johnceggleston

ok... yes the bolt heads do break off when you install the switch... BUT (and this may come in handy for thoses who own 2 suubies) if you have a working key (it may need to be turned) you can extract the 'keyway" with out removing the switch from the column. there is a button/slot you push in, when the key is in the ignition (and turned, i think) that releases the 'keyway'. you can then have it rekeyed. (2 cars can share the same key.) this means you don't have top mess with the 'brokenen off head bolts'. however i've done both and the bolts are not impossible to remove, time and patience and chisel and tapping. you can also remove the dooor lock keyway and have that rekeyed to match the new ignition key... however, the door lock is very hard to reinstall with the bolts. it has a retaining clip which goes in pretty easy, and everything works, but there is one bolt that's really hard. did you know that the 95 legacy and the 90 nissan pickup share the same ignition keyway. ( 15.9GAL gas tanks too, i think)i have owned both and the same key operates both cars. what a joy. good luck, john

i've had several burnig smells in my 95 leg & 97obw. front right cv joint/boot will leak and throw out grease onto the exhuast, giving a burning grease smell. rear end pinion seal (where drive shaft goes into the rear end) leaking throwing grease on thr exhaust, burning smell. or my favorite, rushed to the shop, put the car on a lift to find out what the NEW burning smell was. apparently i parked in a pile of leaves and picked up a plastic grocery bag which got on the exhaust, rubber burning smell. good luck.

thanks for all the help. i'm out of town till tuesday, i'll run some test then. i know the battery isn't the best but i hate spend money hoping for a cure. thanks again, john

i went to start my 97 obw w/ 110k miles, automatic, this just after a 3 hour drive home. when i turned on the key every thing lights up as normal, when i turn the key to start, it al goes dark, dash lights, headlights, warning lights, dome lights...everything dark and the car wouldn't crank & electric locks wouldn't work. no clicks, no nothing. the next day, it acted a little like a weak battery, and over time system lights slowly came back and it finally started. i checked the battery voltage while off, 12.58v and after i got it running, 14.88v. this is wierd, my first fear was the computer. any ideas on what or where to check next? thanks, john

you do realize the awd is a 90/10 power split front/rear until the computer detects the need for more power to the rear (front wheel slipping)? so the awd is very subtle until you need it. try finding some snow, ice or wet grass (maybe gravel) with "lots of room" and punching it in first gear. you should be able to see / feel all 4 tires grab. john

do you have a "fwd" light on your instrument panel when the car is runnig? if so you need to remove the fwd fuse under the hood passenger side near the firewall. this fuse makes the car drive front wheels only. if no light, then...... i don't know.... bad tcu? some one smarter then me needs to tel you.

how does this conflict / intergrate with the duty c failure, ie: torque bind? seems to me if the fuse under the hood entergises the duty c (fwd only) then the "4 wd" switch would have to interuput power to the duty c? or are there 2 different functions going on? does the computer vary the vlotage to vary the power distribution? i'm only asking because the description of 4wd locked sounds a lot like torque bind. john

i had to replace the radiator in my 90 nissan pickup the other day and thought it would be a good idea to remove the thermostat. i didn't know a car could run that "cool". the guage didn't hardly move. i always heard that the thermostat helped the engine warm up faster. well it does , but what it really does is create heat for the heater. if you live in florida, throw it away.

have you looked for a leak from the water pump? it's hard to see unless you have the car on a lift.

a carfax check should show any open recalls on the car. carfax checks w/ subaru to see if the recall work has been done. luck, john

i just bought a 97 obw with an engine noise. louder at first start up less after warm up.drove it home 300 miles and it runs great. i was told the car needed an engine, and it was priced accordingly. the dealers mechanic diagnose it as a "wrist pin". said it went away when the plugs were pulled on that side. question: 1. how to tell the difference between bad "wrist pin" and piston slap? 2. will piston slap damage the engine? (apparently not) 3. timing belt is due soon, is it foolish to spend the money if engine is bad? 4. is it better to spend the money on 95 2.2l (167k mi) and move it to the 97 obw? the 95 trans went bad just after new timing belt, water pump, front seals and valve cover gaskets. any help would be great. john

if you have a flat and use an odd size spare on the road, make sure the spare is on the rear, and put the fuse in the fwd holder under the hood. that way there's no damage. you can run fwd to home or your shop instead of dealing with strange shop or buying one new tire.

sorry i can't help, but i'm glad to know the car went to a good home. good luck. what are your plans for the car.?

i have the same problem in my 97 obw. i was planning on swaping out the clutch pack, but need to check the ecu/tcm (? i don't the difference or which one to check.) where is the unit located, in the car or on the trans. can i swap one out of another 97 obw to check it. are the units expensive? new or used? i don't really want to pull the trans. thanks, john

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html#90-99maintenance this might come in handy, i copied the info and pasted it into excel and saved.

no differance in behavior with fuse in. tires are not new but all are equal. this binding is much more severe than what was on 95 legacy. that was my first awd and i just thought it was normal. that is until the rear seal blew out. and it died. i just happen to have a junk 97 obw trans. (100k miles) that was pulled because it wouldn't drive any more. would the tranny failing ruin the cluth pack? regardless, i thought i'd look inside at the sol just to see what is there.

congrats on you success. maybe there is hope yet. what i can't figure on mine is why i don't get the fwd light when i put in the fuse. could a bad tcm cause this problem? or would it cause lots more too. it runs great at speed on the road but it sure doen't like to turn sharp. what is the chance that a 95 clutch pack would work? didn't they change the trans mission in 96?

how practical would it be to buy the used 98 tranny and just use the clutch pack. it may not save alot since the tranny may equal the new clutch pack, but you'd have the spare trany if you need it. or sell it.

slow down, clutch pack equals transfer case? sending power to the rear wheels. or is it inside transmission itself. i didn't think you could get some to open up a trans for less that $1000. long term, drive it like it is, sooner or later the trans will fail? i just got the car for a good price $2500 w/ 98k miles. the engine seems to have piston slap which does not go away after warm up . i expected to be replacing that (i have one attached to a bad trans wrecked.) but now i'm looking at the clutch pack. i think for $1k i'd go for it. also read that you don't want the timing belt to fail on the 2.5, very bad. is this true? it certainly isn't for the 2.2. thanks

yes i have torque bind. found in a search that it if it DID NOT go away with the fwd fuse in then the duty solenoid was bad. i'll try the fluid fix first but this binding is pretty bad. am i correct in assuming that the solenoid is in the transfer case and cannot be replaced without pulling the tansmission? is the part expensive? i know the labor is. also if pulling the tranmission that may be damaged , why not replace with good used? if there is such a thing. also my 97 obw has an indicator light next to the fog light switch on the dash. the manual say it will disconnect the tcs (traction control system) which comes on automaticaly every time the engine is started. mine does not seem to work and i get no tcs indicator light on the instrument display (as i should) when i turn the key on before i start it. any help? if the repair gods love me it's a loose wire... yeah right!!

while you're solving problems.... (my apologies for the multiple post but i'm just learning how this works) hello, i'm new, so i'm just jumping in in the hopes of finding some help. my 95 L 2.2 a/t went after i blew a rear seal, and the idiot mechanic who replaced it didn't add any fluid to the transmission. after reverse failed (75-80 miles) i went and bought 5 qts. of fluid and added 4 of them. now i need a transmisson. while looking for a decent one, i came across a 95 gt 2.5 with an "over heating engine", dirt cheap. (i can now guess that it needs head gaskets or more.) question: can i take the 2.5 gt trans and put in the 2.2 car? or vice versa, can i put my 2.2 engine in the 2.5 car? both cars are a little rough, but i was hoping i could take 2 and make one good. i love the 2.2 and just did the timing belt, valve covers, and rear brakes. i dream of an outback wagon, but after learning about the head gasket problems i have my doubts. hey subaru, if it ain't broke don't fix it. any help would be greatly appreciated thanks, john

hello, i'm new, so i'm just jumping in in the hopes of finding some help. my 95 L 2.2 a/t went after i blew a rear seal, and the idiot mechanic who replaced it didn't add any fluid to the transmission. after reverse failed i went and bought 5 qts. of fluid and added 4 of them. now i need a transmisson. while looking for a decent one, i came across a 95 gt 2.5 with an "over heating engine", dirt cheap. question: can i take the 2.5 gt trans and put in the 2.2 car? or vice versa, can i put my 2.2 engine in the 2.5 car? both cars are a little rough, but i was hoping i could take 2 and make one good. any help would be greatly appreciated thanks, john

hello, my 95 L 2.2 a/t went after i blew a rear seal, and the idiot mechanic who replaced it didn't add any fluid to the transmission. after reverse failed i went and bought 5 qts. of fluid and added 4 of them. now i need a transmisson. while looking for a decent one, i came across a 95 gt 2.5 with "over heating engine" dirt cheap. question: can i take the 2.5 gt trans and put in the 2.2 car? or vice versa, can i put my 2.2 engine in the 2.5 car? both cars are a little rough, but i was hoping i could take 2 and make one good. any help would be greatly appreciated thanks, john