johnceggleston Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Cool, thanks! I hope the instructions are designed for noobs like me! Also the description says it doesn't work with several brands, I assume the Sub is not one of those (Bosch, CIS-Jetronic). do you have a harbor freight near by? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92699 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 do you have a harbor freight near by? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92699 Also, looks like you can purchase from their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 do you have a harbor freight near by? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92699 The closest store is about an hour away. Maybe I can find this at a local auto parts store though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Gasket sealer? They seal the plugs? Damn I learn a lot on this site... Anywho, as to whether its worth it FOR YOU to fix this one up again, I agree. I think it's up to whether the body/interior is in good shape. I am in the same situation. (If you search my recent posts, I've been going through fixing mine up with timing belt, and it has 272K on it.) On the other hand, I know where two Legacys are (96es), one that they have a "fuel pump problem" with for $600 at 150K, one where a towing company ruined the trans for $800, with 95K. Course, I'm not telling where... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 (edited) Gasket sealer? They seal the plugs? Damn I learn a lot on this site... Anywho, as to whether its worth it FOR YOU to fix this one up again, I agree. I think it's up to whether the body/interior is in good shape. I am in the same situation. (If you search my recent posts, I've been going through fixing mine up with timing belt, and it has 272K on it.) On the other hand, I know where two Legacys are (96es), one that they have a "fuel pump problem" with for $600 at 150K, one where a towing company ruined the trans for $800, with 95K. Course, I'm not telling where... The body is not in good shape, but it's cosmetic and I'm not seeing any overt rust. Interior is OK though. Because I put about 28K/yr on a car, I'd rather find a car with 60 - 80K on it, and not more than 8-9 yrs old; that'll give me a few years to run it into the ground Unfortunately for me, those kinds of Legacys all fit into the dreaded head gasket failure territory. Unless there exists somewhere a low-miles '99 or 2000 legacy with the 2.2L motor it looks like I may have to bail on Subaru if I ultimately decide not to fix this car (which is where I'm leaning). If I fix my car I'll just be putting off this issue for a little while. Best of luck with your hunt. The '96 with 95K sounds pretty good if you can deal with getting a new tranny in it. Hope it doesn't have the 2.5 though... Edited March 18, 2009 by reeze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetreemech Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hi all, I'm a new member here. I have two Subarus at home, a 95 SVX and a 93 Legacy L. I just fixed a hard start/rough idle problem on the Legacy. The fuel pressure regulator was letting gas through its diaphragm into the vacuum line that is connected to it. This had the effect of flooding the engine after shutoff. This would cause hard starting and an erratic idle, as well as burning too much gas. The clue to a bad regulator is to pull the vacuum line off the reg. after shutting the engine off. It should be bone dry. The vacuum fitting on my reg would actually drip gas after shutoff. (there is 25 or 30 psi residual fuel pressure on the other side of that diaphragm.) A new regulator was about $100 at O'reillys, and gave instant improvement in starting and running. May or may not help you with your Legacy--good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Hi all, I'm a new member here. I have two Subarus at home, a 95 SVX and a 93 Legacy L. I just fixed a hard start/rough idle problem on the Legacy. The fuel pressure regulator was letting gas through its diaphragm into the vacuum line that is connected to it. This had the effect of flooding the engine after shutoff. This would cause hard starting and an erratic idle, as well as burning too much gas. The clue to a bad regulator is to pull the vacuum line off the reg. after shutting the engine off. It should be bone dry. The vacuum fitting on my reg would actually drip gas after shutoff. (there is 25 or 30 psi residual fuel pressure on the other side of that diaphragm.) A new regulator was about $100 at O'reillys, and gave instant improvement in starting and running. May or may not help you with your Legacy--good luck. Thanks, this is a good tip. Several clues have pointed to a problem in the fuel system. My car usually starts easily and idles OK, especially if it's been off a while. Several times it has stalled (after I've been driving it a while) and then it's been impossible to start for about 5 to 15 minutes. I was thinking it was related to some overheating condition, but the temp gauge is always normal. Could it be flooding caused by a bad fuel pressure regulator I wonder? Should I be smelling unburned fuel if this was the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Coil pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Coil pack.How do you test that? I did the only thing I knew, popped the hood at night while the engine was running rough and looked for arcing, didn't see any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetreemech Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 your stalling problem does not sound like fuel pressure regulator. A failed diaphragm in regulator causes hard/overrich starting (black smoke on startup) and rough idle. If the regulator has extreme internal leak, it will flood the engine so much that its almost impossible to start. It wouldn't be an intermittant stalling type problem. John in KY thinks its your coils. If you suspect loss of spark, carry an old spark plug with you, and a wire clip lead. (and a friend). Next time it stalls on the road, hook up a plug wire to the old plug with the shell clipped to ground and watch while your friend cranks the engine. You should see spark. No spark, time to look hard at coil pack and associated circuits. Chilton's manual details coil tests using ohmmeter. Have you tried to get any diagnostic codes from the computer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 or use a timing light instead of a spark plug.Just make sure it flashes for all 4 cyl.Neither method is completely definitive,but should catch a bad coil while running rough. Definately pull the vacuum line off the FPR and inspect for fuel too,as suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 How do you test that? I did the only thing I knew, popped the hood at night while the engine was running rough and looked for arcing, didn't see any. Next time, spray water around where you expect arcing and you may see the Christmas tree sparkly effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Have you tried to get any diagnostic codes from the computer?I haven't been back to Autozone since I cleared my codes. The check engine light did NOT come back on after I cleared, and I drove multiple trips, on & off the highway. Are there codes thrown that don't light the check engine light? I originally got a PO303 (misfire in cylinder 3), does that light the check engine light? I replaced the plugs & wires so that may have cleared that one. Thanks for the other tips about checking the coil. I did just buy a manual, I think it was Chiltons not Haybes though. I'll look in there to see if they have any methods to check the coil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeze Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Next time, spray water around where you expect arcing and you may see the Christmas tree sparkly effect.Great, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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