nelstomlinson

Wound up ordering two 8-pin kits from prowireusa. We really don't need to be able to unplug these, but they will fit the space better than a big wad of butt splices.

General Disorder, do you have a link? If I were to put in a junkyard connector, I'd have two wads of butt joints, so I might as well just skip the whole connector thing and put in one wad of butt joints. If I can get a new connector I can do it cleaner, and it would be worth getting a new connector if I can get one. It definitely doesn't need to be a duplicate of the original.

It's a '96 Legacy Outback. The connector that connects the window and door lock wiring from the body to the doors is badly damaged by corrosion. We're going to have to either put in a big wad of butt splices, or get replacement connectors. Is there a source for replacement connectors? One side of the connector is labelled D1 in the factory manual schematic, can't remember the other right now, but we'll need both. They are really damaged by corrosion: pins broke off when we pulled them apart, and there is no saving them.

Since it was a male I talked to the second time, I knew it wasn't the same female I talked to the first time. It took the first one about 2 seconds to find nothing, but the dude who actually tried spent about 2 minutes navigating through the computer and cross-referencing part numbers to find the part and make the sale. I don't think the first one tried at all. No idea whether she doesn't care because she's female, or because she has some real malfunction, but she definitely doesn't care.

I called the Fairbanks dealer again, and this time I talked to a man instead of a girl. He was able to find both new and reman short blocks. The reman cost about $25 more, and included the oil pan and water pump, so I went with that. Now I just need to get a quote from the shop to install it, and decide whether I'm going to give up the time or the money.

1 Lucky, JDM would mean shipping from Seattle, and that's expensive. If I can get something in state, that's going to be way cheaper. The dealer will get a container of freight every month or two and that whole container costs him about $5 grand for freight, but for me to get one pallet is going to cost close to one grand. There is a 2001 Forester for parts on craigslist up in Fairbanks. If I can get that guy to respond, I'll be set.

Thanks, General. I'll try calling again and asking specifically for a reman.

Thanks, Forester2002. So I'm looking for an EJ251 engine? From the Infogalactic page: Usage: Impreza 2.5RS, 2.5TS 00-02 (US) Impreza Outback Sport 00-02, 04 (US) Forester 00-04 (US) Legacy 00-01 (US, 4EAT) Legacy 02-04 (US) Outback 00-01 (US, 4EAT) Outback 02-04 (US) Baja 03-05 (US) I should be able to get a 2.5L engine from any of those and drop it right in, right? Any subtle issues to look out for?

I need a junkyard engine for a 2002 Legacy Outback with the 2.5L SOHC engine and automatic transmission. What years used that same engine? Would a Forester or Impreza have the same engine? I talked to the dealer, they say they can no longer get a short block for that machine.

Took this to the mechanic. He found that the bolt that secures the timing belt pulley on the crank had come loose and the pulley had wallered out the keyway, so the pulley was drifting 20 or 30 degrees. He was able to get the pulley back to the correct position and tightened the bolt. It's running great, so far so good. I talked with the machine shop I usually use, and he's telling me that the crank can't be repaired, and he recommends getting a short block from the dealer if the mechanic's fix doesn't hold. Thanks for the info on the ECU, Rampage.

Rampage, knock sensor wouldn't cause timing to go to -10 degrees on acceleration, would it? Anyway, the engine has never once died, it just makes no power at all, until suddenly the spark advance jumps into positive territory and away we go. I had a spare aft oxy sensor on the shelf, so I threw that in last night. Zero change, so that wasn't it. The front oxy sensor was changed out a couple months ago by a mechanic who solved an earlier proble. What controls spark advance on this machine?

2002 legacy outback, automatic transmission. It hesitates when I step on the gas, sometimes for several seconds. When the engine is cold, it may not move at all for up to a minute. When I look at live data, I notice that spark advance is negative 8 to negative 15 when it's hesitating, maybe +15 at idle, +30 to +40 when accellerating normally. The throttle position sensor is reading normally, even when the spark is retarded. Manifold pressure runs around 5ish psi at idle, rises when I open the throttle. What in the world could cause the spark advance to go the wrong way intermittantly? What other data should I look at?

I ran out of time, took this to a local mechanic. He found that the heater on the front oxy sensor was defective, and replaced it. That was definitely a problem, but not the only problem. The car now starts fine when cold. Still getting intermittent misfire errors, but since it's running better, I still don't have time to chase them down. I'll update this once I make some progress.

Lucky and Montana, those are both good ideas. I'm back to work through Thursday, will try to get back onto this project in the evenings. The spring thaw is starting soon, and we've had to start canning the food that was frozen outside all winter, so as usual, everything is demanding attention at once. Spring thaw is at least a nice problem to have.

Brus, yes, I turned them in until I got some resistance, then about another 1/2 turn. Threads must be pretty clean down there, because they went easy until the washer contacted the head. Montana tom, I'm starting to think that it's fuel not ignition. On NASIOC I found a little list of causes of misfires that included things like fuel injectors, a bad-ish knock sensor and a dirty MAF. That last one is easy enough that I'll try it after work. Is there a way to check fuel injectors without special tools? Edited to add that I have a 2001 Impreza with a blown head gasket that I'm robbing parts from. It ran pretty well before the head gasket went. I could rob injectors from it?

No, the seals are still pretty good, no oil in the spark plug wells, the plug wires come out clean not oily. These are new plug wires, only a week or so old.

This is in my 2002 Legacy four-banger. The short of it is that I've changed the plugs (new NKG, gapped at 0.044), new plug wires (NKG again), and swapped in a coil from a car that didn't have this particular error, and still I have a consistent po303 and po304. When this started, I had misfires on all four cylinders. I checked the plugs, and they looked awful, so I put in new plugs. All was well for a day or so, then the problem came back. I swapped in a coil from a 2001 Impreza which was a good runner until its head gasket went. All was well for a day or so, then the problem came back. Then the new wires arrived from Rock Auto, so I put them in. All was well for a day or so, then the problem came back, but now it's only cylinders three and four that are misfiring. I'm starting to think I have some non-ignition problem which might be intermittent. What should I try next?

So the smooth half ends up with a deck height a few thousandths lower. I guess in a gas engine that's a total nonissue. Good to know what's possible, for in case I wind up taking one of these to a machine shop. Thanks!

Imdew, I have 16 acres. I suppose I could drag these off into a corner and forget about them until I need something. I'd just rather not fill the place with junk. I'll probably build a shed for old parts, and stuff it full of doors and fenders and blocks and gear boxes.

GeneralDisorder, is it even possible to get oversized bearings for these older subie engines? If we're having the mains line bored, we need bearings bigger on the outside, and if the crank is ground, we need'em smaller on the inside, too!

I'm in Delta Junction, a little south of Fairbanks. Yes, use an oil pan heater on your automatic. We all do that up here, because our transmissions last longer that way. I used to do it on my manual gear boxes, too, before the synthetic gear lubes came along. Also consider a synthetic ATF. One morning 30 years ago I was driving in to work in a two-ton Chevy, and I tried to shift the two speed differential. It was about -40, and the stinking thing was too stiff to shift ... I was coasting, couldn't get into gear. I got lucky and it eventually went back into the other position, so I didn't need a tow. I bought silicone heat pads for every gear box that shifts after that. My modern gear boxes from the '80s use synthetic ATF, so the situation is less dire now.

3pin, the '02 is a daily driver, looking pretty solid so far. You probably meant the '01? I don't think it got badly over heated. I've had American engines get much hotter with no harm, but they weren't recycled beer cans, either. I do plan to tear into that engine someday, and if the crank isn't scored, it'll get new head gaskets and go on sale in the local Craigslist. It's a 2.2L, and the '02 is a 2.5L, so I don't think there will be much that interchanges besides stuff like the alternator. The two ''96s are both excellent machines. The one with an automatic I've had since it was a year old - bought from a dealer it as a high-mileage program car. That's the closest I've ever come to buying a new car. The one with a manual I bought cheap last year from a mechanic who was tired of working on it. It looks as if it's going to be a good one. I think the '99s manual trans will be a spare for that one? I'll eventually tear apart the DOHC 2.5L in the '99, too. That one had a rod knock before it stopped running, so it's probably going to be scrap, but I'll check. Some day I hope to wean my wife off these teeny-tiny go carts and get her into a diesel truck, but until I have the right truck built for her, these little subies are fun to drive and not too bad to keep running!

Thanks! I'll keep a bunch of the '99 body panels, in case of future wrecks in the '96s.

I have a '99 Legacy Outback wagon and a 2001 four-door Impreza, both with blown head gaskets. The Impreza is smashed on the passenger side, really not worth fixing, the Legacy has no title, really not worth fixing. I also have a 2002 Outback wagon and a pair of '96 Legacy wagons, one an Outback and one not. The two junkers are going to get stripped and go to the junkyard. I'll keep what I can use, and sell what I cannot. That leads to my questions: Will the front clip from the '99 bolt onto either of the '96s? I don't care about changing the appearance, but will it bolt on? Same questions about the doors, and other body parts. Similarly, will any of the Impreza body parts bolt onto the 2002? Again, if they physically fit, I don't care about appearance. The compatibility of the mechanical stuff I can figure out, pretty much, from the Rock Auto catalog and from help you all have given me earlier. Thanks!

If it's just a nail hole, jam a plug in it from outside and run it. A cut sidewall would require a boot, and most tire shops use safety concerns as an excuse to sell you four new tires, but a nail hole doesn't compromise the structure and you can easily plug it from outside, no tire shop needed. Or, just put some green slime in the tire and run it. I've had fair luck with that stuff.