johnceggleston

i have removed a 'valley' trailer hitch off a donor 97 OBW to install on my 97 OBW. it's easy to remove, but........ 2 of the mounting bolts insert horizintally thourgh the hicht frame and through the 2 tie down brackets on the rear of the car frame. there is a spacer and a flange for each bolt. pretty easy to attach and tighten. the other 2 bolts hang down vertically from the frame member, apparently there is a collar or something around the head (inside the frame member) so it won't spin when you tighten it. here's the problem, i can't find the opening in the frame membver or the area inside the car thast allows me to insert the bolt. (i haven't figured out to remove them from the donor car yet.) any body done this and can lend some advice. the location of the bolts appears to be underr the permanmently mounted floor panels on either side of the spare tire compartment. any suggestions?? i'm sure there is a way to remove these panels, but i can't sem to figure it out. edit: where do i look for the trailer lights pigtail? thanks, john

what do you recommend as a replacement? O)EM or is there another brand known to be top quality that would be better than oem (which can fail)? ie: not cheap, maybe racing quality, i don't like wasting money but a 15$ rad cap is more cost effective than a new HG. i found my 97 obw, 108k, leaking coolant from the cap and replaced it with a cheap generic brand ($7). i wouldn't have found it except i was running the car at idle in the drive way to charge the battery. once it reached operating temperature, (not when cold) the cap started to leak. it was a little difficult to determine the source of the leak. apparently, i was lucky!! thanks

come on, you never had a used trans. in the back of your subaru?

i'd be interested to know if there is a 'mileage widow' associated with the 30+ heads gaskets you've done? i have a 97 obw with 110k miles (and piston slap) and i'm wondering if i have dodged this bullet or still waiting.

i asked the same question a while back. and got a good answer, but i'm not very familiar with internal trans terms so this is what i learned. when you bolt it up the TC crushes the/a oil pump something. you'll be very lucky if the trans even engages. the fix is trans replacement or repair, the repair involves removing the front diff and a shaft(?). apparently it can be done but not by me. my sloution would be trans swap. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=548229&postcount=14 has it happened or are you trying to prevent it from happening.? john

don't suppose his clutch is cable instead of hydraulic?

unless you buy a 2.5L one that has bad head gaskets and swap in a 95 or 96 2.2L. or even buy one already swapped. there are 1 or 2 on ebay now, i think. oof course they may not be local.

i don't know any thing about turbo engines. but apparently the ej22t turbo in 92 - 94 was a closed deck and a hellava engine. would there be any advantage to removing the turbo to eliminate that maintenance. would you gain anything?. the ej22 is so good in general, would closed deck improve it?.

yes, that would be great. i was hoping to save a little on parts and order them from jamie. john

the trans for early 99MY 2.5L is TZ102Z2DBA, this is the same type as 96 - 98 2.5L. (this ...Z2DBA was also used in 98 2.5L.) the trans for the late 99MY 2.5L is TZ1A2ZJEBA, this , i believe, is the beginning of the 4eat phase II trans. it has the spin-on external trans filter. i don't know if the number of bolts changed, the trans main housing certainly did because of the filter. they only used this model number for one year. the TZ1A4ZCABA is listed as 00MY 2.5L outback & sus trans with 8 bolt bell housing. the gt trans is ...4ZCAAA; the legacy is ...4ZCACA. these model numbers are close enought that the bell housings are probably all the same, transmissions too for that matter. some one posted a while back that the last 2 digits in the trans model number mean nothing. just a way to track which vehicle it was installed in. EDIT: 99 - 01 forester trans is TZ1A3ZC2AA this would appear to be the phase II trans, very silimar to the 2000 outback, legacy, and gt. hope this helps.

if you pull the torque converter be very careful when you put it back. apparently it's easy to not seat them fully, last 1/4", and then something gets crushed when you bolt it up. i'd take some measurements before you remove it so you'll know what you're looking for. as for the torque bind, there are several possible solutions, ranging from garranteed good for the next 100k miles at 850$ to maybe it will work at 100$. the duty c solenoid valve body assembly is less than 100$ from the dearler. this will fix the AT OIL TEMP light and make the torque bind go away, unless the clutch plates are gummed up. fluid change might help gumming. a mid range step would be to buy a really low mileage used trans and swap it or just the rear extention housing in to your car. you might consider a new duty c with it. ( a good used trans may be more than the new part price.) or you can just buy the new rear extention case, with all new parts, from the dealer and put it in, or have them install it, 850$. (if you go this route, please come back with the part number.) none of these is rocket science, except maybe the torque converter. the question for you is how much do you want to spend and how much work are you willing to do. and are you willing to some of it twice.? if i had a shop, i'd probably go for the new duty c, it's a gamble but worst case senario the clutch plates or other parts fail and you go back in. i don't know what a visual inspection will reveal when you pull the rear housing.

this maybe tha last time that bolt comes out. if you plan on keeping the car, i'd replace every thing behind it now, you may not a second chance.

sorry, 97 obw. i just ASSUMED that when 2 was selected, it would use 1st or 2nd. i didn't know 2 was 2nd only. i didn't try it but a couple of times and i didn't check the tach while doing it. so i'll have to try it in 1st and see what happens. i guess i better edit the title and my first post.

I came across this by accident the other day and thought some of you might like to try it. Find a hill, come to a stop, shift your A/T into 2 and start to slowly climb up the hill. Give it just enough gas to move forward. Then while moving forward, bump the gear selector from 2 to 3 and if your AWD is working, you should accelerate up the hill without changing the throtle. When the gear selector is in 2, the computer / trans drives both front and rear axles all the time. This puts a much greater load on the engine. When you shift up to 3 the computer/trans only drives the rear axles if needed. This frees up a bunch of engine power which is all on the front wheels, and off you go. EDIT: doubtful. looks like my knowledge and reasoning is off. i need to do more reasearch. John.

get a 2 liter bottle of real coke and pour it on. i'll bet it starts. i keep some in my trunck 'just in case'.

usually the pulley will wobble before it falls off.

try turning all the electrical stuff off and seee if it shifts better. especially headlights. check the alt. don't wait too long or you might need a battery also.

if it doesn't have a battery in it you can't shift it out of park. use jumper cables.

everything in that write up may be absolutely true, but there are several things, causes theat weren't mentioned. if the AT OIL TEMP light on the dash is blinking 16 times at start up and you have torque bind, then your duty c solenoid has quit working. that's a 94$ part from the dealer. it is also possible for the clutch plates to either gum up, or lose their grip. one causes binding and the other causes no power to thew rear wheels. the leaking around the seals from one chamber to the other i've not heard before. that would be on the 'causes binding' side just like the failed duty c. uncontrolled flow means binding. i would love to find a part number and price for the replacement rear extention housing. i paid 285$ at a local shop to have a good used unit installed. i provided the replacement part. (it came off my own bad transmission, recently replaced.) so if labor is 300$ then the dealer part is 450$. as with most dealer parts, i bet, with the right part number, you can get it for 250$ - 300$. i would love to get a part number and order it from jamie at subaru genuine parts. any body done this?

check this out it may help diagnois. http://remanufactured-engines.com/page4.htm john

i realize the 97 is newer and probably fewer miles, but i'm not a body person. i find it easier to swap the mechanics than to make body repairs. plus, unless the 97 has a clean title, resale may be an issue. there are only minor differences , if any, between 95 and 97. one of the things they changed was to add a "bolt" to the lower part of the rear door jamb. it extends into the door when closed to help keep it from opening in an accident. better crash test rating. the 97 door will fit a 95 but not the other way around, unless you remove the bolt. it looks like it just threads out. i'd use the 97 to make the 95 good. you can swap all of the interior, trans , axels, hubs even engine. just my opinion.

i have a new coil if you need it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=566907 let me know. john

it is in mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i doubt it. the pulley wobbled because the bolt was lose. that means the piece thats in the car is not in far enough. even if you grind down the remaining piece to clear it, how is it going to hold? but what have you got to lose.?

i want to know about the car 'salesmans' help. and does he sell auto parts at night or just cars?