sailhard

Sooooo anyone got a cheap place in MA? My dealer in peabody quoted $3k without batting an eye....And NO source for the rebuilt case?

Where do you find someone to fix it for 1000 bucks? I've read everything ( yeah I know not recently) and it would be nice if someone sold the rebuilt " tranfer case unit". for my R4AXEL I'm sure I could swap it, but I don't want to rebuild mine as I have a 96 legacy L with that aluminum case with no steel insert issue as well...Auto zone sells the whole tranny rebuilt for 2500 or so...but not just the awd portion...

Mine WAS working on 96 legacy L...it would come on after 280 miles or so The ************ing thing burned out at some point and I ran out of gas at around 350 miles...stubbornly waiting for it to come on it never did....DOH! I always refill after 300 miles now...and it usually takes almost 15 gallons.

1500??? Sounds like a dealer.They sized you up and went from the $1000 butt tapping to the $1500 full-on ream-job. How much labor? Should only be about 3 hours MAX for a pro. Mark up parts much??? If you do feel compelled to "just get it done" ( we've all been there ) make sure you get a lifetime warranty on those brakes. BTW. from autozone I got 4 brake rotors for $160, all the pads ( lifetime warranty ) $35 And 2 valve cover gaskets for 20 bucks and gasket sealer for 5 bucks. Most places mark up parts 100%....still that labor just doesn't add up. If you really needed the links, your car would fail inspection. Good luck!

I thought the 420 code was a smoking problem...?

Score ! Those projector fogs are worth 450!

The JDM fog kits show up on ebay all the time. search "95-99 legacy fog". Usually from 75 to 200 bucks. Here's one now..although no harness it's in freakin hong kong.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-Subaru-92-98-Legacy-BG-BD-Projector-Fog-Lights-Lamp_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33709QQihZ016QQitemZ260044776597QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW Sorry about the crummy pics...I shrunk them 3 times before they would attach....email me and I'll send the original scans from work. BTW, I may be getting rid of my '96 soon and if I do, I'll sell the kit. They really work well and look cool too.

I got the OEM Subaru Legacy Projector Fog Lamp Kit on ebay. It included the lamps, switch, relay and wiring harness. My '96 legacy "L" did not have the wiring pre-installed. I would assume "regular" Legacys do not have the wiring installed in the bumper ( unless they had dealer installed fogs )and that "Outbacks" do. Here's some scans of the installation manual if you were wondering how the oem switch is wired..

Nipper, I'm sincerely sorry to have offended you. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond. Lighten up. ps YANKEES SUCK!

I wish The Wife would just get a new Legacy or Forester, but I won't pretend to understand women. She also has it in her head that you can't put 3 passengers in the back seat...since the lap belts are out of view under the seat at the moment... Yeah I told her.... We actually went ahead and got the Murano. We had a death in the family and inheritted an '02 Lexus es300 w/ 30k miles. ( No AWD though) the dealer gave us $20k for the trade in and a sweet deal on a silver '06. Too bad subaru, you had a chance to sell a tribeca to a subaru family but they just suck too much.

Are the rails the same? If it's easy I just might do this after my legacy dies. The forester seats are cheezy, small and uncomfortable.

Thanks for the test procedure. I'll give it a whirl, but if it;s not a bad connection, I'll probably just do nothing. regarding Nip's comments. First off do a search on torque bind. * been there done that last spring. Talk about a lot of conflicting articles... Secondly you have a pre 1997 1/2 tranny which is succeptable to inernal wear, and requires the AWD unit to be rebuilt/replaced for a cost around 800-1000 dollars. * yes I'm aware of the wearing issue but have done nothing about it. There is more to the AWD besides the duty c solenoid. there are seals and a spool valve. SInce you have been driving for so long with TB it is possible that the tranny has been torn apart. The clutchpack is shot at this point, so replacing the solenoid is most likely a moot point. You can try to replace it but i think the damage is done. * YES, I AGREE TOTALLY There is no tranny additive to fix this, the first thing that shold have been done was to make sure all the tires match and are properly inflated. Second thing done should have been a tranny flush. *Replaced all 4 tires ( needed anyway )and flushed tranny fluid/used gm additive when it started binding last spring. A dealer suggested the tranny additive and driving in tight circles both ways 100 times....(???) The flashing light tells you the last time you drove the car there was a fault. The fault can be a stuck, open or shorted duty c solenoid. * Yes. That is why I'm asking about testing the duty c solenoid. You can try to put the fuse in the FWD holder and see what happens, but again, i wouldnt get my hopes up. * As I wrote in my first post, I tried that first, no change. Best bet may be to find a used tranny, rebuild the awd unit on the bench, then install it in the car. * The general thought is, why bother fixing the awd-only portion of an automatic transaxle that has over 100k on it? I'm more inclined to drive it til it the tranny is toast, then just go with a completly rebuilt unit...or just get rid of the car when that happens. I really love the car though, it's a real beater...I can fit my windsurfers inside it, easily put on a wetsuit inside it, it's awsome in the snow for getting to ski areas, I can carry unbelevable amounts of building materials in it, and the seats are incredibly comfortable for my aching back.

Thanks for the cool diagrams! So the duty c solenoid is "inside" the transfer case, so all i can do ( without pulling the back of the tranny off ) is check the external wire connection to the duty c solenoid? Is there a way to test the duty c solenoid?

Thanks for all the feedback. THe tribeca is ugly overall, but the front end does grow on you. It sort of looks like a VERY old Alfa Romeo. Lots cooler looking than the toyota and honda offerings The drop down dvd in the ceiling is cool as well. We have looked at the Toyota Highlander and Honda pilot but neither suv has any personality...other that the reliability. There's so many of them on the road too. The murano is overpriced, but it's got all the gadgets ( like the rear facing video camera on the dash ) and is more of a luxo ride. The cvt worries me too, but they have been using them for 5 years and there are no bad Murano reviews My wife only put 68k on her 2000 forester, so I'm not to worried about durability. I'm also an rump roast man and it has the nicest butt on any car since of a 911 That said I WISH she would just get a new legacy GT wagon, but she does want to get my same kid of car. (??) Our Forester is perfect for us....but she thinks it's getting old.:-\

'96 2.2 Legacy L automatic 108k Ir's been binding since last spring. I get the 15 or whatever trans fluid light flashes at startup and the bind is noticable while parking in lots and in reverse. I tried the trans fluid additive, no luck. FWD fuse no effect. My questions: Does the flashing light evey time starting indicate that it is a failure OTHER than the clutch packs frozen up? Does anyone get constant torque bind without the trans light flashing? I'm wondering if maybe I just need that big solenoid ( B? ) or just have a bad connection to it.... I've been assumong I have that case casting problem I've heard of, i don't want to pull the tranny apart so I just drive it. Local Subaru tells me I need a $5000 tranny replacement without even looking at it. :-\

I was very let down when I test drove one last weekend. Very slow off the line, the 6 cyl only has power when redlined...My 6 year old daughter could not fit in the rearmost seats of the 7 passenger...visibility was pretty lousy, interior felt cramped, terrible on gas 19 mpg . Also cost close to 35k! I think they blew it in a big way... Same size car but totally better ( I hate to say as a subiphile) is the Nissan Murano. Rooooomy, fast, fun to drive, sexy exterior, smooth cvt tranny...Only bad was limited storage with rear seats up.. The wife wants to upgrade her 2000 forester soon...

By the way, replacing my pugs/wires cured the "runs like crap until warmed up" issue Thanks guys.

It's crazy easy. You can probably can do all 4 in an hour 1/2 or so. Just make sure to remove some fluid first from the rez, or it will spill over when you compress the pistons. (I use a big c-clamp and thin piece of wood to compress them.) I've never had to bleed if I do just the pads/rotors. Don't buy the cheap rotors at autozone for 20 bucks each...I did and they are not ballanced. shake from 55 to 65 mph.

THAT WAS IT! The hose was off! It was out of view under the air tube that leads from the air filter housing... ( what a moron... ) :-\ It's still doing the "crappy until warmed up thing" so I'll try the new plugs ( again )and wires. I also get the cyl 4 missfire check engine light along with vibration on the highway about once a month. I'm thinking the coil pack, but I can't seem to find one anywhere.

Thanks, I'll look, I hope it's that easy. Yeah, I can't believe how much MAFs cost new...3 to 400 clams(!) There is a guy on ebay that sells them used for 75 bucks and lets you return it if it's not the problem. So i've been commuting into boston for 10 years without incident, this AM I borrowed my in-law's Lexus...and got rear ended! Not too bad but JEEEEZ. Not feeling too lucky.

I'm not sure...I eyeballed the hoses...can you describe where it is? Let's say if I traveled from the maf sensor to the intake manifold..?

So my suby has been acting cranky when cold lately, missfires hesitation no check engine light, warms up and is fine...I wasn't sure if it was no gas or no spark. I changed the fuel filter, no luck, then I changed the plugs, and boom...it will start, but not idle. You can get the motor to rev nicely, but still noo idle...dies. I pulled the maf sensor cable and it idles fine, but then got a check lite, and won't run other than idle. I put the original plugs in just in and same thing! When I changed the plugs I took off the air cleaner shroud and I'm thinking maybe I killed the maf sensor somehow doing that...ANY FREAKING IDEAS? It's dead in the yard..

Thanks, they look to be the same shape as the cutouts on my bumber. Is the the same ebay seller you got yours from? I'd like to pay 54 bucks...

Could you email me a picture of your front end? I can't make it out too wel on your avatar.

thanks, I need to work on my brail skills I guess. I wonder why they would ALL die?..