Subarunation 713

Check out the miles on this car! Somebody drove around the earth at the equator 12-1/2 times. Somebody drove this car about 190 miles every day* (assuming it was purchased October of 2002). Somebody spent 3-1/2 hours every day in this car (averaging 50-55 mph**) Somebody HATES the inside of that car! (I would!) Gosh, Subaru makes great cars. *This car has a salvage title so it spent at least 10 to 20 days in the shop. **Northern Wisconsin and the UP do not have a ton of 4 lane highways so averaging 55 is doing pretty good.

Thanks! A few of the post in the link confirmed what I am experiencing. Cold damp mornings or rainy days. We haven't had winter yet in SW Mich so I don't know what REAL cold is going to do. I even had my Miata out yesterday (top up, I am not that hard core!). Other than Colorado has anybody had a real winter yet that has come to stay? Thanks again for digging this link out, Greg

I would have to agree with the throw out bearing (I have no driveshaft experience). If they didn't get it in the clips/holder correctly it will squeak. I have no experience with the driveshaft. "Knock on wood" if have never had a driveshaft failure. If it is a drive shaft there are a few used driveshafts in yards near you. http://www.interstateautoparts.com/ in Tioga Center has one on their web site for $138 or http://www.s-t-a-r-usedparts.com/ in Beavers Dam has one listed on their site for $74.64. If they have to pull out the transmission to fix the throw out bearing you might have some resistance as it is a TON of hard work. But with all things of this nature start off with a positive attitude and a belief they will do the right thing. Honest people make honest mistakes. Good luck, Greg

It is about the same as my stock 99. When searching for information on the clutch replacement there was some talk about the clutch chatter beeing greater in the late 90s due to some changes in the clutch material. This could be true or it could be a reason somebody assumed because their clutch was performing less than perfect. But once again the Exedy is as smooth (or "chattery" if you are a glass half empty person) as my 99 2.2 5 speed. Neither the 99 or the 96 with the replacement clutch are as smooth as my old 93 wagaon (200,000+ miles and the original clutch) or our 1st 96 OBW, may it rest in peace, with 160,000 miles. DANG! that was a good car.

A few months back I had posted about replacing a clutch on our 96 OBW with 2.2 and had asked for some opinions and experiences. I went with the OE Exedy clutch for $165 and free shipping. It worked out to be nearly the same price* as as the Fenco from Advance plus local sales tax. I resurfaced the original flywheel but went with a new disc, pressure plate and throw out bearing. After 3000+ miles I thought I would share the results. It works fine. When towing there is no slip. When the RPMs are fairly low the chatter is pretty noticable. That is my only complaint. If I had to do my 99 Legacy I would not hesitate to use the same components. I hope some of this information helps the next guy. *There were some comments about getting what you pay for and a digression from there in my original post. FWIW the Fenco and Exedy worked out to be within $6 of each other. So the whole notion of getting what you pay for is not really true. Fenco is cheap and others mentioned it is often times poor quality. The Exedy is very nearly the same price as the Fenco and it works well for me and has worked well for others. If getting what you pay for is indeed true then the Exedy should be poor quality like the Fenco simply because the price is low. However, normal driving and towing show this not to be the case. I think the Exedy is a good value.

Thanks OB99W,I was reading Josh's comments when I did my search and his warning is what made me ask my question because the temp range sounded pretty serious. I checked RockAuto.com's Web site. They had a 6RE as the plug reccommended through 5-99? Just one more thing to confuse my simple mind :-) Greg btw-most of my miles are at 65-70 mph going down the highway. Countryside around me is moderately flat to low rolling hills.

That is a real downer. I am glad to see you are standing and appear to be OK. What is on the road about 100 meters from where your car is? 110 kph (65ish mph for us yanks) isn't real fast for that gentle of a curve, how many of your tires are blown out? Once again bummer. But 2 positives: 1-I love you shirt! 2-What gorgeous countryside. You New Zealanders must get spoiled by the beauty.

Nipper,Here is what I found on the NGK Web site: How do I find a colder or hotter plug? First, consult the NGK numbering system page,(listed on the bottom left of the 411 info page), you should be able to see which digits identify the heat range for your spark plug. EXAMPLE: The heat range for a BCPR6ES-11 is the "6" (ignore the -11, it is the gap) After you have identified the numbering system for your plug, merely raise or lower that number to change the heat range. REMEMBER, NGK PLUGS GET COLDER THE HIGHER THE NUMBER, HOTTER THE LOWER THE NUMBER. Say you are starting with a BKR6E-11 if you want a colder plug, you would use BKR7E-11 if you want a hotter plug, you would use BKR5E-11 (again, on non-racing plugs, the number after the "-" refers to the gap) So if I use a 6 it is "colder" than the 5. For normal conditions will one step make a hill of beans? Thanks, Greg

1999 2.2 Legacy. My manual calls for a 5RE but I can't seem to find them locally. I did a search and found TONS about spark plugs but I didn't find anything on the 5 vs the 6. There was one thread where the question was asked but I didn't find the answer. Am I splitting hairs? IIRC I put 6REs in a while back but I wouldn't bet my life on it. If I put 5REs in I can't remember where I got them. You folks who use 5REs, where do you get them? Thanks, Greg

I am in Augusta, Maine for business. I have yet to see a moose. However I have seen about a BILLION Subarus. Growing up in eastern PA, in the market of Becker Subaru and 2 dealers in Reading, there were always Subarus around. Nothing like this however. I don't know if the reast of the state is like this but Portland up I-95, Augusta and surounding area seem to be nothing but Subarus. Not rusted beat up crap either. Nice Gen 1 and Gen 2 Legacys and Outbacks, New Legacys and Outbacks, Foresters by the bushel basket, Imprezas and Outback Juniors. Not many Tribecas though. God bless this state, I have yet to see a Hummer H2 or H3 but Subarus abound. You Maine folks have good taste!

I never have fresh ideas so you are way ahead of me! :-) My for fun car is a Miata. On the Miata.net site there are several posts about fooling the airbag system. You place a resistor (I think it was 3 ohms or something) in the steering wheel connection going to the module. This allows someone to take off their Miata factory wheel and put on a Momo or Nardi wheel with no airbag and not have to deal whith a blinking light or beeping should the airbag light go out. If the same was true on airbags systems in general someone could have put resistors or some other sort of device in the connector going to the module. This may keep the light from going on. Your "adventure" with Bambi may have knocked the "fix" loose and after some driving and vibration the "fix" came out. Just a thought but Miata/Ford (the module is shared with a Tarus) airbag systems may be a world apart on a Subaru. Greg

This is a follow-up to a thread about the oil seal retainer/oil separator plate. Our 96 Legacy Outback with a 2.2 5 speed came from the factory with a plastic oil separator. Thanks to all who helped me sort it out this time. I hope this might help somebody down the road. There was some conversation about this topic on a thread I posted earlier, 96 2.2 Rear main Seal Retainer? What Is It?

You are one lucky guy! I would admit my Subarus have had a more "robust" front end than my VW's of the past but to never have an alignment and get good even tire wear is near miraculous. Thanks to Nipper and Manarius for reeducating me on tire rotation. Before reading this post if you would have asked how to rotate tires I would have said front to back and Xing the tires is a no-no. This dog is going to have to learn a new trick. As to the original post, yes you can align all of the wheels and from the sounds of things you need one. I guess you aren't as lucky a Grossgary but then neither am I!

Well I am going to go to the local dealership and get a oil separator. If I need it, it will be available if not, I will return it. I take the car to the garage on Thursday, too bad there isn't enough time to order it from 1st Subaru. The MSRP for the rear main seal was $11.93, 1st had it for $8,59, Gurley Leep in South Bend charged me $21.48 for the rear main seal. Just barely cheaper than 1st with rush shipping. I bet Gurley Leep charges me $25 or more for the separator plate IF they even have it. Gosh they SUCK!

Thanks for the oil separator plate info. As for the second issue. I found 2 posts on this board claiming the EJ22 had a metal plate. Not the first time there has been contradictory info! :-) If somebody out there knows for sure one way ot the other I would appreciate the info before the transmission comes out and we find a plastic plate in there! Thanks dmanaenk! Just when I thought I had it all figured out :-) They told me I was gullible. I believed them. Greg

This question was just asked to "Click and Clack" from Car Talk in this Sunday's paper. Funny, there must be several people who wonder the same thing. Their advice, just don't jam it in reverse! Some have already mentioned the same thing....from personal experience.

Well one question answered. I knew after I posted that if I kept searching I would find something. On the EJ22 the oil separator is metal. It was not plastic until the 2.5 came along then in mid 2000 it went back to being metal. Still don't know what the heck the retainer is though.

This is a new one to me. I was just checking on a rear main seal and I saw a "rear main seal retainer" on the exploded diagram at 1st Subaru parts web site. I did a search for the "rear main seal retainer" on New Generation of Subarus and didn't come up with anything that relates to rear main seals. Is this another name for the oil separator? Thanks to the advice of many good folks on the board I am ordering an Exedy clutch from clutchcityonline.com for our 96 Outback 2.2 and scrapping the idea of the Fenco/Dynapac. I want to do the rear main even though it is not leaking. But I didn't know to even order a rear main retainer. Is this a reusable part? BTW, is the oil separator on the 96 2.2 a metal one or a plastic one. I know the 2.5s have a plastic separator and that is a must change item if the engine/trans is apart. Is the same true for a 2.2? Thanks, Greg

Thanks a TON Firstwagon and Storydude1. With the sheer number of people on this site I knew somebody had to have used one of these clutches. Thanks for the feedback from firsthand experience. One positive and 1 negative now that makes it all the much easier :-) And Nipper, please don't feel like I am being hostile. I just need info like Firstwagon and Storydude1 not speculation. If my Outback was a treasure I would go with the OEM but like I originally posted I only need 3 years out of the thing. MoodyBluser did you use the Exedy racing clutch or the OEM clutch kit from clutchcityonline? The Exedy racing clutch is $500+ but they have an OEM kit for $165. I would definately pay $15 more (free shipping and no tax so final price is just about a wash) for an Exedy kit. Thanks, Greg

And how do you know that? Because it comes from Advance, because it has a cheesey name like Fenco or because it only cost $150? It could be a piece of crap and the best value may be OEM at twice the price? Or the cheesy name may be it's only drawback and it might be the same manufacturer as Beck/Arnley. I don't know, that is why I posted the question. What I want to know is if somebody used one and had good luck or bad luck. That will help me. I am a professional purchasing agent. I buy value. If you are savy you can sometimes get more than you pay for. If you are not, you can often get less than you pay for (and I learned that the hard way) :-) The fact it comes from an ISO9002/QS9000 manufacturer I thought I would at least look into it. From the AdvanceAuto description: With hours required for Front Wheel Drive clutch installation, doing the job right the first time is critical. Fenco DynaPak Kits have the features that make them the clutch of choice for Professional Installers across North America. Take a close look at DynaPak, then compare to the OTHERS NOT ALL CLUTCHES ARE CREATED EQUAL! DynaPak Features: All OE Manufactured components Branded OE grade friction Pre-damper discs supplied as required Ductile iron pressure plates as required Premium quality self-aligning bearings Specifications for every part offered 100% testing philosophy QS9000/ISO9002 Certified process http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=FEN&mfrpartnumber=NU31248&parttype=244&ptset=A

I knew somebody was going to post this. It's like a law somebody has to add a post to this affect. Do the oil separators go bad on 2.2s? I know they are a weak spot on the 2.5s. I will check into the Exedy clutch, thanks.

My wife's Outback needs a clutch. It is a 96 2.2. I plan on keeping it for at least 3 more years. We have only had this car for about 16 months so I feel it was the previous owners who might have worn it prematurely. The last Outback she had she took to 164,000 with the original clutch and had no poblems when somebody pulled right out in front of me and totaled it. Anyway, that isn't the important part. Anybody use the cheap Fenco clutch disc set? $150. The Beck/Arnley is just about the same price as the OEM from 1st Subaru. I will put a rear seal in while it is apart. Anything else? Thanks, Greg

I will watch it and check back in after about 2 weeks and see. What are those little deals that comedown?

If you go with a 2.2 > 2.5 replacement make sure you get a 96 2.5. The 95 and 97 and later had an EGR system our 96 2.2s do not. There are two 2.2 for $300 at this place: http://www.allforeignautoparts.com/ They are over in Pittsburg. I have used them before. Top notch peeps. Thats about what 90 miles from Altona? If you want to do a Sunday drive and get all dirty there are U-Pull-its around Reading/Allentown and yank your own for $75 but that is 3 hours away. If it was my car, I would stick with a 2.2 but then thats me, Greg

I was changing the oil on my 99 legacy and my wifes 96 OBW. On the oil pump there are 2 round things that come sraight down. The one that is on the drivers side has a *slight* bit of grime. The other is bone dry and clean. When I replaced them I used all OEM parts. Everything else looks clean. I use 10W-30 motor oil. I change oil about every 4,000 miles (I am learning how to hug a tree) and this is the first I noticed it. When I changed the timing belt I changed cam seals, main seal, belts, hoses, thermostat w/gasket, water pump and oil pump w/O-ring. This is about 8,000 miles, 4 months, ago on the 99 (130,000 miles) and 4,000 miles and 4 months on the 96 (about 125,000 miles). This is light grime. Nothing dripping, nothing wet just some dirty grime. Any thoughts, Greg