Subarunation 713

I did a search of head bolts hoping to find whether I had to get new ones or reuse the existing ones. The Haynes manual said nothing about new bolts but that's Haynes and not Subaru. I found posts where the member said NEW BOLTS! You can't reuse bolts or you will burn in the flames of hell! Other posts by members were just as adamant that you CAN reuse bolts. With authority (and whose authority), can or can you not reuse head bolts on a 97 2.5? Please, I don't mean to be a jerk (it just comes natural, ask my wife) but if you don't know don't post. "I read a post somewhere", or "I heard my cousin Clem say" won't do me much good. I don't want to spend the money if I don't have to but I will if I must. I don't want to go through the hassle of this job to only have done it 90%. Thanks to all who can help, Greg

Jon,See if there is anybody who you can switch coilpacks with. I switched coilpacks with my 93 Legacy 2.2 before buying one. See if you can switch coils and if your CEL goes away and your friends come's on after the switch then it might narrow down your problem. Greg

Jon, You are not alone. My 96 OBW 2.2 5 speed gives me the same #4 thing. I have changed plugs, wires, coil pack, checked grounds, checked wiring on injectors and valve cover gaskets. The reason I mention valve covers is I had the valve cover gaskets changed and front oil seals, timing belt and the whole shabang put on and the CEL stayed off for about 4 months. It came on last week. I cleared the code and it is staying off...for now If nothing else we can have a 12 step group for ourselves. It will go like this: "Hello, my name is Greg. I have a cylinder 4 misfire". Group response, "Hi Greg". We will then drink way to much bad coffee and hug before we go home! :-) Let us know if you find something out, Greg

I am starting to do some research on my wife's next car. I will get her "hand me down" 96 OBW 2.2 5 sd. I am looking at 2001 Impreza wagons or an Outback Jr. The 2001 is the last year for a 2.2. It will have to have a 5 speed. The question I have for those of you who haved moved from Legacys to Imprezas is how big of a change is it? Lisa is 5'3" and I am a towering 5'7" :-) so legroom shouldn't be a problem even for a Justy! Do you miss the "substance" of a larger car? What about noise? Do the drum brakes on the rear, if so equipped, make a noticeable difference in braking in normal driving? MPG any better? Is there a "hill holder" on the Imprezas? This is about 6 months away so I have plenty of time to find the one that is just right. Transplanted Impreza owners thanks for your advice/comments, Greg

Yeah, that Caravan will have a tough go of it without wheels and tires! :-)

I bought a 97 OBW with auto and a bad 2.5 (broken timing belt). I am thinking about taking a 2.2 out of a 95 Legacy auto and dropping it in. I bought it to sell, but if I can get a 2.2 and put it in the 97 easly enough I might drive it to death instead. Somebody out there has had to have done this 2.5 to 2.2 swap before. Are we nuts or will it be fine? The 2.2 was used as late as 2001 on the Impreza and as late as 99 in the Legacy L and Brighton.

On my way home from work tonight my 93 Legacy L AWD wagon 2.2 5 speed turned over 200,000. Not a huge deal but it was fun to watch and it made me smile. Original clutch and many of the major components are original. Engine untouched save the required routine items. The one thing that makes me really happy, the boots and CV joints are made out out kryptonite(sp)! On my VWs, back before I saw the light of the Subarus, I was changing CV joints and boots ever 15 minutes (or so it seemed). Think about it, boots that have 200,000 miles AND are 12 years old! These Subaru CV joints and boots....fegetaboutit (said with a Tony Saprano north Jersey accent).

Take a clean rag and spray it with silacone spray. Wipe the seals on the body that the windows seal against and then wipe the weather stripping aound the bottom of the door. Work it in and get it in the folded over portion of the weather stripping. If you haven't done this before or it has been "many moons" go around each window/door twice. You can do the trunk/hatch seal too. Silacone spray, not Liquid Wrench or WD-40. If you live in a winter wonderland, this will help the window from freezing to the weather stripping.

God Bless American ingenuity!

I have two dents back by the tailight. One on each side. The paint is fine and the dents aren't "sharp", just looks like somebody took their fist an "whamed it good". The paint is dark blue. Has anybody used one of those dent pullers that don't harm the surface? If so and it worked, what did you use? I know there must be some "gizmo" as dealers have hail damage fixed with no mar to the finish. Should I go behind the dent and push it back out? A body man, I AM NOT! Thanks for any advice, Greg

Next time the noise starts apply very light pressure to the brake pedal and see if it goes away. If it does, then it is brakes and although it might be irratating it is fairly cheap to fix.

Ok, with that piece of info and the absence of chipmunks :-) let me bounce this off of you; what about the fan on the radiator? Next time it makes the noise turn off the defroster and see if it goes away at the same time. It could be the fan motor is giving up the ghost. Why at highway speeds and not in town I don't know? How many miles? Could be a CV joint or something as simple as a brake pad retainer. At 75 there might be a frequency the pad will vibrate at but not at 45.

JT95 You might try treating the weather stripping around the windows and doors with spray silacone. I read a post on this site a while ago about treating the black rubber on a regular basis. It has reduced the wind noise on my cars. Another thing to consider might be the front wheel bearing. The front wheel bearing on the drivers side fails more often then any other wheel bearing. Think about your on and off ramps, the majority of weight transfers to the drivers side when going around the "cloverleaf". Of that weight transfer the brunt is on the front wheel. If it isn't that, it might be the nest of chipmunks living in the inner fender!! Good luck, Greg

I thought about the throwout bearing but what about the slight surge forward when the clutch is let out while in neutral? Does the throwout bearing turn when the clutch is released? I thought the throwout bearing only turned when pressure was applied with the fork and the throwout bearing came in contact with the pressure plate little finger jobs (how is that for technical talk). When the clutch is being applied or released there is no other noise, just the one I mentioned. Back in the 30s my late grandfather told me it was common to use sawdust to quiet a transmission before one sold a car. Maybe I will try that next. Who wants to buy a nice Legacy wagon with a super quiet 5spd tranny!!?? Thanks for any help or opinions, Greg

Hi All, I did a quick search but wasn't able to find a question exactly like mine. Here is the situation: 94 Legacy AWD wagon 2.2 5 speed with 200,000 miles. It is green with a tan interior if that info helps ;-) When the clutch is in the transmission is quite as a mouse. While in neutral with the car idling when I let the clutch out I hear a fair amount of transmission noise. First thing in the morning when cold, the car will actually start to move forward (very slight but with no authority) like it is in gear. When the transmission is warmer it still makes noise but it will not move the car when the clutch is let out while in neutral. When driving the wind and road noise make more noise than the transmission. The car upshifts and downshifts with little effort. When downshifting into 1st it is more difficult than downshifting from 5th to 4th or 3rd to 2nd but not hard like I have to use a crowbar or a winch. I recently (8 weeks ago) changed the transmission fluid. I put Coastal (from AutoZone) APL GL-5 (whatever the owners manual said). It isn't any better and I might speculate the noise is growing worse. I read threads and posts about synthetic fluid and Redline but will that quite down the manual transmission? The transmission is not so loud it sounds like a cement mixer full of gravel but you can definitely hear it. Is there any magic additive? Like lard or Dr. McRipoff's Snake Oil or something like that? Thanks for any suggestions, Greg

Our 96 OBW 2.2 manufactured 12-95 still has the original battery. I put water in as needed, keep corrosion discs on the posts, put a penny on top of the battery and talk to it nicely. I think it is the talking nicely that does the trick! Car is outdoors but I do keep the block warmer plugged in during the winter.

BTW-what is up with Ford vans? I know several businesses with E150 or E250 Ford vans that seem to last a billion or so miles with very little problems. What makes it all the more mysterious is that they are driven by delivery drivers who usually have ZERO repect for the van because it isn't his and they drive the crap out of them. One of my vendors (a printing company) just got a new E250 after retiring the previous one with 270,000 miles. It handled like crap with 270,000 miles but so would I if I were driven by that particular driver! 270,000 miles is very respectable wouldn't we all agree? My 93 Legacy AWD wagon will turn 200,000 measly miles on Monday. 270,000 is 3 more years away.

The AWD lower strut mount mounts to the wheel hub. On the FWD model the wheel hub has no axel going through it and so it is designed differntly. Before replying I checked the parts diagram and pricing for a wagon. Rear struts for the AWD model were cheaper than struts for the FWD model. Can't tell you why unless there is a much larger demand for AWD struts than FWD struts thereby more supply? Maybe because of a lunar phase? Who knows why when it comes to parts! Good luck

Don't forget that the BULLETPROOF 2.2 was in the Lagacy "Brighton" and "L" until 1999 and in the Impreza as late as 2001. A very nice 1999 model Legacy with 2.2 and auto tranny would make an ideal car. I have had OUTSTANDING success with my 90-94 Legacy wagons but my wife's 96 2.2 5spd OBW has been just as troublefree. Just my 2 cents. BTW-My 2 cents worth is 50% off from now until December 26th! -Greg

This can be done on your own quite easly, it is so simple that a brake shop should be embarassed to charge people to change the pads, rotors and calipers on Legacys :-) More than likely you have suffered premature wear on the pads and rotors if the caliper has been sticky for a while so you might be looking at a complete brake job on the front. If you caught it soon enough and everything is fine it will take you longer to jack the car up and take off the wheel than it will to change the caliper. If you didn't and you need rotors and pads, you can change them too with minimal effort. The hardest part is finding somebody to help you bleed the brakes after you change the calipers. The ABS sensor should not be a problem just be aware of it and don't beat on it with a hammer :-) As for tires (I didn't see your post) but I will tell you the Bridgestone Duellers we put on our 96 OBW SUCK. Let me be clear, THEY REALLY REALLY SUCK!!! I have been happy with the Yokohamas (sp) Avid H4s on my 93 Legacy. A touch of road noise but the radio is still louder :-) Good luck!

I would replace the timing belt and belt tensioner and if you feel rich and motivated the cam and main seals. The water pump and oil pump will last until your next timing belt interval and you can change them then. As previously stated why don't you harang the dealer or SOA until they replace them free or at the least a reduced fee....REALLY reduced like no more than 25% of the total bill.

You know I did try from the underneath. It helped a little. I think the right tool is a sawzall or a torch! and then go right in from by the front tire. Maybe it is a good thing I am not an automotive designer, you think? Greg

First of all, I am a 2.2 FREAK! Nothing Subaru has made beats them. You old school pushrod fanatics flame away but 2.2 are what floats my proverbial boat. So last Wednesday I bought a 97 Legacy Outback 2.5 AT with a broken timing belt, QUITE inexpensively I might add, and today was the day I got started. All in all not too bad except.... What in the "H-E-double hockey sticks" was somebody thinking with the spark plugs!? I had the intake off and it was still a colossal pain in the sphincter to get the plugs out! Holy Cow! Do people get their 8 year old kids to change the plugs with everything on the engine? The 2.2s are no problem. Am I that spoiled? It is a good thing the head gaskets on the 2.5s blow or else the spark plugs would never get changed. So this begs the 2nd question, I am sure there are some banged up valves and the possibility of a piston with an unusual hole in it. What do people normally change? I will do the water pump and tensioner and square up the head surface. What about idlers? Looking at the service records this belt suffered a premature break. What besides a water pump, idlers and a tensioner make a belt break? Bad belt? Don't worry, I will take my Rittlan and then I will be OK with the plugs! Thanks for any suggestions, Greg

Well with northguy having 181,000 miles on the 96 with only those parts mentioned and considering the Alaskan environment. I am pretty humbled. Greg

Well here are the contenders: After 178,000 miles I am replacing the halfshaft on my 93 Legacy wagon. This is the original shaft with the original CV joints and boots. CV joints and boots are 11 years with 178,000 miles. Original battery in my wifes 96 OBW. Manufacture date of the car is 11-95. It is still in the car doing it's job everyday. I will replace the battery in the fall if it doesn't conk out before then. At retirement the battery will be 9 years old with 160,000 miles. The final contenter is the original clutch in the 93 Legacy. Once again, 178,000 miles. Going strong, no retirement in sight. Votes please.