Adnan

Hi, Driving downhill (Lake Tahoe, around 7000 feet altitude) with my foot off the gas pedal, the CEL suddenly came on. Engine felt fine as I applied gas, idle was normal and power, etc. all felt completely normal. Car is a 2002 Legacy Outback with barely 14,000 miles. I had filled up the tank a few miles prior to that and wondered if this was perhaps related to not tightening the cap well? Anyway, since things seemed fine, I drove on (I know, a gamble) and pulled the code after getting home. P0172 is "Bank 1 too rich". The CEL hasn't come on again. What can cause this to happen? It sounds like a fuel metering issue, caused either by an incorrect measurement in air flow or something related to barometric pressure. Could going downhill result in the engine management computer getting out of sync. with ambient pressure? Any thoughts on this would be most welcome. Thanks, Adnan

Hi, Magnets, etc. sound like snake oil, IMHO. There are two ways, dictated by the laws of physics, to improve fuel consumption - lighten the car and use lower levels of acceleration. Check to see if there is a different rear end gear ratio available. I don't know how one goes about it in an AWD car but it sounds complicated as you'd have to change both front and rear gearing. Lighten it up by removing all unnecessary items. That would include the spare tire, roof rack, carpets, A/C, etc. Kind of along the lines of the E36 BMW M3 LTW. I don't mean to be facetious, in case you misunderstood me. Lastly, easy on that gas pedal. Lots of coasting etc. Regards Adnan

Hi, How about the ignitor? Those do seem to go bad at times. You'd think that an error code would be set for two cylinders as the ignitor is shared, but maybe the computer registers the first one only. I would check the compression first, as has been suggested. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Unless there's an oil leak (classic cam and crank oil seal problems) that has soiled the timing belt, age should not be a concern. Do an inspection around the timing covers, particularly the lower edge and assure yourself that it's dry. Then, enjoy the miles! Sorry, I have no idea of the cost of a belt R&R. It took me about two hours on my '96 and that included a lot of cleaning, wiping, polishing (with my wife looking on, shaking her head). Regards, Adnan

Hi, Wondering whether you bedded the new pads after installation? By that I mean the procedure one is supposed to follow (but few do) where you get the car up to about 25 MPH and come to a very firm (not close to lock-up) stop repeatedly, fifteen to twenty times? This should be done on new pads right away to avoid developing a glaze on the pads that may result in squealing. This is not the same as vibrational squealing, for which anti-squeal compounds are designed. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Sounds like it may have got mildly flooded. When cold, the ECU ups the mixture considerably, the logic being that as temperatures of the engine and intake charge are low, fuel does not atomize as well as in steady-state (warm) conditions. To compensate, and get enough to atomize, the mixture is very rich. Stopping it after just a few seconds means that the excess fuel had time to settle and enter the stopped cylinders. Now when you try to start, it won't easily, that is, it fires and dies. Flooded. Tapping the gas pedal and having it start supports the flooded theory. The extra air helps get the mixture leaned out and now, the engine is happy again. Of course, once warmed up, she'll start easily. That's my $.02 on this. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Have you measured the compression? I think that will tell you a lot. It may be that the worn exhaust caused enough reduction in back-pressure that you have burned an exhaust valve. The comp. test will at least put that to bed. Seems unlikely that the exhaust system alone could result in a power drop and severe MPG drop. Something else is going on, either mixture being too rich or as you said, a large drop in compression ratio caused by damaged valves. Regards, Adnan

Hi, In theory, the replacement interval should be the same, belt after belt. My personal philosophy is that other things besides the belt itself may impact the interval and so I would do it a bit sooner than recommended. Since you didn't do the replacement yourself, you don't know whether the idler was replaced or what condition it's in. A worn idler can markedly shorten belt life. Also, will the teeth in the cams and crank build up oily junk which will degrade the belt? Of course, if you get the infamous oil seal leaks, you'll be in there much earlier :-) A personal decision, but weigh the downside of a broken belt with the minimal hassle of replacing the belt early. Regards, Adnan

Hi, If a wrench is required to get the filter off, it was installed way too tight. Having said that, there is one way to get a stubborn filter off, and the placement in Subarus makes it even easier. I drive a large screwdriver through the filter body and use that as a handle to loosen it. Be careful to not insert the screwdriver too high or you may hit the threaded part of the housing. A tip for the future: when you remove the filter, you'll get a gush of oil from between the filter and engine (at least on the '96 Legacy). I poke a small hole in the bottom of the filter and let it drain out. Avoids the mess completely. Regards, Adnan

Hi, It sure sounds like the problem is indeed with the cam sensor or wiring. You have found that moving the wires replicates the problem. Tilting the car causes the wires to move and opens up the connection. Since the car fails to start immediately after tilting, it is unlikely to be a fuel pressure issue. Pressure regulators and check valves are not affected by angle, at least not that rapidly, as in this case. Check your harness with a fine-tooth comb. Look for chafing, kinking or odd bulges that may indicate breakage. Your cam sensor probably uses a coax cable running back to the ECU and can develop a break in the inner conductor. Good luck with the trouble-shooting, Adnan

Hi, Is it side sensitive, that is, does it show the problem only when tilted one way? Adnan

Hi, I suggest you call Redline's Tech line. Very helpful folks. You can find the phone number at their website: redlineoil.com. Regards, Adnan

Hi, You might want to open and drain the block plugs (two of them) to get it all out. I don't know for sure whether pulling th elower hose will drain sufficiently. Interestingly enough, I had absolutely no trouble with air pockets when I did my '96. I filled the radiator, started the engine, kept adding till it was full, and that was that. How are your accessory drive belts? I assume you replaced them? Regards, Adnan

Hi, Check your Owner's Manual and trust that as a source of information. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Have you tried a box-end, or ring, wrench? Those work well in low-clearance spaces. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Must be those pesky pixies.... My recollection is that oil seals are not to be re-used. They rely on some small amount of "crimping" to seat and seal on their OD, kind of a crush effect. If re-seated, they will be loose. That's why you are finding the seals a loose fit, now. I suspect that's your problem. Of course, adding a sealant doesn't help, as you have to make sure the surface is very clean. Hopefully, you used a non-hardening type of product, like Hylomar. BTW, don't grease the gland when you insert, just a light coat of engine oil is all that's needed. Keep in mind that grease can attack and degrade rubber, unless you used, specifically, rubber grease. I think you'll be fine with new seals. Don't you just hate when a $5 item requires all that work? Look at it this way, you'll be able to do this in no time at all, with the practice you've had taking the front apart! If all else fails, it may be time to get a new girlfriend :-) Regards, Adnan

Hi, Where was this, Carlsen SUbaru? Adnan

Hi, The Haynes Manual covers the '96 through '99, I believe, since 2000 was the model change. While the manual is pretty decent, it won't give you details on anything other than basic maintenance. By that I mean that if you get a strange check engine code related to the transmission, or want to replace the clutch pack yourself in the tranny, you won't find it much help. Having said that, I used a Haynes when we bought our '96 and have found it to be money very well spent. If you need detailed info, you can buy the factory manuals, which come in modules or the on-line downloads. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Could be a few things. Starting with your question - no, these engines run very smooth. At idle there may be a bit of vibration, at least with an automatic in Drive. The flat-4 is a pretty balanced design, intrinsically so unless there's mechanical damage inside caused by a bent valve, it's an external problem. Check the engine/tranny mounts, they may be worn. Next, check that all spark plugs are fully tight (I've had them loosen on me, causing a slight roughness). If there are any doubts about the valves, run a compression check to be sure. Lastly, check the alignment of the timing belt. You don't mention whether it was replaced uring the 60k maintenance but if it's off by a tooth or two, it'll happily shake. Regards, Adnan

Hi, The first thing to determine is the pairing. If you have a multimeter, measure the resistance across pairs of wires. That will tell you which three go together. Now look at the resistance across these three in pairs; one reading will show twice the resistance of the other two combinations. That high resistance pair are your end wires. As for which set of wires is clockwise and which is counterclockwise, hook it all up to the Haltek and it'll be pretty clear if you have them backwards. Hope that helps. Reards, Adnan

Hi, Breaking in an engine is not so much about varying the RPM but about varying the load. Every now and then, in top gear, step on the gas a bit. This causes the rings to seat better. A new block comes from the factory with a cross-hone pattern on the cylinder walls. Honing raises the metal surface by displacing it from the pits, or trenches, onto the peaks. This helps with ring clearance but also allows oil to travel all the way up the walls. I forget the exact physics, but applying a load causes the pistons to push either forward or backwards against the walls, a thrust effect. Doing the variable load thing allows them to push and relax, push and relax. Regardless of what the manual says, I would strongly recommend changing the oil and filter after the break-in. What do you have to lose by doing so? Imagine the down-side of having metal particles flowing through your new engine. I don't know whether Subaru uses assembly lube in the engine which is still present when a car is delivered, but that's another reason for changing the oil. Regards, Adnan

Hi, Sounds like an ignition problem, unless you've also modified the fuel delivery system and intake manifold a lot. You may need more dwell than the ECU is programmed for. Also, try a different heat range on the spark plugs, or perhaps a higher voltage coil. Do you know how the ECU has been remapped? That is, are others using it and not having the same problems you are? The map may simply be wrong. Regards, Adnan

Hi, I vote for the ignitor too. They are usually made with IGBTs as the actual switch and these can, over time, develop high leakage and thermal-related problems. High flyback voltages from the coil could also damage them but that's less likely. Regards, Adnan

Hi, May be worth cleaning the butterfly itself. If there's buildup on the plate, it may not close easily and spraying the linkage won't help. Remove the ducting and take a look. Move the butterfly open/closed to see the back side. Don't spray while the engine is running (!) as you might risk a blowback (then you may have bigger things to worry about). Try a rag soaked in carb cleaner and see if you can get in there. BTW, hope you haven't used WD40 for the linkages as it will dry things out and cause more problems down the road (pun intended). I typically use white lithium grease, judiciously applied. Regards, Adnan

Hi, First thing, take it to a place where they can read the trouble codes for you. Some parts places (AutoZone) will do it free, others may charge a nominal fee. Once you know the code, you'll have a better idea of where to start. This really is the first step. Regards, Adnan