Turbo not functioning after throttle body cleaning.

Today on my 93' Legacy Sport AWD turbo I reinstalled my throttle body after it's first cleaning in probably the life of the car. I took it for a test drive and it drove fine but noticed the turbo would not kick in at all. Everything is stock on this car and runs beautifully before and now, just no turbo. The only thing I could think of is that I did not disconnect the battery through the whole process. The only thing I disconnected was the plug on the throttle body to remove it. My "check engine" light is now on which was not before the cleaning. Do I need to have the computer reset or should I find out really what the "check engine" light means? I'm pretty sure it means no turbo and how could I make it work again? Thanks for your time.

 

P.S. I do not have a code reader.

You don't need a code reader to read your CEL, that's the beauty of OBDI. Legacy777 from bbs posted this gem: http://legacycentral.org/library/literature/codes.htm

 

And here is what he posted as surrealimage. This link has pics, which are useful: http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/engine.html

 

It will tell you everything you need to know to read trouble codes and how to reset the battery. This is how you reset your battery (thanks again to Legacy777):

 

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal cable for 30-45 minutes. Or pull fuse 14 labeled (EGI/TCU) from the fuse panel at the driver's kick panel for 30-45 minutes.

 

2. Reconnect the negative battery terminal cable, or re-insert fuse 14.

 

3. Turn off all your accessories.

 

4. Start the car, but DO NOT touch the throttle at all.

 

5. Let the car idle for 10-15 minutes, or until the car is at normal operating temperature. Again, do not touch the throttle.

 

6. Turn the ignition key to the "OFF" position. That's it

 

That is strange that your turbo is not working. I mean, if the turbo works by your exhaust gases causing it to spool, I don't know why it wouldn't work any more. But I am still learning.

 

Did you not replace your throttle body gasket? Are all your large hose clamps tightened all the way down, such as the one that connects the air intake to the throttle body?

 

If I were you I would reset my battery first and see what happens. If the problem is still there the ECU will flash the CEL again after the engine goes through a few more cycles.

Well Monkey, I took the negative off the battery for about and hour and turned off all accessories. Put it back on and started it without touching the pedal. The "check engine" light was off for about the first 2 or 3 minutes while it was running and then popped on. Let it run til' operating temp, then shut er down. Then took it for a drive on the freeway and may have been mistaken that the turbo was not kicking on. Still not too sure if it's the turbo or some kind of static. Because I can hear a winding noise when I punch it. It was not a real obvious noise. Just have not driven for a few days and got used to another car. Autozone guy told me they could only check for codes on 96' and newer Subaru's. It seems to run fine but don't know if I'm missing something. I'm stumped. What next?

A winding noise when punching it sounds to me like your turbo is spooling. Hook up the green connectors that are under your steering column and do a running test. Your CEL will blink in a pattern that indicates the trouble code. Trouble codes are composed of two numbers. Watch it for a few minutes. Long blinks indicate the first number, and short blinks indicate the second number. For instance, three long blinks followed by one short blink translates to 31. Or five long blinks followed by three short blinks translated to 53.

 

As far as the Autozone guy telling you that he can only check for codes on '96 and newer, he is mistaken. He can also check for many '95 models as well. IIRC '95 was a transition year between OBDI and OBDII. OBDII requires a scanner which is easily read by an auto parts technichian. An OBDI ECU like yours requires a tech to connect a few things and may be beyond the realm of experience of many auto techs as our cars are almost 20 years old.

 

Do a running test following the steps outlined in the links I provided. Then you will know what CEL code you are throwing. It may be something very simple to fix, such as a knock sensor.

You were right Monkey, it was the knock sensor. I connected the 2 green plugs under the dash as directed in your link from above and drove it. It took awhile for it to come on it gave me the code 22, the knock sensor. It seems to take longer and longer for it to come on but it always does. I do notice the performance worsen when the light comes on. Will it eventually not come on the longer I wait? I guess it is coincidence that it gave out, or giving out, after cleaning the throttle body. Are they related?

 

Now I know the problem and briefly started to read up in the Haynes manual but gave up when I read "remove intake manifold". Is there an easier way? Can I drive it for awhile and see if it goes away like some codes do? Will it affect anything else in the time being by driving it?

 

Any pointers on changing that sensor would be appeciated. That's all for now and me being long winded, but thank you Monkey for all your help. You saved me tons of time and wondering.

I guess I can answer all my own questions. I found the knock sensor down on the block and I think I know what happened. First off the sensor was obviously cracked open and was the culprit. Why did it happened during the throttle body cleaning? When I disconnected the 2 coolant lines at the base of the throttle body some coolant fell down onto the block into a pit. The pit had the sensor in it. The coolant seeped into the sensor ultimately finishing it off when I hit the key the first time. So it was related in an odd way. Tomorrow morning I will find a new sensor and install it with an update if it took care of the CEL.

You may want to check amazon for one. I've

had them priced out at shops and it's ridiculous

and used ones are never a good idea as they're

usually cracked also. But maybe you can find a

good deal on one elsewhere. Here's the part #

for the upgraded knock sensor (this was part

of a TSB for the earlier Legacy's)

 

22060AA031

Looks like Rock Auto has them for $43.

But here on ebay you have the same

part # for $15. Some people dont trust

places like Amazon and ebay though so

to each their own.

 

http://compare.ebay.com/like/150731003776?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y

You don't have to remove the intake mani to replace the sensor. You will need a long socket extension though. You might have to unplug the temp sensor on the coolant crossover pipe, but maybe not. I just took a look at mine and it seems easy enough to get to. I have replaced them on my second gen, but you have a bit more room to work with being non turbo. When I replaced the knock sensor on my turbo leggy the block was out so it was really easy.

 

I think you tighten down the new sensor to about 16 ft lbs, iirc. After installing, reset the ecu to be safe, which is easy enough since you will be disconnecting the battery while you do the install. It may help the performance of your car. I have heard that a bad knock sensor can make your car run like crap and eat up gas.

 

I bought knock sensors off ebay and they seem to be just fine. $15 is better than $50 at the auto parts store. I don't recommend this, but I had a 'friend' who needed one right away and bought one from the auto parts store and when the ebay sensor arrived he put it in the box and returned it.

 

I'm glad you found out what the problem was. Post up a pic of your leggy when you get a chance!

Everything is up and running now. No CEL after replacing the knock sensor. It was not to bad to replace but some strategy was needed for sure. I just went for the one at the dealership and it turned out to be $108. I know it will not go bad as soon as some of the cheapo's. I talked to a tech at Subaru when buying the knock sensor and he told me to torque it down to 11 ft. lbs. Of course the ECU was reset having the battery unplugged and it started right up with no CEL. Drove it from my shop up to my home on the freeway about an hour at 70 mph for an hour. Had no problems and it really was more comfortable at 80mph and had a lot more to give. It runs awesome now and very powerful after cleaning the throttle body and the new sensor. Thank you Monkeyposeur for all your help and knowledge. You made it very easy and I learned a lot.

 

Here's some photo's of my rig and blown out sensor.

Glad I could help. Wow, that wagon looks practically new!

 

How many miles are on it? How long have you owned it?

Right? Holy crap, man. That thing's

super clean. Cleaner than mine by

a lot and I literally cleaned the whole

engine bay when I pulled the engine.

Was it garage kept the whole time?

Hi,

I replied over on the LCBBS, and wanted to add that the '95 & '96 had the newer style knock sensors. They have the white connector (vs. gray) and are the better version that doesn't crack (or @ least as easy).

 

When I did my turbo swap into my '90, my '93 EJ22T had a cracked KS, too. When I went to drive it the 1st time it had no power...I was underwhelmed. The CEL came on, checked the codes, replaced it, and when the boost came on it put a big grin on my face.

 

Td

Yep. That's true. They has a technical service

bulletin on the old style for a few years, but

they got that fixed later on.

I got the car from a neighbor for some yard work to help her rent her house. Straight trade and paid me some dough. She had another car already and just let this sit because the battery died. It sat for about 2 years outside in Washington weather parked on the dirt. I knew the car had potential but had some problems. I already had a truck and did not really need a second car.

 

After the papers were signed I pushed it next door and degreased the engine compartment and did some serious scrubbing. It had tons of pine needles in every orifice and 2 years of mildew and grime. Pushed it into the shop and started on it. Luckily it came with all the service receipts so I know what had been done already. I started it once knowing there was oil in the top end. Did not want to run it with old gas for too long.

 

Here's all that I have replaced or repaired on the car since I acquired it 2 years ago. There was a list from her mechanic of things that needed to be done. I found some things too.

 

1. Oil and filter.

2. Transmission pan gasket and fluid.

3. A set of new bearings on right front.

4. Rear brake pads.

5. Brake fluid.

6. Drivers side rack and pinion boot.

7. Air filter.

8. Gapped and cleaned old plugs.

9. Used passenger front splash guard.

10. Flushed cooling system.

11. Front differential oil.

12. Checked fluid on rear differential.

13. Cleaned throttle body.

14. Knock sensor.

15. 3M headlight defogging.

16. Heavy scrubbing on exterior and interior.

17. Thorough wax job.

 

I have been running injector cleaner through the system every few tanks. I always use non ethanol gas when I have the choice.

 

The car has 160,171 original miles on it and probably runs just as good as new. Everything functions and is stock and going to keep it that way.

 

The only thing that wonders me is the humming noise coming from the rear end while driving at any speed. When I had it up on jack stands I was running through the gears and did not hear the noise. So my worries about the rear end and drive line are over. The tires have about 16,000 mile on them and have been sipped. They are Toyo Eclipse P195/ 60R -15 from Les Schwab. Am I hearing the tires because of the sipping done to them? Are they deformed from sitting in the dirt and same place for 2 years? Or is it a normal noise for an AWD and they are a hard tire? This is my only concern at this point with the car but I know it's the tires.

 

Here's some photos of it in the rare Washington sunshine:

Dude, you are soooo lucky! Congrats! Free!? And some dough!? Lucky!!! But I am one to talk, I was given a free turbo wagon as well, but it doesn't run, missing a lot of parts too. But the block is intact and I am going to build it up to be a super monster. The EJ22Ts are IMO one of the coolest engines Subaru ever made.

 

My SS has 160k on it and is just about as clean as yours but not quite. Mine has a tiny rust spot though on one of the fenders. Not bad for a Colorado car. But in September I am going to replace it and repaint the whole car so it looks brand new. For the most part I am also keeping it stock. When I got mine the HGs went so I pulled the motor and rebuilt the engine. It was sort of an epic. If you ever need to do your HGs or anything let me know. Be SUPER careful if you ever remove your tubro inlet elbow, lol. They are discontinued and crack at the slightest touch.

 

From what I know, if tires sit without being driven, they develop flat spots, even if they are new. So that may be your humming problem. If you get new tires, make sure you get all four replaced so you don't burn out your diff. Wheel bearings could be bad, but they are usually really noisy and sound like your wheel is about to fall off.

 

What do you mean by sipped? I haven't heard that before.

 

FWIW, I have read over on BBS that the best plugs for our cars are NGK Vpowers. Here is the thread: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=634 I put some in my SS and no complaints. But I also dont have anything to compare them to as I only drove my SS a block or two before I dismantled the poor beast.

 

I was guessing you must be up in WA since your Touring Wagon is so clean and beautiful. I used to live up there and I love to go and visit my sister and see all the cool old rust free cars up there.

 

Did you run Seafoam through the vacuum lines yet?

 

Man, you are a lucky guy, lol! Don't ever sell it.

I guess "sipping" is when they cut slits crossways in the tire tread's for better traction during rain. Not sure what they do it with and if it voids warranty. Seems like it would. It was done by Les Schwab when the tires were bought new. It has it on the original receipt for $11 a tire. Seems like the tire is built the way the manufacturer wanted it or else they would have done it.

 

Thanks for the tip on removing the turbo elbow. It functions awesome as of now but is getting old. I kind of experienced how brittle the tube for the throttle body is. I took it very gingerly when taking it off. It was a very hard plastic that could have broken a few things if in a hurry.

 

I have not run Seafoam through the vacuum lines yet. Not too familiar with Seafoam or it's purpose in running it through. I assume it cleans out residue. But what is the procedure?

It cleans out your vacuum lines. It's about $9 a can. You put 1/3 into the gas tank, 1/3 into the oil, and run 1/3 through the vacuum line while the car is running. All you do is start the car, take the vacuum line off the master brake cylinder and slowly pour it into the tube. It seemed to help both of my subies run a little bit better.

^ Be ready to smoke out the neighborhood w/the Seafoam. When ingested thru the vacuum lines it creates a lot of smoke - not bad for the car, just a nuisance for everyone else.

 

It's 'sipe' as in siped or siping. Commonly done on tires in the snow belt for added traction and wet weather. And it doesn't void the warranty...if it's done @ the shop where you buy 'em.

 

Read THIS.

 

Td

I've heard Seafoam can clog up lines

and leave deposits in things when used

on an older car that may not be the

cleanest.