newloyalefan

Hey guys, I sold my Loyale a couple years ago when I left the country. Now that I'm back, I want to get an '04 or older (for price reasons) Forester. Any year that would be best? I'm looking at an '02 with only 47,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, it's cosmetically in mediocre shape... large hole in driver's side front wheel well (how much to replace this before rust becomes a big problem?), rust spots on rear hatch (look like they are coming up through the paint (perhaps a leak in the window seals?), carpet under brake pedal worn to the floor board (no floormats), extremely dusty engine compartment and door hinges (owner lives on dirt road), and failed an emissions test in its history (through it seems to run well now and no CEL on). How much would it cost to make these repairs, and should I be willing to buy this Forester with low miles even though it seems to have experienced some neglect? I'm also looking at an '01 with 109,000 miles. It's in great shape, recently changed timing belt and tune up, and a manual tranny (though my wife prefers an auto now that we have a baby). Both of these cars are the Forester L. Any advice welcome. Thanks, Tim

Thanks all. The car is running pretty well right now. I've cleaned out the throttle body more thorougly with carb cleaner and put another batch of treatment in the fuel tank. It still chugs at start-up and doesn't have great power up hills, but is running adequately. I think i'll spring for the fuel guage just to check pressure and change the timing belts on the weekend. -Tim

Yea, i'm trying to figure out whether i can hook up my tire guage with some hosing and stuff... it guages between 10lbs and 50lbs, which is all i need anyway, right?

And here's the latest: -checked the air intake all around the throttle body and where it connects to the heads. no sign of leaks (at least from the spraying). -i ran the car at 70+mph for 1.5 hrs, then parked it in my dark garage and checked underneath for anything glowing "red-hot" on the exhaust lines.. nothing (this was someone's suggestion for checking for clogged cat). -i have not ponied up the money ($25) for a fuel pressure guage to check the performance of the pump... would you guys suggest i go ahead and purchase the guage to check the pressure in the fuel line? -finally, i've decided to go ahead and replace the timing belts; will do this Friday... what the heck, they probably haven't been done in seven years anyway, and i could use the experience. Thanks again for all your help!! -tim

Was also wondering... does my car ('94 Loyale) have a throttle position sensor? and would that be a likely candidate for my troubles? Thanks

WOT??

Sorry for my delayed response.... and THANKS for your help. Okay, i spent a couple minutes spraying carb cleaner around hoses on the top of the engine while idling (at operating temp) in an effort to "check the air intake manifold for leaks." Of course, i have no real idea what or where to spray, or whether i run a risk of setting my engine afire, but... the engine didn't change idle, so i guess that suggests no leaks... if i sprayed the right parts. What parts should i be spraying? (terms like "the big black rubber hose that..." or "the seal between the top part of the throttle body and..." may be necessary). A visual inspection shows what look like cracks in the large rubber rectangle leading into the throttle body (what is that large rubber duct leading from the air filter called anyway?). But i can't tell if the "cracks" go all the way through or are leaking. Again, spraying carb cleaner while idling showed nothing. Alright, next... the fuel pump... is it located under the passanger seat or above a rear wheel well... i've heard different answers for this model car. But to test it first, sounds like i need to get a pressure guage, a tee, and some tubing. I will perform both tests, but can i place it just after the fuel filter?... i know where that is, but not the "metal damper next to the throttle body." Next... will i be able to visually inspect the timing belts to see if they have slipped? but, since this car's last known replacement for belts was six years ago, i may as well just replace them. Lastly... i'm surprised no one suspects this to be a catalytic problem or clogged exhaust... but i'm just learning. If you repond to my questions, i'll see if i can get these checks done in the next two days and get back to you. Thanks a lot Glen and Roy!!

Alright!!! Thanks for the input!! The following may be a re-hash for some who have been following this thread a while, but i really think there is a mystery here greater than just replacing sensors and solenoids when the CEL codes for them. I really think there is a malfunction/clog in one of these systems - emissions/exhaust manifold, air intake manifold, gas recirculation, throttle body injection. Below is work that has been done on the car in the last three weeks. This is what a shop has done on the car, in response to CEL codes: -replace O2 sensor -replace purge control solenoid? -replace EGR valvel solenoid? This is what i've done: -replaced plugs/wires/distributor/rotor, air filter, and fuel filter -begun using 87 fuel -dropped in the bg44k? treatment -sprayed throttle body(?) with carb/throttle cleaner (i wasn't sure where to spray, so i just removed the big black rubber rectanglar hose imprinted "subaru tbi" that is clamped over the throttle body area and sprayed down into the slightly tarnished cup below) -adjusted ignition timing and idle -a friend adjusted the fuel/air mixture (i think... i don't know how to do that) After all that, these symptoms still remain with the Loyale - they may be two separate issues manifesting themselves: -chugs heavily (especially in first and second gear) until it has been driven a few minutes -chugs/hesitates uphill at high speeds (going up a hill on a highway) - this causes the CEL to come on until the hill is overcome -during the uphill chugging, the speedometer will read something like 75mph, despite the car noticably slowing (perhaps to 55mph) as i downshift to compensate for chugging... weird!!! I thought the speedometer reads speed from the axle or something, measuring the true speed of the rolling tires, but i'm sure the car was slowing down below 75mph. So, i plugged in the connectors to see what codes were stored in the computer - #35 purge control solenoid and #32 O2 sensor... again. So, i plugged in both connectors to clear the codes. The O2 sensor cleared, but not the purge control solenoid code won't clear. That's it, the whole saga. Next steps? Mystery solved? Who wants to work on my car? Thanks, Tim

so, here's the conclusion (sorta) to my saga. the purge control solenoid was replaced - the CEL does not come on anymore (almost). a friend helped me adjust the timing (and the fuel/air mixture?), and that has made a huge difference. the car has much more power, though still chugs significantly for the first few minutes of driving, and sometimes up a steep hill (at one point this cause the CEL to come on for maybe thirty seconds). but at least now i can merge with traffic and take off after a stop sign. my friend also said that i should start using 87 grade fuel and use a treatment (bgk44?) in one tank; after that, the car should start running a bit better. so, now it drives reasonably well; but i think the old loyale has more horsepower than she's giving. but i'm happier. thanks all for your help.

Thanks all, I'll check intake/hoses/manifold with carb cleaner (or starting fluid?) spray this weekend. If the problem were a hay-wire ECM, how would I get a replacement?

Glen and Roy, i don't know how to check for vacuum/intake manifold leaks. I've suspected it has something to do with the air intake or fuel injection, but don't know much about that stuff. It chugs/struggles worst when first started, but seems better once i've driven it around a while. But like i've said, it's still to underpowered to pull over a hill at 35mph. I 'think' the ignition timing is okay... it idles very smoothly. I'm going to pull off the covers and check the belts on Tuesday. Thanks, Tim

Thanks all for the replies. The saga continues... but I've been on a bit of a hiatus. I've been backpacking the Colorado Trail for the past week (the last 70 mile stretch from Silverton to Durango) and of course have not been near a computer. As for the car, when I left on my trip, the car was blinking a 35 error code and was so underpowered that it could hardly chug up a hill on I-70 at 35mph. So, there it is; I'll start looking at it again on Friday. Thanks, Tim

Thanks for responses. Well, i'm having two problems so far: 1) the CEL lamp has been removed by the mechanic. A minor hassle since i'm finding it a pain to access the back of the CEL panel to replace the bulb. 2) i can't tell whether i need to plug or unplug a set of connectors "under the steering column near/left the ECM" in order to diagnose and clear error codes. One source says nothing about them, just the white and green set under the hood near the fuel filter. Another source says a set of connectors below the instrument panel near ECM is to be connected/disconnected. Which is correct? Thanks

I just bought my first Subaru, a '94 Loyale (ea82??), and I love it, but.... it lacks power and chugs (mostly in first and second gears). First, some History on it: it has 158k miles, and when I bought it the "check engine light" was ON. Had a mechanic diagnose it (after three days) as a code 34 (egr solenoid), but once the part was replaced, the light remained on. The mechanic says that Subaru told him the code was "burned" into the computer from being on so long, and even after the part was repaired, the code cannot be erased and the engine light will remain on. Now, more recent history: the car seems to lack power, specifically, it chugs and nearly stalls when first started up and placed into first gear to take off. The car idles smoothly (minus a kind of 'chirping' noise that reminds me of a '68 VW bug i used to drive), but in first and second gears (as the car picks up speed) the engine chugs. As soon as cruising speed is reached, it sails smoothly, no chugging. Yet, any time that the gas is pressed for any acceleration the car labors/chugs. This is alleviated if i ease the clutch out slowly to engage the gears, it doesn't seem to struggle as much. So, I changed the fuel filter, the distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs, thinking this little tune-up would help... nope. I'm wondering now if it is something with the fuel/air mixture, fuel injection, or timing belts.. or even the clutch going out... (oh yes, likely unrelated, but when i "touch" the clutch while coasting it makes a 'whirring' noise, like a miniature helicopter, why?). Help please!! What's making my Subaru chug and struggle?