roadsubiedog

top of motor is ej22 invoice says 1997 Subaru legacy limited with 2.2 motor 5 speed. called the original owner and they confirmed that it is not a transplant. I would take a pic of invoice and owners manual but that is too much work. I'm wondering if the early production of the 1997 , say sept 1996 for 1997, would still have the 2.2? anyways, im happy that it is a 2.2

Rooster2 you scared me for a moment. I have the original Subaru invoice for this 97 legacy limited and it shows that it has the 2.2 motor . after I bought it changed oil filters, changed tranny fluid and the original owner I bought from had every repair and maintenance receipt since it was brand new so I could see when the last brake job and coolant change was made. the previous owner was very meticulous with upkeep and that was the major reason why I bought it after months of looking for my new daily driver. your recommendations are good and highly appreciated.

appreciate the responses. learning a lot. are all 2,2 non interference? where I work , at least 7-8 co workers have bought brand new Subarus in the last year mainly because of me. I have been commuting 85 miles a day for 15 years and they see me in my subies everyday and see how dependable they are. I just cant spend 25-30k for a new car plus sales tax, higher insurance, High DMV fees and not to mention the huge depreciation hit you have with a new car. I've had my 84gl for 11 years ( 75k miles ) and it cost $650. My 99 outback cost a lot ( one third of new price ) in 2005 and ive gone about 175k in that, I recently bought a 97 legacy limited with a 2.2 for 1900. in real good condition. just got it so don't know how it will fare in long run. I'd like to find probably the right 93-95 or as another poster mentioned a 96-99 with a 2.2 transplant with extremely low miles for my retirement years . that's why I'm doing some homework now a couple years before that time. really appreciate all the help. you people are the greatest. I wish I had more expertise to help other members with their problems. I do have some 1982 and 84 parts I can put up for sale someday soon.

my next subie will be in this year range and I have read hundreds of threads and posts and would like USMB members advice on the best year and model and reason why. im leaning towards the 93-94 legacy or a 95-96 with the 2.2 but need to do more research. I really like the 1.8 motor too. I thought it would be interesting to throw this question out here. thanks in advance.

one degree shouldn't make a difference as far as I know. im surprised they didn't do an evap test or check the gas cap. I usually buy a new cap every couple years. 4 years ago my gas tank failed the pressure test with a full tank. I went to another shop after fixing a few things and using some gas and it passed the gas tank check. I started asking around for a cool smog shop and found an ol school shop that looked like it has been around for a hundred years. the guy is cool and tells me what I need to do if it fails and doesn't charge me for a retest. but he cant rig the machine. ha ha. ive got a smog check coming up next February and am already checking things out this week on my vacation. my 84gl has 327.000 miles on it and I put anywhere from 255-425 miles a week on it going to work. all highway miles. it runs like a top ( knock on my wooden skull ) and gets between 32-37 mpg depending on driving and weather conditions.

everything has been covered on high NOX on this thread....timing ( yours is ok ) EGR valve function, lean air-fuel mixture, defective 3-way cat, and or combustion chamber deposits.

9 degrees is fine. they give me plus or minus 3 degrees here. 23mpg is kinda low ( unless you drive fast and do a lot of driving around town ). I've had 4 different gls with over 200k on them and the worse I got was 25 but after changing filters,oil, gas treatment and such I was getting 30 or more. oh, I drive 55. when I go 65 , I only get about 25. something sounds clogged. btw I hate the smog laws in CA. they always try to find something and when they do they quote you a price to fix it. one time they charged me $129 to find out what was wrong and fix. the other mechanic pulled me aside after it passed on the retest and he told me he was quitting because of how they operate. he told me all the smog mechanic did was raise the idle a couple hundred rpm. that's IT!!! after that I tell the smog shop ( a different one ) i'll do the work myself and they always act irritated. the only real reason I ok'd the 129 dollar diagnostic is because I was selling a subie that I bought for 3500 and resold for 6500 after only putting about 50 miles on it. it was a special construction . I'm curious what you do to improve the emissions and the retest results. im trying to find out what cause high NOx.

the vin is 4s3bg6855x6638016 which digit gives you the tranny code? I was at a shop yesterday and the guy showed me that it was probably my front diff. said the parts from Subaru would run about 300-350 and labor would be 9=10 hrs at $92 an hour. but that is best case scenario.

what causes high NOx? those numbers are high. im in CA with a 84gl. one time the EGR valve was clogged. its easy to take off and clean out ports. you can check it by pushing in diaphragm at idle and if it is working the motor will almost stall. I cleaned it up and then it passed. the diaphragm could be bad. I took one off a pick n pull car for about 10 bucks. cant remember. usually they are just clogged. what does e85 do?? not sure. also you can idle it and feel for exhaust leaks at manifold and other connections. had to replace a couple gaskets for less than 10 bucks. check to make sure 4 nuts holding down carb are tight. mine were loose one time. timing has to be at 8 degrees . mine was at 12 one time. 9 degrees is fine. change oil, high octane gas, run some "Guaranteed to Pass" thru a tank of gas. buy at wal-mart or amazon.com make sure all vacuum line are connected and/or not cracked. you can also run hotter plugs. but I think that helps burn hydrocarbons, not sure what causes high nitrous oxide though. all the little things help. get it nice and hot before retest. is the cat even working? did they aim a temp gun at it? what kind of mileage do you get? I was getting 25mpg before doing everything. afterwards I was getting 30-33 mpg. that's a good indicator. hope these suggestions help.

also it is safer to jump start it in 2nd rather than in reverse unless you have a lot of safe room from objects.

one day at a stop light I pushed in my clutch pedal and "nothing" all the way to floor. thought my clutch went out but it was the clutch fluid line that burst. ( 99 outback ) the pick n pull was about a half mile away and found a brake line about the same length off an old mazda for 3 bucks and change. it took a couple hrs to change and fortunately I had some brake fluid with me. it's been fine now for the last 2 years.

youre right about the split tranny on the 99. I gave the code to aguy on the phone and he said it was the rarer one ( of course ). i'll come back with the code.

independent quoted me 2500-4000 for my headgasket job 5 years ago. thanks but no thanks. I bought a 97 legacy from a couple at southlake that used Norms. they are very pricey too. ( but I appreciate the heads up ) there is a place that does headgasket jobs on / off greg that does them for about 1200. keys speed or something like that. my guy in truckee recommended Trans Craft in Reno but he quoted me 1000-1800 or more for the tranny job. not gonna give a guy a blank check. going to talk to a couple more shops. I can wait for a good deal since we have good back up vehicles.

back in the late 70's , I got so drunk that I drove over a parking meter right in front of the police station in ft Lauderdale florida and passed out. my friends came looking for me and helped take the car off the meter. never got in trouble with the police. we thought we must of been invisible. well the meter tore 3-4 inch hole in radiator in the middle. the next day with a wicked hangover at the park ( we lived in the car ) I took the radiator out and tore the 3-4 tubes out and banged the ends shut and used jb weld on the ends. it worked. we drove it all the way up to Mass. ( about 1400 miles ). it ran a little hot but made it. a couple years later I drove it ( never replaced radiator ) all the way from Mass. to California. it was a 73 Toyota celica. I wish I had pictures. that was some kind of car. I even sold it for 500 bucks to a couple crazies like I was.

adventure Subaru: that is an excellent picture tutorial that I will keep forever. gary: thanks. going to reno tomorrow to talk to a couple shops.

anybody want to do an insurance job,? ( only kidding, big brother )

I come here for subie advice and usually the consensus is right on.

boy, there are some great fixes.im putting some of them in my notebook for future reference. years ago on a cross-country trip from CA to FL on my bike, my generator light went on only 200 miles from my parents house. at 2 oclock in the morning I took the gen apart and found a weak spring that made the opposite brush almost completely wear out. I expanded the spring and switched the brushes and was good to go the last 200 miles. I also use a light switch to put my fan on when caught in stop and go traffic since it doesn't come on by itself on the 84gl.

blk99obs you did that without pulling the engine? I don't think I have the expertise to do it myself. how far off the ground would I have to lift the car? btw. I took the rear drive shaft on the hope that it was my center diff was bad but apparently its the front diff. thanks for the suggestion. im on vacation for the next 2 weeks and live close to Reno so I can do some snooping around.

a couple nights ago I had a pinhole leak in the 7 inch water hose under the alternator in my 84 gl. I noticed it starting to overheat right when I got to work and it was spraying everywhere. fortunately I just got to work so it was cool in the morning when I got off. I put several applications of super glue in the hole, put a patch of duck tape over it and a couple ties and off I went for the 42 mile commute home. made it home without losing a drop. just replaced the hose today. but it got me thinking about clever unusual fixes all of you have used to get home in an emergency . also what kind of tools have you concocted to use in place of the proper tool. I still carry baling wire, duct tape, rubber, and even band aids. people at work say I have too much junk that I carry around but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

unfortunately, the damage must be more extensive than we thought. I put it in reverse and it moved about 3 feet and then clunk, and then nothing. the front drive shaft rotates a little bit off and on even in neutral. when I put it in any gear , the front drive shaft is moving but the car doesn't. oh well. it was worth the try.

grossgary finally got back on here after some kind of server glitch. the only thing I can repay you with is a laugh. took almost 4 hrs to take the rear drive shaft off. you were right about the wd40. only about 3 nuts came off with it and then had to use the pb blaster. they were still hard to break free. some I had to use a cheater. plus I had to break 4 14mm bolts on a cover over the rear diff to get to the 4 back nuts on the shaft. then pry the cover down. anyway, it was late in the day and had to get cleaned up for a Mother days dinner with wife so could NOT take it for a test drive. probably will have to wait till Saturday as my workday is 14-15 hrs and I sleep rest of time. "Auto Science" website has some good pics of the transmission as long as an explanation how the center diff fails. if it is my center diff, he says most of the time there are some pieces of metal in the whole transmission. i'll report back after a test drive. whether this works or not , THANK YOU very much for all the help.

"outlier" had to look up that word. ha ha

ok, will do. anytime I attempt a repair , it takes about 3-4 times longer than the average guy. just not too experienced.

just to be sure it is the back drive shaft about 3 foot long.??? it doesn't seem to hard . I just have to remove a heat shield and a 6 nut foot long cover and the 8 nuts. I'll wd 40 everything and gonna try tomorrow. I just want to make sure im taking the right shaft off. I couldnt find any pics in my manual or any videos on you tube.