salewit

You mean like Toluene? Tried already on #2.

Changed the oxygen sensor AFTER the last test. These tests are like $30 a pop, so I thought I'd wait a bit and see if anyone had any other suggestions before I go in again. I'm gonna check the MAF voltages (although I'm 90% sure I did that early on in the process). Here's the thing that leads me to believe it is something ON the engine. This car always passed smog. Then we replaced the engine, and ever since it would not pass. So things like the MAF and oxygen sensor weren't touched as opposed to anything attached to the newer engine. But I just don't know where else to check.

Ok, 1st time. No modifications: Max limits= 120 HC, 1.0 CO Idle 575 HC, 1.87 CO, 12.5 CO2 2500 RPM 49 HC, 1.62 CO, 13.6 CO2 ---------------- Replaced PVC valve, and fixed valve timing (off by 2 teeth), changed oil and filter. 2nd time Idle 117 HC, 2.90 CO, 14.3 CO2 2500 RPM 29 HC, 1.35 CO, 15.7 CO2 ------------------ Changed camshaft position sensor and coolant temperature sensor. 3rd time Idle 260 HC, 3.78 CO, 12.4 CO2 2500 RPM 77 HC, 1.59 CO, 14.1 CO2 Now I just changed the oxygen sensor.

Thanks for all the help. I changed my camshaft sensor, and coolant temperature sensor, and brough her in again, and it failed again. The thing is running smooth as silk. I did connect a vacuum gauge to it recently and the needle is rock stead at about 22 inches, and I've already checked for vac leaks, so I don't think it's that. The PVC was replaced a month ago and the engine oil I changed on that last smog check. The air filter was changed about a year ago, and "looks" clean on both sides. I didn't look for exhaust leaks. Not sure what to look for there. I'm fairly certain the thing is running real rich. The plugs are sooty black, and you can actually smell this thing when it's running. There hasn't been any new "check engine" codes since I changed the cam sensor a few weeks ago. About the only thing I can think of is the oxygen sensor. It was change about 3 years ago and the car has passed last time with that sensor. Any other ideas?

Is there the ability bring it in to service and have them connect to the ECU to see what's going on? And if so, would that be a dealer thing, or any garage?

Yeah, good memory! Ever since the valve timing adjustment it's been purring like a kitten and running really nicely. When I took it into smog, the hydrocarbons went from 5 times over the limit to well below, but the CO2 at idle went from 1.87 to 2.92 (1.00 is the limit). Anyway, never mind all that stuff about camshaft sensor. I *did* go out and spend the $130 and put it in. Nothing changed, and then I did some more investigating and noticed what I *thought* was the black test connector was actually the seat belt light and buzzer. I was wondering why the light stayed on even though I was buckled up. Anyway, I reset the code before I discovered this screwup. I drove it around a little and no new codes. Since I take it there is no fuel mixture adjustment, and I now have no codes, what would be my next step?

I have a question about the trouble codes thing at http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/subaru.html I have a 92 Legacy non-turbo. With both green and black disconnected, in normal driving mode, I'm getting code 13. With the green connected and black disconnected, I get the check engine light with ignition on, but when started, I get NO check light. What does this mean? And also, I'm thrown off by the text "your next step will be to drive the car with the test mode connectors connected". Are we talking the black pair and the green pair, or just the green pair?

Thanks. I did clear the code and it almost immediately came back. Just curious... what is it that the sensor is picking up? Is there a magnet embedded in the camshaft sprocket?

I've got a 92 Legacy 2.2 Non-Turbo that continually fails smog (fuel mixture too rich they say). My "check engine" code is 13 camshaft sensor. Car otherwise runs great. I checked connections on the sensor and even checked it with a multimeter (static test) and it seemed ok. I have two problems. 1) These buggers are expensive. Over $100 for something I'm not certain is bad. 2) I have 6 hours left on my temporary registration! I see these sensors online for less than $50, but I don't have the luxury of time. Is there a better way to test these, or do I just bite the bullet and replace it? My local Autozone has it in stock at $130. How likely is it that this is what is causing the engine to run rich? The plugs are sooty black. Thx

Well I got everything back together and started her up, and it's running absolutely smooth as silk! Took it for a test drive and it now has power like never before. Thanks everyone for your guidance! I still have to pass smog, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. The only weird thing I did notice was a lot of white powdery dust in the upper radiator hose and inlet. Nowhere else. I'll flush it through a few times and keep an eye on it. Now on to my Ford diesel truck problems....it never ends.

Well the question of why the timing was off is a good one. This engine is actually a junk yard replacement that my girlfriend had put in about 6 months ago. It never ran right. It had a 3 month guarantee on it, and she never did anything about. She bought a new 2006 Outback and gave up on this one. I love driving it (tightest steering I've ever experienced!). Anyway, I don't know whether the thing jumped while we had it or possibly the belt that was on it was never properly set right. Tension was tight on the old belt, and when I pulled it, the camshafts were not super difficult to turn. The idlers had no slop in them. And the tensioner was definitely putting up a fight when I was re-compressing it. The only strange thing about it, was there were green paint marks on the timing marks on the 2 cams and crank pulleys. But the green paint was about an inch away from the mark on the left pulley.... you can make it out in the picture above. The other two had the paint right on the marks. I'm pretty sure the white mark I put on was THE mark. It was clear as day, and when I turned the pulley left and right a little, there were no lobes pressing on any valves. It turned very easily.

Hate to resurrect this old thing, but today I started work on pulling the engine out. Just for the heck of it I thought I'd check out the valve timing. I pulled the left and right cover and tried to get the marks to line up. I couldn't, so I pulled the crank pulley and removed the middle cover, lined up the crankshaft mark, and the right camshaft lined up perfectly, but the left was off one or two teeth! I ran down and got a new belt and installed it. The question is, was this my whole problem all along? Should I put everything back or continue on with the engine removal? The IAC code I was getting was because I forgot to reconnect it after doing a resistance check on it. Very blurry pic of marks on left cam pulley. Crank and right cam are lined up and we're at TDC on #1.

You know what? Yesterday I ran both the OBD codes again I & II, and I must have done something wrong the first time (I got no codes at all). This time I got a million of them. Some I recognized as part of my testing (injector malfunctions on the ones I pulled the cap off of). So I disconnected the battery last night, re-installed this morning, took a short drive and got a sole code 24. Air Control Valve. Problem is my repair book makes no mention of this device. Any ideas what or where it's located? Or even how to test it?

Alright, well time to yank her then! Thanks everyone for your help. Time to see if my 5 years of auto mechanic training from the 70's will do any good.

Ok, I tried the vac test again. Good site by the way. My example was the closest to Scenario 5 or 11. A steady 18 inches. Quick acceleration knocks it to 0, and then a quick release jumps it up to about 20, then back to 18. The only abnormality is that about every 2 seconds regularly, the engine would shudder, and the gauge would drop a couple of inches and then return. It was almost like clockwork. A few times it shuddered consecutively, but usually every 2 seconds. This was at idle (700rpm) at operating temperature checked on the power brake booster line. The compression check was tested at operating temperature with all plugs out and gas pedal to the floor for 7 cranks per cylinder. Two bad cylinders I gave 2 complete squirts of an oil can (1/4 or 1/2 a shotglass full?) of motor oil. Obviously I want to make sure pulling the engine apart is the right step.

Sorry... that was the wrong scale on the gauge. It was around 22 inches. Well I appreciate all the input. 1) The scan codes I got were from the website referenced earlier in this thread. And yes, kicking down the accelerator to the floor real fast removes the "check engine light" instantly. I haven't seen the code come back in some time, but I haven't driven it much lately. 2) In the past few days I've changed the PCV valve, did the Seafoam thing, checked the throttle body (very clean), listened for clicking injectors, measured resistance of each injector, finally found and checked coolant sensor (was 4000 ohms at 60 degrees), checked throttle position sensor, checked ohms of crankshaft and camshaft sensors (did not check voltage while sensing yet). One weird thing... with engine running, I pulled the injector connectors one by one. On the low compression side, pulling the connectors had almost no effect. Pulling good side did have an effect somewhat. 3) I'm wondering about the low compression side. 105 in both cylinders. When I squirted oil in each, they each went up to 120. Does that indicate terrible rings or just mildly worn? The fact that both cylinders reacted exactly the same, could there be a bad head gasket leak between the two? 4) I know about the OBD I codes for this vehicle, but is there more info available? If I go to a shop can they connect to the ECM or whatever and just read how everything is performing and maybe cut to the chase about what is not working properly? 5) How about a home-made leak down test. Would that help here? Thanks again for all the great help here!

You know I was kind of considering valve timing too. Like maybe the belt jumped a tooth or something. I may just check that next. About the coolant sensor, my book shows a picture of the engine with arrows pointing to the components, and it points to the "engine coolant temperature sensor (on coolant pipe under intake manifold runner)" as being inbetween the alternator and the steering pump reservoir. Ok... I looked up sensor for the temp gauge in another part of the book, and it IS pointing to the ECU sensor in the back of the engine. Damn! That doesn't give me a lot of confidence in this book.

Thanks all for the help. I've checked the codes numerous times and like I said, it's giving me crankshaft sensor errors. But only for a few seconds, until I kick the gas down. Then it goes away. This is the only error stored in memory. About a year ago we got an oxygen sensor error, and replaced the sensor and never got that error again. This weekend I ran a bunch of tests with info from my Haynes book. I checked the coolant temperature sensor (I think) with an ohmmeter. The chart is showing 176 ohms at 212F and about 4000 when cold. I checked it fairly hot and cool and it was only around 40 ohms! The problem is that I'm not sure I got the right sensor. The diagram in the book shows a sensor with TWO pins. What I checked only has a single tang, so I checked between that and ground. The sensor was almost under the alternator (a little to the left of it a few inches above the crank sensor). I also did the seafoam thing, and I couldn't find MAF cleaner, and when I look at the thing I was afraid to do anything to it. Looks kind of sensitive. I also checked throttle position sensor with my ohmmeter (seemed ok) and the crank sensor. I checked just the static sensor and the reading was right on. I didn't check voltage induction.

My girlfriend has a 92 Legacy 2.2 non-turbo. The car has been running progressively worse. Idles extremely rough. Stutters and hesitates upon acceleration. At cruising speed it jerks and has little fits. Mileage is going downhill and is now only 14 MPG. Smog results: Idle: HC 575 (Max is 120) Idle: CO 1.87 (Max is 1.0) 2500 RPM: HC 49 2500 RPM: CO 1.62 Ran compression test today. All four plugs were sooty black. Compression rates all rose fairly quick and were 130, 125 on one side, and 105,105 on the other. When I squirted oil in the 105's they both went up to exactly 120. No overheating, and no visible exhaust smoke. No sign of coolant in oil or vice versa. Vacuum gauge was running around 50 inches but spurting up and down about 10 inches from time to time. Anybody have any ideas? P.S. About a year ago, the check engine light would come on sporardically with I think it was a camshaft or crankshaft sensor error. When the light came on, the car would stutter and cough. A little similar to the above. At first we'd shut the car down and restart and the light would go out and all would be fine. Later we discovered that if we just kicked the accelerator to the floor real fast, that would clear it too. The light hasn't come on in awhile (of course we hardly use this thing anymore).

We just purchased a junked engine and installed it into our 92 Legacy non-Turbo. This was an engine purchased from an engine dealer. Supposedly checked out, cleaned, etc. The engine idles really rough, but after about 1000 rpm, it's smooth as silk. We just ran a compression test and got 150,150 on the driver side and 90,100 on the passenger side. With oil in the 2 low cylinders, the numbers did not change. 1) Are these numbers significant enough for the engine to idle poorly? 2) Should we contact the engine dealer about this? The specs call for no more than 20% differential. Thanks, Sam

92 Legacy About 2 years ago we were driving on the freeway and the thing overheated so bad that the engine stalled. Filled with water and went on our way. Nothing again for about a month of on and off freeway driving. Then it appeared again. We changed the radiator, thermostat (4 times!), all hoses and it did it again. About a year ago I changed the head gasket. Had the valves in the head redone and and the heads ground. The car ran great for a year. Guess what? It's back! I'm absolutely stumped. I took it to a Subaru dealer and ordered a check of hydrocarbons in the coolant. They said the test ranged up and down from 0-400ppm. Suggested a new engine at $4500 (surprise, surprise). I've now got it into another place to do the test again. So far they've driven it around town, on the freeway and it's been fine (of course it has... this is why I told them it was an intermittent problem). They say there is nothing wrong with the car. I just told them to run the hydrocarbons test and give me the numbers. Anybody have any words of wisdom on this? The only thing that made me nervous about the head gasket replacement job I did was the unbelievably funky torque down process (tighten to X, loosen 1/2 turn, tighten to Y, loosen... etc, etc). I wasn't comfortable with it at all, but followed it to the letter. Thanks! Sam

Thanks Sea (#3). Yeah I guess I violated all the rules of a compression test. I did the test stone cold before the engine was started for the first time. I figured the test would be a good opportunity to get oil throughout the system and do something productive at the same time. I'll check it again at operating temp. While I've got you and speaking of hydraulic valve lash, one side of the engine has got some pretty loud tappet noise. I'm not 100% positive, but it sounds like valve type action. I was going to pull the valve cover and rocker assembly and bleed the "lifters". I didn't run the engine at 2500rpm for 10 minutes, but we did drive it around the block about 4 times. Your thoughts? BTW, a vacuum check (at operating temp) had the needle rock steady at about 18. This leads me to believe that the bad compression in that one cylinder may have "corrected itself" like you said.

head gasket replacement and valve job. Our 92 Legacy was overheating really badly. We changed stats several times, bled the air out, etc. Went to the dealer where they told us the hydrocarbon rate was 800ppm. We sent the heads out to do a valve job on them while we were changing out the head gaskets. Upon completion this morning I ran a compression test before starting the engine, and these are the rates I got. Tried the 90 twice. Squirted oil in the 90 and no change. So far no overheating, but have hardly driven it anywhere. What are the possibilities here? Gasket didn't seal? Bad valve job on that head? Crack in engine? Seams like the compression would have jumped up if it was bad rings on that cyl. Is this even a problem? The engine runs ok. Thx

Ok, some follow-up questions. I guess I'm going to do it. 1) I've read others are pulling the engine for this. Both of the manuals I've read (Mitchell and Chilton) make no mention of pulling the engine, and a quick look of the engine and it looks totally easy to get at without pulling it. 2) When I pull the head, I need to send it to a shop to check for warpage or do I do that myself? If I send it, do I strip the head first of valves, springs, etc? 3) What about cylinder cracks? I've read some people are experiencing cracked blocks. Is that something a visual check will find? Or should I just look at the head gasket to confirm that's what it was? 4) Last question. The gasket set I'm getting is being put together by 1stsubaruparts.com as a set instead of buying the complete "set" at $175. Inotherwords, I'm just getting the head gaskets, intake, exhaust, valve cover and bolt seals for $100. Does this sound right? Thanks again, Sam

Hi there. We've got a 92 Legacy 4x4 that started overheating really badly (off the temperature guage) about a month ago. We flushed and changed the thermostat and all seemed fine. Last weekend on a trip going over the mountains, it ran into the red again. This time the radiator developed a leak. We replaced the radiator and thermostat again and still overheated. Since we were stuck 200 miles away from home, I took the thermostat and remove the guts and put it back in. This got us all the way home without any problem or overheating. We took the car into the dealer where he checked for hydrocarbons in the water and said we had 800 ppm. They change head gaskets at anything above 50ppm. Visually I found NO oil in the water, nor any steam coming out the exhaust. The question is, before spending hundreds on a head gasket, do I get a 2nd opinion on this test, or just take their word for it? Thx Sam