Stevo F

Still could be an O2 sensor. Our 2005 OBS had the check engine light on an off a few times then finally stayed on all the time. I have a code scanner which told me it eas the front (upstream O2) sensor. In our case, the car still seemed to run OK, but in many cases, the car will perform poorly (ropugh idle, low MPG;s) as without a functional O2 sensor, the ECUre tunes the car into a default limp mode. I ended up having to have our mechanic change the sensor because someone had apparently cross- threaded the last one. New O2 sensor is in and no more CEL. Incidentally, if you replace a Subaru O2 sensor use Denso brand as these are OEM.

I saw a couple of Youtube videos a guys with WRX's that had it one the passenger's side where you access it through the wheel well. I'm guessing mine is different since I have a N/A EJ25 vs. a turbo like the WRX.

Actually I looked down from the top and I do see a sensor on the front side of the cat- so is the is the fron O2 sensor then? I also bought a 3 piece 22MM/ 7/8" O2 sensor socket set on Ebay. I figure one of the three sockets/ wrenches shoudl get it off. Biggest concern I have is that the things will be rusted in place (this is a northern car). Shot soem PB blaster on it already and will warm it up before I attempt to remove the O2 sensor tomorrow. Anyone have any other advice?

We gave the '98 Legacy we bought 2 years ago to our son as a graduation present (he is a senior in high school). Hopefully with good driving it should last him through college. I do love the EJ22 engine

Or maybe could change wheel style- this place makes WRX style wheels- anyone ever buy this brand? http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/2002/subaru/impreza/driveshaft_-ar-_axle/wheel.html

The wheels had a bit of corrosion alomng the outside rims (I sanded and repainted this prior to getting the new tires). I suppose the corrosion could be along the bead too?

Thank you. Yes, I have the factory alloy wheels. I've not had an issue with any slow leaks on other makes of vehicles with factory alloy wheels- is this something more common on Subaru?

Since we bought our 2005 Impreza OBS a year ago, we had slow leaks in both back tires. Actually the used car place probably never checked them as I found the left rear had 12 lbs. and the right rear has 22 lbs. Over the next few months the left rear continued to have a sloe leak. We had a tire place reseal the bead which helped for a few months but then it start leaking 2- 3 lbs. of air a week. The right rear started leaking at about the same rate as well. Since the tires were mostly worn and very noisy on the highway I had a new set put on. Sure enough the right rear was still losing 3 lbs a week. I took it back to my mechanic who installed the tires for us and he resealed the bead and installed a valve stem. Long story short, after all this the right rear tire is still losing 2- 3 lbs a week. This after replacing the tire, the valve stem and resealing the bead. Where else could this leak be that hasn't been fixed or replaced already?

My wife has been driving our OBS, with N/A EJ253 engine, and told me the Check Engine light has been coming on and off intermittently. I pulled a P0131 code tonight "O2 sensor circuit low voltage bank 1, sensor 1". Based on what I've read, this would indicate an issue with the first O2 sensor in the exhaust manifold (or its connection?). If this is cause, can anyone tell where exactly this O2 sensor is located, and the best way to get to it? Also, are there any other causes that would throw this code?

Subarus had that switch on the steering column for generations, but alas I don't think the new ones do. At least my 2014 Impreza doesn't have it, unless it has been hidden somewhere else.

Hello- I have a 2014 Impreza (sedan). I think you'll see a decrease in MPG's this time of year because of different gasoline formulations due to colder weather. In my case (I have the CVT but drive it manually only occasionally) I've been running 32- 33 MPG in mostly longer trip driving (I have an 80 mile round trip commute) but am seeing 30- 31 MPG in the past month. It also takes your engine longer to reach operating temperature in the cold weather (I am noticing the blue temp light is on longer nowadays). That being said, your MPG drop seems pretty steep. Were there any other changes to your driving/ or the car around the same time? As for tracking gas usage using the gauge, I calculated each bar on the fuel gauge= 1.2 gallons. With my driving, I drop the first bar at around 560 moles after filling up, the second around 90, the third around 130. When it drops 6 bar (at 1/2 tank on the gauge), I usually am down about 7 gallons at that point. I find the MPG's calculated by the ECU to be 2- 4 MPG higher than what I'm getting, but I see those MPG's drop drastically when the car is cold or if taking it for a shorter drive, then gradually climb back to where it was after a longer drive. After what I've read about warranties, I'm a little gun shy about making any mechanical mods to the car at this point. (I did opt for the 100K mile warranty this time). I've started same my oil and filter receipts for warranty purposes in case anything were to happen (never did anything like that with previous new cars). Probably just me being paranoid from reading stories on these forums).

No snow yet here in Northern/ Central VA, but as I noticed my 2014 Impreza being a little squirmy going over a small patch of ice today, I got to wondering if the newer model Subaru's with CVT are as good in the snow as older Subaru's with the 4EAT automatic or 5MT manual equipped cars (I have one of each of those). I plan to use the paddle shifters to downshift (like a manual transmission) to better slow the car down without using brakes on ice and snow, but do the CVT equipped cars handle in snow as compared to the older cars? We also have a fairly steep driveway that goes uphill to the road. If it snows, you need 4WD or AWD to get out (should I assume my new Impreza will have no trouble)?

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions. I'm looking at different tires and tire reviews at Tirerack. Given I'm looking for something decent for $500 or so for a set, the Goodyear AltiMAX RT43's seem like good all around tires, even in winter. I'm comparing them to the Michelin Defenders we put on our Legacy last year (which after 13,000 miles seem decent, but weren't really great in the snow last year). A lot of reviews for the Defenders were saying people were only getting 40K miles from a tire rated for $90K, which hardly seems worth paying $650 for a set (it was $550 for the set 14" tires on our Legacy). One local tire place is quoting $472 a set installed for the AltiMAX and I'll have to check with the other place we deal with in town. For me, that seems like a good price for a tire I might expect to get 50K miles out of (they are rate dfor 75,000 miles).

It's time to replace the worn, noisy leaking tires that came on our 2005 Impreza Outback Sport when we bought it last winter. I'm looking for a reasonably priced tire with decent traction (but not a dedicated winter tire- not really justifiable here in VA). The car is a daily driver/ grocery getter, so not looking for a performance oriented tire- just something for general use. What are some tires that you've had good luck with on your Subie?

The two Outbacks have the EJ25D DOHC engine and your Impreza should have the EJ253 SOHC. I don't believe it's an easy swap (ECU, wiring harness mods, etc...). I tiohnk a 2000+ Outback/ Legacy/ Impreza with a SOHC 2.5 would be an easier swap. Why don't you rebuild your current motor?

Found the answer- the CEL triggered the ECU to shut down traction control system and Cruise Control. Question was- what caused the CEL? I'm hoping it was the gas cap (I filled up last night). I made sure it was tight an did a "poor man's" ECU reset (pulled the negative battery cable). CEL is cleared and stayed off for the 40 mile trip home. Need to get me a code scanner- this one seem sot have some good feature (and good feedback for the price): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IOKPLO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=26KO1LKD4DVWE&coliid=I180WOW7NENNHG

I was sitting at a light on my way to work this morning and these 3 lights came on- Check Engine, vehicle dynamics control warning light, and cruise control... what does that all mean? Again the car wasn't moving at the time. I have a 2014 Impreza premium with CVT

I put a new slave cylinder on tonight. I had a lot of trouble bleeding it, but ended up disconnecting the clutch pedal to let the rod that connects to the pedal link come alll the way back, so the bleeder vent is exposed. That did the trick as I was able to bleed the slave and get some pedal back. It still seemed to disengage the clutch only when all the way to floor, but then while the clutch pedal linkage was disconnected I realized the pedal adjustment was way off. I adjusted it so it is engaging the clutch more and now I have all sorts of travel and the clutch released about 1/3 the way off the floor. The pedal does seem to sit a bit high up but it works smoothly and the shifts are smooth.I also don't hear the squeak from the bells housing when I push the clutch (maybe it was the slave, or maybe it will come back). I'll drive it on the 80 mile round trip top work tomorrow and see how it does.

This is exactly the same problem I had on my impreza. I just loosened the master cylinder from the firewall until it was about 1/2" away from the firewall, then I was able to bleed it.

My 2005 Impreza with 5 speed manual sounds similar. The clutch doesn't release until the pedal is to the floor and something is squeaking when the clutch pedal is pressed (I think it's the pivot bearing on the arm that is engaged by the slave cylinder. My clutch pedal is also lazy to come back up after you release it so I have a new slave cylinder on order.

That might make sense (as for the pedal retracting). Looks like the original slave cylinder. Might as well put a new one on and see how it does.

After we bought our 2005 OBS last February, I noticed the manual shift would grind a little going into 4th. I ended up adjusting the clutch pedal so it pushes the master cylinder in a bit more, hence should allow the clutch to fully release. After this it seemed to help and it didn’t grind anymore. I did notice recently, that even with the clutch adjusted, it you pretty much have to push the pedal to the floor to fully release the clutch. Anything less than to the floor and the car is hard to shift. A mechanic I know recently said the clutch itself is probably worn out and will need to be replaced (I was wondering at the time if it was the transmission causing the hard shifting). I do not know the history of the car for the first 129K (the car has 134K miles now), nor do I know how the previous owner drove it, but I assume the clutch is original. The latest thing it’s doing is the clutch pedal is sometimes not coming fully back up to its rest position once you release the pedal (you need to pull it all the up with your foot). I know the clutch pedal mechanism in my old Nissan truck was spring loaded so it the pedal would always pop back into position once you let your foot off it , but the Impreza clutch mechanism (even when not connected to the clutch) seems to pop all the way in pop or all the way out. This morning the pedal was stuck halfway down after release it, and only when I pulled the pedal up did it pop back into it’s normal released position. I tried to lubricate the clutch pedal mechanism which seemed to help a little. So is all of this indicative of a failing clutch, or clutch pedal mechanism, or the hydraulics (I did flush the fluid out of the hydraulics clutch a few months back, but no change in pedal afterwards, so I assume there no trapped air causing an issue.

I haven't gotten around to changing the transmission oil yet, but have noticed more issues with my clutch itself. I've adjusted the clutch pedal so it is engaging the rod to the clutch master cylinder farther in, so the clutch should disengage the transmission when the pedal is higher, but it doesn't disengage until almost to the floor. The transmission has been fairly smooth to shift if you have the pedal to the floor. Last week, I also noticed the clutch pedal was sluggish to come all the way back up. I lubricated the clutch pedal mechanism where I could and it seemed to help. I got in the car this morning (after my wife had driven about 100 miles on it yesterday) and noticed the clutch pedal now barely comes off the floor unless you pull it up with your foot (you could still engage and disengage the clutch but the pedal is almost to the floor at all times). Of course she didn't notice it when she was driving it, so I hurriedly got in the new Impreza so I wouldn't be late for work. I was already was thinking of having the clutch replaced anyway, but what causes the clutch pedal to release?- is it the clutch pedal mechanism, or something in the clutch assembly itself? Could there be an issues with the hydraulics (clutch master or slave cylinder)?

There is no interval I'm aware of to change fluid on a CVT. I'm thinking like 60K miles and use Subaru fluid. I only have 4K on my 2014 Impreza, so that's several years off for me.

As for Frankenmotors, I've read the EJ22 with EJ25D heads is a good running engine. If you locate an WJ22, you'll already have a set up heads to try it out.