johnegg

usual causes:

rear trans mount.

rear diff bushings

drive shaft u-joints

$400 is not expensive,

if it fixes the problem.

but what if it doesn't?

how sure are they?

i doubt the hub is the problem,

unless they damaged it.

usually it is something mount or rear drive related.

but no guarantees.

i would tell them that they caused it.

worked fine when you brought it in.

maybe the tech didn't tighten the axle nut properly.

so it was loose.

this caused trouble, wear, when test driven.

and now they hope you will pay to fix it.

good luck.

96 legacy automatic with the 2.2

if a 98, use your original intake manifold.

you can use a 95 ej22 from an auto trans car

but you will need the matching exhaust manifold, exhaust y-pipe.

95 an 96 are non-interference engines.

97 - 98 are interference.

ej22 engines from manual trans cars usually do not have EGR.

apples and oranges.

you two are debating entirely different things.

1/ whether the long side of the jiggle pin goes up or down.

2/ whether the jiggle pin should be on the front, toward the radiator,

or rear, toward the block / trans, of the housing the t-stat sits in.

as stated in an earlier post,

if you use a suabaru t-stat, the housing on the bottom, the bottom radiator pipe connection,

is not large enough for the t-stat to go in upside down.

after market t-stats are smaller and they could be installed the wrong way.

but since it is a NO NO to use an aftermarket t-stat,

we are not too worried about that, are we.

I have seen a number of vehicles come in with the 420 code and it ended up being the gasoline. A lot this time of year when the oil companies are switching to winter blends.

 

Mostly through the year it is, in decending order of repairs,

thermostat,

plugs (or other ignition),

filters,

exhaust or intake leaks,

injector seals,

injector(s),

MAF/MAP sensors,

rear O2,

AF sensors on Japanese cars,

front O2 on others,

and lastly the CAT.

posted by cardoc, subaruoutback.org , nov. 2012

these cats rarely go bad.

most shops / the dealer will tell you that a p0420 means you need new cats,

but usually a new rear o2 sensor will eliminate the code.

there are lots of things that will cause this code besides cats.

did you read / view the linked posts?

it is a lot, but worth it.

you probably do not need all of it,

the original poster is very knowledgeable,

if he says it is so, then it is.

spray carb cleaner all around the intake and vac hoses when idling to find a leak.

if the idle revs up you have found your leak.

The front sensor was a BOCH that was on there for YEARS without a problem.

how long did you drive the car with no p0420 cel?

did the bosh sensor come with a plug on it?

The price of a cat is steep

it is highly unlikely that it is the cat.

look for an intake leak.

spray carb cleaner around all the air intake parts,

air filter,

plastic piping

intake manifold gasket

throttle body gasket

-Upstream O2

-Downstream O2

what brand of o2 sensor did you install?

the front one needs to subaru quality or much better.

the rear can be generic.

if a quality sensor was used,

then it might be time to install an anti fouler spacer.

it is a work around and not a fix.

but it should eliminate the CEL.

read this:

P0420 Diag - Subaru Outback - Subaru Outback Forums

the error code will specify ''bank'' and sensor number. on a typical 2 sensor H4 subaru, bank 1 (there is only one bank on a gen 3 H4 engine) sensor 1 is the o2 before the cat. sensor 2 would be the o2 after the cat.

i don't think the ''spacer'' will correct the p0420 code on stock subaru equipment on gen 3 cars. i THINK they closed that loop hole and the system will throw a different code. but i'm not sure.

on gen 2 stuff you could eliminate the cat and use a spacer on the rear sensor and the computer would never know. the front o2 would adjust the fuel air ratio and the rear one would be tricked into think the cat was doing its job.

Wagon rubber trunk mat.

Fits BK (00-04) wagins

20 Bucks

Bumpage again :-/

pm sent.

car-part.com calls it a rear spindle. 90 -99 are all the same except some have ABS and some don't. but the software at car-part will handle that for you and return a list of several years.

spot weld sounds interesting. i wonder what it would cost to have some one do it for you??

to replace the tone ring you have to take apart the hub / knuckle and replace the wheel bearing in addition to the tone ring.not impossible but not desirable in my opinion.

a cheaper and IMHO much better solution rather than doing all that is to buy a used knuckle / spindle and replace the whole unit. a low mileage knuckle can be had for ~$30. go to http://www.car-part.com and have one shipped in from the NON-rust belt.

before you start the job, spray some PBblaster or the like on the bolts involved for several days. you can't do this too much.

With that car I think it transfers power diagonally between the wheels (ie driver's front and passenger rear). I got my old 98 hung up on a snow drift once and the only wheels to spin were the 2 that were off the ground and it wouldn't transfer power. I'm guessing that once it's suspended it gets confused. I know the awd was always working though because there were times I could feel it adjust getting it sideways in snow.

this is because both the front and the rear are open differentials. the wheel with the least resistance spins and the other one just sits there.

you can try stepping on the brakes a little or applying the hand brake slightly to stop the spinning and hopefully the ''stuck'' wheel will engage.

or swap in a VLSD rear diff (they were standard on 03 era GTs and outbacks, easy swap). now your car changes from 2wd, one front and one rear, to 3wd, one front and 2 rear.

then it is probably something in the transfer case, but i wouldn't work on it until you have done the engine.

this thread has some goods info. post #21 has pics.

(you may have to register to see?)

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78467&highlight=grooves+dremel+grind*&page=2

the rear wheels are not ''connected'' to the trans when the engine is off, so a rear wheel spinning by hand when jacked up is normal. (no fluid pressure in the transfer case means no power / connection to the rear wheels.)

there is the possibility that something in the rear extension housing is busted causing no AWD. and if it's a new ''break'',( drum busted off the shaft) i think it would make some noise. but it could be ''grooves'' worn in the drums not letting the plates engage.

does your speedo work?

a failed speed sensor will eliminate AWD, the car will default to FWD. without one of the speed sensors the computer cannot make a comparison between the front and rear wheel speeds and therefore it cannot send power to the rear wheels.

if the car were still running, i would unplug the large connector to the trans located on the back of the engine. (largest of the three.) this will disconnect the TCU, put the trans in limp mode, third gear only, and cause ''binding'' in tight turns. if you get the binding, this means the mechanical stuff is ok in the transfer case and the problem is probably else where.

except..second gens dont have MAP, they are MAF

i think they may have both, but i'm not sure.

year, model, miles, and trans please?

when did the code pop up? any work done at that time?

crossed vacuum lines, or a leak. did you spray carb cleaner around all of the vac lines / intake while the car was running? if it revs you have a leak. there should be a diagram on the under side of the hood, but you already know that.

the other thing i would check is a wiring problem / loose wire at a connector or corrosion.

it seems you have changed everything else, i'd do the wires as well. probably not the cause of your code but maybe part of the cause of how it is running.

check this out.

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0106

then there is no reason to second guess your decision to replace the gaskets.

on to the current problem.

maybe, drain and save your coolant. and refill with plain water if it's not too cold until you figure the problem out. hate for you to wast the good stuff. and if it is too cold for plain water use a light mix to prevent a hard freeze. i did this after my ej22 swap to make sure everything was correct before i added the coolant.

your t-stat ''looks'' like a subaru t-stat. most after markets are much shorter and sometime are installed up side down. oem stats cannot be installed up side down. .

was there black gunk in the radiator over flow bottle? sure sign.

were there bubbles in the coolant in the over flow bottle when it was running HOT? sure sign

is it a ej25 96 - 99 DOHC with original head gaskets? almost a sure sign

they look bad to me.

Which direction does the coolant flow... from the top water pipe, through the radiator to the bottom hose & T-stat and into the water pump...

YES!

the only test i know for the rad is to drain it and disconnect the lower hose. then run a hose in the top at the cap. the water should flow out as fast as it ''hoses'' in, no delay , no build up inside of the rad.

when you say a japanese t-stat, do you mean a sunaru t-stat?

you either have air in it or your t-stat is stuck or your rad is blocked.

you just got this car, right? so you don't know if it had block sealer in the coolant , right?

it could be clogged but that is not usually my first guess. burping / air is my first guess. i can't imagine that the open vent plug would be different than the open rad cap but .... maybe?

and keep the heat blasted while doing this.

having the heat on does not help. it doesn't hurt but it doesn't help either.

on subarus, the coolant always flows through the heater core, always. the fan just doesn't blow air across it unless you have the temp selector on hot. so it does not matter if you have the heat on or no.

the last time i did it i use a tube and siphoned the coolant out of the jug, which was sitting on the strut tower, into the radiator. this was a slow process and apparently effective.

Do I want to remove the timing belt while the engine is still in the car, or can it be accomplished just as easily once the engine is out of the car and on the stand? Seems I won't have anything to resist (un)torquing crank and camshaft bolts once the engine is out...

good question. it will be easier to break loose the crank and cam sprocket bolts with the timing belt on the engine ans probably in the car. (certainly true for the crank bolt). you can use the t-belt to hold the cam sprockets so you can break them loose. do not remove any untill all have been loosened. do the crank last. you can use the starter bump method for it if you have not removed the battery.

or use an impact wrench / gun after it is out.

suggestion: change the oil now. the oil should be changed any time the car is over heated. it will be cheap insurance against oil failure.

if you drive it before you start the project, and it over heats, change it again.

these are classic head gasket symptoms. if the car has not been overheated severely and the bearings cooked, you can replace the HGs and go. but if there is a concern about how much over heating the engine has been through then i would suggest you replace the block.

any time, money and energy spent ''investigating'' the problem will be wasted.

good luck and congrats.