edrach

I'm sure if you search the USMB, someone has already second sourced the bulbs. I know the older model bulb types have been posted. The alternative is to pull the bad bulb and try Radio Shack, Vetco (in Bellevue), and lastly Digi-Key (mail order) or Mouser (mail order). Once you know the manufacturer number, it'll be easy to get.

Good luck replacing the light in the climate control panel, a real PITA job.

You mean longevity record? Two years is nothing, we've had our Impreza for at least 6 years, one brat for six, and the other brat (which I just sold back to Zap) for over 9 years. I bought my son's other brat this year since it's been in the family now for over 10 years. But if you mean, is the Forester the most recently manufactured of all our cars, yes it is.

My wife's Forester is a '99. We've had it now for almost two years I think.

Cool, best of luck with it. Give me a call sometime and I can fill you in on some useful information now that you're back in the fold.

Pull a Part in Arlington, WA (exit 206 off I-5 and head east for about 2 miles; it's on your left; if you get to the railroad tracks you missed it).

I should think the non rotation of the tires caused 50% of the damage to the center diff. Mounting the wrong size after that just compounded the problem.

grossgary makes a good case and argument. I can only speak for our experience with our '99 forester with the 5MT. We bought it used with 110K miles on it and the carfax we ran supported that mileage pretty well. It had four new tires on it when we got it so I couldn't tell what the earlier set looked like. At 125K we started to get the symptoms of torque bind and at 135K I bit the bullet and had the center diff replaced. I did search for about 3 months to find a used, good center diff but had no success so we went with a new one. No telling why the center diff failed. It could have been that the previous owner had the car towed somewhere and the tow company didn't have the smarts to get all four wheels off the ground. Or the previous owner wasn't real conscientious with tire wear/rotation. A moot point since the failure happened.

You asked the question.....the answer is fact. I don't know the cost of failure to adhere to that with an automatic transmission since I don't drive one, but the cost of replacing the center diff in a 5MT transmission is around $600 just for the parts involved. Add to that the cost of the labor (your own--zero--or a shop, up to $500 more or more); a set of tires are cheap by comparison. By way, I have a set of three tires with good tread I can sell you real cheap.

I agree with the last poster....work on the ea81 and use the parts from the '86 to do a 5 speed swap on the older car. Check bratsrus1 for info on the 5 speed swap.

As much as I like the DirtFish concept and drool at the thought of taking it, the cost is currently out of my range. But the Primitive Racing rally school is lots of fun, more cost effective, and worthwhile. If you have a choice do the Primitive thing first, even multiple times if you can.

You might take some ideas from my '97 Impreza (Forester and Impreza are both built on the basic WRX chassis). This is a list of things added or modified to make my Impreza competitive at rallycross events. Sump guard by Primitive Racing, Tigard, OR Rear diff guard by Subaru Rear sway bar from WRX (20mm from a 2002 WRX) Front sway bar from RS Impreza (19mm) Front and rear strut bars from craigslist (any brand will do) JDM 5MT transmission (4.111) JDM limited slip differential (4.111) Rear disk brakes from 93 Legacy wagon (via Pull a Part) Custom stainless steel brakelines Hankook rally tires from Trackside Motorsports, Portland, OR AGX shocks/struts by KYB installed by Superior Import Service, Portland, OR WRX front seats Whiteline Anti-lift kit from Rallitek, Portland, OR Scanguage II from Rallitek, Portland, OR Perfect Power 6 engine management from Rallitek, Portland, OR Competition Brake pads (front and rear) by Primitive Racing, Tigard, OR These improvements were certainly not done in a short period of time, but added over the course of three years as time, money, and opportunity allowed. Good luck with your upgrade.

Nice ride. Glad to hear from you. Sorry to have missed you while you were here. Safe trip home.

This time on KOMO-TV (Seattle) http://www.komonews.com/news/local/105079424.html?tab=video

I think that cable is tied to the battery and the alternator output. I imagine if the cable shorted to ground while the engine was running it would toast your alternator real easily. Glad to hear it was simple. I'm a firm believer in the KISS theory: Keep It Simple Stupid!

You might contact bratsarus1; he sells a conversion kit to install the 5 speed d/r transmission in your Brat. I did that with his help/kit to our '84 Brat many years ago. I'm not sure whether it will support the power of an EJ22 motor.

You may have a blown fusible link. Check for that first. After you recharge the battery, first determine whether you have an actual draw on the battery. Unhook the negative cable from the battery and use a multimeter to determine how much current draw you have with the ignition off; anything more than 1/4 amp is suspect. If your battery died in three hours, it would have to be more than a ten amp draw and should be pretty easy to find. If you find no excessive current draw, then start investigating the alternator or battery since one or the other is probably very bad.

Not Subaru related, but fun video from morning of the 10/10 rallycross.

If your wagon is an Outback Impreza version (as opposed to the Outback Legacy), you can fit a 20mm rear swaybar from a 2002 WRX (very cheap since the WRX owner usually throws it away after fitting an expensive aftermarket swaybar). I got mine for $20 and it suits my Impreza L wagon just fine.

Tune up: Just sparkplugs; $10 for the NGKs and $45 for my local mechanic (I'm deathly afraid of cross threading the plugs so I pay someone else to do it). My '97 Impreza L wagon doesn't seem to need anything else other than air and fuel filters which I do myself (I buy OEM parts from Jason in Parts at 1-866-528-5282 and ask for the internet price discount). Brakes: About $90 for pads front and rear; turn rotors $25 each; I do that work myself also. If I remember correctly, the cost for rotors came to $90 for the fronts the one time I needed to replace them. Timing belt: $500 to the mechanic plus parts as needed (last time it was done parts came to another $575--again through Jason). Transmission: I have a manual 5 speed so the cost of quality gear oil came to about $35. Another job I do myself. A bit messy but do-able. Exhaust: 196K on the car and still the exhaust system that came with the car! I'm glad I don't live in NJ anymore!

If you're going south of Las Vegas, you can't (shouldn't) miss Hoover Dam. It is an awesome feat. Plan to spend a little time there if you can. Have a safe trip.

http://www.youtube.com/pdxrallynw#p/u/5/YajXjJEVCJ8 There are more here for you to see.

Anytime Chris. Glad to have you along to navigate.

What he said. Besides with the unstable governments in Africa, I have no desire to go there for any reason. Sorry to rain on your parade. However, if you get this done, I'll cheer you on while you're over there. Best of luck.

Judging from the weather report for Saturday and Sunday, it looks like it's going to be a muddy, fine time!