Steptoe's photos

when i did EA82 5 speed DR into my EA81 Brumby, I needed to space the Brumby EA81 starter by making up a spacer using 4mm aluminium sheet. It looked like a single pipe exhaust gasket once completed.The difference is likely found in the gearbox bellhousing dimensions - as I retained EA81 200mm flywheel . When I finally ditched EA81 for EA82, the spacer came out

Having an AUDM EJ202 is not the easiest to shop for in the US market . One item I am looking at is inlet manifold gaskets - to the head. I am sure these changed dimensions at some stage, for capacity changes. Can anyone help ID a US model to select in categories for these going by some (sorry, metric) numbers ? Centre to centre of the outer most studs is ~195 mm, and centre to centre of the middle pair is ~33mm Thanks

these immobilisers know when a door is open (manual suggests driver's door) a tiny Voltage about 1.0 V shows up at the plug when door is open, then 12V when door is shut ! Then, the little switch right at the mouth of the ignition barrel knows when anything has started to be inserted. A wire comes from fuse panel to power this one, outgoing telltale wire then to module. Two more wires around ign barrel are for the antennae ring around outside of barrel - known as a key reader in some beliefs.

I am thinking I may just have to check my work around timing belts done only 2,000km ago - if I were to chase random stuff. Done enough of that already I think. What I cannot fathom is all I do is clean up a ground, and I get a new issue on next restart (attempt) . I do like my diagnostic plug switch box - made life easier, so next job is to make a relay can checker box to plug those ultra reliable Mitsu 22A relays into

nvu - Your last sentence is what I am afraid of. I think the 1997 model here may have been immobiliser free. I have 1998 manuals, and applying to what I find in my 98 built 1999 model year beast. Also looking at a 2000 built 2001 MY donor.. For anyone reading, the immobiliser "antennae" is the plastic ring around the ignition barrel, two wires between it and immobiliser module.I might need to hit Google USA for more links Imdew

good question. do you have the to different starters to physically compare? Like, count the teeth on starter, hold a rule against housings to compare where drive cog sits and how far they will throw out ? Another question is auto or manual starter - auto used to be different/or preffered by some for some reason in EA circles

I doubt that any technician has had any influence in locating vital relays in easier access points in today's Subarus. At least it is easier to see these relays in my 1999 SF Forester - when compared to my mid 80s XT Wedge . I am pleased that only the front plastic skirt needs removal, then a 10mm nut off, to get one set of three relays off the side of the kick panel in order to remove , inspect and replace a relay - BUT this cluster, if only the fuse panel swung down/out or just had an elevator button to give easier access to these often blamed relays. It does take quite a well lit study, with head cranked, and looking up in some contorted position to work out how to get largish hands in there

Our Foresters never got EJ22, nor did main stream Impreza. After the EJ22 I think they went EJ20 for a while, then EJ25 in the Lib/Legacy line up - never really paid much attention. The EJ25 are sort of known to need a new headgasket a bit more often than older smaller models. I am gonna check all fuses and relays, get a NOID light set if I can find one that fits and works in Subaru loom. I have every sensor except O2 for swap in diagnostics, every fuse and relay also, and an ECU I even scored the ECU to sensors and injectors etc loom on the weekend - but they are a manifold off to swap , new inlet gaskets ... This beast is heading towards it's own demise if things don't go right , very soon.

does anyone know which NOID light fits our EJ looms ? I see eBay listings quoting GM, Ford , GEO, Bosch etc I could buy the set and hope one fits, but does it also use same resistance or whatever to even make the NOID light work? any advice is welcome

Does anyone understand how the immobilisers of this era function ? Four wires out of immobiliser connect to three pins of the ECU. Two black/red trace join close to immobiliser and arrive as one at the ECU But what is it travelling along these wires, and in what direction? There is no ground or earth wire in the diagram so I reckon grounding is via the ECU as with most of it's controls being earth switched. I have been back probing the plug at the connected immobiliser an think I got nothing from these wires while DMM was connected to ground. Things may change if I use the diagnostic grounds found taped up with the diagnostic test plugs or most likely if I probe with ground/black DMM probe and the red probe connected to battery positive Surely these wires do not carry Ohms or rolling codes ? All in prep to understand the immobiliser for a donor job

EJ22 are not so plentiful Down Under as they only came in Liberty (as we call the Legacy) up to about 1997 ? My recent attempt to buy a donor fell through, then this opportunity came up. I chose it for the engine mounted ECU to reduce or limit wiring...

As heartless said , the process is three stages. First is connect black, THEN IGN only ON. reads from memory Then with black disconnected, connect green, start her up, to read real time codes Then, connect green pair, black pair, start engine , in order to clear the codes. I have found this can take a few minutes running before the codes cleared. So, nope, having these plugs in any state is not gonna cause no fire up. Wondering if I can fit my EA82T between the chassis rails

I think I have found that stored codes, are stored codes. A battery disconnect overnight did not clear codes before.

and that is what I was hoping to do - clear/reset the memory, having read the memory with blacks connected and ignition on BUT I also have a cranks over but won't start issue , hence my asking if can clear the codes without starting the engine. This is all after I inspected the only cat just after the O2 sensor, cleaned up three more grounding points (left chassis, front, right chassis, front and ABS pump bracket) All points sanded back to bare metal, all components cleaned up and sprayed with Chemtech 123 extra electrical cleaner and protector. I was in around the O2 sensor plug to disconnect it prior to the exhaust removal. Wondering if I have a sensitive wire in the loom out of ECU to the engine ....

does not hurt to test fuel pressure before blaming fuel pump - I found this out very recently on my 363,000km SF Forester 1999 MY built Aug 98. They use the 1.5" pump.

I am sure I generated some codes by starting up with TPS and MAP disconnected, then with them connected, drove mere metres with reconnected, then air temp sensor out of air box (air box removed to access O2 sensor plug for disconnect, then remove cat) Now with my crank but won't fire condition, CEL displayed a few codes with read memory plugs connected. I tried both sets connected and just IGN on to hear rad fans cycle, all sorts of clicking under the bonnet. It seems to have reduced a number of codes to just the air temp sensor code just with IGN on, rather than engine running (because it won't start )

Cat. singular, as it is an AUDM Pulled the exhaust (air intake plastics first to undo the O2 sensor plug) Cat is in one piece. Spied more earth, or grounding points while underneath. Took them back to bare metal, wire wheeled and emery clothed the components, sprayed with electrical cleaner, did same for ABS earthing bolt, assembled everything and went to start her up. Cranks but no fire. Tried the other ignition key. No change. I get one cod for the air temp sensor due to starting and reversing into shed sans air box. Previous start was an hour earlier, 15 degrees C air temp, TPS and MAP plugs disconnected, so it ran at a default rich, producing a lot of rich exhaust smoke - suspect even though it started again and gave no hint of being unhappy ignition- wise - it may be ( I am hoping for) wet spark plugs. Otherwise, this thing is possessed.

I have found a reference to a VAG COM cable , found on ebay around $US 10 , image depicts a cable with what looks like for the OBDii port plug and USB 2 at the other end.

The Australian market got EJ202 NA using the Denso engine block mounted ECU - what other markets also got this set up?

I think we were in the crossover period about year 2000, so may have been a voluntary thing on Subaru's part back prior to year 2000. I am wondering if anyone has an updated method of tapping into the SSM to read all the live data available via the SSM port - there are some old posts talking about free SSM and using a serial port for laptop input. I no longer have anything more than USB input, so might expext a serial port adaptor to USB ??? Mind reader adapter would be better

A guy in Mt Isa QLD Australia did nitrous on his reinforced EA82T many years ago - getting 400HP on the engine dyno before it came to a stop

OK. I now smell like petrol. I just swapped in a new fuel filter to be on the safe side when I can drive this demon again. Autopsy on the old filter was not much to see, just a little black/brown sooty stuff washed out as I cut the can open. Same issue of stumble, free revving around the 3,000 rpm Swapped in a much lower km (140,000) MAP sensor by DENSO - same crap behaviour. Ideas left are : to pull the exhaust to inspect the cat : regap the plugs to 0.7 or 0.8mm to reduce the load on the coil , if the higher octane fuel is harder to ignite : haul in a few jerry cans of low octane fuel to top the tank off, see if that has a change

I have read somewhere that some 1998 or was it 1999 model Foresters were SSM and the next were OBDii compliant. The wires of the OBDii type plug may have been discernable as to which was which. I have this combo cut from a 2001 MY SF5 NA EJ202 loom, and the wires are the exact same codes and positions as my 9/1998 make date/ 1999 MY Anyone know if mine is OBDii ? based on wires? Looks like it may be Any experienced comment appreciated

Progress ! With symptoms of a bad or failing CAS described online, sounding very much like my issue - no change after swapping the CAS for another. So.... I read the code for the CEL just got one code from the memory - joined black plugs and ign on - code 2-2 , unhappy knock sensor just got one code from joined green plugs, with black disconnected, engine running - code 2-2 the factory manual says ecu uses basic (limp mode?) fuel map and retards timing by 5 degrees I discovered the two wires leaving knock sensor wire, turns into just one going to ecu - this akes the crush tube of the body of sensor , it's ground. the second wire is grey, fat and is a shorting shielding wire that ends about 100mm from the sensor. I also felt that the injector lom for #s 2 and 4 injectors might be too close to the shielded wire section, so tied injector loom closer to #4's intake runner. the sensor's light silver zinc coating was a bit brown, rusty looking and the block where it mated also a bit old and crusty. replaced knock sensor with another used one, all metals cleaned up, joined both black and green connectors to clear the codes - this took a few minutes running before flashing codes stopped - i had the battery disconnected while doing the swap - following manual procedure codes cleared and not returned. nice idle returned, no stumbling at idle BUT once at 65 degrees block temp , i carefully brought revs up in neutral then around 3,000 rpm the full on stumble began - this has been with me a month now. Not happy Jan !

Get onto the manufacturer for the best instruction. I was of the understanding that break-in oil was not to be driven on, just start up, idling, tuning etc. I have never used it, just used the grade that was for the engine and change it and filter at 600 miles