Legacy777

code 420 is the catalyst efficiency code. You could be getting that code for various reasons. This page has a little more info on the code. http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-check-engine-light-and-code-p0420-explained/ Can you provide any additional details on whether the car is running well or if there's any problems?

I would suggest starting with plugs and wires. When you pull the plugs, take a look at the plugs to see how the engine has been running, as well as if there is any excessive wear on the electrode. Excessive wear on the electrode could cause a larger gap, which may be causing the misfires.

Welcome to the USMB Jeff. Unfortunately, intermittent issues like this can be rather difficult to troubleshoot. I had an issue on my 90 Legacy several years ago where I would lose power in the engine while driving. Sometimes if I was cruising along I could put the trans in neutral and try and rev the engine back. Other times if the rpms were low, the car would just die. I had this issue for over a year. It eventually acted up worse, where the car wouldn't start for a few minutes. It however left a code for the MAF sensor. I ended up replacing the MAF sensor and that fixed my issues. I can't say for sure whether the MAF sensor is your problem, but what I would suggest is if you know someone with a similar subie with the same MAF sensor or if you can find a cheap MAF sensor at a junkyard, to swap it and see if that helps. You may just have to monitor things for a while until it gets worse or until you get a code. I know that's probably not ideal, but otherwise, you're just throwing parts at it, and that can get expensive.

Welcome to the USMB. You can do some bolt on stuff that may help a little bit, but I wouldn't expect to see a big gain. As for tuning, Open ECU & rom raider are your best options there, and that along with some bolt ons may give you what you want.

Just out of curiosity, what are you calling the inhibitor switch? The inhibitor switch is located in/on the automatic transmission. The idle issue is likely due to the ECU still thinking it's an automatic. You really should consider pulling the TCU out if it's still in, and jumpering pins 11 & 12 on the AT B15 connector to allow the car to start. You'll also need to pull out the key interlock controller so the key can be removed from the ignition. Adding the neutral sensor & reverse lights are minor as you pointed out. Have you read over my swap write-up? It's for the first gen Legacy, but I've got a lot of details on what exactly needs to be done with the electrical, and generally speaking, it should be the same/similar for the 95 legacy http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/swap

It really sounds like fuel cut to me. The ECU will cut fuel to the engine if the boost pressure rises above a certain point for a certain amount of time, (usually a couple seconds). Do you have a boost gauge or know how much boost you are seeing when you experience the problem? If you don't have a gauge, I would recommend installing one. Installation of the larger exhaust, actually can cause fuel cut on a pretty much stock car. The reason is that the larger exhaust allows the turbo get rid of the exhaust gasses more quickly, which spools the turbo quicker and raises boost. The stock ECU boost control is programmed for the stock setup, so it likely is unable to lower boost enough with the larger exhaust and then trips fuel cut. You can either have someone try and reprogram the fuel cut threshold in the ECU, and/or you could reprogram the ECU boost control or install an aftermarket boost controller.

There were some intakes that were made for the second gen Legacies, 95-99. I don't recall if they had all the ports on them for the PCV system and IAC intake tubes. Even if they did, I'm not sure you're going to be able to find them now. You may want to check on ebay. Other possibility is to try and find one for the first gen Impreza and modify it.

Welcome to the USMB. It sounds kind of like you may be hitting fuel cut. Are you running stock boost pressure? Does this occur only at full throttle or does it occur other times. Any additional details you can provide would be helpful.

All the north american first gen legacies had the 2.2. Only the 90-91 MT's had the older reciprocating valve compared to the newer rotary style valve.

As mentioned, there's actually two doors on the rotary type IAC valve, the main electromagnetic one, and a temp dependent one. The electromagnetic one should sit about half way open/closed. They're supposed to come calibrated from the factory, but if someone has messed with it or whatever, you can rotate the top electrical portion of the valve to try and get it back into working order.

There's actually quite a bit of Soobies in Texas. There's a lot more newer ones than older ones. There's quite a bit in Houston and Austin.

1,500 rpm is about normal for high idle upon initial startup. It should drop down relatively quickly after driving. What sort of temperatures does this occur in? How does the car drive once it has warmed up and idle is normal? Does it take a long time for the car to reach normal operating temperature? If the car takes a long time to warm up, and your mileage is so so, you may want to look at replacing the coolant temp sensor, which controls a lot of the ECU's functions related to temperature, including AFR and idle speed control. If that seems ok, you can try spraying brake cleaner in the idle air control valve tube or use some sea foam spray to help ungunk the IAC valve. Worst case, you remove the IAC valve to clean it or replace it. This is the IAC valve. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru/images/injectors/DCP_2470.JPG

Nice read!

Yeah, I like it too. Probably just an Australia market car though.

It sounds like you may have a ground or a short issue in the wiring. Since both are around the steering wheel, I would suggest checking the wiring from steering wheel area into the column for cuts in the wiring insulation.

Yeah, you never know with sensors. Sometimes they'll be fine, but you could end up with a bad one....no way to really tell ahead of time.

You can d/l the service manual from me, which has the test procedure for both. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/1992_FSM_(Engine_&_Electrical)/ As for why the 94 is more expensive, I'm not sure why. You can try posting something in the wanted section. Someone may have some spare sensors that would work for you.

Not sure if you got this taken care, but I'd also suggest posting in the wanted section of the classifieds. You could also try http://www.car-part.com/

The door on the IAC valve should be about half way with it removed from the car and no current on it. You can kind of see that in this picture. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru/images/iacvalvenew/DCP_6525.JPG

Sorry to hear about the fiasco with that other shop. The chances of you getting that shop to pay the dealer is pretty slim. However, I would definitely contact the BBB, and as a tactic you could threaten to take the shop to small claims court. If you have a friend that is a lawyer, it'd help if you sent a letter to them on the lawyer's letterhead. Also send it certified mail. It boils down to how far are you willing to take this. Unfortunately, taking it further might get your money back, but it will also likely cost you more money. So you have to ask yourself, is the money I'm going to spend trying to fight this shop worth the risk of possibly getting your original money back, or do you cut your losses and move on. Whatever you do, do not take the car back to the original shop.

It's possible the PCV may have been stuck open or close, which might have been causing the problem. If replacing the PCV seems to have fixed the problem and it stays fixed, I think you found your culprit.

Welcome to the USMB, Can you describe the shaking a little more. Does it happen in neutral/park, or in gear? How does the car run otherwise?

Welcome to the USMB. Not sure if you figured this out yet, but the coolant temp sensor might be the cause of an issue. It sounds like you've done all the basic checks, including check for vacuum leaks. Have you checked for codes to see if any past codes are stored in the ECU? Instructions are on my site: http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/engine.html BTW, good to have another Houston member with a first gen legacy.

It'd be curious to see if Subaru sales in the area increase after this little snow storm

As a follow up for anyone searching in the future, the part # is 92122AG01A