heartless

Sorry Ivan, I dont really have the guts to tear into the internals of an automatic tranny. LOL I have a good one available, so it is going to get swapped out. Maybe at a later date, and with some detailed instructions, I might, maybe, be persuaded to get into the bad one.

checked between pins 1 & 2, and then between 2 & 3 per the service manual(s) weather has been hot & humid here for the last couple of weeks, and trying to start this car has dragged the voltage down on the battery - will get the trickle charger on it tomorrow.

you dont "need" the special tool to remove the cam sprockets - a little ingenuity will go a long ways here. if you are tearing it down to do headgaskets, it makes sense to do a full timing service as well - new belt, idler pulleys, etc - in which case you can use a section of the old belt to cushion the sprocket teeth, and use chain vise-grips to hold it still to unbolt. Or, if you are a handy type of person, make a tool with 2 prongs to fit in the slots of the sprocket to hold it (kind of like the tool used for changing angle grinder blades, but bigger) Or, if the motor is still in the car and the timing belt is still in place - use a prybar/large screwdriver/similar thru the inspection port of the tranny to prevent the motor from turning over and loosen the bolt that way. Basically, you just need to prevent the sprocket from turning while you loosen the bolt - how you do that is up to you.

so, after hitting a tough spot on getting the Foz going, I have been thinking very seriously about doing the tranny swap on this one sooner rather than later...was kind of hoping to have the Foz up and running first for a backup vehicle, but it seems to want to be a pain in the backside, soooo.... The idea is to pull the trans out of my 1990 Legacy DD and swap it into this car - 1995 Legacy and make it my DD. Both cars are AWD autos, and both have the 4.111 rear diff, so it shouldnt be a problem, right? Gear ratios match, good to go? also, which way is going to be easiest - pull both motor & tranny together, then seperate? or seperate, and drop tranny? Dont have a lift, but we do have a cherry-picker. I was thinking it would be easier to pull both motor and tranny at once, then seperate, swap, & re-install as one unit... Anything special I should be aware of, or need to pay attention to, for this project? Any recommended service items that should be done while the tranny is out? (aside from fluid change) This should be an easy enough project to accomplish over a 4 day weekend - even for a couple of amateurs, right? LOL I kind of hate to take down my fully functioning, but very rusty, current daily driver with no backup vehicle, aside from the gas-hog pickup truck, but my original plan isnt working out very well...

I did source an appropriate year engine harness - I might be crazy, but not that crazy! LOL but getting the new harness installed, and sorting out which connectors went where (with nothing labeled) was interesting - had to swap out the cam and crank sensors as well since they have a different style connector in the later years. ok...if I am reading this right - neither of the vacuum ports on the 2.5 tb will be compatible with what was on the 2.2 tb...ugh! so do I just cap off those two ports? the 2.2 tb vacuum port goes to the CPC solenoid, not FPR - well, maybe in a round about way it does...but either way - tapping into that port on the #3 runner would work for my purposes? a simple brass fitting of the appropriate size with a hose barb will work for tapping in, right? vacuum to the MAP? dont see any place for a vacuum line on/near the air intake...perhaps MAF, not MAP? Coil ohms testing reveals that the coil may indeed be bad - the donor car sat for several years... Main coil - meter set at 20K: 1-2 = 13.30 3-4 = 13.53 connector - meter set at 2K (was the only way I coudl get a reading): 1-2 = 0.001 2-3 = 0.001 No where near spec... So, gonna try swapping in the coil from the 95 (known running car) that isnt going anywhere right now & see what happens with that. Battery is still strong at 12.14v, but I may stick the trickle charger on it, just because....

there is a repair kit for fixing this... http://www.frostfighter.com/index.htm

me too, Rooster, me too...This was "supposed" to be a relatively simple engine swap that has turned into a bit of a nightmare when I started discovering all the incidental damage from the fire - that was never mentioned, and was mostly hidden by a partially pulled/dismantled motor... I am now determined to make this sucker run - come hell or highwater! LOL might take some brain picking, and a whole lot of trying to track down this or that on my end, but I WILL do this - eventually! Yeah, it will be a challenge - but - challenge accepted! Fairtax - the coil is from the donor car, so no chance of that having been doused/flooded with water or extinguisher chemicals. I am pretty sure an extinguisher was used tho. the engine wiring harness was sourced from another member here, because the original 2.5 harness was a mess - melted connectors, damaged wiring,etc; and the donor motor was a 1990 model - different harness configuration. That was fun to get installed... On the throttle body - this was swapped over from the 2.5 (after a good cleaning) to the 2.2 - the old 2.2 tb only had one vacuum line connection on top (non-EGR), the 2.5 tb (EGR) has 2 - 1 closer to intake manifold, the other towards the airbox side (both between the butterfly & intake) - any thoughts on which should I be using? or should I have a Y or T fitting in line and use both?

ok, sounds like a plan. First thing is to make sure we have 12 v getting to the coil pak...then check resistance values... Keep in mind tho, that this car had a fire under the hood - apparently a fairly major one - lots of little anomolies that "shouldn't" be... starter motor that I took in for a rebuild was completely "cooked" internally - yeah, i know, probably the original & the car does have over 364K on the clock, but even the shop owner was surprised by what they found and he has been rebuilding this stuff for more than 30 years. I know now why we got the darn thing so cheap...lol

Easiest way is to upload to a photo hosting site, like photobucket, flickr, or similar. then copy & paste the url from them here.

Thank you Fairtax - that was very helpful. Depending on the weather the next few days (& homework loads), I will try to get a reading, and maybe try swapping in the coil from the 95 if the reading is low...

ok, so looking up what the specs are supposed to be for the coil pack I see major differences between 98 and 90 versions and what they are calling "primary" and "secondary" 1990 FSM001.pdf 1998 FSM coilpak.pdf 1990 FSM is calling the the main coil pack the "primary", and the connector the "secondary" 1998 FSM is just the opposite....connector is "primary" and main coil pack is "secondary" Engine, and coil pack, is a 1990 with newer style wiring harness installed, and the throttle body from the original 2.5. Should I have swapped over the coil pak as well? and to add to my confusion - I looked up the specs for the 95 to see if maybe I could use it ... 95 - Main coil pack is called "primary", like on the 90 FSM, but with the exact same specs as listed on the 98's "secondary"...there have got to be some typos going on here...but which version is right?

ok, so the saga continues.... got the new used fuel pump installed - all connections are solid, everything that should be is plugged in. turn the key, crank, crank, crank (i know it takes a little time to get fuel to the engine after having lines disconnected - tried multiple times over the course of several minutes) - no fire - still... Pulled #1 spark plug - it is slghtly damp & smells like gas...hmmm...so it IS getting fuel now... So I wonder to myself - how strong is the spark? Sure it fires off with starting fluid, but starting fluid is supposed to fire easily - wouldnt take much of a spark to ignite that. So I dig out the old Rem-Star (remote starter unit) that Skip (miss you buddy, hope life is treating you kind!) helped me create so many years ago when I had similar issues with the old GL - not even sure if it would work on this new of a car... Well, it does! Keeping the #1 plug out, pulled the plug wire out of its holders so I could ground the plug on a body bolt, set up the rem-star & hit the button - and the spark is quite weak - very orange in color, not a strong, blue-white like it should be... So - is this an ignitor unit issue? or is it a coil pack issue? I have a 95 2.2 Legacy (known runner) sitting here that I could temporarily steal parts from to test, but which one should I try first? Which would be the most suspect? and what are the chances of getting good used units - for either one (or both)?

sounds like a good plan to me. Good Luck and keep us posted on how things progress.

I guess I have never run into that situation - if the weather is cold, I am not going to shut the car off for just a minute or so to close a gate, or whatever...kind of sensless really - it uses less fuel to idle that minute or so than it would to shut off & then restart...not to mention maintaining, or increasing (if it is still warming up), temperature for heat purposes... the oil leak mentioned is "coming from the front passenger side of the engine", not the back...altho this is a common leak... depending on where exactly that leak is manifesting itself, it could be several different things - or a combination of them. cam seals are only one source, cam case covers (often erroneously called valve covers) also tend to leak - the rubber seals tend to get hard with age, there could be a leak at the oil pressure sending unit, and sometimes a power steering leak from the low pressure line at the pump resevoir can be mistaken for an engine oil leak as it drips onto the timing covers...

i have a 1990 with the 4EAT - in winter, depending on how cold it is (and it can get really cold here in northern WI) it takes it a while to warm up enough to shift nicely. there are set temperatures for the ATF for certain gear changes (one for 2-3, and one for 3-4) so it can take a bit to make those gear changes. and yeah, it does shift a bit abruptly from 1-2 when cold, softer after getting fully warmed up. Depending on outdoor temps, i usually let it sit and warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before leaving to minimize the longer intervals between shifts. My car has over 234K on it, and still drives nice - so dont be too alarmed by the odd shifting patterns - just go a bit easier on it until it is fully warmed up. And make sure all 4 tires are the same brand/type, and are about the same wear - they all need to be within about 1/4" circumference of each other to avoid problems with the trans. For your timing job - get a full kit that includes the idler pulleys (2 smooth, 1 smooth cammed, & 1 toothed), front seals (2 cam, 1 crank, & oil pump o-ring), waterpump and belt - ebay is a good source for those - "the import experts" is the seller most frequently used, "mizumoauto" is another (I have used mizumo kits several times on multiple vehicles with no issues, other than the bolts for the 2 smooth idler pulleys being too long in the shoulder on the first gens - replacement pulley (2nd gen + version) is shallower than the 1st gen original where the bolt goes thru - this is a 1st gen issue tho, 96 should have no problem). you can try cleaning the connection for the temp sensor - "normal" range should be just a little below the halfway point. replacement sensor is pretty cheap for that one if that doesnt fix the problem. Are you sure there is no air in the system? these cars can be a little difficult to burp completely.

I also have a 95 that is OBDII - so the counter-jockeys at your AA & AZ are wrong... just a quick question about the timing job - did you replace the idler pulleys as well (4 of them), or just the belt? If you didnt do the pulleys, I would do those too when you go in to do the seals - at over 200K they are a source of concern. typical timing job at that kind of mileage includes all the front seals, the pulleys, water pump, t-stat and the belt. also, are you 100% sure the belt is installed correctly - it is possible to be a tooth off on the belt and still have the car run, but it can cause some strange issues. some great reference materials for you: 1996 Legacy FSM (open and save to your computer) oh, flooring the throttle will not help a no start situation on a fuel injected engine - just an fyi

Great Job on getting things fixed! (and another thank you for posting your resolution, so many dont) and one heck of a deal!!

if I still had the 2.5 here, I could have grabbed a pic with the covers off...but it went bye-bye with the old donor car a couple weeks ago. ~~~ ya know - just sitting here thinking....couldnt it be possible that there is an issue with the fuel evap system? Not saying it is "probable" - just maybe "possible"? if the evap system is plugged up and not venting properly, then venting (opening) the fuel cap "should" resolve the problem quickly, right? Where doing nothing, it would take several minutes for the problem to resolve itself... eh, I am probably way off base - pay no attention to me, just thinking out loud...

yeah, well - you run a shop - that doesnt get to count! LOL here is what is sitting in my driveway right now...only one of which is a fully functioning daily driver (yup, the ugly one) - LOL the Foz is waiting patiently for the "new" fuel pump to be installed to hopefully make it a fully functioning car, and the one next to it has no reverse (or battery right now)... We have had as many as 6 or 7 on the premises at one time - all "owned" by us...

hate to say it, but being a brand new car, there probably isnt much available yet for this...Had you gotten a slightly older model in good condition you would have many more options. for item #3 - thinking a skid plate would be more cost & time effective than replacing the pan... Either way, congrats on the new ride, and hope you find the stuff you are looking for to make your trip more enjoyable.

nearly 20 year old wiring is a weak point on ANY car - not just a Subaru. a lot of heat is generated (and held) under the hood, and heat will eventually cause wiring (and other things) to become brittle and easily damaged. inspect the wiring for signs of chaffing, nicks, cuts, localized discolorations (getting hot/burning), swelling (corrosion), or anything else that doesnt look "normal". Same goes for the connector - make sure there isnt corrosion inside, that all the pins look clean and all are about the same color. good, moisture proof connections will usually be shiny brass still, but they could be a dull, even color and still be fine - you are looking for hot spots (burned looking) and/or corrosion.

this is what you are looking for: That engine is a 95 2.2, but yours should be in roughly the same place - under the alternator, more or less directly behind the crank pulley. Spray both the bolt that holds it down, and all the way around the unit itself where it goes into the block - multiple times - like every few hours. they can be a bugger to get out of there. I had to swap the cam and crank sensors from a dead 2.5 onto a replacement 2.2 and do it without damaging the 2.5 sensors (different wiring harness styles - replacement was older style) - was lots of fun. LOL

got our Actron CP1975 for $40 at the pawn shop - going in the $75 to $100 range on the bay.

if it threw a code, it will be stored, regardless. reading the stored code(s) will go a long ways towards figuring out what is going on. and yeah, what fairtax said about getting your own code reader - with 3 obd2 vehicles it would make sense to have your own. check local pawn shops, too - we picked up an Actron reader pretty cheap at a pawn shop - works great.

Also very expensive when compared to the Monroes... Monroe = about $75 each KYB = about $125 (or more) each for the same car. I looked at KYBs when I was shopping for struts for my car - couldnt afford them.