heartless

Thanks, I remember what it was like to be new to all of this stuff. and having a 1990 myself, I know exactly what is involved - I also have to give credit to Legacy777, since about half of the info came from his page. I have learned a lot from the USMB over the years, and continue to learn - but it is high time i started giving back at least a little.

if the "check engine" light came on (even if it is now off) you need to find out what the code is. This is something you can do yourself (unless you are physically unable to get under the dash- in which case, enlist the help of a friend that can) 1. Remove the lower dash panel (under the steering column). there should be 5 philips head screws - 3 along the top edge, and 2 on the bottom corners. 2. Once that panel is out of the way, you want to find 2 pairs of single wire connectors - 1 green pair and 1 black pair - they should not be connected together under normal conditions. It is possible that they are still taped up to the wiring harness under there, so it may take a little digging to find them. 3. With the car turned completely off, connect the black connectors together. (grab a note pad & pen/pencil to make notes with for the next part) 4. Turn the ignition to 'ON' but do not start the car. The idiot lights in the dash will come on, and some may go out after a few moments. Watch the 'check engine' light - If there is a fault code in the ECU, the 'check engine' light will begin to flash in a particular manner. The codes range in number from 11 to 52, so we know that they all will be two digits. To signify the tens place of the number, the 'check engine' light will flash a long (1.2 seconds) flash. The single digit will be a short (.2 seconds) flash. Each flash within the same code will be separated by .3 seconds. Each error code will be separated by 1.8 seconds. Don't bother trying to time all these, just watch the light and you will begin to understand. Once the ECU has flashed all stored codes, it will loop through and repeat them. Once you have all stored codes written down, you can turn the ignition switch off and disconnect the black connectors. (if you want to double check the codes you have written down, leave the connectors hooked up, turn the ignition switch off, then back to "on" again to start the cycle over) to find out what the code(s) are, check the chart here: http://legacycentral.org/library/literature/codes.htm Also list the codes, in the order they were flashed, here so we can help you. On the brake pedal being soft - more than likely the brake system was not bled out properly and still has air in the system - this is a fairly easy fix, but time consuming.

wiring diagrams show the 2 main plugs to be the "same" - one 12 pole plug and one 16 pole plug. the 95 has the second O2 sensor, so there will be a harness for that as well, that the 90 doesnt have, but that shouldnt be a problem to swap over. Sounds like I will be going to pick up the car on Tuesday - gonna trailer it home. Will be able to do a bit more investigative work then.

As long as the wire looks clean & it is not corroded, wrapping it up good is fine. from your pic it looks pretty good, nice clean shiny copper. The boot can be taped back in place as well - it doesnt need to fit tightly over the mounting stud, just needs to cover it to prevent arcing. Now, do yourself a favor and at least pick up a junkyard alternator to have on hand as a backup, because that Tough One will NOT last. I have had them start overcharging, and burn out the diodes, and start failing under heat - the last one was failing under heat and it was almost impossible to get it test bad for replacement purposes - the minute you open the hood, most of the heat escapes, and the alt would test ok. Close the hood, drive away, and within 10 minutes my dash would light up like a christmas tree. I finally get fed up with the nonsense of trying to get it replaced under warranty and had on old stock one rebuilt locally - best money I have ever spent on an alternator. I did finally get the tough one alt replaced - only because I griped enough about it (and I have made friends with a couple of the AA employees) the replacment unit sits in its box on a shelf as a backup, but I will probably never have to use it.

okey dokey - sounds good! Thanks johnc!

i am with fairtax on this one - spend the extra and get a real Subaru alternator. I have gone thru several of the "Tough One", lifetime warranty alternators over the last few years on my 1990 Legacy - they only last a year, maybe a little longer and then they start to fail - and of course they like to fail in ways that wont "test" bad when you go back to get a replacement (been there, dont that!) I finally took an old stock unit to a local starter/alternator rebuilder and had it completely gone thru - cost me a few dollars more than the AA reman unit does, but so far it has been well worth the money.

the trans would be coming out of the 90 (donor) and going into the 95 to replace the failing one - providing everything would work "properly". Otherwise we would find a used one of the appropriate year. I did do a bit of wiring schematic comparison between 90 & 95 trans wiring - not real sure about things working "properly" as there are a few differences in the way the wiring is run from the 2 main plugs to the TCU and other components... more research is required! LOL or maybe we just find a decent used tranny & make our lives a lot easier!

Yes, swapping out the entire rear gate will be much easier, and more than likely cheaper, than trying to get just the glass replaced. I have done it on both an older GL model, and my 90 Legacy... not sure about compatible models for yours - hopefully someone will chime in on that. wiring connectors are hidden up behind the ceiling panel - usually a good foot or so in, and can be a little bit of a pain to get to - the rear ceiling trim will need to be poppped off, and the ceiling panel dropped/pulled down enough to get to the connectors. May have to remove the cargo area light cover/housing to drop the panel enough to remove the gate, you may want a helper to help support the gate when unbolting - they are kind of heavy. unbolt the support struts from the car body, then 4 bolts that hold the hinges in place (2 for each hinge) - not a lot to it really - pretty straight forward. installation is in reverse order If the junkyard pulls the gate - make sure they didnt just cut the wires. Good Luck.

these are more than likely what you need: cam cover seals & grommets after 20+ years, these things get very hard and dont seal well anymore.

Well - "new" motor is in, everything connected, fluids filled...snag the battery out of my dd and pop that in...turn the key...and it barely turns over... was really hoping to hear it fire today. got full power at the starter, so it isnt cable/power related, it does turn over - just very, very slowly, and the starter itself sounds like crap - a high pitched whining noise...so I will be calling the local starter/alternator shop to see if they can do a rebuild & how much it is gonna cost... also found out today that apparently the twit didnt bother disconnecting either of the O2 sensors before dropping the exhaust, ripping the wires right out of the plugs, and doing other damage to the rear one

sounds to me like you really need this: 1995 Legacy/Outback FSM - at least bookmark it for future reference, or download/save it to your computer.... There is a lot of info for the brakes in the "mechanical components" section...including how much pedal travel there should be, and how to trouble shoot MC, booster, etc... and yes, there IS a specific sequence to bleeding air from the brake system - see page 2 for the correct sequence diagram should be: front right, rear left, front left, rear right

1st gen Legacy (1990-94) - the purge control solenoid is under the intake manifold on right side of car (in between the intake & block) - kind of a pain in the backside to get to, but it can be done. I can get you a pic if you need one... are you sure the solenoid itself needs to be replaced? could just be a bad vacuum line - they tend to get very hard, and prone to cracking due to heat in that area...

For the EA82s this is correct - for the 95 EJ22 - according to this 1995 Legacy/Outback FSM it is 79.6 ft lbs (+7.2/-3.6) yes, it is fairly common for Chiltons or Hayes to have the wrong torque specs (as well as other info), but I would trust the FSM (factory service manual) figures... and running coverless is generally not a problem - unless you get a lot of snow w/drifting and the roads dont get plowed often (except by your car)....

glad to hear you got her up & running!

oh Yay - my 'new to me' Forester is under this TSB....

i did mention 6" in my original reply...

yeah, if you do a lot of them, then it does make sense to get the special tool (but dont you have to pull the engine to use it? or do you have a different tool than my 90 FSM shows?) - but for those of us that only do this as maintenance on our own cars - not really necessary. the bar thru the inspection hole does work best if there are 2 people - one holding the bar, and one turning the crank bolt - but it can be done solo - just takes a little trail & error to get the bar in the right spot. I have also used the chain visegrips - but used a section of an old belt to cushion the pulley. used them on the cam pulleys before too - again using a section of belt for a cushion...

yes, filling the block from the upper rad hose before connecting it is the recommended procedure. also, use the bleeder on the passenger side top corner of the radiator to facilitate burping - small white plastic fitting with philips type slots - removing it while filling will get/let the air out faster & more completely.

Unless you have something to cushion the pulley from the chain (such as a section of an old belt), you run the risk of damaging the pulley grooves using this method - an extra large screwdriver or prybar thru the inspection port for the trans flexplate/flywheel works very well, and doesnt damage anything. No special tools needed.

the o-ring on the tube inside the oil pan isnt a "necessary" change kind of thing, but if you are in there, it doesnt hurt to do it - just find one that fits and be done with it. for the dipstick tube, there are 2 o-rings, and for the oil fill tube, there is one large one that is VERY prone to leakage. one of the best purchases I ever made from Harbor Freight was the o-ring assortments - got both the SAE & metric sets - they have proven to be quite useful for any o-rings under about an inch in diameter...

I think you wasted the $115 on the sensor (hope you can take it back and get your money back) - it is pretty rare to have a crank sensor go - unless the "mechanic" managed to mash/break it... it is more likely that the timing is simply off - even one tooth off can/will cause a no start situation and that is where I would start - it is easy to get things one tooth off. Make sure the timing is set up correctly and go from there. take a light colored marking pen with you (a silver sharpie works well) in case the belt does not have the correct markings. You are also going to need some way of compressing and pinning the hydraulic tensioner as well - a large C-clamp (6" / 15 cm size) & a small allen wrench (1.5mm?) will work. Compressing the tensioner is a very s-l-o-w process - just a little bit at a time or you will damage the mechanism do not force it! when it is fully compressed, insert the pin thru the small holes, holding the piston in place. other tools you will need - socket set - 10, 12, 17, & 22 mm sockets at minimum, ratchet, screwdriver, breaker bar & possibly a cheater bar (for the crank bolt) remove the front accessory belts and timing covers (if so equipped - some people take them off permanently) remove the belt, (pull the tensioner out at this time to start compressing it) make sure the cams & crank are set correctly - hash lines pointing straight up (NOT the arrows!) - place the belt on the crank pulley, and mark where the hash line is - take it back off, and count 44 teeth to the left of the crank mark you made (looking at the belt as it would go on the car facing the front of the engine) and make a mark, then count 40.5 teeth to the right side of the crank mark, and make another mark. make sure the idler pulleys spin freely & smoothly - it is usually easiest to unbolt the small toothed pulley (down low on right side as looking at the engine) for reinstalling the belt. reinstall the fully compressed & pinned tensioner - do not pull the pin yet! making sure the tab on the back of the tensioner pulley is in the correct position for the piston to push against. the tensioner bolts do not need to be real tight yet, just snug. Reinstall the belt with the marks you made in the correct positions starting with the crank mark - they should all line up with the hash marks on each respective pulley. Make sure the marks stay where they are supposed to, and reinstall the small toothed pulley. once everything is back in place in the correct positions, adjust the tensioner towards the pulley by prying at the back end with a screwdriver and tightening down the bolts, you can then pull the pin from the tensioner. At this point you should be able to give the car a test start - dont run it for long, just long enough to be sure it will start & run. If it does, shut it down and finish putting the front end back together, clean up and take her home.

to remove the seals use a pick or similar to dig into the seal itself and yank it out - doesnt matter if you destroy the seal - it is getting replaced. the idlers/pulleys "should' get replaced to avoid future premature failures. the cam pulleys dont need replacing, but the rest should be. As for placement - the 2 smooth idlers go on the passenger side of the crank, the toothed one goes drivers side bottom - right next to water pump, and the cammed one drivers side top - adjusted by the tensioner - make sure the little tab on the back is in the correct position for the tensioner to push against. on the cam pulleys, one of them has raised notches on the back - that one goes on the drivers side - the raised parts are what the cam sensor "reads" to determine cam position. for actual pictures - find the ej22 timing belt article - or miles fox's youtube video for the same...

Maybe this will help? Starting/Charging Diagram - 98 Legacy/Outback

cheap ones are just that - cheap - and they will rust. good stainless steel ones will cost a little more home depot? well...maybe...you would probably have better luck finding good ones at your local hardware store. cheap clamps will have rather sharp edges that can cut into your hoses - good quality ones wont.

Well, there really isnt much in the way of troubleshooting in the FSM for the auto belts - but one thing I did make note of is the following: "In case the connector related to the automatic shoulder belt has been disconnected for repairs of the automatic shoulder belt, or its related parts, or for the repair of other parts, be sure to disconnect once the battery and reset the control unit" i.e.: once the controller has been re-connected, the battery needs to be disconnected briefly (5 minutes or so?) to reset the control unit...it certainly cant hurt to try it... if you like, I can scan the wiring diagrams for you (or you can view it here ), but other than that, there really isnt a whole lot of info in the books I have (3 out of 6 total - I have the engine, body & electrical books) aside from disassembly/reassembly info...