Sweden

Same problem here. I bumped a tree at about 3 mph. Both bags, windshield and mirror. The mirror hit me in the head and caused bleeding. The repair costs were huge and it took about 7 months to fix due to parts inavailability. Not a good experience! On the other hand I was rear-ended the other night by a Toyota Corolla (European version) at about 30 mph; the bags in his car didn't activate. Sweden

I have a related thread that I have often wondered about, but never really gotten into. I have a 96 Legacy Outback and the temp gauge doesn't work. Is it just as simple as removing the screws to get at the back of the instrument panel, or does it become a real can of worms and something I should not attempt. Thanks! Sweden

Thanks! Sweden

Simple question, I hope... Which cylinder is number 4 on a 96 Legacy Outback (2.2) if I am standing in front of the car looking in to the hood? I just bought new wires and one is longer. It states to put it on cyl. 4. Te old wires were all the same length... Thanks! Sweden

My experience has been that ordering anything from the states is cost-inhibitive. The tariff charge often doubles the price of the item and that's before the steep shipping charge. I'll see if I can hunt one down here. I had no problems with the pads, so I don't expect the caliper to be a problem. Sweden

O.K. I guess I need to reply to myself on this one... I have now been doing osme additional research to what is available in Europe and came across the options of Cooper Discoverers, Goodyear Wrangler AT-Rs, or Bridgestone Duelers. I have gotten one response already of strong dissatisfaction with the Bridgestones. Has anyone else had experiences with the above listed tires on their Outback or other vehicle? The conditions in southern Sweden are actually rather mild in the winter; I would probably liken them to the state of Washington. Sweden

Thanks for the responses! I will due a little additional background work on caliper prices here in Sweden--both dealer and Swedish 'AutoZone'. I won't attempt the rebuilding myself. Now, How about the replacement? Is this a job for a professional only, or can someone with basic repair stills do one on his own? Messing up the ABS worries me... Anything I should watch out for? I am also not receiving any responses on my replacement tire post. What tires are everyone using for this vehicle? Thanks again! Sweden

It seems as though I have a sticky front passenger's side brake caliper on my 96 Legacy Outback. The aluminum rim heats up so much I burnt my finger when I quickly touched it (yes, that was dumb...)! After successfully rebuilding/replacing the caliper on my 88 Ford Fiesta this weekend, I sort of feel like I can repair anything. Is this most-likely the problem before spending all the money on a new caliper? With ABS etc, is this a smart thing to do by myself, or should I leave the car with the mechanic instead to have him screw it up? Thanks beforehand! Sweden

They're bald... It's time to replace the tires on my 96 Legacy Outback (Michelins). I know that the tires that are on the car now are not manufactured by Michelin any longer because they were difficult to find last time I replaced them in 1999. I would like to keep something with raised white letters to retain the look of the car. Here's the kicker though...I now live in Sweden and tires with raised white letters are not popular here. So, does anyone have suggestions for a good replacement tire with raised white letters for a ´96 that I can get in Europe (preferably Germany)? Cheers! SWEDEN

Not to jump off the subject too much here, but can I assume that the LPG systems will also burn biogas (in the purified form for vehicle use) just as well? Sweden

I'd buy one in a minute! Gasoline is about $4.50 gal. here in Sweden and I can't afford to drive my '96 Legacy Outback (I bought a Ford Fiesta as an alternative...). Yes, there are issues with certain pollutants with the diesel. My choice would be to go with bio-diesel made from rape oil, which is gaining some popularity here in Europe. How about a biogas/natural gas driven engine for Subaru? They are also becomeing increasingly popular here. Sweden

Thanks! Sweden

Quick question. Does anyone have the oil filter and pcv valve number for a ´96 Legacy Outback 2.2 (U.S. model)? Even more specifically, are these part numbers the same for non-American models? Time to change the oil and I finding it is not easy to locate a filter. Thanks! Sweden

The one that I bought screwed into the engine somewhere (I didn't actaully install it). Sweden

I'm not sure if there is one or two. I actually bought the sensor at the dealship in Minnesota, since the car was bought there (I bought it when I was back on vacation). But the dealership seemed to show only one sensor. Irregardless, it had no impact on the temp gauge issue. Sweden

One thing I did try a few years back, when this problem first developed, was start the car and let it run for about 30 minutes in the garage w/o touching the accelerator. The temp gauge came up to the "normal" operating range because the fan didn't activate. Also, I do have sufficient heat to the cabin, which makes me all the more puzzled... Sweden

I have a quick question regarding the engine temp of a ´96 Legacy Outback. If anyone has read my threads before, they know that I've been complaining about my temp gauge not working. With seemingly excessive fuel consumption of late, I am wondering if the gauge is functioning optimally, but the engine is not warming up for some reason´. The gauge seems to bounce around the 'C' with it definitely staying on the bottom when I am on the highway. I also notice that I have plenty of heat from the heating system. When this problem began, I changed the therostat and the temp sensor (both original Subie parts). The Q: Is there a quick-and-dirty to tell if the engine is coming up to temp? I have received some response from an European counterpart here regarding disconnecting the lamda sond, which I haven't gotten around to yet. But are there any other obvious ways to check? Thanks! Sweden

It seems as though, then, that the sensors in the bumper are not real precise, or where one hits is extremely important. Has anyone had an issue with the mirror becoming a projectile? I don't mind so much that the bags deployed (called 'air pillows' here in Sweden), but I am a bit disturbed that mirror blew off it's mounts and that the windshield was shattered--causing glass to fly evewrywhere. Sweden

Has anyone had a front impact crash with a ('96) Legacy Outback? I bumped/hit a tree a few weeks back at around 5-10mph, which in turn triggered both air bags. There was no damage to the exterior of the car, but the bags shattered the windshield and caused the rear view mirror to fly off and hit me in the head; it (the mirror) landed in the back seat next to the kids. I think my head is still attached. Is this normal for low-impact crashes? For a small crash such as this, it sure caused a lot of damage and potential extra injury...glass also went everywhere, including the back seat. Also, does anyone know what powder is used to keep the bags from molding together? It filled the interoir of the car after the air bags activated. Harmful? Thanks! Sweden

Setright, Thanks for the additional advice! You could be on to something with the thermostat... It might also explain why the car gets such poor fuel economy. The thermostat was replaced with a genuine Subie one, I bought it when I was visiting Minnesota and took it back to Sweden with me (the car is originally from MN). It behaved the exact same way--needle down toward/at C. I see it highly unlikely that two thermostats could be bad, or act in the same exact manner. That's why I moved on to replace the temp sender, which also had no impact. You mean the dash lights behind the instrument panel? I saw some screws there. Is this an easy job to get to the speed. cable? Tack (thanks)! Sweden

Thanks for the advice! If I recall correctly (a year or so back), the speedometer noise is common for a lot of Subies. Is lubing or replacing the cable been proven to be the solution to this noise? My worry is I'll spend half my month's salary replacing the cable here in Sweden only to find out that it was the speedometer itself... The play-by-play on replacing the HVAC lights will be most useful! Thanks! Lastly, Is the O2 sensor for a '96 (2.2) the same as for a '97 (2.5)? They didn't have the Outback here in Sweden in 96. Thanks!

It seems that my '96 Legacy Outback (2.2) has been suffering from a number of dashboard-related problems over the past few years, and I'm starting to tire of them... Has anyone had such problems (and possibly knows a remedy to them)? -Noisy speedometer (cable?), especially when my foot is on the accelerator and especially during colder months. It sounds as though it needs some grease. -A thermostat that doesn't function. I've replaced the thermostat and the temp sensor in the block. Still, the needle stays down on 'C' or sometimes bounces up slightly. Do gauges go bad, or is there something else I can change next? -Is it simple to replace the bulb that illuminates the temp-A/C control panel? Mine is totally dark and it makes for adjusting the heat rather amusing after dark... -(under the dash problem) My keyless entry system took a dump. I have replaced the battery in the small unit and I have retried numerous times to reset/reteach the unit (as stated in the manual). Did I burn out the receiving unit somehow? -Lastly, (a gas gauge problem) It seems that the fuel economy of this vehicle has gotten progressivly worse over the past year. Are there any obvious reasons for this? Plugs were checked by a mechanic a few months back and he stated that they looked good. Anything else? At $4.50-$5/gallon for gas here in Sweden, this is a HUGE issue!!! Thanks!!!