Red92

Hey everyone. Have an interesting puzzle here. EJ25 in a '99 Outback. Its been running great, but a week or so ago the check engine light came on, and the codes said P0303 and P0304 (cylinder 3 and 4 misfire). My wife said the car lugged a bit at low RPMs right when it happened, but it was running fine after that as well as when I was checking it later that day. Since the two codes came at the same time, I thought it might be the coil at fault. I didn't know how old the plugs were, so I figured it was time for a tuneup and gave it a new coil, new wires, and four new NGK plugs. (The old plugs looked fine.) It ran well after that, just as well as before. But a day later the CEL came on again, this time for misfire codes for the OTHER pair of cylinders- P0301 and P0302 for cylinders 1 and 2. I was along when it happened, and the engine continued running seemingly normally. We monitored it for a few days, and it still idles smoothly, revs, and accelerates under load completely normally. The only observable abnormal thing it did is kick up to a fast idle a few times while we were stopped in traffic waiting for a train to pass. (AC/defrost was not on.) I've done some searching, and found quite a number of things that could cause misfires... But the fact that my misfires were always in pairs, and that the pair moved to the other two cylinders after the coil/wire/plug change, has me stumped. Any thoughts on what I might check next? Thanks

Bumping my own old thread. So I'm feeling nostalgic. Is anyone parting out an older Subaru, and happen to have one of these for sale? Ideally with a short section of the car's wiring harness, so I can splice it and retain the factory connector. Must be the ding-dong mechanical bell type, not an electronic chime or the one that plays sound through the radio. :D Also, another thread I found while looking for mine: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/30956-help-me-find-my-tinker-bell/ ... And a sample of the sound (skip to 0:35) http://youtube .com/watch?v=qNpgvSKhOsQ (Take out the spaces if the link above doesn't work)

Yeah, I'm thinking it must be assembly related as well, because reverse worked fine prior to the transmission servicing. I'm tempted to try taking the reverse check mechanism out entirely and see (temporarily) if it shifts OK without it. All of the forward gears work fine, reverse works fine once engaged, no gears pop out, the trans is smooth and not noisy, etc. This hard in/out of reverse issue is really the only thing wrong with it, and there would otherwise be no reason at all to swap out this particular trans.... I've looked at the service notes for the reverse check mechanism, and there is a special procedure to get it to the right position before the installation. So perhaps that wasn't followed correctly?

Thanks for the description. Is that above the fluid level, or would I need to drain the fluid before opening the access cover?

Ok, here's some more information. I was wading through the service records, and found these: $560 of work... Assuming most of it was labor, there is a short list of gaskets, nuts/bolts/washers, etc. Looks like it was refilled with 75W90 gear oil at that time. A month and 200 miles later, another service record: So....... If it passed the visual inspection the first time, but had abnormal wear 200 miles later.... Hmmm... (By the mileage recorded, It has traveled an additional ~3000 miles since then.)

Thanks everyone, appreciate the replies. Fairtax4me - Is the reverse check mechanism internal to the transmission, or is it part of the shifter or linkage?

Hmm, I'll check that. It might be a few weeks though, the car is in storage in another state while I coordinate how to get it home. The previous owner seemed to have been very good about maintenance items, but that doesn't rule out a shop using the wrong fluid. Thanks.

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for. I'll have to find a diagram or service manual, and see what kind of adjustments the linkage has... I would have expected issues with other gears if the linkage was out of adjustment, but I don't have any idea what this linkage actually looks like, so that would probably be a poor assumption. Thanks for the reply.

Hey everyone. I just purchased a 1999 Outback wagon, and one of the issues to sort out is an issue with reverse (5-speed manual). When you shift into reverse, it takes a little more force than normal to engage it, or it will grind and/or pop out when you let up on the clutch. Once engaged, reverse works fine and it does not pop out of gear. The bigger problem is when you try to shift out of reverse- going from reverse to neutral takes considerable force. The shifter feels great otherwise. All forward gears are fine, the shifter isn't loose/sloppy, no vague gear changes, etc. The clutch also feels good. The previous owner reports it has been this way since the owner before him, and it has made it a year and six or seven thousand miles like this... He just got used to it. Any thoughts on where I might look first to track this one down?

Thanks everyone. I lucked out, and the semi-local junkyard had one. For the price, you're right, it isn't even worth it to take the old one apart and see if the cable alone is replaceable. My replacement works, but sticks slightly as it travels, right at the bend near the top of the windshield. Is there a particular lubricant that is recommended/safe to put in the tracks? I suspect it is a result of sitting outside for years in Wisconsin, in a car without windows. It continues its direction, forward or backwards to the end of the track, with a little bit of a push past that spot. Technically I could return it and swap for another from the same yard, but it's a 50/50 with the one other one they had, and I'm happy enough with this one that it wouldn't be worth the time to do it all again. For anyone who finds this thread in the future, here are a couple extra pieces of information for the swap: As always, it works best to take the junkyard car apart FIRST, so that you know how it comes apart before doing your own. The large trim piece that goes up the windshield pillar and across the top of the door has clips which hold it. The part above the window is released by pulling straight down, parallel to the glass. The part that goes along the windshield pillar, however, pulls straight out. You have to pull the window part down first, then the pillar part out, as the bottom of the pillar part is held captive by the dashboard. The sun visor, sun visor clip, and the grab handle all have to be removed. The support bracket for the grab handle (underneath the headliner) has to have one of the two screws removed, and the other loosened, after which you can swivel the bracket upward to get to the track screw which is underneath that bracket. The headliner is in the way, and although you can pull it out enough for the job, even if you are careful, you will likely see lines or creases in it when you are done.

Hello! Recently the passenger side seatbelt in my '94 Legacy GT got stuck at the bend in the rear when retracting, and would not continue retracting when manually cranked (the crank was tight - wouldn't move). It was in this state for maybe a few days, after which it would try to move forward (moving a few inches), but it wouldn't go back. Eventually (a few more days), a big loop of the cable which should have pulled it back began spilling out into the car. The seatbelt is now loose on the track, so I'm pretty sure that the cable has either become detached, or has broken. Without tearing the entire car apart quite yet, does anyone know what kind of a job I'm in for here? Can the cable be replaced separately, or am I looking for a replacement track assembly? The motor seems fine, I've never had any problems with it up until now. Unfortunately, since the cable is broken/detached, I can't just crank it to the rear and leave it - I have to do something about it or I don't have a working seatbelt. Thanks in advance.

Random question... Does anyone know what you would call that bracket on the side of a front seat in a first-gen Legacy with the automatic seatbelts? My bracket on the driver's side is broken, but I can't figure out the right words to search for to find a replacement. It's just right on the outside edge of the seat, right where the seat back meets the seat bottom. The lap belt runs through it (it's a flat loop-shaped plastic bracket), and when you slide the seat forwards or backwards, that loop holds on to the end of the seatbelt so that you can grab it. That's the piece I'm talking about. Thanks

Yeah, It's a tough call. A wagon with a stuck hatch is only really useful for commuting, so I have to do *something*. I think if worst came to worst, if I broke the latch mechanism but the loop was still intact, then I could always secure the hatch down from the inside if I also remove the plastic cover part. I'll have to look again, I might be able to remove the spare tire cover and the spare tire from the trunk floor, and get a little bit more room to see back there and work on the latch.

So we tried again today... I had a helper pushing/pulling on the hatch while working the outside handle. I was on the inside prying at the "claws" of the latch... they moved slightly, but I couldn't get it to release. Swinging the lock mechanism either direction didn't help. I can just barely see the tops of the bolts that hold the loop piece to the car... not sure there is enough space to get a wrench in there and remove them though. I'm a bit hesitant to do anything too destructive - the rear hatch on this one actually is a one-year GT-only piece as far as I know. If I get the hatch open but can't close it again, then I *really* have problems!

The handle isn't stiff... When you pull it, it moves about 1/3 to 1/2 way completely freely (aside from the return spring), then has moderate resistance for the rest of the travel. During the part where it has resistance, you can hear it moving something further down the door towards the latch area. But the handle hits the end of its travel, and the door doesn't want to open sometimes unless you put a shoulder into it. Thanks for the link, I'll check that out.