HobbyWrench

Thanks, Guys, for the replies, advice, and encouragement! (My apologies for the delay in responding - work has been crazy.) I am now tempted to give it a try, though I do need to read up on the steps to refresh my memory. One concern I do remember, however, IS alignment of the torque converter. The new transmission (111K miles), has the its torque converter wired in place on the transmission. If I'm careful and keep this torque converter attached to the transmission, does making the seating easier? Thanks again! Mike

Hi, I need help in swapping a 4EAT FWD transmission in my '94 NA Legacy Wagon. Are you in/near Chicagoland, have the experience and tools/jacks, or can refer me to a 'nearby' garage Subaru-experienced (and capable) for this? (I found a replacement '94 4EAT FWD with 110K - the differential eventually went out after 200K on the original. I know, I know, I should go with a 5MT swap, but it is for my girlfriend who ABSOLUTLY CANNOT drive a 5MT.) Also, what would be a list of seals, O-rings, gaskets, etc. you would suggest I purchase to replace with this swap? Thanks! Mike

Hi Markus, Did you ever figure this out? Coincidentally, I also have a '90 LS Wagon FWD, AT, NA and the exact problem has just surfaced - continuously blowing out Fuse 15. Thanks, Mike

Hi, Does anyone have experience with http://www.cheapestpartsonline.com/? Please let me know. They apparently are an authorized Subaru, Nissan & Mazda parts dealer. Their parts prices look excellent (even better than posted on 1stSubaruParts.com) and since I'm in the midwest, ground shipments should come sooner. Thanks for any input/advice! Mike

It was probably 1st Subaru Parts: https://www.1stsubaruparts.com/partscat.html I've placed a couple of orders with them - the prices and services have been excellent.

Do you have a shop manual? If not, get yourself a Haynes Repair Manual for the '90-'98 Legacy - they usually are about $15 at auto parts stores. There is a lot of good troubleshooting info in there for you. Explained within the Haynes manual is the On Board Diagnostics system, telling you how to obtain the self-diagnosis trouble codes. Some the home mechanic can get - others need to be read with a special reader. Your problem is probably being documented within this system. The Haynes manual will explain all the different sensors that feed into the electronic control module (ECM) controlling the engine, and how to troubleshoot them. A great hotlink to check out is the following posted by Legacy777 who is an administrator of this, and another bulletin board. The second link has most of a '92 Legacy Field Service Manual which I've found to be an amazing tool. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru_manual_scans/ http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru_manual_scans/1992_FSM_(Engine_%26_Electrical)/ Regarding the fuel pressure - I've done as the Haynes recommended and relieved the pressure. In the '90 wagon, there is an oval plate held down by 4 screws just behind the right back seat in the back bed - lift up the carpet that far and you'll see it. Underneath it is the fuel pump - pull the electrical connector from it. Unscrew and remove the gas cap, and then start up the car - it'll run just a short time. When I replaced the fuel filter, the hoses running to and from it were old and cracked, so I replaced those at that time (getting hose of the right length from an auto parts store). The irregularity of the symptoms is unique. It sounds like sitting cold for awhile seems to 'fix' it. Does it ever act up after sitting for awhile/overnight and then started up when its cold? Good luck!

I also have a '90 Legacy wagon - owned it for a year and initially was a rough runner - with a few diff't problems. Next time it is running rough, trying pulling the plugs individually to determine if it is a specific cylinder giving you problems. If it is, you'll see no difference in poor performance (when you hit the correct one) or it may run worse (when you cause it to lose power from a 2nd cylinder). Doing this, I was initially able to see my #1 plug wire had a small tear in the rubber that sits inside the cylinder and was arcing as I removed it - a good temporary fix was to wrap electrician's tape around it. If you identify a specific cylinder and the wire appears fine, you may check the plug - do you know when they were last replaced? (Using this troubleshooting method, I also was able to isolate a bad injector on cylinder #2.) If it doesn't seem that 1 particular cylinder is causing the rough running, then it may be a common factor affecting all of them. Do you know when the fuel filter was last changed? That is another inexpensive fix that should be done periodically anyway. Another factor to consider - does it act up when hot, cold or when? Providing this info may assist others here in helping you. I also believe in trying the simple (and inexpensive) ways first, due to economic necessity (I'm currently unemployed). Good luck!

I experienced the same symptoms with my '90 Legacy EJ22 - normal temperatures idling in the driveway but pegging the temperature gauge at "H" after only 5-10 mins down the road. (I was lucky because this problem first reared its ugly head a couple of miles from home, shortly after a couple of 1000+ mile trips!) Doing an Internet/thread search at this and other websites, others who had this same symptom with an older Legacy as mine fixed this via the dreaded headgasket replacement. I'm currently working on this at a slow pace in my garage - it's unheated, but the temperature is slowing heating up in Chicagoland! If you plan to do it yourself, I followed others' advice and went to https://www.1stsubaruparts.com/partscat.html for parts. The prices and service are great!

I'm doing a HG replacement on a '90 EJ22 (175K miles) and have pulled the valve rockers to replace the valve seals. Inspecting the hydraulic valve adjusters in the rocker arms (just on the left head so far), I've noticed a couple (#2 cylinder: rear exhaust, rear intake), which can be pressed down slightly (probabaly about 0.5mm) and then stop (slight click). There are 3-4 other HLAs that appear to be shorter than the others - they do not move when tested with the 'finger squeeze test.' Do the ones with movement just need to bled of air? How does air get into these? Are the shorter ones worn? Or they possibly stuck part way in? Would it help to remove these and soak/fill and bleed them in Seafoam, followed by fill and bleed with/in oil? Thanks!

Thanks to bearbalu, grossgary, Setright and Tiny Clark for the guidance, advice and reassurance. The car was never driven any distance after overheating, so the chance of additional damage was probably minimal. I was extremely careful when removing the heads to gradually and evenly loosen them. There appears to be no warpage on these, measuring with a straightedge and feeler gauge (0.004" per Haynes Manual). This engine apparently has run exceptionally clean - there really is no buildup on the valves. A soft brass wirebrush using Seafoam as a solvent has done wonders to clean the valves and the seats up, along with the mating surfaces. How can I check the valves, guides, etc., without dissassembly, to determine if they really need machine shop work? Any ideas what the price would be? I'm unemployed, so not wanting to spend lots of $$$ on this. Able to contact the prior owner (purchased at 165K miles), I learned this was the first time the engine had been gone into. This is amazing engineering!

Well, I'm guessing that no replies means I may have stumped you all?! As an update, I did a simple air pressure test into the cylinder headbolt hole in question, and it seemed to be OK in comparison with others. Shining a light into the cooling area on the top of the cylinder, near the hole, did not reveal any potential problems (cracks, etc.). (The engine is still in the car.) So, I'm guessing (hoping!) that antifreeze must have sneaked up between the head gasket and head or engine cylinder, and into the bolt hole. Therefore, I'm driving ahead with my HG replacement, and hoping for the best! Thanks to you all who have posted to my related questions on reuse of headbolts and exhaust manifold bolt removal!

[Oh Great Subaru Masters: Your experience and guidance is needed and appreciated - in the possibility of a worse case scenario (and need for diff't engine), I'm holding off on parts order and reassembly until I can benefit from your wisdom.] Does overheating due to a blown HG possibly manifest itself as an antifreeze leakage into a headbolt chamber? I've pulled the heads on a '90 EJ22 with 175K miles, and noticed that the top, rearmost headbolt on the left head (cyl #4, bolt #6 in tightening sequence) had dried white scale along its length, apparently residue from dried antifreeze. The threads submerged into the cylinder are moist. The headgasket does have a damaged/bulged area for this cylinder at approximately a 5 o'clock position (looking from the head toward the center of the engine). On disassembly, I did not notice this particular headbolt having less torque/difficulty in removal. Is it possible that antifreeze leakage in this area, under heat and pressure, would make its way upward, around the 'alignment pin/cylinder' that aligns the head with cylinder and surrounds the headbolt, and into the headbolt chamber? Has anyone else seen this? I'm fearing worse than a HG, such as a casing crack, etc. (Is this possible?) The overheating symptoms NEVER occurred while idling forever in the driveway, but pegged the heat gauge needle to H after 5-10 minutes down the road. A compression test sometime ago did indicate less in the left head, with cyl #4 having slightly the least. I have seen threads posted where others experienced these symptoms and corrected them with HG replacement, so was hoping for a 'straightforward' solution. On another note, on the head side of the old HG, "EJ22" is imprinted left of the top center headbolt hole, while "97" is printed to the right of the bottom center headbolt hole. Do OEM headgaskets have year of mfg imprinted on them, and does this "97" possibly indicate the prior owner had to replace the HG's earlier ('97-'98 timeframe)? Thanks again!!

Could anyone one advise me on the procedure for exhaust stud replacement and torque specs for the nuts for a '90 EJ-22? The car has 175K, I am working my way toward HG replacement. I was very lucky in that 4 of the 6 exhaust nuts came off with no problem - I was also lucky in that the other 2 nuts were stuck but the studs just unscrewed out (none breaking off inside!). I know some recommend replacing all of the exhaust studs with new at this point, but I'm concerned about the possibility of the others breaking off inside in doing so, and am leaning towards just replacing these two with the rusted-on nuts. Thanks for the advice!

Sears has an inexpensive, heavy duy aluminum strap wrench for $19.99 (item #00945571000 Mfr. model #45571) that I recently used to pull the crankshaft pulley from my '90 EJ-22. It has a heavy duty rubber strap capable of grabbing 12" diameter objects. Though the handle is only 8" long, a pipe could easily be put on the end for leverage - because it is a Craftsman tool with a lifetime warranty, Sears will replace it if you break it!

Thanks for the advice, however I'm somewhat confused - this is my first time attacking HG replacement on a Subaru. The FSM for the '90 Legacy doesn't mention replacement of the head bolts with new ones, and offers the following steps. The use of a new head gasket is specifically addressed, but the step for the bolts is just "tighten cylinder head bolts." Implicitly, then, the following procedure is for the used bolts(?). The torque procedure calls for a 2-step tightening (22 ft-lbs, then 51 ft-lbs), followed by a 2-step, 180 degree/step, backing off for all bolts. Then, it says to tighten #'s 1 & 2 (25 ft-lbs), followed by 3-6 at a lower level (11 ft-lb). The last 2 steps are 2 consecutive tightenings of 80-90 degrees in numerical sequence. From your experience/suggestion, if I can reuse the bolts, which steps do I skip? How high do I torque them to? Thanks!

I'm replacing the HGs on my '90 Legacy LS wagon (175K miles), EJ22 engine. Do I have to install new head bolts & washers on reassembly? I had a conversation with an individual at a parts store about HG replacement & head bolt tightening sequence. He commented that it sounded like the bolts were "torque-to-yield" and Subaru recommended their replacement when installing a new HG. Is this true? I'd rather not spend the $$ if I don't have to. Thanks!

Would anyone have a .pdf file or link to a Subaru Service Manual that includes the Transmission and Differential Section for my '90 Legacy LS? (Unfortunately, $$$ are an issue for me right now.) It appears I have a Duty Solenoid "B" problem and want to see what it would take to diagnose it. Is there any long-term concern if I just ignore this 'warning'? The car has 170K miles, I've owned it for the last 5K and it appears to run fine. Thanks!

The links and documents below have been a fantastic resource for working on my '90 Legacy LS wagon. Thanks! I'm in need of the Service Manual information for Section 3, Transmission and Differential of the SubaruEJ-22 Repair Manuals. The links below (specifically, EJ22 Repair Manual2) appear to have this Section missing. Would you happen to have this also? (I'm out of work, so $$$ are an issue.) It appears I have a Duty Solenoid "B" problem (as translated by the "Power" light flashes). I have the 4EAT in my Legacy - FWD. On a related note, is there any long-term concern if I'd just ignore this? It seems to run fine (I've owned it for 9 months - put 5K miles on it - it has 170K.) Thanks!