Gary Thomas
08-11-2000, 06:57 AM
This is a procedure for 92 and 93 SVXs to fix a hesitation problem. I compiled information from Phil North, Ray Haliston, and others.
There are other sites you should visit before you perform the operation http://www.kineticconcepts.com/cgi-bin/journal.cgi?type=article&month=03&count=single&serial_number=19981202
http://members.tripod.com/quick_svx/TSBs92/42748814.html this one is the official TSB from Subaru of America
http://208.9.184.110/MembersList/ViewMemberPics.cfm?MemberID=1635&PicNumber=2
1. Location and access. The ECU is under the Steering column. It's a metallic box about one inch thick and about 6” x 5”. You have to lay on your back and put the back of your head on the floor mat to see it. Some people have recommended you take off the suede panel under the steering column. It is only held on by 2 10mm bolts behind the money holder and the parking lights buttons. Just pry those out with a flat screwdriver and take off the bolts. You have better access to the ECU now. On the bottom of the box (ECU) there is a yellow bank of wires and connectors that span the entire length of the ECU. Release these connectors by pressing on each side of the connector and pulling in a downward direction. The bank of wires is split up into 5 connectors, so take one at a time. There is a cylinder and a brown box thing both about 1" in circumference/length and width attached to the ECU bracket. Some people recommend moving these for access to the ECU. The cylinder just slides out of the bracket and can be shoved toward the dash out of the way. The brown box you need to take a flat head screw driver to. Push the brown box away from the ECU (the bracket is very flexible and bends easily). This reveals the notch for the screwdriver. Just stick it in and pry up a little, so that the brown unit slides down off the bracket. Then just slide the thing off and shove it up into the dash somewhere to get it out of the way. Ok now your ready to remove the ECU.
2. There are three 10mm nuts attaching the bracket. Once you have the nuts off the ECU slides up and then back down to disconnect from the other metal box that just hangs there with the remainder of the ECU bracket. You can now take the ECU box to a more comfortable workstation to open it.
3. Remove the six Phillips head screws securing the cover. Caution I almost striped the heads out of two of mine. Be sure to use a lot of pressure while turning them, even when they are almost out. Now remove the cover and compare what you see to the drawing in the link above. An actual photograph would be great now.
4. The noise suppressor is tiny and black -NOT TAN. It looks like an inductor. It's cylindrical, with what appears to be a ferrite wrap around a metallic core, perhaps 1/4" in diameter, with wires from each end). Ok now you take a little piece of electrical tape and wrap the resistor. Use just enough to cover the thing but nothing more. Now take a pair of needle nose pliers and squeeze. CAUTION: Be careful not to brake the wire that goes through the resistor. This would be very bad. $800 bad thus the risk part of the operation. Don't worry I squeezed as hard as I could and still didn't brake the wire, the important thing is to not use a twisting motion with the pliers. Ok now that the suppressor is crushed, gently as to not break the wire take off the tape. Most of the pieces of the crushed plastic should come off on the tape. Gently shake the rest out.
5. Now just put everything back together the way that it came out.
There are other sites you should visit before you perform the operation http://www.kineticconcepts.com/cgi-bin/journal.cgi?type=article&month=03&count=single&serial_number=19981202
http://members.tripod.com/quick_svx/TSBs92/42748814.html this one is the official TSB from Subaru of America
http://208.9.184.110/MembersList/ViewMemberPics.cfm?MemberID=1635&PicNumber=2
1. Location and access. The ECU is under the Steering column. It's a metallic box about one inch thick and about 6” x 5”. You have to lay on your back and put the back of your head on the floor mat to see it. Some people have recommended you take off the suede panel under the steering column. It is only held on by 2 10mm bolts behind the money holder and the parking lights buttons. Just pry those out with a flat screwdriver and take off the bolts. You have better access to the ECU now. On the bottom of the box (ECU) there is a yellow bank of wires and connectors that span the entire length of the ECU. Release these connectors by pressing on each side of the connector and pulling in a downward direction. The bank of wires is split up into 5 connectors, so take one at a time. There is a cylinder and a brown box thing both about 1" in circumference/length and width attached to the ECU bracket. Some people recommend moving these for access to the ECU. The cylinder just slides out of the bracket and can be shoved toward the dash out of the way. The brown box you need to take a flat head screw driver to. Push the brown box away from the ECU (the bracket is very flexible and bends easily). This reveals the notch for the screwdriver. Just stick it in and pry up a little, so that the brown unit slides down off the bracket. Then just slide the thing off and shove it up into the dash somewhere to get it out of the way. Ok now your ready to remove the ECU.
2. There are three 10mm nuts attaching the bracket. Once you have the nuts off the ECU slides up and then back down to disconnect from the other metal box that just hangs there with the remainder of the ECU bracket. You can now take the ECU box to a more comfortable workstation to open it.
3. Remove the six Phillips head screws securing the cover. Caution I almost striped the heads out of two of mine. Be sure to use a lot of pressure while turning them, even when they are almost out. Now remove the cover and compare what you see to the drawing in the link above. An actual photograph would be great now.
4. The noise suppressor is tiny and black -NOT TAN. It looks like an inductor. It's cylindrical, with what appears to be a ferrite wrap around a metallic core, perhaps 1/4" in diameter, with wires from each end). Ok now you take a little piece of electrical tape and wrap the resistor. Use just enough to cover the thing but nothing more. Now take a pair of needle nose pliers and squeeze. CAUTION: Be careful not to brake the wire that goes through the resistor. This would be very bad. $800 bad thus the risk part of the operation. Don't worry I squeezed as hard as I could and still didn't brake the wire, the important thing is to not use a twisting motion with the pliers. Ok now that the suppressor is crushed, gently as to not break the wire take off the tape. Most of the pieces of the crushed plastic should come off on the tape. Gently shake the rest out.
5. Now just put everything back together the way that it came out.