make noise because I didn't want to repeat that experience.

You could always just change over to manual normal seat belts.... That's what I did in mine.

I have the EGR code, and a few for evap stuff. But mine runs just fine and as much power as it's supposed to have so I just ignore it and tape over the light... Maybe not the best solution but if it runs well... whatever.

All the doors in my 96 legacy sedan freeze closed when it's cold out. I can actually see ice between the window and weather stripping. My theory is that since it's very warm in the car, and very cold outside the car it causes severe condensation where the door closes and seals. As the inside of the car cools off this freezes and sticks the doors closed. On really cold mornings I have to seriously pull on the door handles to get my doors open.

I have the diag connectors unplugged, and mine always flashes the 7 or 8 fault codes I have in my car. My CEL is always on and covered with tape.... But if the ignition is on that LED flashes like a madman. Maybe this isn't normal operation, but it's how mine works. My car has had a lot of different people doing a lot of different stuff, so it could act abnormally. Just saying what happens on my car.

5 single flashes is a good thing. It means you don't have your CEL on. If your CEL ever does come on, that light will flash the codes. It should only be flashing when the ignition is on.

There's relays for it on the floor to the right of the passenger's seat. It's under some plastic trim. The computer that controls it is in the trunk. If it's a sedan, it's mounted up between the speakers. Sorta under the 3rd brake light. It's in the trunk for a wagon too, but I'll let someone with a wagon comment exactly where.

I know how that is. haha. I helped a friend resurrect a car, not a suby. But a long project. We were so excited to take it for a drive we set out without exhaust, hood, trunk lid... We even forgot to torque one wheel down and pulled over because a weird trunking noise....

Good catch. He'd have to swap his Y pipe with the 94 engine too. And actually, 96 is non-interference AND single port header. But that's the only year of that combo as far as I know.

What's the model year of your car? With a date that late in the year it could be either a 96 or a 97. If it's a 97 it's an interference motor, as others have said. In any case, you should be able to swap your intake manifold from your car to the 94 engine and have it work.

An engine will run even if the plugs are loose... That's the main reason plug holes get stripped out. Valve cover gaskets keep the oil from leaking out of the engine, won't have any effect on running. And since the plugs on the ej22 don't go through the gasket, you couldn't get oil in the plug holes from it leaking either.

Is it getting spark? The engine will run on just 2 cylinders ... So if 2 were getting spark it would at leasts fire and stumble over a bit. Sounds like something is unplugged.

I can imagine things like VSS would upset both too. Good chance CPS or something would as well.

There's more than one computer in your car. There's the ECU, that controls the engine. And that's what has the OBD2 port you can plug in to and read codes. Then there's the TCU, that controls the shifting of the transmission. The AT light on the dash is essentially it's check engine light. But since the computer to read from it's diagnostic port isn't a common item you need to do it manually. So as GD said, search on here for the procedure. And actually, right now there's a post just a few before this one that states the procedure...

holy run-on sentence...

Somewhere in 98 they changed to the phase2 ej22. Some 97 imprezas may have been phase2, I don't really know... But I do know the 99 Legacy has a phase2 in it.

His is a 99 though. Which means it's a phase2 ej22. Just like the phase 2 ej25 it has a MAP, different wiring, etc. The intake (I've been told) from a phase2 ej22 won't bolt to a phase1 one. I'd love it if it would... but that's how it be.

You have a phase2 engine, and can't swap your old ej22 in. There's a chance though it didn't bend valves, I know someone with a 99 that survived a broken belt.

Put a tank of gas and half a quart of oil in it. Good for another few hundred miles.

Don't want to blow it up till he gets to drive it legally...

I was having ignition switch issues similar to this on an outback. Same switch and same plug as a loyale, actually. I just plugged a spare ignition switch into the plug and it worked right, immediately telling me the switch was bad.

Yep. Just give 12v to the little wire going into the solenoid. Just make damn sure the transmission is in neutral! Don't want to run yourself over