hawksoob

It's 5MT. I've read of the toque bind thing, but my understanding is that's ONLY on the 4EAT, right? CardinaA, thanks for the info. I'll see what my mechanic can do for me, VC wise. He's damn good and he already quoted me the oil pump seal leak at about 1/3 of what the stealer quoted me, so I may get lucky with an under $500 job here. I also plan to run my car into the ground. I'm a big proponent of the "get things fixed" philosophy. Not ready to replace him anytime soon. So...that's wheel bearings and Viscous Coupling Unit. Plus, my first assessment of uneven tire pressures (is that even remotely probable?)....Any others?

Did a search on this, didn't find a heck of a lot of info, so I'll try with some specifics. Longish trip, 200 miles from Knoxville to Atlanta. 85mph, +/- at 3750 rpm for 3 non-stop hours. When slowing down at the end of the trek, at parking lot speeds, there is a firm binding in the steering when turning (either right or left). Feels like something is blocking the wheel. This ONLY happens after a long trip. Day-to-day driving shows no signs. CV boots have been checked and are allgood and booty. P/s fluid looks good and full. One thing I have noticed: I apparently have a tire issue. I inflate them regularly to 32/31. Recently I have checked them in the morning and RF is 29 and LR is 27. I filled up to said 32/31 right before the trip. Didn't check the next morning, but I'm wondering about the possibility of the tires losing pressure unevenly during the trip, and this causing the binding due to the unevenness, messing with the differential. This, I imagine would be best case scenario. Either buy new tires or, at least, plug whatever tiny leak may be in the offending tires. Any ideas as to WORST case scenario? Bad VC unit? Center diff gone whacko? Go ahead, scare me....

Snag it. I got my '96 (2.2) 2 and a half years ago for $5500 with 126K. Have put 30K on it since. Previous owner apparently neglected it, maintenance wise. It ran like a slug then. Now it has great pickup, cruises quite comfortably at 85mph, gets about 26mpg on average. (New: fuel filter, knock sensor, oxygen sensor, PCV valve, etc...) The only problem (well, one of my only problems....see below) I have with it is the typical oil pump/crank/cam seal leak. But, it's not a tremendous amount of oil, just annoying with the smoke and the smell and the ick. My understanding is the 2.2 is fairly bulletproof. Also, the fact that it's a noninterference engine is a plus. CardinaA - have any details re: the bad VC? I'm curious because I recenetly noticed a binding in the wheels when I make a slow (parking lot speed) tight turn ONLY after long trips. No problems in day-to-day driving. Only after going nonstop for 100-200 miles. Thought someting in the VC mechanism.

Yeah, I'm a total newbie to car repair, and I've been pleasantly surprised with what I've been able to do myself on my '96 Legacy OBW. General maintenance items are a snap. I was able to buy a Haynes manual and a small set of basic tools for less than what it was going to cost to have Pep Boys replace my fuel filter, including the cost of the filter. From then on, anything I need to have done, I refer to the Haynes or (more frequently) get on this website to get some clue about the job. If it looks like I can do it, I just go ahead and give it a shot. Sensors, filters, fluid changes, even some electrical, all seem to be very intuitive. Some things can be a little weird. Spark plugs, for one. Being horizontally opposed, some of the sparks can be tough to get to, requiring removal of some stuff to get to them easily. Still, doesn't seem to be too much of a challenge. Not quite confident enough to deal with timing belt and oil pump and other major or complicated stuff, but for general maintenance, I'm a devoted DIYer!

Mmany bottles I've read indicate you can pour the stuff down the drain as along as you are not on a sceptic field. City sewer systems are OK for disposal of the stuff. However, if you are concerned, check your local recycling centers and see if they have a disposal center for household waste like A/F and paints and stuff.

I mentioned this in reply to someone else with a similar deal ... might be worth a look. I had a loud clunk over ever little bump...came from the left rear. Couldn't figure it out. Mechanic checked the shocks and they were fine. Looking under the car, I discovered the stabilizer bracket had rusted through and the stabilizer bar was bouncing around and the part of the bracket still attached to the bar was banging under the car. $15 part and a pretty simple repair. So, I would drive around and pay attention to the FEEL of the ride going over the bump and try to ignore the sound. If it feels like the suspension is doing its job, but you still hear the clunk, take a peek under the rear fender. Odd thing is, the right side (just as old, of course) has no rust problem. A bit off topic, but I've read somewhere that these MYs and similar had problems with rust on the left rear of the car. Something about the exhaust condensation not clearing as it should. I've noticed a good deal of rust around the left side tailgate strut and the left side door clasp.

Drove through Castle Rock a time or two when I lived in Boulder. Beautiful area. I'm jealous..... Anyhoo... Don't know to compare to regular Legacy, but my 96 OBW, w/ 2.2 5sp, gets 20 to 21mpg city, 26mpg highway. I recently got 28mpg on a trip from Knoxville, TN, to Atlanta, GA ... about 200 miles, going about 85 MPH at 4000 RPM the whole way. I'm fairly pleased with that, considering it has 156,000 miles on it. I just replaced the O2 sensor (CEL scan told me it was slow in response) and am just now starting the first full tank of gas with it in place. I imagine (hope) I'll see an improvement even over what I get now.

I would think to make sure the whole system was filled with the full amount of coolant. Possible that there was a lot of air that wasn't "burped" when the coolant was added, leaving a misleading level of full coolant? After driving the air has been squeezed out? Just a thought. I'm about to do the coolant swap here, soon, and the big issue that people tell me is the whole burpage thing.

I've heard mixed things about this: Mixing coolant - pour in coolant, then top off with water? Or pre mix in a separate container and then pour?

By the way ... when I was at the dealer yesterday, after having my wheels balanced, he mentioned, "You know, you have a little oil leak." Duh.... I told him I know that it's likely the oil pump seal. He said the repair (in order to be absolutely thorough) would entail oil pump seal, cam seal, crankshaft seal, baby harp seal .... oh wait, no ... may as well do timing belt and water pump, since you're there anyway. (What people on here have told me as well).Estimated cost, $800. FWIW

Wowo wow wow....what a generous offer. I really appreciate it. The only problem is that I've already ordered the part and paid for it and the dealer doesn't take returns on special orders. However, I will deny them the pleaure of installing it. Perusing Mr. Haynes, it looks so amazingly easy to install. I'd like a job where I could get paid $50 to loosen two screws and snap in a plate, then retighten the screws. A thousand thanks, anyway!

It's a 96 OBW. I keep forgetting that my user info doesn't indicate that. I'll peruse my Haynes manual. It sits perched atop my commode, so it's thumbed through at least once a day.

As per my thread in Off-Topic, my Subie was violated last night and there was an attempt made to inhospitably and prematurely remove the stereo. The stereo stayed put, but the bezel surrounding it was broken...apparently some foot force was involved. Anyhoo, the part is about $20 from the dealer and they're to charge about $50 to put it on. Is this a simple DIY that I can do and make it look good?

Haynes is worthless for this. Shows nothing. Under the left fender, near the muffler. Stabilizer bar connects to it. It's sort of a U shape. Part number 20520AC010 Here's a pic: Adendum to the text on the image: After the insert tab A into Slot B reference, of course, there are 3 bolts to deal with. One on the non-tabbed part of the bushing, 2 on the part that goes flush to the body. I hope that helps.

Be sure that it really is a shock/strut. I was getting a similar clunk/bang on the driver's side rear when hitting bumps...thought it was shocks. I was all ready to pay $300-$400 for new shocks/struts. Mechanic did the simple check .... push down on the rear bumper: does it bounce up and down? or just return to its normal position. It returned and stopped...not the shocks. Looking underneath, it turned out to be a broken stabilizer bracket banging underneath the car. It had rusted out and broken right at the bolts. $15 DIY job. Might be worth a peek.

Me too.... 1996 OBW

Has it been tuned up recently? Fresh sparks? New fuel filter? New air filter? PCV? Knock and O2 sensors happy? Tried any fuel system cleaners like Techron? Tire pressure to spec? I got 18/19mpg before any of those things were done to my 96 OBW. Now I get 21/28.

Got a P0133 upstream O2 sensor "slow response" code. Is this a replace situation? Does it mean it's faltering but not bad, replace at your leisure? Or does it mean "replace now"? Thanks

I know on mine (96OBW, 2.2L) there is a dipstick for the tranny oil/front diff (same), but the rear diff requires the finger in the hole method.

cool site: http://www.convert-me.com

Yeah...door placard is a good starting point. It's the best compromise for fuel mileage, ride comfort, handling, etc. Mine says 29/28. That's a nice smooth ride, but can be mushy at times. (205/70/R15) I went 32/31 and it's a bit more responsive and has a little more gittyup. When I had an alignment done, they inflated the tires to 36psi. I bounced all over the place and every little bump resonated through the whole car. I can't imagine how it would feel if they were inflated to the max. of 44psi.

hmmm...does seem low. Is that pounds per square inch? Perhaps there's a different unit of measurement being used? Maybe x,000kg/m^2 ?

All things being equal (you have the factory recommended tire size) the information you need is in the manul or on the placard on the driver's side door panel. See here: http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/1996/January/05.html

If there is too much oil, there is a danger that it will get all churned up and get "frothy" like blowing bubbles in a milk carton. Frothy oil does not flow to where it's supposed to flow very well. Not good. I assume, since it's driving, they didn't accidentally drain your tranny and then overfill your crankcase? Then leave your tranny empty? Could be double bad.

Chilton's has the proper procedure for knock sensor swap (for the most part) but shows TWO sensors. 96 (at least) has only one. Guess it's tough to be a be all end all manual for 11 years worth of MYs.