Bushwick

Conventional thermostats fail closed and they do eventually fail. If they somehow start sticking slightly open, the engine temp will be cooler and possibly fluctuate between 1/2 mark at idle, then get cooler as you move. They make a fail-open style which will stay open and cause engine to run cooler (like 1/4 way) in event of failure, but in my experience they are junk, as I've had 2 of those fail almost exactly 1 year after buying, and too coincidental to have a year apart t-stat fail open from different build dates. As others pointed out, trapped air can be nuisance. VW's 1.8t engine comes to mind of a lousy system that can be very difficult to get the air out. I had one that would creep past the 1/2 way mark and it just wouldn't get the air out in a timely fashion. Forget how I actually did it (I might have left cap loose and worked the upper and lower hoses with front end slightly on an incline until it let the stubborn bubbles come to surface. In your case, $5 for a brand new t-stat is well worth the piece the mind and rules out the old one. Then it'll be a matter of burping the system if it still gets hot, unless there is an issue with the water pump or a clog.

Has Subaru ever incorporated an actual switch in newer US models? I imagine it's cheaper to have a little interrupt fuse holder vs. wiring into the cabin and adding a legit toggle switch, but it seems like a better selling point to have a toggle.

Check your fusible link in the engine compartment fuse box (assuming it's like my 95'). In my situation, car gave ZERO warning. parked at grocery store, came out 30 minutes later, and IIRC it wouldn't crank. Acted like battery was dead, but interior had power. I popped the cover and saw the link had cracked, and corroded, and had been arcing but it was running. Once it completely ate away the rest of the wire, car failed to start. I was able to rig it to get me home. I bought a universal fusible link at Auto Zone, and carefully reused the stainless steel connector spade lugs from the damaged link by carefully prying the crimping open. Then I soldered on top of that for good measure. When you pop the cover, you'll a very short " U " jumper with what looks like speaker spade connectors. Try moving it if not visibly separated. If it's hardened and the silicone is dry and cracked, it's probably shot. Try wiggling it and see if it'll start. Can try jumping with heavy gauge wire, though be VERY careful not to short that to anything else. Do NOT use cheap speaker spades if it is bad. They use inferior metal. Neutral safety switches (manual trans) and out of Park or Neutral (auto) will prevent cranking too.

Knocking is fairly steady at idle with rod knock. As RPM increases, the frequency of the knock increases too, but I've never had one go away completely,, with less gap between each knock. But it's also possible to have an accessory make similar noises. Here's a Subaru rod knock that sounds similar to what my Cougar sounded like: And here's one that sounds similar to the one you are looking at, but definitely a different sound than the one you posted. He revs it near the end, so listen closely and compare, also notice how loud it is as he walks towards the rear. Seems a bunch of people chunk their WRX engines up pushing them too hard. I'd insist on pulling that fuse just verify it's working. The car's manual should clearly state how it works unless they changed something. If you have any doubt, ask if he'll meet you at YOUR mechanic with the car. Tell him if it checks out, you'd be a serious buyer, but you need to know the condition.

Glad it was fairly painless!

Did you try revving it at the throttle body? Or are you saying you could hear it knock inside at all speeds? I've only had two rod bearing failures and both knocked in unison to RPM. Last time was an 86' Cougar with Ford's 3.8L after doing doughnuts in the snow and redlining (many years ago) it a few times. It started knocking almost right away and was LOUD and knocked badly regardless of RPM and never quieted. I think it died within 50 miles but it made quite a ruckus then died. I've seen a few posts here where people run a thinner oil than suggested by manufacturer and they end up with a noisier tensioner and posting about their knock. Wouldn't hurt to at least rule it out, as it's an easy enough fix and would be an excellent bargaining point to get the car cheaper, which if the body and interior are decent, might be worth it, but you need to rule out torque bind too.

I'd get under the car (safety 1st and when it's cooled off) and start grabbing everything and see if something is loose, broken, etc. Exhaust can make odd knocking noises. When I 1st got my Saab, the edge of the cat (where top cover meets bottom cover, there is a flange on most cats) was bumping the unibody tunnel and it made the noise more so at highway speeds. I carefully bent that flange lip with vice grips and the sound stopped. Other areas that can make noise is a failed bushing somewhere (exhaust hangers included) on anything from sway bar mounts, to trans crossmember support, etc. I'd look at every bushing and see if one is blown out and the bushing sleeve is resting on metal, inspect the trans area carefully, inspect the dog bone link at the top of the trans back near the fire wall (mine has a rather simple one at top center of trans right by the firewall), check motor mounts, etc. Look for anything hanging that appears out of place.

I've done it in Park with engine idling. I wouldn't flip it while moving though as it might cause some initial slipping and/or wear, but that's just guess.

That evap thing is just ziptied loosely to the area. Noticed it before, but couldn't tell if it was supposed to be somewhere else. I'll leave it be. Thanks Fairtax.

When engine is cold, it's in a closed-loop (generic running ignoring sensors as cat isn't up to temp yet). When correct temps are reached, it exits closed loop and relies on the sensors (unless they changed this over the years, someone correct if that's the case). If it then detects an issue, it'll post a CEL. Try reading these for advice: https://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-check-engine-light-and-code-p0420-explained/ http://www.p0420.com/

Where is that evap line supposed to attach at? It's ziptied at the apparatus (don't have any codes). OK, I'll peel back some of the clear shrink wrap on the bend as the tubing should still be strong there, and run the new section off that. I have to go to a doc apt. tomorrow. With a minor rusting-leak, suppose it'll be ok? It's not dumping out, just working through the rust. About 5 mile round trip distance, then can deal with it. Not running rich atm.

Here's a video of a tensioner that sounds similar:

My 95' makes some noise when cold, then quiets. I'm fairly certain mine is a tensioner issue as well. It doesn't increase with higher RPM, which rod knock will. Forced FWD my 95' runs and handles differently. Dash light will illuminate "FWD" when fuse is in, and go out when AWD is restored. I'd check the tensioner (just remove half of the timing cover and watch the tensioner). Google "bad tensioner Subaru" and see what a bad one is like to compare to. I'd also drive it again with that fuse out so it's doing AWD. If guy doesn't want to, either pass on it or ask him to humor you. It's clearly stated in the car's manual what that is and how it works

Sounds like the tensioner for the timing belt. Remove timing cover and watch the tensioner. If it's flapping about, it's bad. Rod knock will stay even with RPM and won't really go away, especially once the bearing has been chewed.

Last year had a fuel leak, driver-side, directly under back seat cushion area that leaked under the car. The line directly next to the one I fixed before has rotted through on some rusted scaling, but I need to verify if it's the return line (pretty sure it is). If looking from under the car, driver-side, right where the trailing arm bolts to the unibody, is a very small cubby hole, where 3 lines are crammed next to each other. One is definitely a fuel line, other terminates into some type of breather apparatus in the same area, and 3rd line I'm assuming is a return line? It has a clear shrink tubing on the corner bend. When the other line rotted, it dumped a bunch of fuel with engine off after cutting it, so I'm assuming that was the actual fuel line. How much fuel can be in the return line? If I have to plug it as a temp solution (assuming I can't get enough good tubing to slip 5/16" hose over) can these engines tolerate no fuel return? I've run carb'd engines w/o a return and they ran fine.

Crank position sensor failing can cause this, as can a bad O2 sensor. I specifically ran into a similar issue when the down stream O2 had shorted the heater element and would get random misfires, bucking, etc. though it only showed a misfire code and a heater element code. Also ran into an issue many years ago on a SHO where the CPS loom had rubbed through on a pulley due to a previous owner/mechanic not being careful and allowing the wire to get caught in the timing cover. Wire rubbed on pulley and cost me a grand at the time getting it troubleshooted by a hack. Ford found the issue right away. It outright died twice and wouldn't restart, then it'd run fine, then it'd misfire, etc.

Was the engine smogged before going into the VW? Is the air filter/intake pipe clogged or damaged? If engine isn't getting enough air, it won't fully burn the gas. I wouldn't personally add anything to the gas tank as it'll still fail as it's not running correctly. Did the kit company offer any type of warranty or offer to retroactively "assist" with any issues? I'd contact them as something might be routed incorrectly or is defective.

Weight is going to be your biggest enemy. These cars aren't exactly porkers, and amazingly have fairly light seats, but I cringed at the muffler pics as those things have to be at least 45+ pounds each. If you want a better performing muffler w/o the noise, I like to run Summit Racing Turbo Mufflers like this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-631125/overview/ (very subdued sound) that's a 2.5" in/out and the things weigh all but 5 pounds and are probably 1/4 the size of factory. Avoid the fully welded as those are rebadged 44 series Flowmaster or similar. If you are handy, get the 3" in/out and weld a 3" to 2.5" adapter to -> your pipe and you'll most likely fit your pipe. I suggest 3" as it'll lower your back pressure and flow a little better since it's not a straight-through design. I also suggest dumping the factory NA cats and running a single, aftermarket high flow cat that crosses with a WRX STi or similar, and if you have the room, go with a 2.5" or 3" downpipe after the turbo with a 3 or 4" high flow cat. If you can live w/o lugging a factory spare around plus factory jack, that's another 35-45 pounds. If you drop the muffler and spare, that's roughly 85+ pounds of dead weight gone, and if you run a single high flow cat with larger dp, I wouldn't be surprised if you went a second faster in the 1/4 mile as spool would be almost instant, maybe a tad more depending how badly the stock exhaust is slowing that turbo down. Wouldn't hurt to run a FMIC cross-flow style and maybe 2" thick. Good quality ones are plentiful used and will help improve pep any time ambient is over 62F. Regardless, cool to see someone just go and turbo their car to make it more "fun"

That's really strange. It passed all the visual inspections (good) and it passed the 25mph tests (barely- but good) but failed the 15 mph rather badly. Also noticed it stated the cat was modified? -I need some info to be more helpful and I might be able to get you passed (legitimately) if you answer everything: 1. What year is the donor engine or what year/model is it from? 1a. Running Subaru ECU or aftermarket? 2. What year is the catalytic converter from? Is it the VW cat from 1985? Or was it transferred from the donor? 3. Does the engine have a distributor or coil? 3a. If distributor, are you running the correct ignition timing? 4. When was the last time you gave the engine a complete tune-up? By tune-up, I'm referring to plugs, wires, cap & rotor (if it has them), air filter, fuel filter, and most importantly an oil change? (modern engine oil with API certification for the engine, and not cheap, non-certified oil that's OK for an 85' VW, right?) 5. Have you done anything to the engine like cam, header, advanced timing, modified exhaust to work, or built exhaust new from scratch, etc.? 6. How have you routed the fresh air intake for the engine? Is it breathing air around the engine, or did you run an actual tube so it's pulling fresh air, away from exhaust and PCV? 7. Is the PCV system actually connected to the engine? i.e. Is there a vacuum hose connected to a PCV check valve that's connected to the valve cover? Or are you running a simple breather filter off the valve cover? 8. Did it pass a previous test? Or is this the 1st year running that engine?

Can you either elaborate on what exactly you were trying to say there or edit the post into separate sentences? Can't tell if you are saying 94' Wagon with a factory turbo, or he should turbo one, and/or are you saying he should import an actual right-hand drive JDM? FWIW, I have a 95' wagon non-turbo with the ej22 and it's nearing 190k miles and other than rust that's been creeping up the doors over the past year, this thing runs/drives as good as a car with a 1/4 of mileage. Everything works and with good tires it doesn't get stuck. Other than the rear crossmember rotting on this generation rather badly, these cars are seemingly the best bargain out there with non interference heads.

Something is definitely wrong and I wouldn't run the engine whatsoever until it's corrected. Your video, the engine is running like it's had plug wires reversed. The noise however sounds more severe. Timing belt should be tight. The tensioner should keep it tight enough it can't jump teeth. Remove the front cover and inspect the belt. I'd do a compression test to see if chomped a valve. It's possible the belt was old and the tensioner allowed too much slack, it jumped the sprocket, and now you have a bent valve, but that's only a guess, but still needs ruled out to be safe. Not sure why replacing a coil would cause engine to not run, unless it locked something up after cooling down and won't start regardless.

If it has AC, unplug the AC compressor (95' is one wire for the clutch, dunno if yours is the same) then turn the AC on. Both fans should kick on but you won't have the AC lugging the engine down. That's a quick fan tester. With the radiator cap off, can you see any of the rows in the hole? Do they have a bunch of calcium on the edges of the rows? Tap water causes that. Although it doesn't seem to be too common in passenger cars, it is possible for the fins to get dirt plugging up, which reduces the efficiency of the radiator. If you remove the fan shroud, (and ideally have the radiator out) take a garden hose and remove the nozzle, then let the water (as it exits the open hose) flow directly through the fins, taking care not to let the brass rub the fins, and systematically flush the entire fin area. If you unbolt the upper radiator supports and have shroud off, you can lean the radiator forward a tiny bit while water passes through. Take note of the water as it exits the opposite side. If it's dark and murky, you have dirt plugging that section of fins. If it's passing through clear enough to drink, move to next area. People with long gravel driveways, long dirt roads, desert areas, etc. are more prone to this being an issue, but I've seen giant 4" semi truck radiators (things are about as big as a compact's hood) clog up from too much dirt caking the fins. Thicker cores are more susceptible, but it will cause the overly warm. Probably not your issue, but either clogged internal rows (from tap water usage) or caked up cooling fins are the 2 things that manifest with radiators not doing their jobs.

I've sunroofs in almost every car I've owned over the past 20 years, From 86' Cougar, 91' Geo Storm GSi, 92' Taurus SHO, 96' Lincoln Mark VIII, 99' Saab 9-3. None of them had water entering the cabin area, and all but the Geo had electric that slid back. I could hold a high pressure water sprayer from the DIY car wash places over them and still no water entered. Only time I ever saw water building up was the Taurus after the drain hoses going to the back of the car had pine needles built up in them and organic "sludge" from decomposing leaves, and the Saab has a funny grommet junction where that hose enters near the rear tailight, as grommet had a cast-in rubber blockage that only allowed 1/2 of the hose to drain through it. In both cases, it was fixable. Are you positive the roof is returning to the correct position and not staying slightly open? I know sunroofs that have multi-open positions when manually selecting how far you want it, when returning to the seated position, if you didn't actually wait until it returned and sealed (glass was flush with roof), it could possibly leak as it wasn't in the correct position. If it were me and the car was truly faulty, I suggest taking the best pictures possible and contacting Subaru via twitter and watch how quickly they help you.

You REALLY need to do a full tune-up before trying to diagnose anything else. At a minimum, hand-gapped NGK pligs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, oil change, and might as well do a trans fluid as it's probably original, and while at it, suck out the power steering fluid and replace with fresh. Wouldn't hurt to replace ALL the vacuum lines too and timing belt. It might very well have the same plugs and wires it had 120k miles ago, dirty air filter, etc. Plugs can be nearly dead and still run the engine, though you'll get erratic issues, not the least being excessive fuel usage, misfires, etc. Do everything mentioned, reset the ECM, get it on the road and see where it's at. Probably $100 worth of parts at most plus whatever belt and idlers, tensioner run. You'll be at square 1 with everything being done, and won't be playing guessing games when it'll chomp the belt or is lacking power from excessively worn plugs. If after doing all that it's STILL lacking power, then it's something more serious.

When you fill your engine up at the pump, do you fill tank completely, then try and force more gasoline until it's sloshing around in the filler tube? Or do you fill it, and 1st time the vapors click off the pump nozzle, you stop? Reason I'm asking is if you routinely keep trying to force more gas into the tank long after the vapor safety switch is kicking off the nozzle, gas can actually end up in the vacuum line leading to the evap system. If this happens, it can actually ruin some of the evap parts in the system, or cause other drivability issues like you are experiencing.