crockettbrat Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hey all: I just took my wifes obs out for its maiden voyage with the new motor. Until today I had only let it run in the driveway, but went to DMV and got the stickers today so off we went. It runs great and is a fun little car. It seems to have a leak that lets in rain water in the spare tire well. Any info on where this leak might be coming from would be appreciated. Also this little car has what looks to be an aftermarket sun roof. The control panel for it has open close vent and asc. Three of these are obvious, but any idea what the asc button does? I pushed it and didn't notice anything happening. Any info appreciated. Thanks. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 My friend's 97 OBS does exactly the same thing, so at least you're not alone! Hopefully someone here has solved this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Leaks into the trunk area are from one of four sources. 1. This one is the most likely culprit: the seals between the tail lights and the steel body. If you see any moisture inside the rear tail lights,...... you've found the problem. This is very common on many cars. Fix by removing the tail lights, replacing the seal, and reinstalling the lights. Some tail lights have a separate rubber/foam seal, others are glued in using a sealant that is similar to what is used on windshields. If they're glued in you'll need a heatgun and some patience to remove the tail lights. 2.The trunk lid weatherstripping needs replacing/regluing. 3. The rear windshield needs to be pulled and resealed. 4. The rear draintubes for the sunroof have come undone from their rail drains. The solution is to pull down the headliner and reattach the drain tubes. All of these assume that there is no body damage that is allowing the moisture in. The way to find where the leak is for certain, is to mop up the water in the trunk, remove all of the trunk carpeting and side panels, and climb into the trunk with a flashlight. Have a friend take a garden hose with the water flowing mid rate, and starting low on the body of the car and S_L_O_W_L_Y working their way up, from side to side, run the water over each tail light, then the trunk lid, then the rear windshield, bottom, sides, top, and finally the sunroof itself. I'd bet money on the rear tail lights. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crockettbrat Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Aha! Left rear light is full of water. Thanks very much for the tip. Also on the second voyage the check engine light came on. I think its the fact that my replacement motor came from a legacy with an evap canister in the engine compartment. It has two extra lines coming off the intake manifold that would hook up to the evap can. The obs has the evap can in the back by the tank. I just plugged these two lines and I should probably just hook up an evap can in the engine compartment since the smog guy will definately notice these lines anyway. The power steering seems the shudder when I'm at low rpm and turning. I will search on this, but it probably needs to be bled. When I swapped engines I didnt unhook the power steering, I just unbolted the pump and swung it out of the way which involved turning it upside down. Lastly the transmission did the 16 flashes on the dash thing, so I'll need to see whats up there too. All in all, I'm only in the car about $1300 so I'm feeling good about it. Thanks all for the help. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The Evap can will bolt right in. Does it have the same EGR configuration? If not that could be your CEL as well. Check the belt on the PS pump, a slipping belt will cause the symptoms you have as well. The Transmission code could be read by a trans shop or Subaru. You can pull them but its a pain. Search the USMB for the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crockettbrat Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Yes I did get the same egr configuration. The only difference was the number of hard lines under the intake manifold. I can see where the evap can will bolt in too. Thanks. If this doesn't solve the problem I will put the intake manifold from the dead engine on this one. I think I will take the car into the dealership and have them flush the transmission just because I have no idea when it was last done. Seems like the first shift when I start the car up is klunky and then they seem great after that. No torque bind or slipping that I can feel. That first gear is LOW! It feels like the car jumps when you hit the gas! This is my first automatic subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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