Newb with a 1990 Legacy issue

Hey everyone. Just joined. I recently bought (stole?) a 1990 Subaru Legacy for $300 from a friend. It runs but runs horribly. The engine was rebuilt and ran fine for roughly 18,000 miles and then started in with the issue and my friend never bothered getting it fixed or looked at. Its a hard start when cold. Once it starts it idles REAAALLLY low rpm and pretty rough. pushing the throttle does nothing. After some finessing the throttle and allowing the engine to warm up it will finally rev. When driving it stutters and seems way down on power. Any ideas? I have already swapped the TPS with another used one and saw no change. I also recently swapped the MAF with a used unit and also saw no change. Going to replace all plugs and wires tomorrow. Any other ideas? IAC? fuel pump? I really hate to just throw parts at it hoping for a cure. It is not showing a CEL either.

Did you clean the used MAF with MAF cleaner? Rough idle could be your IACV.

 

Check your fuel pressure to rule out a bad fuel pump. That could be your problem.

Coolant temp sensor issues are common too, especially with cold starts. A bad coolant temp sensor will "tell" the ecu that the engine may be -40, so the ecu will add more fuel, essentially flooding it out.

Get a spark checker, as i call em. They go inline of your plug wire to see if you have spark. An old fashion timing light does the same thing, just to see if the coil is working on that cylinder. I have a little "wand" thats the size of an ink pen, and picks up the inductive current going thru the wire.

Another way to check is spark? I dont suggest it unless you know what your doing (as me being a professional mechanic, i know to be careful), but once its running, with some insulated gloves, unplug each plug wire and see if its firing. You have to hold the wire somewhat close to the coil, but if its working, you will know.. If not, try another coil. Thats all ill say for now... gotta get back to work.

Thanks for the input guys. That's part of my grief....there is like 14.5 different things that could be wrong that would cause similar symptoms haha. And with no CEL to tell the story and limited specialty tools it's a crap shoot throwing parts at it until it's fixed. I'm trying to flip the car for a profit and don't want to dump a bunch of unnecessary parts into it. There has to be a point where I can either sell it as is for a little less $ or finally fix it but still be in the same profit margin after throwing parts at it ya know :/

And I did clean the replacement MAF before installing it.

Yeah, I've been there too. It can be frustrating.

 

Good call about the the temp sensor and at least a coolant temp sensor is only about $15 and it won't cost you much to check your fuel pressure if you borrow a gauge. Sometimes if the fuel pump is dying replacing the fuel filter helps a bit. You can always clean the IACV but a new gasket will run you about $10. Maybe try some Sea Foam too, but I don't think that will fix your issue.

 

Go over all the vacuum lines for leaks too. If you spray some starter fluid on the hoses and there is a leak you will get a surge in rpms.

I did run some seafoam through it. It smoked a bit but didnt seem to help. If the coolant temp sensor is that cheap maybe I will try that next. Getting closer and closer to just putting up for sale as is.

Welp, I replaced the Coolant Temp sensor. Still no go. I have now replaced the TPS, MAF, CTS, and all plugs and wires. It has spark at the coil pack. I pulled off the "in" line at the fuel filter and had fuel there. Kind of at a loss right now. I may be slapping it up for sale "as is" here tomorrow.

Time for compression test. Maybe it jumped cam timing. If you havent done a compression test before, I remove all the plugs and as im cranking the engine, i open the throttle all the way. Thats common with most of the car makers, so i do it every time.

that's all that I can think left to do is look into the timing. If it jumped timing is that a big repair bill?

Did my timing belt jump timing? I see that there is a hash mark on the pulley at about 4 o'clock while the line on the belt is lined up on the timing mark...?

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140808_180235_zps98dihwee.jpg

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140808_180321_zpserxpsjg5.jpg

also, it looks like there may be a little bit of metal shavings in the case.... possibly lost some teeth on one of the other pulleys?

If theres corrosion on the grounds it can cause problems. Use jumper cables for ground wires to quickly rule this problem out. Run one from battery ground to engine block then battery to the chassis/firewall. If the compression test doesnt reveal anything.. Do you have a haynes repair manual? It goes through troubleshooting the engine management electronics. Have more patients and stop throwing parts at it, the repair manual is essential. I've worn out two copies because i use it so much.

So Im assuming the above pictures do not tell a story?

Hello;

I would be concerned about the metal shavings and could be the reason for the crappy running. Could be engine pulley, cam or crank sensor, or bad idlers. There is plenty of info here on timing, do a search. I check the timing by counting the teeth on the timing belt. Lining up the marks on the covers is misleading and inaccurate, Steven.

Thank you all for all of the good info and input. Please bare with me, and stick with me as I work through this. I pulled the timing belt covers and it appears that the belt jumped timing. But the reason was unknown...but then I found the crankshaft pulley key pin was basically falling out..and that it had basically reemed out the key hole enough to allow it to get pretty loose. I did notice that the harmonic balancer was wobbly when the car was running before. I'm sure that an under-torqued balancer is what cause the key to be messed up. below are some pictures.

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140812_180131_zpsumwr0bm1.jpg

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140812_180152_zps0tzdnapu.jpg

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140812_182757_zpsjje7gp5c.jpg

 

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/raptorbuck/20140812_182809_zpsggvzljvc.jpg

 

So next question... Is this fixable by replacing the pulley and installing a new key?

The keyway is part of the crankshaft so you would have to replace it.

 

I have heard tales of JB welding the key to a new crank gear and torquing the pulley back down and it holding, but there would be no turning back after that.

yikes what a nightmare. Im 2 for 2 with horrible experiences with Subaru. this one, and my wife's 2010 Forester. Never again!

The keyway is part of the crankshaft so you would have to replace it.

 

I have heard tales of JB welding the key to a new crank gear and torquing the pulley back down and it holding, but there would be no turning back after that.

 

well It seems as though if its either that or a new crank or motor, then JB weld is looking like a great option.

I don't think you can consider buying a 1990 vehicle for $300 as a "horrible experience" What did you expect?!?

 

With a bit of effort you can easily scrap the whole thing for more than you paid for it.

 

Agreed. Thats why I bought it. Assuming I could at least make a little money off of it. This little car could potentially be a great littler commuter/runner. Its just crazy/frustrating for something such as this to even be an issue...and an apparently common one at that! For such a small piece if equipment to be allowed to potentially ruin an engine/crank. Granted, the timing equipment on this engine has been about the easiest I have ever dealt with..but still, A simple harmonic balancer/pulley/key way issue that can turn into a shot crank.... a harmonic balancer working its way loose shouldnt even be a potential issue if engineered correctly. Oh well.

what if I just welded the living sh!t out of the keyway hole and just forgo the woodruff key all together?

That's what shop did to a coworker of mine's subaru and it held fine until he traded it in a year later. Your mileage may vary!

 

S Wings auto (http://www.swingsauto.com/index.php) makes a kit to fix this, but it is $175, at least according to this old thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/47115-ej22-crank-pulleyharmonic-balancerwoodruff-key-damage/

 

It seems that others just forgo the keyway altogether and just torque the bolt back on and everything works fine. That's probably what I would try. If the pulley slips it won't affect timing, just the drive belts.

my biggest concern is the orientation of the crank since if the crank gear is off compared to the actual position of the crank then it will affect the rest of the timing. Trying to work through a solution as we speak. keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for the input everyone. I took it all apart and re aligned the timing marks, verified the number of teeth on each side of the crank gear and put it back together with a new crank pulley/gear. She now starts and runs like she should! Actually kind of surprised at how peppy she is. In the end the harmonic balancer coming loose led to the keyway boring itself out and allowing the crankshaft gear to turn somewhat independent of the rest of the pulleys to an extent (if that makes sense). A new crank gear and woodruff key, timing realigned and all is good.