Grumble7 Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 (edited) Okay, after some investigating on the internet and searching this and other Subaru forums I still have not found some info that might just be very common knowledge to many of you here. The vehicle in question is a 1995 Subaru Legacy L Wagon. Looks like a CA emissions setup too. (Sticker under hood says "Federal and CA emissions certified" or something to that effect.) 1. I'm getting the above engine code a bit more often than i care to these days and I can clear it with my scan tool but it's getting annoying now. Plus I'm going to need to get my NYS inspection soon and this will fail me if it happens during the inspection. I'm assuming I can just replace the injectors with reman's (all 4 at once as recommended) or follow the following advice from seemingly respectable Subaru specialty shop that I found recently "the exhaust valve guides in the head can become loose and shift in the head. Or sometimes the valves become sticky and can also cause misfires. Something that a machine shop can inspect." I failed to explain the "open Circuit" code though, I just told him I was getting an engine light. 2. Timing belt time! I read almost all the posts regarding this very common repair but so far I have not come across anyone that stated they needed any special tools for removing and replacing the crack shaft gear (besides adj torque wrench for tightening crankshaft bolt). I'd like to be as prepared as possible. This is my daily driver and my spare car is a gas guzzler that although fun to drive it is missing some key features (a/c, radio, power steering is gone LOL) I am trying to keep this car alive till 500k at least, I'm up to 260K right now. Any advice would be much appreciated. Edited July 29, 2011 by Grumble7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 You can just replace the one injector that is failing. The code indicates an electrical fault with the injector drive coil. Open or shorted, etc. Typically I just go to the junk yard and get an injector rail with two injectors in it and replace the whole rail. Easier than removing the injectors from the rail. You don't need any "special" tools to do the timing belt - you will need a large c-clamp or very big bench vise to compress the tensioner. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks for the info, I'm ordering parts today. I'll let you all know how this repair goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 I understand that no special tools are needed for this but some of the how to's describe the need to use a torque wrench at 79ft lbs to tighten the crank shaft nut. Is this truly necessary? Or can I get away with just my standard socket wrench? Hate to blow 120-150 bucks on something I wont use very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Go to an Autozone or Advance auto and borrow one. You pay for tool and get full refund when you return it. IIRC that is one of their loaner tools. Forget 79 lbs, torque to 100. If you still have problems, pm when ready I can loan you mine. I am in Sullivan Cty. O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 You can get a 1/2" torque wrench that is plenty accurate enough for the crank pulley bolt at Harbor Frieght for $20. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Thanks GD and O for the replies. I'm going to try the Autozone/Advance loaner. And I appreciate the offer O. I'll be operating on this car Friday morning. wish me luck! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Well, I ran into the old "can't get the crankshaft bolt on/off" issue. Going to tray making my own tool for the second time in a few hours. The first tool (2x4 and some bolts) broke right away and bent the bolts too. I have to go to lowes to get some stronger replacement bolts and maybe a stronger piece of wood. Might even have to shelve this thing entirely if I can't get this fixed up by tomorrow afternoon. This blows. At least if I shelve this job, i'll have some new radiator hoses, thermostat, and injectors! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I have to assume (never assume) it's an auto. If so, if you have an old style lug wrench put this into the slot of the flex plate and make sure it rests against something solid and not the sensor. You need a 1/2" breaker bar and a 2-3 foot pipe to go over it for leverage. Alternate is to have breaker bar mounted so that it will either hit the ground or the frame and hit the ignition key. You don't want it to start. If using this method, make sure the wrench will not hit cooling lines etc. Note: no lug wrench or heavy screwdriver in this method. Still having problems, pm me and I'll make arrangements to help. O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Thanks again for the offer O. I ordered the Grimm speed Crank Bolt tool and a lightweight pulley while impulse shopping:grin:. Gonna get knee deep in this next week and give it another go! I have a hard head when it comes to stuff like this. I'll update as I go along. I changed all the other stuff though (injectors, belts, hoses and all the hose clamps). Those stock hose clamps suck, and of course they were all turned away from any good angle to unscrew them. I ended up cutting all the hoses just to get the radiator out. At least I was already planning on replacing them all and had the parts on hand. Now the clamps are all easily accessable and new. BTW, the car is running exceptionally well. Noticeable improvement with new injectors. Gets up to speed easier. PITA to replace though, they were stuck in there good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Glad to hear it's running well. A definite learning curve. O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 (edited) Okay, well I used the "starter blip" method of getting the crankshaft bolt off and it worked like a charm. I replaced all the usual timing belt stuff, the crankshaft seal, and I replaced the crankshaft pulley with a grimmspeed lightweight pulley that fit perfect. (I know, I know. Why would you put a lightweight pulley in an old beater? Well, my only reply is "For shoots and giggles") Anyhow, after sweating my b@lls off and stressing out over timing marks that seemed to disappear whenever I tried putting on the lower toothed bearing, I put everything back together and started it up..... within 15 min of bleeding the radiator an engine light went off, the temp gauge started to rise a little but I ignored all this and drove it out of the garage. (i know...dumb move) It overheated within minutes of driving it. I limped back home and parked it. Gonna wait till morning to troubleshoot. During the timing belt job I changed the water pump, thermostat, and hoses. So at the end of all this I'm at a loss as to where to start. Maybe go with another new thermostat? It was running well before so I don't know why its bad now. The engine code was a temp sensor code or something of the such. I installed a new temp sensor a while ago so not sure why this came up. Any ideas from the pros? Thanks. Edited August 21, 2011 by Grumble7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 Going to flush the radiator out good, and replace the thormostat. maybe the new one got gunked up between the last 2 radiator pulls. wish me luck. BTW can being off on the timing mess up cooling without the engine running rough or making noise? And if the water pump was messed up wouldnt I hear some kind of noise? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 Flushed the radiator by using drain plug and running water through it. replaced t-stat with cheapo from autozone. still over heats and i notice that i dont get hot air when i turn on interior heater. so i think there's a blockage somewhere. the upper hose gets hot so the t-stat seems to be working. gonna have this thing power flushed in the morning by local mech that i know well. This sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Are you sure you don't have an air pocket in the cooling system? Subarus can be very difficult to purge. You need to use the bleed screw and burp it. Did you unplug the cooling fans when /if you pulled the radiator during the t-belt job? You didn't stuff a rag or anything into a disconnected radiator hose or anything to stop it dripping, and forget to remove it, right? Good luck. It seems unlikely that the radiator spontaneously failed.... Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'm thinking air pocket or gunked up coolant passage myself. Still gonna let someone else clean it out. This is my daily driver so i need it yesterday. I don't think the radiator is messed up. I think the coolant just cant get through the engine right for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 It was definetly an air bubble. Runs great now, no issues. Now for a couple mpg tests to see if it improved any. Big thanks to everyone who posted and helped me figure this out. I hope detailing this here will help someone else out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 replaced t-stat with cheapo from autozone. Throw it in the trash. Get a real one, or you'll be left stranded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumble7 Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 Yeah, luckily I saved the good t-stat and plan on doing the swap next week. The autozone crap looks sooo cheap compared to what I got from allwheeldriveauto. I'm surprised it works at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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