Exocet

My 94 Legacy has started to develop some strange electrical problems which appear to be related to the ignition switch. Occasionally, the starter fails to turn over when the ignition switch is turned to start. Sometimes the car fails to stop running when the ignition switch is turned to off. Accoding to my wife, both problems are intermittent. Of course, it never happens when I drive the car. It sounds like a bad ignition switch to me. What does everyone think? It looks pretty easy to replace.

The heat shield on my 94 Legacy has been vibrating/buzzing for some time. I've tried clamps, etc., but the noises always return. Is there any harm in removing the heat shield? I could see keeping it around the converter, but could the rest of it go? Thanks.

I need to remove the door panel on my 94 Legacy to fix the door handle. It looks like 2 screws near the speaker, 1 underneath the armrest, and 1 at the top of the inside handle. Then it is just popping the clips and lifting and removing. Am I missing anything? Thanks.

Thanks.

I need to replace the coolant sensor on my 94 Legacy 2.2L. I think I've found it, but would like confirmation before I pull it out. Is it located on the back side of the coolant crossover on the passenger side almost directly underneath the rear intake runner?

The same thing happened on my wife's 94 Legacy a couple of months ago. Her handle continues to go up and down, just the ratchet mechanism doesn't catch anymore. Since the car has an automatic, I haven't worried about it too much. Once the weather gets warmer I'll fix it.

I've had the following problems on my 94 Legacy: 1) 60K miles - water pump started leaking 2) 100K miles - coolant sensor failed 3) 126K miles - alternator bearing failed 4) 145K miles - rear wheel bearing got too noisy. Other than that, the car is still original (except wear and tear items). The struts are showing some softness when there is a full load in the car. Around 100K miles it started to develop a slight rear-end whine. It was gotten a little worse in the last 45K miles, but not enough to worry about. We'll see what 200K miles brings.

Check out the tire reviews at http://www.tirerack.com. Most tires are ranked in various categories (snow traction being one) by users. I've found them to be very helpful when looking for new tires. The Tirerack's prices are very good as well. Right now I have Firestone Affinitys on my Legacy and have been very happy with them.

I replaced both sending units today. With the exception of one stubborn hose, it was a relatively painless operation. Before I started the guage read about 1/4 tank. Afterwards, it read between 1/2 and 3/4. So, the operation appears to be a success. Thanks for everyones help.

Thanks for the informative response. The car seems to warm up normally, within 3-4 minutes of normal driving. The car doesn't have any noticeable cold weather driveability problems. The coolant sensor went bad about 40K miles ago and was replaced. That doesn't mean it isn't going bad again, it just isn't bad enough to cause driveability problems or trip the "check engine light". This morning, after sitting all night in a 35-40 deg F garage, I drove the car about 10 miles at 65-70 MPH. The torque converter didn't lock up until after driving 7-8 miles. The outside temp was about 35 deg F. The car does have a block heater, but since it is parked in a garage, it has rarely been used. I suppose I should pull the coolant sensor and check it, or just replace it, if it isn't too expensive.

My 94 Legacy's automatic transmission takes longer to lock-up the torque converter in the winter. I know that it should, as it waits for the transmission to get up to temp before locking up. However, it seems a bit erratic in terms of the distances you have to drive before lock-up occurs. For similar ambient temps (20-30 deg F), most of the time it locks-up within 1-2 miles of driving, other times it goes 10 miles without locking up. It only behaves this way in the winter. During the summer, this doesn't happen. Lock-up is almost immediate. This would appear to indicate a possible problem with the temp sensor in the transmission. But, it could be more serious I suppose. Anyone have anything similar happen?

Thanks for the info. I pulled up the carpet today and saw the two access covers, one on each side. Does the fuel sending unit on the passenger side mount to the fuel pump?

My wife's 94 Legacy had the same thing happen many years ago. The only way to get it to stop was to remove a battery cable. The dealer replaced the ABS relay under warranty. Haven't had a problem in 100K+ miles since.

Do you have to drop the fuel tank to replace the sending units on a 94 Legacy wagon? I was under the impression that you didn't have to, but looking under the seat tonight, I didn't see any way to get access to the top of the tank. Am I wrong, or am I missing something? Thanks.

I need to remove the center console in my 94 Legacy wagon. There appear to be two screws on the sides near the dashboard, and some screws in the console storage bin. Are there any others? The button broke off the end of the parking brake handle and I need to replace it. Thanks.