New to the forum

[jcatalanello]

So I am new to this forum, and to Subarus in general. We just bought one two days ago, and figured I should probably get plugged in. It's a 1990 5 speed legacy L 2wd wagon. 165,xxx miles. It has a few dents and dings, and the interior is faded and worn, but everything works, glass is good, tires are good, runs strong, all overall seems like a good rig, esp for the $750 that I paid. Anyway, there are a few questions I have. I am sure that these have all been asked many times, but I just couldn't seem to find them in the forums. First is that it idles weird. As low as like 100-200, and then jumps up to 1,500rpm. I assume it's the Idle air control solenoid, or whatever that's called, but don't really know where it is, or how to check it. Second thing I noticed is that from time to time while the heater is on, it will stop blowing hot air for a few minutes, and then I will blow again. Still blows air, just not hot. The engine temp never changed while this happened, but I still fear waterpump, but am not sure. Other than need new brakes, everything else seems great. I really like driving it.

Is there anything I should know about these? Anything that I should fix, or replace before I do anything else? Also, and tips or tricks to increase performance or MPG. I don't want to dump a ton into it, but if a few hundred bucks would get me noticeable improvements, I am all for it. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks

[Legacy Wagon]

If you look on the intake manifold on the

passenger side next to the throttle body

you'll see the IAC. It has a little electrical

box on top with two screws in it. It comes

out with 3 screws and has a gasket on the

back that you'll likely have to get from Subaru.

It has one or two coolant lines hooked up to

it and a plug in the top. Take it out and clean

it (preferrably with a compressor and an engine

cleaning kit, but carb cleaner works in my exp.).

The gasket is probably $10. It may or may not

be the cause of the idle issue, but it's worth

cleaning first and then if it still happens it could

be something else like the MAF sensor.

 

As for the heater issue, I'm not really sure.

Never had to use mine here in Florida.

 

Check and make sure your crank pulley on

the front doesnt wobble. If it sits straight

you're good, but if it wobbles you may have

either an issue with the crank wanting to

jump off or bearing issues. Sometimes with

these cars the crank pulley just falls of.

What ends up happening is the key on the

crank crushes and it messes up the crank

pulley and the gear on there too.

 

As for MPG...I guess a tune up and stuff.

Not a whole lot I've found will increase the

MPG's, but you have a 5 speed so that's nice.

[mnstrmech]

my guess with the heater is an air pocket in the cooling system. check the coolant level (when its cold). Probably woudnt be a bad idea to get a new radiator cap as the rubber seal wears out and can cause issues. hard to say whats going on without seeing the car though...

 

ya.. try cleaning the idle control valve and even the throttle body.. a clean TB even helps to smooth out the idle.

 

btw... im the assistant manger at a local automotive repair shop. ASE certified.. been wrenching for about 10 years..

 

and i second a tune up.. fresh set of NGK V-power (2756) spark plugs, a PCV valve and even a fresh fuel filter. i would also highly recommend a fresh timing belt too. woulndt want that to break when u least expect it..

Ive read across numerous boards and even in my own... a 5w-40 or 10w-40 oil works best. I prefer Rotella T6 5w-40 and purolator pure one filters (oil and air) The T6 Rotella is a full synthetic heavy duty engine oil that is designed for diesel trucks but is API certified for gasoline engine. its good stuff.

other than that.... MPG..... keep your foot out of it.... lol....

[monkeyposeur]

5w-40? Hmm, I've been running 5w-30. Maybe I should switch over?

[mnstrmech]

i love to paste the link from Alldata online... but without the password.. it wont do any good..

but straight from alldata..

 

1. SAE 5W-30 is not recommended for sustained high speed driving.
   
2. If vehicle is used in desert areas or areas with very high temperatures or for other heavy duty applications, the following viscosity oils may be used: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
   

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/5972/legacy.gif

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

heck... with higher mileage engines... wouldnt hurt anyways...

[monkeyposeur]

Hey jcat, there is a MPG sticky on the second gen forum page. It gives a comprehensive list of things you can do to not only improve your MPG, but at least get everything running smoother. I always recommend a Seafoam treatment as well. link: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3506948&postcount=2

 

Another good thing to do, which improved my idle is to run some new ground lines. Our stock leggies are not grounded as well as they should be. I noticed a slight improvement in idle, and performance when I did it, although your problem sounds more pronounced. Grounding mod: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3635774&postcount=2

 

I agree with mstrmech about the possibility of a bubble in your coolant system. You can bleed the system. There is a bleeder valve on the passenger side of the radiator. It looks like a phillips screw head. While the engine is running, open it up. Also you can squeeze the upper radiator hose, and/or jack up the front of the car so it is the high point in the system.

 

My SS had the same problem with the heater and it was caused by my headgaskets which were just starting to fail. From your description of your car running so well, I would think that it is not the same case with your vehicle. The SS being a turbo has a different style of head gaskets and they are somewhat prone to failure, unlike our early EJ22E head gaskets which are usually bulletproof and can last the life of the engine.

 

Welcome to the site and post a pic of your wagon! We love pics.

[jcatalanello]

Thanks a bunch guys, that's all helpful info. I just finish putting new rear pads and rotors in, and that took all the funny feeling out of the brakes, and no it rides real nice. I also ran some seafoam into the brake boost line, which is where everyone seems to think it should go. However, i looks like it will only feed the #4 cylinder. Is there a better way to even get that stuff in the intake? Either way, my idle is a bit better. It doesn't dip so low anymore. What is the ideal idle speed for these things anyway? It seems to like about 1000, but that seems high to me.

As far as bleeding the coolant, does it need to be cold when I do that, or can it be up to running temp?

Also, would I benefit much from a K&N air filter/intake system? I have always been curious about those, but have never actually tried one.

Thanks guys.

[94legacy22]

i love to paste the link from Alldata online... but without the password.. it wont do any good..

but straight from alldata..

 

1. SAE 5W-30 is not recommended for sustained high speed driving.
   
2. If vehicle is used in desert areas or areas with very high temperatures or for other heavy duty applications, the following viscosity oils may be used: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
   

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/5972/legacy.gif

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

heck... with higher mileage engines... wouldnt hurt anyways...

 

i've been running 5w30 clean 5000 mobil. I jsut looked all data. I cant seem to find it for my car listing. should i switch to 10-40? it seems to use 1/2quart every 500-700 miles or so. especialy if i drive on the highway. It has no big leaks. just slight seepage from left cam seal.

[SubaruScully]

Welcome to the forum. I have A 90 legacy l sedan. Where you from? I'm lookin to find other first gen legacy drivers in MA

[94legacy22]

Welcome to the forum. I have A 90 legacy l sedan. Where you from? I'm lookin to find other first gen legacy drivers in MA

 

I live on cape cod.. harwich, work in hyannis

[SubaruScully]

I'm from Marshfield.

[hilandr452]

I'm newly registered here but have been referring to this forum for a couple years to repair my 92 legacy sedan. When I first bought it, I googled it and came up with this site which was very helpful in figuring out trouble codes and then started looking at these forums and learning about swapping parts at pull and pay type junk yards.

 

http://legacycentral.org/library/literature/codes.htm

 

Follow the instructions and refer to their chart. It's very easy and makes working on your car much simpler.

[mnstrmech]

i've been running 5w30 clean 5000 mobil. I jsut looked all data. I cant seem to find it for my car listing. should i switch to 10-40? it seems to use 1/2quart every 500-700 miles or so. especialy if i drive on the highway. It has no big leaks. just slight seepage from left cam seal.

 

you would prolly use less with a 10-40 as its a tad thicker. My 93 has 269,963 and uses no oil at 3000 with 5w-40 rotella.

[jcatalanello]

Okay, so we have a new issue. I was out garage sailing this morning, and had the heater on, and noticed it wasn't blowing hot, so I checked the temp out of habit, and noticed it was running a bit hot, and getting hotter. So I shut the car off and pulled it over. I noticed it was leaking anitfreeze from the the overflow tank, which was full. I opened the overflow cap, and felt the coolant, which cool, and not even warm. Does this confirm my fear of the waterpump? Or what? If it was just not moving coolant through, why did the overflow fill up? I started it up again, and it would run hot, then drop down to normal, and then it seemed fine all the way home till I swapped it for my escort. Any thought? Could it be a thermostat issue? I just don't know.

[jcatalanello]

or........are combustion gasses being pushes into the coolant, cause too much pressure and overflowing the tank, and causing an air bubble which is keeping the coolant from being cycled(which is why it feels cool). I really don't want it to be a head gasket........but...

[mnstrmech]

hate to be the one saying it.... but sounds like at least head gasket failure..........................

[jcatalanello]

Yeah, I just thought maybe it could be something else. One site said radiator cap, pump, and others could create bubbles in the coolant. It's not smoking at all, and doesn't smell sweet, so I just was hoping you know. Also, is it worth using any form of stop leak? And do I need to pull the motor to put on new head Gaskets? Thanks

[monkeyposeur]

From what I have heard stop leak is crap. On the other hand, my buddy who has a '99 Forester tried stop leak recently and he said it worked. I told him 'Yeah, for now.' I don't really understand how stop leak is supposed to work, but if it can stop a head gasket from leaking, what else is it gunking up? If anything it is just a temporary fix.

 

Start with the easiest fix first like the radiator cap, OEM thermostat, and then the water pump. You will have to remove your timing to replace the water pump though. If you are really lucky it will be a bad thermostat.

 

Pulling the motor to do your head gaskets is the safest, best option, imo. While the engine is out you can do all the other preventative maintenance on your engine such as timing, oil pump, rear main seal (if it needs it), replace the clutch, etc. You will be saving a lot of headache if you do it right and you should be good to go for a long time, and learn a lot about your engine. People have replaced the head gaskets with the engine in the bay, so it can be done apparently.

 

Normally if a water pump fails you will know since it makes an awful noise. Only use OEM thermostats since our cars are picky. Don't cheap out! Go to Subaru or demand an OEM. They're not that expensive, $26 or so.

 

Do a hydrocarbon test to test for oil in the coolant. Is it milky?

[jcatalanello]

Thanks a bunch. No coolant isn't milky at all. Bright clear green. I would honestly kinda love to pull the motor and learn all about it, but I don't have a shop, or a cherry picker, so things get a little more tricky.

[sqc151]

u dont need a picker to remove the engine.

 

you can drop it from the bottom and pull it out.

[mnstrmech]

once to strip it down to block/heads... two guys can lift it easily.... im not very big and i can lift the short block assembly myself.... (block, crank, pistons and rods). gotta love aluminum motors.. lol

[monkeyposeur]

Yeah, I can pick up the shortblock by myself too, lol. Just like mstrmech said.

 

This guy build a hoist out of studs and a chain hoist: http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html

 

But I bet two guys could wrestle it out of there if you take the intake mani and everything else off. A cherry picker makes things easier of course, especially with an engine leveler. I was able to pick it out and drop it back in with no problems that way. You can always rent a picker for a few days. See if you can borrow one somewhere. Or buy one from harbor freight and take it back.