log1call

To tell you the truth, with those symptoms, hardly being able to rev and all, I wouldn't be surprised if one turbo was seized and blocking the exhaust, but, cleaning isn't going to cure that. Have you pulled the inlets off the turbos and spun them by hand?

Do you actually have some reason why you are cleaning this turbo? Are you having some problem? Those bearings have a bit of play in them by design, they are not likely to be tight or to benefit from cleaning like that. I'd recommend a couple of quick oil changes in succession, possibly with an additive but I'd be cautious about that even. Some additives stir up the crap and may cause a blockage or dirt to get into your turbo. Turbos all have a restriction in their oil feed somewhere, often in the feed pipe. You could take the pipe off and clean it out of you are able to do that job, otherwise leave it alone. These things are highly stressed, delicate and easily damaged. If you don't know what you are doing I'd recommend leaving things alone, especialy if there is nothing wrong with it at the moment.

Ha, yes having wires bust can make them not start for sure, especially the crank angle sensor wires.

The pod filters can upset the mixture. The AFM needs a steady flow of air. They come with a wire gause to help difuse the air flow, if that's taken off that can be enough to cause irregular mixture. Even just having a free flowing filter can cause mixture problems because of the way the hot wire sensors work. The knock sensor is very unlikely to be your trouble either given that the problem is when cold and at light throttle settings. It could be if you have a lot of mechanical noise but it's not meant to "hear" those sorts of noises normally. You can make an adaptor to connect a laptop but then it may take a bit of work to find all the correct readings. The 95 model is documented and it's probably the same ecu so I'd say it would be an easy matter. Hve a read here... http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,5652.0.html It's simpler than it sounds. .

The O2 sensor is being ignored when the motor is cold anyway. Depending how long and how cold you are talking it probably isn't the problem. If you really want to know what's going on in your ,otor and with all your sensors and acctuators get an adaptor and connect a laptop to your car.

So have you done the basic things like take the spark plugs out and check they have sparks when you crank it? Have you listened for the fuel pump running for a second when you turn the key on? Checked that the fuel hoses under the bonnet are pumping up with pressure when someone turns on the key for you? Checked tht there is a good flow of petrol when you take a hose off and put it into a bottle and turn the key on? Checked the computer for trouble codes? Checked all the fuses? Do you think you could have turned the motor backwatrds when you were taking off or putting on the clutch/aligning the input shaft with the clutch plate?

You really want to consult with the manfacturers or get their data sheet for the pistons. There are a lot of parameters involved in choosing pistons. How much they weigh, what pressure they can stand, what revs they can stand, what revs, temp and pressure the rings can stand... the list goes on.

Ha, by the time you smell a headgasket.... you will have a burnt nose! Agree about the heater... to a degree. If it's totally blocked the thermostat will be very late opening, but if it flows enough to open the thermostat, and everything else is working correctly, then it won't by itself cause overheating.

It's the idea of planing heads, block and using thin gaskets that has we suspicious.

Deleting trouble codes is better documented for the american models than ours. It might take a bit of code dissasembly and interperating to figure which bit of data to rewrite. It can be done though, the trouble codes are relatively easy to locate. Those valves are to make the cars idle better. I'd suspect they will idle roughly with the standard tune if you take them off. Subaru wouldn't put a $1200 valve in there if they'd idle ok without it.

Yeah well seriously, they will eat wiring, and bonnet insulation, hoses, anything! Unfortunatly the only really good way to be sure the blocks are clean is by taking the heads off... unless you have any faith in those radiator flush chemicals they sell.

You can check them with a straight edge and a feeler gauge. You need a good straight edge though, which are expensive. Simplest way for home mechanics is to go to a glass company and get a piece of ten mill thick glass the size of a wet and dry sheet. Use reasonable fine wet and dry with kero or crc and polish the surfaces up with that. Keep the paper stuck to the glass with crc underneath it so the edges don't curl and erode the edges of the heads etc. Work left and right up and down and diagonally. It's easier to wrap your fingers around the short edge of the glass and hold the paper as you rub the glass over the head than it is to hold the head and move it. It will show up corrosion and warpage and take off minimum material. If you notice warpage or corrosion then get it planed. Insist they take off the absolute minimum. The heads and the blocks both have indicators cast on them that show when they have been planed past the allowable limit. Since you are planning on doing both surfaces and using thinner gaskets it may not be a safe indicator. Excess compression will cause hard starting, detonation problems and pulled timing, and stain the rings, big ends and the head gasket.

A few points... Doing a compression test hardly ever show up a headgasket, not unless it's really, really blown anyway in which case the compression test is a waste of time.. The engine only has a couple hundred pounds at best when cranking. It has hundreds when it's running. Doing a leak down test is also not reliable for the same reasons. The teekay hrdrocarbon test is the surest single test for leaking headgaskets. In this case, there could be a build up of sludge in the lower part of the cylinders causing localised boiling. A blockage anywhere can cause the same symptom. The overall temperature can be fine but there can be boiling in one localised place. The commonest problem with subarus though is the well known air lock. Fill them with water, raise the front of the vehicle, idle till fully warm(fans cycling several times) topping up as necessary, put the cap on and go for a short drive. let it cool and check the water in the radiator again. If the water has gone down top it up and go for another short drive then recheck it after cooling down. Keep repeating this procedure till you have a full radiator when you check it cold. Rats... they will eat wires in cars as well. If you have rats in your car parking area.... poison the little bastards!

If you are going yo plane the heads, block and use metal gaskets, have you calculated what the compresion ratio is going to be afterwards? Do you knoow how many times the heads have been planed before? Do you have a remapable ECU? EFI motors do not like it when you raise the compression too much. I only ever plane things if they need it. It's easy to check for warpage and inspect for corrosion.

Certainly doesn't sound like coils. I'd suspect the ignition timing is retarding. EAsy way to test it is to find someone that can connect the car to a laptop or get a dealer to connect it to a scanner.

No. That code means the signal from the start position of the key isn't going into your ecu. If the car is still cranking over every time you turn the key to start then it's probably the wiring to the ecu. The signal is sent into the ecu because the cam sensor's signal is erratic at really low revs, so at cranking revs it's not dependable enough to give reliable ignition timing which can cause hard starting. To overcome that problem they use the cranking/start signal to fix the ignition timing. You may find you have hard/irregular start up.

The clutches are all put on by hydraulic pressure but it's electronics that tell the solenoid valves to apply that pressure. There is a computer that tells the solenoids to go on or off. In the auto mode it decides when to change gears and then sends the command, or, in manual it sends the command when you use the stick. Since it's working in manual the hydraulics and the solenoids are working. It is something wrong with the electronic control in your case. There will be a way to get trouble codes out of the computer. Google it up and get the codes. (Edit), just occured to me that that will be OBD2 in which case you will have to get someone to read the codes with a scanner.

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,58.0.html

I'm a mechanic and it doesn't sound to me like he was trying to rip you off. We have far more subtle ways than that to rip you off.

Any car can have these symptoms. Check the bellhousing bolts, listen for rattles coming out of the bellhousing in case the springs are loose, apart fom that keep monitoring it and if it starts getting worse quick get it fixed. If it's real bad and you think it could be damaging the engine mounts... go get a second opinion from someone.

Grease or oil on the clutch plate, worn springs in the clutch plate, warped flywheel, loose bellhousing bolts.

Ha, yeah that happens. You got lucky! No idea what the part is worth but you know what htese things are like... might never play up again. Might have needed that wriggle of the connector you gave it.

You know where the big connector is on top of the tranny right? That's the one I was meaning. There is also a trans computer. You need to check that one for trouble codes. The way to do it is written around here somewhere I'm sure. It's a procedure with the gear lever and the ignition switch probably

You could take that sensor/actuator off and make sure the valve moves as well. Those codes sound like the shaft being stiff or seized could cause both of them... I'd suspect.

Yes about the old carbied models. If the Afm is faulty they use the revs and TPI to calculate mixture. If the TPI is faulty they use revs and AFM to calculate mixture. I thought they would start, falter and then die with neither attached. Live and learn.