David in Hampshire

And to think that, when launched, it was 'engine of the year'. Who thinks these things?

I think you've answered most of your questions. You've got to the point of "there's only one way to find out". The only thing that does raise an eyebrow is the ECU. I would look into flashing from an autobox'd one. I'd imagine the ECU would have a fit to turn on and find out that it's had a gearbox transplant! There seems to be a lot of noise concerning RomRaider and other software but as of now, I can't find anyone who has successfully used it. Maybe i'm looking in the wrong place.

Just taken one apart, Mr B. IMHO, this unit fails totally, and not by increment. One write up to follow!

Fix it with this. EGR valves available in the 'for sale' section.

Direct from the factory. £90 inc p&p. Mine failed, I had to replace it, so I tracked down the factory which makes them and had to order a box full. I did a write up for the EGR valves and you can read it here - Brand new, straight from the factory. I'm not a dealer so these are pretty much what they cost me (goods, import duty, tax, delivery - it all adds up). Add a bit for p&p and you get a brand new EGR valve. UK delivery only, £90 including postage, paypal is great. PM for details. EGR map.pdf

Fixed it, You can read the how to thread here.

Subaru’s 2.0 diesel engine has a few faults, the one that seems to cause the most trouble is when the EGR valve fails. Not only does it hamper performance but it is also an MOT failure. Here’s how to fix it. If you want to read the background then look at this thread. I've been all over the web trying to sort this, chasing bad information. The final pieces of the puzzle came to be by way of my friendly Subaru mechanic. First thing first – what does it do? When the engine is running, the valve allows some of the exhaust gasses to recirculate back into the engine. The purpose of this is to lower the Nitrous Oxide (Nox) emissions. It rotates through 70 degrees from fully closed and this is decided by the Engine Management Unit. On full throttle, or when the engine is idling, the valve is closed. The valve opens in a very managed way depending on the speed of the car and the throttle position. All controlled by the EMU. How does it fail? Cheap fuel, short journeys. The carbon (soot) in the exhaust gasses accumulate in the valve and it eventually seizes. The motor in the EGR housing tries to move the valve but it doesn’t so the tiny little motor burns out and fails. And this shows up as P0409. There is no optical sensor – it doesn’t exist. The only fix is to remove and replace the EGR valve. Subaru part number 14710-AA740. If you buy a second hand valve then chances are it’s knackered before you start. If the motor still works then remove the carbon deposits with carb cleaner so that the valve can move. They are filthy. You can buy a replacement from Subaru, or you can buy a pattern part. Subaru don’t make them, btw, just like they don’t make tyres. How do you know that the EGR has failed? Apart from Error Code P0409, you’ll see two warning lights – they’re on the bottom left of the dashboard display. What you’ll see is the traction control light and the engine management light. These come on together because of the knackered EGR valve. In reality, traction control has now been disabled (MOT failure!), fuel economy is suffering and you won’t have the same acceleration as before. This particular loss is incremental and you won’t have noticed it. The Engine Management light is another MOT failure so you’ve really got to get this done. I did this to my high mileage 2008 Outback. The pictures are of my car and I know it’s not a show piece so don’t start telling me! Why not print this out and have it with you as you do the work? How to replace the EGR valve in 4 easy steps. This isn’t difficult, maybe a little daunting but it’s easy to do. All instructions are with you standing at the front of the car, looking into the engine bay. Here’s a list of what you’ll need: New EGR valve 2 x plastic bags Socket set, short and long extensions 12mm ring spanner Copper-slip grease Long nose pliers Paper towel Step 1 – Remove the Intercooler Take the black engine case off – it just pulls off. On the LHS, loosen 2x hose clamps on the intercooler inlet and remove the angled, black link pipe. Cover the remaining pipe with a plastic bag so nothing falls in. At the bottom of this pipe is the turbo. Loosen the hose clamp on the outlet (RHS) of the intercooler, leaving the pipe in place. This clamp is captive so just undo it. Undo 1x 12mm bolt on the back left of the intercooler, 1x on the back right and then the 2 x bolts on the support bracket. Remove the bracket. Whilst you’re doing this, move the pipe that is attached out of the way too – it just unclips. Be careful as intercoolers are delicate and expensive to replace! Standing on the RHS, remove the intercooler. The rotation releases the intercooler from the outlet pipe and remember to cover it with a plastic bag. Step 2 – Remove the EGR valve It is located at the top of the engine, on the LHS, behind the big cross piece. Important for you to know that: We are going to remove 2x studs from the exhaust side, and then 4x bolts which fix the EGR to the inlet manifold, and they must go back into the same place. There are two gaskets and you don’t want to drop them. There is a bolt which holds the coolant pipe to a frame and you don’t want to drop this either. There are 2x rubber coolant pipes which attach to the EGR valve. There is 1x electrical connector. The exhaust pipe that attaches to the back of the EGR valve, chrome coloured, is cooled. With a 12mm socket on a short extension, remove the bolt which secures the J pipe to the frame. It is located halfway down the square section on the wheel side. It screws in towards you. You find it on the LHS, just follow the pipe. At the end of this J shaped pipe, where it attaches to the valve, there are 2x 12mm nuts. You’ll need either a deep socket or a ring spanner. Loosen but do not remove. With a 6mm socket, remove the studs, bottom one first, catching the gasket. The gaskets are metal and could quite possibly be used again. This pipe is now loose. Using a 12mm socket and/or a ring spanner, remove the 4x bolts that hold the valve onto the inlet. At some point you will need to take the coolant pipes off too. Do not drop the gasket. Use the long nose pliers to remove the coolant pipe clamps, and pull the hoses off. You will lose a little coolant. If they’re stuck on (most probably!) use a right-angled pick or cotter pin puller to separate the hose from the metal pipe. Be very careful because if you damage these pipes… Unplug the electrics. Remove the valve by rotating it and up and out to the left. Remember how you do this because the new valve will go in the same way. Well done, you’re half way there! Clean up – soot, threads and the merest of copper-slip, coolant, leaves etc. Step 3 – Replace the EGR valve Important to note: Reversal of the remove, really. I had the slightest of copper-slip on all mating surfaces. What is needed will stay, what’s not will get burnt off. Coolant only needs to be topped up if needed. Careful with the electrics – they don’t like coolant. EGR valve in. Connect the electrics. Slide in the top two bolts and slide the gasket in so that it hangs off the threads of the bolts. Push the bolts through, into their holes and turn just enough so that the threads catch. Do the same with the bottom bolts. When they’re all ready, tighten them up. Coolant pipes on. Studs in. Top one first. Same trick with the gasket but feed the stud through, holding the gasket on the rhs. Hang the gasket off the top stud, feed in the bottom stud. Sorted. Tighten but not too much as you don’t want them to bottom out in the valve body whilst you’re still flexing your muscles. A snug fit. Tighten the nuts. Secure the pipe back to the frame with the remaining 12mm bolt. Intercooler back on. Engine case back on. Done. Step 4 – Start the engine and remove the error codes You’ll see the two error lights. They’re one the bottom left of the dashboard display. What you’ll see is the traction control light and the engine management light. If you plug your test kit in then the fault record still remains. You have to delete these records and then go for a drive to test it all out. If you don’t have your own test kit, and your car failed it’s MOT then at the re-test, ask them to remove the codes. You can buy test kit, and you can get an OBD2 plug and use an app on your phone! And that’s it. I think you can give yourself a little pat on the back for a job well done. And you’ve saved yourself hundreds of pounds to boot! EGR map.pdf

Hi Morph Same engine as mine, but i'm in an Outback. Yeah, resetting the ECU won't stop the notification of the fault. If you do a swap-over then you'll need some very small security torx bits to get the top off. As luck would have it, I have been in contact with the factory in China where these valves are made - the joys of the internet. I have 10 brand new ones on their way to me. Obvious when you think about it, really, car manufacturers don't make seats, they certainly don't make tyres and they don't make EGR valves either. It's all from China. Rumour has it that most Triumph motorbikes are made in Thailand, and then assembled in England. As the advert says - "Vauxhall, a British brand since 1903". Vauxhall are owned by Opel who are owned by Peugeot/Citroen. Subaru EGR's appear to be made in China. I was going to do a Nissan swap-over but thought, I can't be arsed. So when they arrive i'll do another 'how to' and all going well, you can have one of these new ones.

When did you last check the ATF?

I use Machine Mart whenever I can. Good kit.

Got news for you lot. Been into my Subaru main dealer and the parts guy assures me that there is no optical sensor. We drew a map of where the gas goes and the mechanic told me that P0409 comes up when the motor in the EGR housing fails. As far as Subaru is concerned, there is only one possible solution. What does P0409 mean? The valve is a disc that rotates on its vertical axis, like a coin. This is enabled by a motor and I believe that the max open position is 70 degrees. 5 wires go into the EGR valve, one of which is 5v so don't fry it! A pipe comes up off the exhaust, and the gasses flow through the EGR back into the engine in an effort to burn uncombusted fuel. Yeah, I know, but this is how it's designed. When the valve opens, the exhaust gasses flow. The wider the opening, the more gasses. The valve is closed when the engine is idling and when your giving it full throttle. It is not dependent only on the vehicle speed or the revs of the engine. The lower mark is engine revolutions and the upper mark is throttle position. It opens by degrees of rotation depending on where the revs are and what the car is doing. So if you've got your toes in the carpet then the valve is closed. Capish? Which means that if the failed EGR valve is stuck 'open' then the car is harder to start because the mix is too lean (too much air) but performs better under power because the mix is richer (close on the right amount of air for that amount of diesel). If the valve is stuck 'closed' then it is easier to start because the mix is right but you lose power and have lower MPG whilst moving. You can short the EGR out whilst the engine is idling and if it's operating then it will stall for this reason. And if your valve is stuck in the wrong place then the Nox (Nitrous Oxide) reading may fail your MOT. So if the valve is stuck, the electronics will still prompt the motor to operate the valve but as it's not going to move, the motor will eventually fail (burn out) and the EMU will throw a P0409 error code. Your EGR valve is stuck and the motor is dead. Resetting the fault code will not fix a burnt out motor. What's the solution? The fastest is to buy a new one. Or you could buy a pattern part for a Nissan or Mitsubishi, dismantle the two and make one good one out of the bits. What isn't going to help you one bit is any form of spray, seafoam or any other type of EGR cleaner because the part has already burnt out - you're trying to fix the wrong problem And if it's seized in a 'closed' position then it's straight out the exhaust anyway, and if it's seized in an 'open' position then the motor is knackered anyway. It is a spray, not a magic want. The part number is 14710-AA740 but the last 5 digits change depending on if your looking at a Nissan Pathfinder/Navara (14710-EC00D). Nissan can be found for just over £60 on Ebay. New Subaru are over £300. The main difference seems to be the coolant pipes. I'll buy a new part and do a 'how to'. The PDF attachment is a Subaru parts map. Laterz dsc_0709.pdf

Drop links, sway bar links, anti-roll bars - different names, same job. But if you want to change them, it's actually quite easy to do. And they are pretty much the same from model to model. An easy job to do if you're competent with a spanner, have some decent kit and a bit of muscle. You don't need to take the wheels off, nor do you need heat or an air spanner. You might do... The symptoms are side to side rolling at high speed corners, and more noticeable, feeling every stone you drive over. A jolting, jarring ride. And you'll never get the tracking right as there is too much play. Their purpose is to connect the axle/wishbone to a torsion bar so that the 'bump' is transferred to a piece of spring steel and not to you. It's pretty much the same parts and procedure from model to model. If it's this way on an Outback, then it's the same on a Legacy etc. Step by step, read on. Photo 1. I made my own ramps out of old scaffolding boards. Drive on, handbrake on and in gear. Photo 2. The tools you need: 1/2 inch ratchet with a 17mm socket. 5mm allen drive on a 3/8 ratchet 17mm ratchet spanner 17mm ring spanner Crow bar - to move things around if needed Torch A hammer for fine adjusting Penetrating oil. Photo 3. How it starts. Spray the threads, the nut and any joining surfaces with penetrating oil and then go away. Have breakfast, drink coffee, watch a film. You may need to spray again. Notice the alignment of the threaded bars - they're nearly parallel. This will change as you put in the new ones. Photo 4. Not going to photograph every step of the way so this is a picture of the new one but the procedure is the same. Use the 1/2" 17mm socket to loosen the nut because you get a better fit, more leverage and you're not going to round off the nut. Put the allen drive into the end of the bar to stop it from rotating and a 17mm spanner to undo the nut. A ratchet spanner is really handy. Photo 5. They come off the same way that they go on. Notice the alignment of the threaded bars - not parallel any more because the torsion bar has moved - it's under a different strain from the other side of the car. Photo 7. When the nuts are off, it looks like this. No air spanners needed, just British muscle. Photo 8. If you are forcing the new links in, they you're doing it wrong. You do not need a hammer. Use a trolley jack to alter the position of the torsion bar. Either it needs to go up of the wishbone needs to. Line up the holes and pop the new drop links straight in. Nuts on and tighten with your ratchet spanner, allen drive to hold it steady and tighten them up with a ring spanner. The nuts are nylon lock nuts so they'll lock on. I have no idea as to what torque setting it is, but you won't get a torque drive in their anyway. Just pinch them up with a ring spanner. Photo 9. The finished article. It shouldn't need tracking as this doesn't effect that alignment. Photo 10. The old. These are ball and socket joints, covered by a rubber gaiter. The bottom two were seized solid. The gaiter on the top left has a hole in it so was full of water. The top right was the only one that was working reasonably well. Quite possibly the originals with 92000 miles on them. Photo 11. The new. These are made by 'Blue Print' a brand available in England. Just reboxed OEM kit. £18 each, cheaper online. Photo 12. Side by side. No photo 6

This is the thread that won't go away. Gambit. sounds great but imagine I don't know what or where this sensor is. What do I do?

Outback, 2008 diesel, complete with P0409 I've had the EGR valve out and couldn't find the carb cleaner. M'sahib recommended oven cleaner and you know what, there's a lovely smell that follows you around! Got tons of carbon out of the assembly but not all of it. I have no clue if it's working correctly but I do know what has to happen next. Take it out again and get the back off - tamper torq bolts and I didn't have the kit at the time. Dismantle and soak until it's like new. Squirt loads of carb cleaner down the J pipe and some into the inlet on the other side of the valve too. Q is, how do you test it to be working? As it's electric and not pneumatic, I imagine i'd have to put 12 volts across two terminals and the valve should open. But here's where I get lost. Any pointers? ta, David

Do you still have these? Don't know if mine is self levelling - wouldn't know either way! But interested in the front ones. David