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You'll need to get a donor car with the 2.2L N/A engine which shouldn't be too hard. 90-94 doesn't matter, you just need the ECU that comes with the N/A motor. The N/A ECU will plug in place of the turbo one. Things that will give you issues: - Flywheel. The clutch/transmission in the N/A cars is ca...

I'm happy to say, legitimately, that I believe I've taken care of this problem once and for all. As the last-ditch effort to get this thing working right, I replaced the compressor (eBay reman, we'll see how long it lasts), expansion valve, and drier today. I was surprised how easily the evaporator ...

165,000 miles on stock EJ22. I've only had the car since about 143,000 miles and I had no clue how the first owner took care of it. After doing the head gaskets on what I now realize was a really horribly taken care of Forester, I was expecting a minimal amount of sludge, maybe dark stains on the in...

Well just for the sake of argument I added some grounds to no effect. I went from the intake manifold, a/c compressor, and driver side strut to the negative terminal and the problem still exists. The only thing I can think of is some problem with the coil in the compressor, but I don't know why that...

Up to this point I've replaced the HVAC control box and also bypassed the ECU's involvement with the cutoff process and it is still happening. It's maddening to say the least. I'm familiar with two ground points in the engine bay... one on the intake manifold (ECU) and the other on the passenger (?)...

Thanks for the useful info as always Josh. I actually bypassed the ECU in the A/C system and my symptoms are still there. So I'm banking on a failed/failing coil on the compressor clutch. It's the last thing I'm going to replace until I give up.

Thanks again!

--Andy

I'm still troubleshooting some A/C problems and I want to swap out the ECU for a known working one to see if that's the problem. The car is a 94 Legacy L AWD 5MT. I have an ECU from a 91 Legacy L 2WD 5MT. I know the replacement parts for each have different part numbers, but I'm wondering if I could...

Sounds like a belt rubbing on something. Did you remove any of your accessory belts to get to the valve covers?

--Andy

I have a few failed/failing HLAs. When I take my valve cover off am I going to just be able to unbolt the rocker assembly from the head and take the whole thing out? Any problems going to be waiting for me when I go to bolt everything back in? I found an End Wrench article describing it but they spe...

Sounds a lot like the knock sensor. Mine was cracked and every time I washed the engine I would get the same problem. It's shaped like a donut with a bolt through it, under the intake manifold on the driver's side of the block. Even if the sensor looks ok it may be bad, there was an issue with the w...

Your hesitation and different feel in power is likely due to the AC compressor engaging/disengaging. There's really not much to the AC system, so I'm not sure why you are continuing to see issues. What type of vacuum pump did you use to pull a vacuum on the system? You really need to pull a strong ...

Idle and at speed. Some times everything works fine, other times the A/C compressor/system clicks on and off. Some times slow (switches every 1-2 minutes) some times fast (up to 5-6 times per second). More often than not, the clicking on and off is faster at speed than it is at idle. The problem is ...

Of course this thread isn't dead yet. Symptoms returned shortly after my last post. I'm running out of things to check. So far, this is what I've done: - Replaced all 4 A/C relays in the under-hood fuse box - Replaced the A/C cutoff relay behind the glove box - Replaced the thermostatic amplifier on...

Wow, just a few updates. Got the evaporator box apart without discharging the system. Cleaned it out and picked up another thermostat from a junk yard ($3!). Put in... with the same problems. In a fit of desperation I cut the connector off the wiring harness that was going to the thermostat and put ...

For common record, here is a scan of the FSM page discussing the thermo amp: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/phrnCzDPoZgYEHrSnjeUtp_40jdD7x2hoolpv7oie7Q?feat=directlink Pin 1 on B71 supplies the "comparator" with 12V. The comparator uses the signal from the diode on the evaporator to ...

Finally think I found the source of the problem. The thermostatic amplifier. The harness side of the amp amp has three wires - a 12v source, a signal to the A/C relay under the hood, and a ground. The actual "brain" of the amplifier is housed in the connector from what I can see. There is ...

Since Josh's FSM scans didn't seem to include the A/C section, I scanned the two pages with the wiring diagram. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gsUgPO4LiH0n1TX80B72Lp_40jdD7x2hoolpv7oie7Q?feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Xg6o0T4U4OiYZ28KVEBKkp_40jdD7x2hoolpv7oie7Q?feat=direc...

I got the 143a gauges on. When the system is running it's at 45psi on the low side and 250psi on the high side - almost identical to what my 2008 runs. The problem is not any of the relays under the hood. I want to figure out a way to test the pressure switch, but I'm having a hard time reading the ...

I have a reading on the low side from the gauge that came with the charging kit. It shows about 40-45psi (ambient temp was about 90F today). The gauges I have currently are for R12 and I added the 134a fittings, so they won't work. I may pick up a set of 134 gauges for myself tomorrow, since I'm sur...

OK, here's an update. I was unable to secure any R12. So, I evacuated the system, replaced the drier, pulled a strong vacuum for about 10 minutes, and charged with 134a. The system is perfectly charged according to the dummy gauge on the low side. The problem still persists. Now that I have the glov...

Most municipalities have a certain dollar amount in repairs that waives you from further testing if you reach it. In MD, this is $450.

Look in to this. You may already be over the limite.

But yes, a bad coil could cause incomplete combustion.

--Andy

OK everyone, for the second time in my automotive life I have a 1st gen Legacy as my DD. This car is great. Fun to drive, great on gas, but most of all, PAID FOR. While I do love the car, there is one thing that is extremely frustrating about day-to-day life with it. Apparently cup holder size deman...

My guess is the stock cat is toast. Everything I've read says factory cats are expected to last 100k miles, no more. I think you might have to bite the bullet and get a new one.

NAPA carries universal cats for like $80 - any muffler shop can weld it on for you for an hour or two of labor.

--Andy

Does it have a check engine light on? If so, have you pulled the codes?

Are they testing at idle, at a certain RPM in neutral, on a dyno, or some combination? Did they tell you at which point the offending emissions were present?

--Andy

The last set of readings were taken at the end of a day of driving when the system was behaving normally. The controls were set to MAX A/C and the blower was on 4, with the window down. However, the readings were taken at idle (around 850RPM). The figures in the FSM assume 1500RPM. So I had a chance...