New to these engines and have some questions

[filter27e]

Car: 1998 Legacy L
Engine: EJ22
Tranny: Automatic

#1 inconsistent idle? Not like a shakey idle but like it will idle at 400 for a minute then the water pump kicks on and it idles at 1100 for a minute... does this CONSTANTLY. Normal or bad thermostat or something?

#2 takes quite a few cranks to start. Nothing that I can sit there with a stopwatch but when I have an 84 BMW with 200k on it parked in the backyard that sits, and starts faster, it's a little aggrivating!

#3 Crank pulley... is just about the only part of the car with rust on it. Personally I think the crank pulley is one of those parts that should be absolutely perfect. It's a good excuse for me to look for a lightened crank pulley though. Anybody know of a good one?

[galek_98gt]

1: check thermostat
2: i've had this issue but i don't think anything about it.
3: to help you look for a pulley, http://www.xcceleration.com/leg-engine.htm

[Reason]

If you haven't yet, you should give it a full tune-up

[Huffer]

including flushing all the fluids and doing an oil change (remember to pre-fill the filter).

You can use a 2.5RS lightweight crank pulley too...plenty of used ones going for sale. Bear in mind, that the stock crank pulley is a harmonic dampner, so you will get a little more vibration from the engine without it.

[shazapple]

Btw, the Tach doesnt start until 500, so your actually idling at 700 or so, which is normal

[filter27e]

Ah thanks for the answers/links guys. Ahhh that would be a nice pulley to have but I'll have to save for it. Took me a while to check back here for responses, been so busy with my girlfriend's maxima. Anybody know which part of the ECU I hit with a hammer to stop it from throwing codes? Effin-A! Has to pass CT emissions but everytime I drive it I get a new code. Anyways /rant off you don't actually have to respond to that one but one thing I did forget to ask about is gas mileage.

What are you guys getting? I haven't really been driving the car that hard and don't always have the AC on, and I'm getting 20mpg on average. The drive to work is kind of a wide country road with a few stoplights very spread out.... so 20mpg seems a bit harsh. I noticed when I fill it up I always end up with some gas on the bottom edge of my fill-tube, so I'm wondering if there's a bad gasket and I'm just getting a lot of evaporation. Anyways thanks again guys I learned a couple things.

[shazapple]

I have basically the same car. I dont notice any idle problems, but maybe you have a vacuum line issue. Tune up wouldnt hurt!

Mine takes a few cranks to start as well, i think its just a subaru thing. It helps if you wait a few seconds in the 'ON' position so the fuel pump can prime the system.

I suggest a full sized pulley instead of a underdriven. I would also like to get a full set of pulleys for my car. Even on the 4eat i hear they help!

[Perdue]

1. I have the same problem, but usually only after the car's been running forever (when the fans and everything kick on to cool it back down), or when I'm running the AC with the car in park. I never thought anything of it.

2. Quite a few cranks doesn't really explain much. IIRC, my car usually talks 2-3 cranks to start when it hasn't been sitting long, but around 4-5 after I get off work or in the morning leaving for work. Then again, I've never actually stopped to count. If your car is really talking THAT long to start, do a full tuneup, as recommended above and see if that helps any.

3. Definately go for a lightened crank pulley, and not an underdriven pulley. Some people like the underdriven ones because of "extra power", but I dont' believe that the results would be worth it. Keeping the pulley non-underdriven will also allow you to use serpentine belts, which are a lot easier to souce/find. I'd go for an entire pulley set if possible. Many people say that a lightened pulley set, or even just a lightened crank pulley, is the best mod you can do to a Subaru with a 4EAT.

Then the great gas mileage debate. I get about 21-25mpg on the interstate for long drives, running 80-85mph (I am not condoning breaking the speed limit). In the city and around home, I get anywhere from 16-20 depending on city/highway and how heavy my foot is that particular day.

[belladonna]

wow, i've never had a problem with my car starting. the key turns once and she's going :)

gas mileage in my car depends on the temp outside. she definatley gets better mileage in the spring and summer than in the winter...the norm is between 20-25 mpg

[Perdue]

I was talking like turns of the motor...not the key. If it takes you that many times turning the key to get the car to fire up, something's definately wrong.

[filter27e]

Yeah well I'm comparing it to all my other cars so maybe it is just a subaru thing, but I'll check the plugs and see if they look new. I have an 84 318i sitting in the backyard that I run maybe every couple of weeks just to keep it in decent operating condition (to scare the squirrels out of the airbox maybe) and that thing will start before the engine even makes a full rotation. Going to work in a bit maybe I'll count rotations on the subaru :-) Kinda glad to hear everybody else's gas mileage sucks too so I don't have to mess with my gas fill tube if it's not causing problems.

[badbasser98]

1. As for your idle, i'd have to go with everyone else and not worry about it. Although mine has never gone that high, only to about 900 RPM with AC compressor on.

2. I am aggreeing with everyone again, see about getting a tune-up. mine starts pretty quick. Maybe around 2 rotations on cold start, less than one if its warm.

3. The lightened crank pulleys are nice, just don't get an underdriven one, they mess with your charging system, and you need different belts.


As far as the gas mileage... Mine has been as low as 23 and as high as 31. Average is about 27.5 (ej25 w/ 4EAT)

-BB98

[95legacyl]

my car has been getting an average of about 25mpg but i took it for like a 4000 mile trip and the best mpg i was getting was a little over 35 which was aswome

[Wiscon_Mark]

My last 2 tanks have been 26 and 27 mpg mixed driving (ej22, 5MT)

I'm gonna back off on the throttle and see what I can do :D

As for starting, I find that the engine will turn once (sometimes instantly) if the engine is warm, but more like 5 times (normally) if the engine is cold, that just seems to be the norm for this one.

[ooberdoob]

ok,

i'm thinking its not the "water pump" thats kicking on, dude, its always going...

i think its your A/C compressor. it cycles on and off....

about cranking, mine annoys me too. i don't think you meant multible tries, rather the revolutions from starter on till run. my EJ25 has to turn over a few times too. more than any other car i've driven.

underdriven, no. lightweight, yes. you get gains and no sacrifice. since you have a 4EAT i wouldn't bother with underdriven, as it'll never be an uberperformance kinda thing anyhow.

[filter27e]

Yeah no idea what I was thinking when I said water pump. At any rate.... GOOD LORD. I kept track of my MPG for my last tank to see more precisely where I was at. Well with a full tank of 87 and driving it moderately with AC etc basically driving it normally, I got 21 mpg average (TWENTY-FRICKEN-ONE). I mean that just seems wrong... well I'm going to bust out the FSM and see what I can find in there for bad gas mileage... I know it has a new fuel filter, could check the airfilter but since I just bought it at the dealer 2 months ago that's the sort of $5 item they like to throw in there to say they just gave it a tuneup... so I'm guessing it's newer.