Bushwick

I run 10w 30 and it's not consuming oil and has around 189k miles. I always run full synthetic (all cars) as regular conventional oil breaks down too quickly and you definitely do NOT want to do 5-7k miles on that. I wouldn't run a 5w in a high mileage car in warm weather. That weight is mainly to reduce starting friction in colder weather. Wouldn't run 40 or thicker unless you live in the desert, get really hot weather, or the engine is being raced on a track, as that can actually be too thick on some engines for daily driving and normal temps, especially tight tolerance engines. Obvious exceptions being manufacturer specifically states "use this oil". If your actual rings are damaged and causing excessive blow by, you'd need to pull the block, and rebuild everything. On high mileage engines, that typically means boring and honing, and running a slightly larger piston to account for the material removed from the cylinder walls to make the surface perfect again to seal new rings on as the old rings would have worn grooves. Some rings are better than others, as are pistons. I wouldn't run hypereutectic pistons on a performance engine, nor would I run OEM rings on a nitrous engine. I'd go with a forged pistons and run rings that could tolerate what the engine was going to be used for. A good reminder of doing it right, would be look at late 80's early 90's Chrysler cars and minivans. They used some god awful rings in those and virtually every single non-turbo one smoked before 100k.

I was mainly concerned about both posts being in the gas at the same time, or if gas splashed and created an electrical bridging. They bothered installing the rubber boot over the 12v+ post (and while I was able to reuse it and it was snug, it wasn't air tight) so was just wanting to be 100% certain everything was OK as this was only the 2nd fuel pump I've ever changed in 21 years of car ownership.

If it started on it's own, then it wasn't drained enough. If you did this constantly, like say every day for a year, that constant drain might be enough to weaken the battery to the point it wouldn't hold a full charge. Normally, when a battery starts to get weak, the engine when cranking will be slower. A fully charged battery should give a strong, loud, consistent cranking. A weak battery (under 12v after sitting for 2 days, like say 10-11v) will give a somewhat quieter, and sluggish cranking effort. If you really want to stay on top of your battery's charge, you could buy a cig lighter voltmeter OR have someone install an actual voltmeter gauge into the car. The cig lighter variant plugs into the 12v receptacle (cig lighter if they even make them anymore, otherwise it'll have a plastic cover or cap instead) and with key ON (before cranking the engine) it'll show the battery voltage, and once started, will show what the alternator's output voltage is. Other way is to buy an actual voltmeter, and probe the battery routinely. Normally, once the engine is shut off, battery voltage will be around 12.4 volts, and will gradually drop to around 12.0 to 12.2 volts. After a week, it might be in the high 11.8 range or whatever. If you have a strong electrical drain on the system (like something you installed that's staying active after engine is off or dome light on, etc.) it might be in the lower 11v range after a day of sitting w/o running. After time, if you had a cig lighter volt meter, you'd get a good idea if/when the battery was dying. Also, if you were ever driving and the alternator started dying (alt running is typically in the 14v range and high 13v range with heater, lights running, and all of a sudden it's in the 12v range with engine running, you'd know the alt was on the way out.

I can't find that ground you were referring to Fairtax. No. 4 runner would be passenger side, nearest the firewall? I looked at both rear runners and saw no actual point. There are a group of connectors near there, but I didn't see anything terminated into metal. I also tried wiggling that ground jumper again and the sound didn't stop, so maybe I was imagining it going silent before. Bought a new negative battery post + 2 gauge cable x 48" to replace the the OEM one which is getting old, and also picked up a generic 4 gauge to replace the smaller jumper at the top of the trans near the dog bone which I've yet to install either, but would like to also repair or inspect/replace the ECM ground you were referring to, or possibly relocate it to the jumper ground so it's strong. Thanks.

Also, I recommend running air bags in the rear. If you are handy, you might be able to retrofit a stock Lincoln bag set up as there really isn't much to them. Weld a bracket in and make it adjustable, and you fine-tune ride height. Under load, the rear will never squat. Other option that was popular in the late 70's early 80's, was running air shocks. My friend had a 77' Lincoln in high school (big, heavy car) and it had air shocks. Those alone could raise the rear nearly 3-4" and gave it a strong rake, or they could be lowered to normal. It was apparently used to tow in it's previous life. Last thing you want is your rear bumper dragging on the ground.

They got the dual range is South America apparently, and still offer it "Loyale 2.7 Turbo" has done some write ups about them. Here's a post where he commented: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153425-dual-range-jdm-transmission/ He's a few posters down in that thread with the yellow and black avatar. Maybe shoot him a PM and see what he has to say about them. He's in Honduras which might be cheaper than Australia. As long as you have steep gearing (4.10's to 4.44's are considered steep; 3.90's are also steep) towing shouldn't be an issue with a standard 5 speed as long as it's not being raced or you are way beyond it's rating; go with STi trans then? If you plan to do a ton of towing, I'd strongly suggest swapping in a 6 cylinder as it won't be as stressed and will likely have an early powerband to aid in towing. If you are insistent on a turbo 4, run a smaller turbo that has full spool as early as possible (no giant mismatched Holsets or the like) and run a large race cat so it reduces turbo back pressure as much as possible. If you can get near full spool starting from 1500-1700 until 4k, you'll be golden. Consider running a lightweight flywheel and lower amperage alternator to increase throttle response and reduce parasitic drag. If nothing is on the market, contact a company that makes aftermarket pulley kits, and explain you'd like to under drive the alt and power steering slightly (you'll need to know the turn-on RPM of the alt if it's not get the on signal at low RPM) and figure out if the power steering pump can tolerate a 10-20% under drive speed or not. The benefit obviously would be a free up of early hp/tq and better throttle response. An alt by itself can rob 2-5 hp. An old drag racing trick was to run a toggle to the field on alt wire, and turn it off when running a 1/4 mile as the alt will spin with minimal resistance. When looking to get the best throttle response, it's smart to have every corner covered.

If you jumped time, it wouldn't start from popping the clutch and not the starter as the starter ring has nothing to do with it, unless starter isn't seated and is binding when trying to crank. If starter continues to "click", check your grounds. A trick you can try is jumping the battery neg post to the engine (firmly) and then see if it'll crank. If it cranks now, you have bad grounds.

The ECM ground you stated connects near the number 4 runner, is it just screwed directly to the aluminum? Any idea what color the wire is? I was messing with the black ground jumper near the dog bone mount on top of the trans (I just moved moved it a bit) that seems to be an engine to body ground, and I couldn't hear the IAC. Can't really figure that one out as there should be other grounds from engine to body/battery and that wire would be melted if only strong ground left from starter cranking. It was hardened though, so that's due to be replaced, and I'm thinking of replacing a main ground or adding some redundant engine to body to battery heavy cable ground just in case, but can't figure out why the small ground jumper would have any effect whatsoever?

Is it rusted badly?

Sounds like you'd need a soldering iron to get it off the board then. A 35 or 40w iron could probably remove it. Then again, you might just have a bad a solder at the relay or something near the relay, and reflowing the solder might fix it. Hard to say w/o it in front of me, but at least you found a way to get it started.

Glad it was discovered. You might be able to retrofit a similar relay in, or worse case bypass it with a toggle switch so it'll at least run in the mean time. Just observe the amperage rating on the relay and don't go under that value. A junk yard might be your best replacement part option.

Hopefully you aren't letting any of the junk fall into the hole? That can really destroy an engine in time. I ran an external oil gauge after getting my car as I was concerned about how low the PSI needs to be before turning the idiot light on, and figured having a gauge would make more sense. You might want to consider one yourself as it'll come with a new sender that should plug the hole up at the same time. I ran a copper line (the plastic lines are known to get brittle and can easily rupture, puking oil everywhere) and sleeved the entire section in a small diameter vacuum hose (roughly 5' section) as it'll protect the copper and any leaks will be easily noticed. In lieu of a mechanical gauge, can run aftermarket electric sender to avoid oil in the lines. Wrap threads in teflon.

If coil is bad, just replace it. They are sealed units and far as I know, can not be repaired. Go with used to save a few bucks.

Your CPS might be going bad. They can cause random no start issues. Also, as I just discovered messing with mine, fuel pump can be bad and still let engine occasionally run. I had a leaky return line and had to put it off awhile. I pinched the return line right at the fuel filter, and engine ran w/o leaking in the rear. I parked it on a couple of occasions, and was greeted with a crank + no start. On a several occasions of it doing this, I unpinched the return and it immediately started. Then, several days ago after having ran and parked, it wouldn't start after sitting roughly 2 days. It sputtered on starting fluid, and on one brief moment, acted like it wanted to start w/o the fluid, but nothing. Replaced fuel pump and finally ran new line to bypass the bad return section, primed fuel pump about 6 times (key on, then off x 6) and it fired right up. Mine has 189k miles, and was still sporting the OEM pump (pretty amazing when you think about it) so figure if you are beyond that mark on an older car, it's quite possible it's failing.

Be careful running the engine with an overly lean condition, as it'll grenade a good engine easier than a rich condition. Might want to get some type of spray fluid, and with engine barely warm and running (warm enough it's not in high idle and has settled to constant idle; but cool enough you don't get a flash explosion if it touches headers.), spray your vacuum lines down, their end fittings, move them around while spraying including the brake booster hose, and spray down the intake manifold flange areas, throttle body, etc. and see if it surges or bogs down. While not fool-proof, it can sometimes find the leak.

The alt on wire is remaining hot. Probed with key off and it's doing battery voltage. Disconnected it (it shorted briefly after slipping from fingers) and didn't blow a fuse? Was still showing the 12v+ signal. However, the alt is NOT making the buzzing noise (or at least not directly) as the sound still remained. Wasn't as windy out and I was able to get ear closer and trace the buzzing to the IAC? I unhooked it and the sound stopped. I could also hear what sounded like the IAC moving after it's connector was pulled (it was creaking). Any ideas on what's going on? I was thinking maybe the field on wire for the alt was keeping 12v+ in the system when it's supposed to be off, but then I suspect it would have stopped the buzzing, which it didn't. So IAC is staying energized 24/7. Kinda surprised it hasn't burned out and quit working yet. EDIT: Fairtax, do you think a ground issue would be keeping the IAC on? Car has been sitting for roughly 2 days, so that buzzing isn't going away on it's own. Battery voltage was 11.38v before car was started, so there's definitely a drain on the system.

Wish I knew more about your immobilizer. The fact your engine is still cranking is what I find puzzling. If you know where the immobilizer is located and you can track down a wiring pin out for it, I'd suggest probing all it's wires and see if it's doing what it's supposed to do. If it's bad, you might be able to bypass it. Though I'm curious to know if they can cut out a running engine? That seems dangerous to be honest. Not allowing a car to start is one thing, but cutting power (even accidentally) while running is another issue. It's also possible an important wire is damaged (heat, rodent, short, improper accessories like fog lights, etc.) If you can't track it down, it might be worth letting Subaru diagnose it. I'd avoid small-time mechanic shops, even if they are cheaper per hour, as they often take longer or will waste your time then say they can't fix it after 10 hours of troubleshooting.

^ I honestly never really thought about it having to compress the rust flakes before. Large bolts seem to tolerate it quite easily, and normally smaller bolts snap before even cracking loose. Was just thrilled all but one were saved and were able to be reused. They got lathered in anti-seize for being such dedicated little soldiers and not giving up!

Sound seems to be ahead of the IAC and ahead of TPS, but behind the alt. It's extremely quiet and suspect most wouldn't even hear it. My upper hearing hearing range is 16 khz, and it sounds close to that range, like a test tone sine wave in the 12-14 khz range. I'll try unhooking things later as it's going to be random guessing game. Was hoping to hear an "Oh yeah, that's a known issue, it's the thingamajiggy" to avoid wasted unplugging. Thankfully there isn't too much going on there, but some of the sensors might take a little time to get unhooked, and I'll try and rule alternator out 1st. I reused the factory signal on wire for the alt, so it's turning on the signal just like it would for the factory alt and should be going off with the key off if that's what it did from the factory. I think one terminal is unused and the other is a low voltage indicator for a dummy light, but not 100% certain.

Your car is right hand drive, right? On US cars, or at least on my Legacy, the fuel pump relay is apparently behind the dash on the driver's side (US), above the fuse box under the dash. Have you checked for 12v+ power at the fuel pump yet? Should be under the rear cargo area near where the back seat upper-back is. Lift carper and unscrew the metal cover. You should see the top of the fuel pump line, return line, and evap line, along with an electrical connector; my 95' has 2 covers, one large oval plate covering the pump assembly, the other round plate I'm unsure of (it has one fuel line and 2 wires and is probably evap related; your car may or not even have this) as the float assembly is attached to the pump assembly. Anyhow, the electrical connector above the pump area has a 12v+ and negative for the pump, then something like 2 wires for the fuel level gauge. Probe the fuel pump's 12v+ with key on, and see if it has power or not. Is your ignition barrel loose? Have you tried working it on/off? It's possible your immobilizer is wonky and is interfering with the dash lights. How is the condition of your battery terminals? Have you replaced the battery post clamps with aftermarket? If you have loose 12v+ or even battery grounds, that can cause all sorts of havoc with electrical systems, and would affect your immobilizer as well. Need to inspect them for corrosion and tightness. That's just stuff off top of my head I'd try and rule out 1st.

It's a 95' EJ22 with an 11' EZ36 (130 amp) alternator retrofitted. IIRC, I only ran one wire to it (field on or whatever it's called) so it it'll charge when it gets the signal vs. rpm-based on/off, and should be off when engine is off? Think factory 95' was 2 prong, and the EZ alt is 3 prong, so 2 prongs are left alone. I can try unhooking the field on wire, as well as the 12v+ post and see if the sound stops or not. I was thinking it was a sensor up top the manifold area. Suppose I'll try unhooking sensors and see if it goes away, then report back.

The only thing that's caused no dash lights in my Legacy is when the fusible link shorted out in the underhood fuse box, but it wouldn't crank either. Maybe your ignition switch is wonky and fuel pump or whatever controls it is acting up at the same time. You are saying no dash lights, right? i.e. no ABS, CEL, Air bag, etc. They aren't turning on with key on?

While dealing with a no start engine that seems to have been the fuel pump, while hood was up, I could hear this very faint buzzing in the higher freq. spectrum. It's so faint, i can't tell which sensor is doing it, but suspect it's causing a battery drain as my couple month old battery only allowed about 15 seconds worth of cranking after not running for 2 days when the car was doing the no start yesterday. Best I can tell, the sounds seems to be coming top of engine, and seems loudest closer to the alternator area or rather behind it, slightly to the passenger side on the top of the engine. I can't feel it either, and it's hard to hear. Disconnecting the battery makes it stop. Key out and 15 minutes later it's still there. Connect battery and it instantly returns. Ideas?

Seems worth it. Plus it's an exact fit, though the sock seems to rest against the pan in the tank. I must have spent an hour trying to figure out why the sock was making it almost impossible to seat the assembly. It could only install one way, but looked like it would have made more sense facing the front of the car or passenger side. Oh well, it's definitely running stronger and seems to have reclaimed a hp or two. Interesting note, I tested the old pump out of the car and it still spun and was quiet. Guessing it had something let go internally where it just wasn't able to pump the fluid but motor was still good, so you can't rely on it running as meaning it's not bad. I always thought fuel pumps were all or nothing. Given the torque the factory motor puts out, I'm really surprised all they have holding it in place is the top hose. Glad the Delphi came with the foam pump sleeve (pump was same size as stock; sleeve made up gap between bracket and pump case and if it absorbs gas, it might act like a cooling sleeve) and zip ties as it's definitely more secure.

Try spraying starting fluid into the intake (unhook the air filter box and spray into the tube) and see if it'll fire or not. If it fires, check fuses, then check if you have power at the fuel pump connector or not. No power, check relay. If there is power, fuel pump might be bad.