newbie seeks help with engine install issues

[tattoobaroo]

ok, i figure id post here because the majority of my problems comes from a recent engine install.
I have a 92 subaru 2.2l turbo touring wagon..omg its the sweetest thing ive ever owned. i grew up on subarus and ive had about 5 or 6 of them..i dont ever want to work on anything else.. so i got the legacy about 2 years ago and the crankshaft has a lil chuck that holds it to a pully which stripped out. this in turn screwed up my timing and just about everything that my engine did. the ej22t enging took about a year to find ( which i did fine DELIVERED for 700 bucks *unf sweet!).
i put the new engin in, and after yanking some fuel injectors and tuning it, it ran great. i did however take out the thermostat because the afgermarket one wasnt working so hot. i drove the car for about 2 days from work and back with no problems, no over heating, ran a lil cool which i expected. then my world came crashing down the night before last... i lost the temp guage and pulled over to let the air bubble or whatever get out of the line. i lost heat and it started to run sparratic. after letting it idle it started to climp the temp back to normal.. i got it back on the road in hopes of getting the car home.. it ran fine for a lil while but when i was travelling at about 50mph i felt a shuddering that felt like it was from the engine. and in some spots felt like it was my ujoint..but after further inspection i found it wasnt.. when i tried to gain acceleration, my tach wouldnt go over 3k and i could hear a sort of popping sound from my engine. kind of like when its getting too much air in the intake. feels like it boggs down when i press the accelerator to the ground.. my heater seemed to go on and off with the hot air ( usual symptom of an air bubble in the system that needs to be burped). i got it home and burped the system succesfully and installed the shucks thermostat. got my heat back and it ran fine.. check enging light came on for a second then when away. the engine was running pretty rough. didnt seem like the spark plugs were the problem, maybe the fuel injectors? i really hope i didnt blow the head gasket, its a used engine but only with 50k on it and it shows. my coolant isnt full of lil tiny foamy bubbles. it just drives me nuts that ive spent the last month on the bus to my parents house to work on this car, and feel so accomplished putting the engine in myself with no extra bolts haha! the install wasnt really too hard, and i learned alot more about this model as i researched these forums and found so much info from its members..
i dont know what else to do.. i feel like theres something wrong in how its sucking in air, the way its spuddering around under 3k on my tack.. please help me figure out what to do , as its getting way to cold for me an my lil girl to be using the bus this winter

[Legacy777]

May I suggest using paragraphs next time. It makes reading and helping you much easier.

First suggestion. Get rid of the schucks thermostat. Anything but an OEM subaru thermostat will give you problems, similar to what you're experiencing. I experienced this back in 95 when I got mine, and others have as well. So do that first.

Second, pull the ECU codes to see what code was left when the CEL came on.

Instructions are on my site under the notes & tips section, engine related.

[tattoobaroo]

haha, sorry about that. i didnt even think about that.. ill repost when i get some codes.

im ordering a subaru thermostat as we speak.

[tattoobaroo]

i looked under my dash for about an hour looking for the black connectors that you show on your site 777, but i cant seem to locate them. i took off the tcu and separated a bunch of wires, all i can find is the green t connectors...

i have a prev. installed python alarm with remote start and theres alot more wires and bundles and connectors then you have in your pics there and im wondering if it got lost in all that mess. ill take pictures if i cant find it again tonight..

also i noticed that when i started the engine and it got to a normal temp, THEN its started to idle rough...almost stalling. i pulled each spark plug wire to see if it was because of that, but i noticed no difference..

is there a different setup for the black connectors for my turbo wagon..

[206er]

sounds like maybe a coolant temp sensor.

[tattoobaroo]

@#$%@#$!!! ok, ive been looking underneath the dash and taking off everything possible, I STILL CANT FIND THE BLACK TEST CONNECTORS!~!!!

everywher i look, i see them in other peoples pictures as sinple as that. ive taken off the tcu and the ecu, looking carefully through the wiring bundle for the connectors and still nothing..

i do have an crazy (remote start) python alarm that has been previously installed and adds to the already overwhelming bundle of fury that is my wiring system.. i wonder iff the connectors were clipped or hidden somewhere, and i plan to post pictures by the end of the night when my fingers fall off i see the green connectors, i mean they're, like, always there....staring at me.. mocking me.. but no black connectors.. theres a brown one over by the fuse panel!?!? arrrgh


thats just me looking for the stupid connectors.. i took it out for a test drive this afternoon and the damn thing drove awesome up the street and back, but when i went up another hill and stepped on it i heard a small backfire then it continued to backfire after the engine reved past 3k ... so the symptom left and came back, just to drive me nuts.. checked the timing and it cleared... any other ideas?

[tattoobaroo]

alright.. i grounded the test mode connector, since i couldnt trace the black connectors for the life of me.

heres the codes that came up
12- starter switch
14- abnormal fuel inj. #1#2
15-abnormal fuel inj. #3#4
31- throttle positioning sensor

well at least theres a start. i do know that i was having some trouble on first starting the engine with fuel inj. #1.. i replaced that inj with one from my old engine, and it smoothed out for well...up until now

when i did take that injector out there was a bunch of gunk caked around it and it was obviously fouling..i suspect that the others arnt in any better shape.

also my remote start splices in to the first injector, im assuming it has something to do with the remote start.. and i can undo that for the time being..

oh and the starter switch has problems that dont seem to affect my idling at all. sometimes you cant just stick the key in and start it, instead you have to remote start it from inside the car..its lame.
so i think that is why the starter code is coming up... i mean the remote start is great for impressing the ladies but cmon..dont screw up my fuel injetors about it haha..

so here i am with a few codes.. the first thing i think im going to do is replace the fuel injectors with the prev. inj. from my other engine.. they seemed to be in great condition compared to the new engine i installed.

i know that the TPS could use a new wiring harnessbecause i can see where the wires have cracked on thier way into the harness.

also it only seems to backfire under a load and never when idling..

thats all the info i have! please! any ideas, questions? ridicule? okay maybe not ridicule..
thanks!

[Legacy777]

First thing I'd suggest is clearing the codes, drive the car, and see which ones come back.

Second, it does sound like your coolant temp sensor is acting weird. It's a $20 item at www.subarugenuineparts.com or one of the other online subaru dealers.