edrach

Nice job. Post this link up in the USRM for future information.

I never disagree with what you post and I don't disagree with this either, but I should add that a fully charged battery acts as a capacitor on the alternator. If the battery is sufficiently discharged,the ripple voltage would be significantly higher than 100 mv AC.

Definitely get a few of the cone washers and flat washers from the wrecking yard; maybe even some spare nuts. The 140 ft-lb is good and a few extra ft-lbs doesn't hurt. However, my suggestion is to re-torque after 300 miles again. Sometimes the CVJ doesn't seat well and it seems to come loose. After the next 300 miles check it again and re-torque if necessary. If it still comes loose after the third tightening, then there's another issue that should be looked at. Just an after thought (don't mind me, but I have to ask), you are tightening the axle nut to the torque setting after you have the suspension back on the ground. I tighten it when it's still in the air to a reasonable torque and then let the car down, and re-tighten to the 140 number.

I'm just glad your Impreza didn't have all those "decorations" attached.

I agree with Olnick on this. Write-up should go into the USRM forum so it doesn't get lost.

Jeanne and I had the great pleasure of attending Lisa's wedding today. Not the first USMB wedding we've attended, and hopefully not the last. Really great weather for an outdoor wedding in Snohomish (the city). Our best wishes to Lisa and Brian for a long and happy life together. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/album.php?albumid=17&pictureid=3728

Normal for the voltage to drop while cranking. Nothing wrong with your alternator (or fuel pump from what I've been reading). You might have a weak battery, or bad connection at the battery or alternator ends. Voltage regulator is meant to keep the voltage from going too high for some reason or other, not too low. jUst a suggestion, get a copy of How to keep your Subaru Alive. It'll answer some of your questions and also entertain you. There's an on-line copy floating around also. I bought mine for $10 on Amazon quite a few years ago.

What do they mean they won't "cover it?" Either it's insured or it's not. If it's insured, the insurance company is responsible for comparable replacement value less any deductible. If it's not insured, they have no say on whether it's totalled or not.

Easiest thing is to change the rear diff to match the ratio of the front.

As for the cinderblocks.....make sure the holes are vertical; the weight of the car on the blocks with the opening horizontal will allow the blocks to fail. I learned the hard way that cinderblocks have no structural strength that way. Fortunately it was a lesson learned before someone got hurt.

Amazing how the tow drivers don't seem to understand the issue. I had a "difference of opinion" with a driver that showed up without the flatbed I had ordered. After he left I called another tow driver and he showed up with the proper equipment. First company tried to bill me for the tow; didn't happen after I spoke with a manager.

So did you ever find a fix for the vibration/shudder?

Another vote for broken wires in the harness. Mine has 6 or more wires that I had to splice together.

Last time I researched this was 5 years ago when a friend in Portland asked me to look at a '93 AWD sedan in the Seattle area. Asking price was $2100; seller didn't know it had a salvage title; my friend bought it for $1800. This was an AWD, 1.8L engine with a 5MT. Salvage title had been issued 6 years earlier and didn't really make any difference in the condition of the car. My friend is still driving it today; it's been as reliable as one would expect for an older car. Virtually no repairs other than routine service. I agree with the majority of the group here that $2400 is too high a price; especially for a FWD model. It would even have been too high for an AWD version. Also, a Florida car; watch out for water damage from flooding. Lastly, I wouldn't drive 6 hours one way just to look at this car. Oh, and timing belt interval on the '93 models was 60K. Fortunately it's a non interference engine.

If you've got a good working axle, reboot it. An hour of labor and cost of parts to pull the axle and re-boot it. Figure that against replacing the axle later with a new/rebuilt one. Same hour of labor, but an additional $100 or so for another axle. Hopefully, you get one that works the first time. I'd consider finding another mechanic.

Bad news. Sorry for that. No, with a minor vibration, there's certainly no reason to believe the issue is serious enough to call a tow truck rather than driving it home.

All the symptoms of a bad DOJ; fortunately only lightly. I would bet that the bad axle is the one on the catalytic converter side. The heat from that seems to cause the boots to fail on that side and perhaps the lubrication for the DOJ to not be as effective as it could be. First time I've seen this on an AT; all of mine have been with the 5MT.

DOJ=Double offset joint; this is the inner joint on the axle that attaches to the transmission. CVJ=Constant Velocity Joint; the outer joint on the axle that goes through the wheel hub. And no, a worn transmission mount will not have the vibration go away when you take your foot off the gas. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be replaced, but it's not the cause of the on/off vibration with on/off gas pedal.

Yes. I had one axle that was so bad it felt like the transmission was about to fall out ofthe car. I've also had it so slight, that I knew it was there and my mechanic didn't believe it was a problem. I changed the axle myself and the vibration went away.

If you're buying cheap tools, go to Harbor Freight. They life-time warranty all their hand tools. All the stuff you've already broken would be a free replacement; no questions asked. Just bring in the broken bits. They have a 25" breaker bar (1/2" drive) on coupon sale right now. The box of adapters to fit and reduce the size to 1/4" is next to nothing.

Good job on the axle replacement. First one is always the hardest; yours looked like it was more difficult than most.

I've often thought of doing that; makes sense knowing how the DOJ wears out.

If you liked the No Alibi rally put on by Rainier Autosports Club, you'll love the Nor'wester 2012 event coming soon. Details at http://www.rainierautosports.com/events/2012/norwester/default.htm

Viscous LSD well described by previous poster. Clutch type or mechanical LSD is more definite in its action and doesn't need to be warmed up to limit slippage. Most of the mechanical clutch type LSDs came as an option on '85 to '89 GL turbo cars and were all 3.700 ratio. If you find a 3.900 with a clutch pack in it, it was likely modified and didn't come that way from the factory.

I'm not a professional mechanic, but if I had a lift, I'd put the car in the air and have someone in the driver's seat put the car in gear and get it up to a reasonable speed to see if the vibration comes and goes with positive and trailing throttle and observe the axles and listen for noise that goes with the vibration. The other alternative is to replace one axle at a time and see if the problem goes away. For all the time and effort you've spent on it so far this might be the easiest solution. In the event that doesn't solve the problem, you can always put the axles back on.