1990 Subaru Legacy
1990 Subaru Legacy questions and answers
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Q: 1990 subaru legacy LS automatic transmission not shifting?
trans rebuilt by trans shop 6mo ago, back to shop trans sill good,went to another trans shop for second opinion, same as first, still good. was told that the ECM is bad, what else could be wrong, and where can i get the OBD1 cable scanner is actron SUPER auto scanner CP9145 for my subaru 1990 Legacy LS wagon. thanks for your hlp in advance.
A: I call B.S. There is a very small chance that you have a bad ECM. How can a second shop tell you that the tranny is good, if it is not shifting? Sounds bad to me. Anyway, there are a lot of tranny control modules available used. The 90 and 91 share the same one. I think something has gone wrong from the rebuild. I have rebuilt over 100 of those things.
As far as the code reader goes, the 90 has a built-in diagnostic program in the ECM. Plug the green single wire connector together. It is under the dash on the right side of the steering column. When you turn on the key, the red LED on the ECM will flash the code.
There is also a sequence that you can go through with the shifter on the tranny to pull a code out of it too. You will need to buy a Chilton's manual to get the sequence.
Q: 1990 subaru legacy 2.2 overheats and heater blows cold?
I have a FWD 1990 subaru legacy. It overheats and the heater blows cold. I changed the thermostat and that didn't help. Any advice?
A: Like the above comments stated, make sure your cooling system is completely filled. Air pockets are likely trapped in the heater core and stopping coolant flow.
If not air pockets, that's a normal sign of a blown head gasket, which is very uncommon for the 2.2L engine. As exhaust gas takes the place of coolant in the system, it can't hold heat like coolant can, so when you blow air across your heater core...you get no heat.
Q: 1990 subaru legacy . When going uphill or hard acceleration engine misses and dies?
1990 subaru legacy 2.5l auto awd 350000km. When going uphill or hard acceleration the engine will start to ping then vibrate serverly and then dies. I will pull over and turn off then it will restart and run smooth. The engine start to ping then seems it loses1 or 2 cylinders thus causing lose of power, vibrating and than stall. Other than this the engine runs smooth on idle and drives smooth until I get to a situation where I need more power for more than 5sec.
Burns on oil, Compression is 180-185.
Parts I changed. Plugs NGK, plug wires, coil, O2 sensor, MAF sensor, fuel pump, fuel filter, air filter, timing belt, knock sensor, exhaust system cat and muffler. Have run sea foam and TKO injector cleaners.
I am not showing any codes. And gas millage seems to be OK
I am running out of thing to change.
I bought the car knowing of the problem but I did not count on it been this much of a problem
Any help is appreciated
A: Unless the engie was switched you should have a 2.2 litre 4 cylinder engine. Is it auto or stick? Check the cap and rotor.
Q: What refrigerant for ac does a 1990 Subaru Legacy use?
Can I use a booster? Do I need retrofit? Do I need the old kind or the new kind? My dad said after so many years the "freon" just gets used up. Do I have to check for a leak or is it unsafe to just boost it? Boost it or use actual ferigerant? R-12 or R-134 or neither?
A: it is under the hood.
i have a stationwagon just like it and i'm 16.
yeah, i drive that stationwagon to school and i call it the shaggin wagon
Q: What kind of engine did a 1990 Subaru Legacy have?
Boxer or inline?
A: 2.2 litre 4cylinder boxer engine.
Q: What type of freon is in my 1990 subaru legacy L 2.2L FWD?
im looking to recharge my AC however i do not want to mix coolants, as i have read online this can't be good.
any help is appreciated thanks!
A: R12, you need to get the AC system updated for the new coolant. For a 1990 unless the car is in mint condition don't waste your money
Q: I have a 1990 subaru Legacy that MAY have a blown head gasket.?
Pep Boys diagnosed that a head gasket was blown but didnt really see any coolant mixed with engine oil yet. The engine is also running smoothly right now.Can I remove the thermostat to get the engine to run cooler until I find a 2nd opinion to help me troubleshoot this problem?
A: You can, but the car won't run as well as it could.
A radiator shop or garage can test for fuel or oil contaminants in the coolant system.
If an engine cylinder burns the little coolant that it's sucking in on the intake stroke, then you won't see any coolant in the oil. But when the piston goes up on the compression stroke, it will push gases into the coolant.
The suspect cylinder's piston will be nice and clean on top, usually shiny aluminum, since the water will cause the carbon buildup to break apart. The spark plug will also look different.
Q: how do u replace a (warning light ) door switch on a 1990 subaru legacy?
can u disconnect them. they wont go off and run the battery down. i dont drive it that often
A: the door switch pops out, you can use a small regular screwdriver around the outside edge. pop it out and then just unhook the wire on the back, and tape the wire over as to not short out. you can get this switch at a dealership, they are really cheap to replace.
Q: How do I read the trouble codes on a 1990 subaru legacy?
A: Check out the website, has listing of how to read and what they mean.
Good luck!
Q: 1990 subaru legacy transmisson question?
What is the purpose of manual mode on the automatic transmisson. What does it do, and how do you use it?
A: It allows you to shift gears yourself. When you are in manual mode, you can move the shift lever through the gears (1,2,3) and it will not automatically shift.
It can be particularly useful in winter when you may want to start the car out in 2nd gear to get better traction.
Q: My husband just replaced the radiator of my subaru legacy 1990 sw and the temperature is going all the way up?
Can it be the thermostat?
A: It sounds like trapped air in the system. Run it at idle for a while with the coolant overflow resivior cap open.
It could also be that he didn't put enough coolant back in when he replaced it.
Q: would it be safe to convert my 1990 subaru legacy to turbo?
i got a 1990 subaru legacy with an NA 2.2L fwd boxer 4.... i was wondering if it would be save to bolt on a turbo from one of the turbo models without loosing much reliability.. im not planing on runing full boost either.. i dont want to end up blowing my engine ^^ it only has 140k miles on it too... thanks :D
A: It depends on how well the engine has been taken care of. Regular maintenance, oil changes when their due, that sort of thing. It also depends on who installs the turbo. You can't just slap one on and expect it to work correctly. Basically they need to know what their doing. There could be alot of differences between the turbo and NA models. Compression ratio, fuel injectors, computers.
They can be reliable if done correctly.
Q: How much MPG does a 1990 Subaru Legacy have?
I think it is a 2.0 L engine, but i'm not sure.
A: It doesn't look like Subaru put a 2.0 in the 1990 Legacy. They did put a 2.2 in them, and they get 21/28 (city/hwy) per gallon, if it's mated to a 4spd automatic. 5spd manuals get slightly better, but it doesn't really matter. The wagon version gets better gas mileage, too. All the info you need can be found at the website below. Glad to have helped!
Q: how do i remove a torque converter on a 1990 subaru legacy?
the torque converter is stuck on the transmission. I disconnected the torque converter from the driveplate before I separated the engine from the transmission. it seems like it is stuck on the shaft. it spins freely. The transmission is bad.
A: the torque converter is not stuck. Something is holding it onto the trans. Look at your manuals and see if there's something holding it on that you might not easily see with your eyes.
You're in pretty deep, you know...good luck.
Q: I have a AWD 1990 subaru legacy. I replaced the radiator cap and now I have no heat? Now that it holds in the?
antifreeze, it will not blow out warm air until the temp. gauge is the middle? when it drops below the C, I have nothing but cold air? is this the thermastat?
A: question is why did the cap need replaced,what was it doing that required the cap?theres a lot of pressure in the cooling system.thermostat sounds like a possblity but if the heater core is bad you wont have heat either.bypass the core and watch your temp gauge while the engine is running,if the engine stays normal range,check the core,if the engine gets hot its the thermostat.