89XT6

Don't be afraid of grabbing an XT6! Someone grow a pair and bring this car back to life! Pics and price? You can post your ad in the for sale section, but the mediators seem flexible and will let you know if it's not allowed here. There are still some vital engine NOS parts to be found, you just need internet searching skills. As far as the 2.7 H6, I found every NOS seal to replace after doing a timing kit. Dayco timing belts work well, the only timing kit part that is nowhere to be found is the idler pulley. I found an NOS water, oil pump and lifters also. There are very good aftermarket head gaskets available. Ditch the broken pneumatic front struts for later year Legacy struts. Rear struts, ball joints, bushings, brakes are available aftermarket. Engine sensors are also available, yet expensive... IACV, MAF and TPS, remanufactured. Even the hybrid electric steering pump can be rebuilt with new brushes, the required specific power steering fluid is also available. As long as the frame is not rotted to death and the body panels don't need gallons of Bondo, this could be a decent Winter project for a Subaru enthusiast. But as GeneralDisorder said, don't expect to get back even close to what you have into it, the general rule of most classics.

I may have one for sale in the near future, not cheap but one of the cleanest in existence and running excellent. Check my posts for more...

Today I took Slater for a long drive with a few good full throttle runs on the highway. The transmission is good, fluid level in range and with full throttle blips, the Power light on the dash comes on as it should, downshifts and takes of with a nice giddy up roar. The H6 has a nice growl. RPMs at idle were still low, around 500, but no stalling at idle or misfiring at any point, so it's drivable at this point. So, I stopped trying to think too much and just took a close look at the throttle linkage at the throttle body cams. Well, well, well, the linkage cam wasn't engaging the throttle body linkage enough to bring idle to the usual 750 RPMs. Easy fix at the adjustable screws, not the throttle stop, do not touch that screw! And it's now running perfectly! After I put a hundred or so miles on it, and everything is still good, Slater may be up for sale, needs of the family have determined the need for a more daily drivable and safer car for the wife. I'll be looking for an old-school Outback sedan, 2004 H6 would be perfect. There's an H4 beauty on eBay, ending tonight, but I'm not quite ready, can't have everything.

I performed the transmission code reading handshake, according to the chart above, found in the FSM. No codes, that's a good thing. So I did the obvious, checked the fluid level and noticed it was out of range when cold. I added the one quart of fluid that I had in the garage. Just to bring everything I've done back to a fresh start, I cleared the memory of the ECU, again, per the FSM... connect the read memory and test mode connectors and start the engine. Something good happened after a little warm up, RPMs climbed to close to normal. I'll let it sit for the day, pick up a few more quarts of transmission fluid and add until the cold mark is closer to the middle of the marks. A crazy shot on the dark? You tell me, but being a first generation ECU car, I would not be surprised, Happy Labor Day!

Lol, I say the same thing to myself, every time I start it, "Maybe it's fine and won't do it again". It seems to be playing hide and seek with me, fix one thing, something else happens. This tells me that the issues are all related, whether electrical. mechanical or a combination of both. Yes, transmission code reading is the most bass ackwards process for this car. I found something in the FSM, but your open the door, shut the door, kill a butterfly path seems like it will work just as well. I may take the car to a transmission mechanic and have it flushed completely, and re filled. They can poke around at the solenoids and the torque converter while doing the fluid and filter change. This will be the last coin that I throw at it. I've never bottomed out, this car appears to sit low in the rear, it's FWD with the wheel wells full of 17" wheel. The suspension is tight. Busy day today, I'll try this weekend , looking at the code process and hopefully get something.

Some help needed again... 1989 XT6, FWD, 4EAT automatic transmission. When I start the engine, the Power indicator light on the dash blinks 16 times and the idle speed is very low. I'll read deep into the FSMs and see about retrieving any codes, but I don't see any at the ECM in the trunk. Maybe there is a clue in the transmission section. I've investigated a bit and found that there may be a bad solenoid on the transmission. Along with the 16 blinks, the engine idles very low. Could this be a simple fix, add transmission fluid, or is this a sign of a bad solenoid, and which one, C? Recently I've posted various sensor replacements, CTS, TPS, MAF and IACV, all of which are now working properly. I'm getting close to selling this temperamental beauty and look for a newer and more daily drivable Subaru, the wife needs a car soon. Any help is appreciated!

Here I am, It's been a while, sometimes life gets in the way of weekend hobbies. Slater is healthy! The only mechanical part that I actually needed to replace was the IACV and CTS. The new TPS, MAF and ECU are tucked away in my spare parts box. The code "23" is the gremlin, there is a faulty wire somewhere in the MAF circuit. Start the car, pull the connector off of the MAF, no change. Replace the connector with a good wiggle and push, idle creeps up to just under 1,000 RPM. Idle in drive dips to about 850 RPM, that's fine. I'm not about to dig into the harness from the ECU to the MAF, way too hot this time of year, I'll wait until October. The car hasn't stalled while driving but it is a cranky old beast and may stall while in park, especially if I give it gas. I'm also losing 0.8v between the ECU and CTS. I read 4v at the ECU pins, 3.2v at the CTS connector, even with the replaced engine harness. I did find a good used fuel injector engine harness for $30. It has the harness for the injectors, TPS, CTS and some gauges. So, I eliminated the solder splices I made, getting back to a factory harness is a good thing. The MAF and IACV harnesses are something I should look into, but there is no easy plug to disconnect. I think I'll stop while I'm ahead.

Time for my weekly update... Codes, let's read codes! It's simple, plug the black connectors together. In this car, they are located in the trunk, near the ECU, along with the green, clear and yellow/amber connectors. The black connectors are U-check. Common sense here, "You Check", so I did. Plug them in and turn the ignition on, without starting the engine. Watch the green LED on the ECU and time the blinking. 1.2 sec = 10s, .2 sec = 1s, .3 sec between for each code, 1.8 sec between codes. I get two codes, 23 (MAF) and 24 (IACV), both open or short circuit. Seems easy enough, I'll have to take multimeter readings. I already did a new pigtail at the IACV, using a Hyundai Bosch type, 3 pin connector. Readings at the pigtail are perfect. I might just have to work on the fitment to the IACV terminals. As far as the MAF, I replaced the MAF with a compatible Nissan unit from Rockauto. I have a new pigtail also, but didn't swap out the original yet. Aaannd I ran out of time for the day, stay tuned.

Progress updates... Using the new ECU and making rough adjustments to the new TPS, my XT6 started without the superspeedway 5,000 RPM scream. I picked up a set of feeler gauges to test and fine tune the TPS, but I think I need a longer gauge set, so as of now I'm unable to test and adjust per the FSM. All I could do was tweak the TPS a bit, hand tighten the top screw, start the car and hope it's good. I get it to a point where idle is between 750 and 1,000 RPMs and throttle response is good. However... when I give it gas from the pedal (didn't try at the throttle), RPMs smoothly go up as expected for a few seconds, then the engine shuts down. My guess is that I need to fine tune the TPS ohm readings, per the FSM. Any suggestions guys? Do I just need to drive the car and the ECU will learn? Good news... My original issue was high idle (1,500- 2,000RPMs) after a hot start. I have cured this gremlin! The engine was warmed up enough during my back and forth TPS adjustments, shutting the engine off and restarting several times. Not once did RPMs jump the way they did with hot starts. I'm done for the day, made some progress but not finished.

Update: Taking readings at both the old and new ECU, I'm getting 4V at the T9 pin (white/black wire) of the ECU. This is the feed voltage to the CTS. At the other end (CTS pigtail) I get 3.2V. I'm losing 0.8V along the way. The grounds are all fine, continuity to battery and chassis grounds everywhere. This may be the reason for the hot start high idle, incorrect voltage getting back to the ECU. After I'm finished calibrating the TPS and having the engine cold start with the correct idle, I'll test backwards from the TPS pigtail towards the ECU. I may have to run a new wire along the harness and see if I can get 4V all the way. I know, most cars have 5V on this wire, but it's an odd car with an odd engine, oh... and it's a Subaru odd ball! I have yet to find in the FSM or any other manual, the specified voltage required at the CTS feed. If anyone can find this number, please share. I doubt I will ever get 5V if two working ECUs put out only 4V.

5,000 RPMs is with the TPS change, using the old ECU. I later installed the new ECU but haven't tried starting the engine since then... 5,000 RPMs made me nervous and I quit for the weekend. Hopefully the new ECU won't allow another 5,000 RPM start, this may prove that I've had a bad old ECU all along and it went crazy with the new TPS. I want to test and adjust the TPS first to at least get it close to spec before starting the engine. I'll get a set of feeler gauges and follow your advise and the manual. I do electrical work on my job, so I also have various clips and test wires to help out. I suspect that the new TPS is adding fuel. I haven't found any vacuum leaks, using the carb cleaner spray method but will test further, especially if things don't improve. I still have 3.2V at the CTS pigtail and 2.9k ohms(good) between the pins on the sensor, with the new ECU. With the old ECU, when warmed up, the resistance was in the specified range, so I know the sensor is good. The factory manual trouble shooting section asks only for ohm readings, not voltage. I'll take an ohm reading from the ECU(WB wire at T9 of the ECU which provides voltage). If there's over 100 ohms, I'll need to check and repair T9 all the way to the pigtail. Just guessing but I think I need to test the WB wire end to end in order to find the problem and get 5V.. Thanks, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks, I'm able to follow the required specs as far as electronics, I'm just a bit handcuffed when trying to take readings while opening and closing the throttle. The manual isn't very clear on this, I think I also need to take open, closed readings with the pigtail connected to the TPS, using a probe to poke at the wires going into the pigtail. I was also wondering and will look into this... since the new ECU has no learned values or memory set yet, the car may start normally and the ECU will learn and adjust everything. The manuals mention nothing difficult when installing a new ECU. Disconnect battery negative, remove the old one, install the new one, simple. No specific initial startup procedure is mentioned. I have to check the throttle section of the manuals and look for baseline, adjustments and maintenance. I've never tried to adjust anything on it, just cleaned and lubed. I should have left the old TPS on and just changed the pigtail.

Happy Easter! Over the weekend I spliced the new TPS pigtail and installed a new TPS sensor. The pigtail came out nice, readings taken afterwards are spot on, good ground, ohm readings and 5V where they should be. I made sure I put the new TPS in the exact spot as the old one was, or as close as the human eye and a picture can manage. I read a good ohm reading, only between pins 1 & 4 on the sensor, since I don't have a feeler gauge to test between pins 3 & 4 or the precise methods and extra hands needed for testing between pins 2 & 4 with throttle closed and open. Following me, I'm sure someone has done this and became aggravated. At this point, I didn't install the new ECU, being careful not to damage a new unit. This was purchased from epartsland.com for $100. This guy is located in Reading PA and from what I can tell, he carries thousands of ECUs for just about every car you can imagine. They are fully tested and have a warranty. I thought I'd just try and start the car to see what happens. Bad idea! RPMs hit the moon to 5,000 RPMs, so I shut it down immediately. I checked the repair manuals and see that I need to make adjustments using a multimeter and feeler gauges. So, I'm not gonna try this alone, I need help here and probably a second set of hands, besides my three year old son pretending to read manuals . I may ask a local mechanic to pay a house call, asking around for one that knows these old imports. Calling all Subaru Masters and Wizards for advice here please...

FYI... Mitsubishi TPS pigtail part # MD614772 fits Subaru TPS Intermotor part # TH377 perfectly. I'll be installing this over the weekend. I'm waiting for an ECU and a Nissan MAF pigtail which should also fit.

Well, we are making some progress... Installed new MAF, IACV, 90 deg. inlet hose and pigtail, CTS and pigtail. Cold starts are even better than before, I notice about five steps of idle dropping to 750 RPM, perfect. Two hot starts with idle up, then down to 750, without the help of my right foot. Third hot start is still not coming down, stays around 1,750 RPM, down to 1,250 in drive. The new IACV definitely makes a difference, but it isn't the cure. What's next... I have a new TPS and pigtail coming, the original is beat up. Before I install it, I'll clean the throttle area that it connects to, it may be sticking. I'll also look into a new ECU, even though the one I have looks like new, besides the half rump roast radio splices done by a previous owner. Not an expensive NOS, if they even exist they would cost well over $500, no thanks! I've seen Grade A used ones for about $125. There are no codes coming from the ECU, no check engine light, no vacuum leaks, just one stubborn component somewhere. Another piece could be the voltage regulator, I'll look into that. Who knows, maybe the 4EAT has too much fluid in it, causing idle issues when it gets hot? If all else fails, I'll just live with it, being careful not to let it idle so high for a long time, the cars has never overheated and we know not to ever let that happen.