wondercow2

I know the whole point of fogs is to not use your headlights, but mine just won't cut it at anything faster than parking lot speeds. I use them more in rain to fill in the side of the road and the area immediately in front the car (they're the "better" cheapy Hellas, little projectors that throw amber light). But hey, while I'm doing wiring, I could just add another relay on the parking lot circuit for the fogs... (I'm going to need a relay box soon!)

Thanks for the advice. On my model year anyway (with high and low beams on the same lamp), it's definitely the ground that switches. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that that first relay in my diagram is pointless.

I'm hoping someone here can help me think through a puzzle I'm working on here. I've got aftermarket fogs and driving lights installed at the moment. Right now, I use a 3-position switch (on1, off, on2) to control them. I just got a factory fog switch (thanks brandoncrone! ), and I want to use it to control both of them. In a stock setup, the fogs go off when the highbeams go on. I'd like to sort of replicate this, by having the lights switch from fogs to driving lights when the highbeams come on (and more importantly, taking the driving lights off when the highbeams are turned off). I'm guessing that I can tap the highbeam and lowbeam wires, making them the grounds for the relay (pin 85/86). A third relay would be the "master" relay, sending power to both fog and driving relays whenever the foglight switch is on. Attached is an abomination of a wiring diagram. Is it going to work??? I guess I don't full understand how the ground on the highbeam/lowbeam gets switched.

It's probably quieter on the highway. Subaru has been taking flak for having generally "unrefined" interiors on otherwise great cars, so maybe they're pushing the fit 'n finish angle these days, even on what's supposed to be an unforgiving sport sedan...

While the clips aren't dirt cheap, in comparison to the rest of the parts involved it's insignificant. Just replace them! No sense having to essentially re-do the clutch because the old clips gave out.

I tried JB welding a plastic radiator side tank once, but it wouldn't hold pressure-tight. If you have a lot of room to work with and can drain the radiator before JB welding it, you might have a better chance of getting a more solid plug. Otherwise, you're screwed. Fortunately Subaru radiators are very easy to replace.

I threw out 2-5 days because the chances of getting it all right in one day, for the first time, is low. You'll break something, you'll need to run to the store to get a new tool, SOMETHING. I think the shop labor is usually in the neighborhood of 6 hours.

What do you own in the way of tools, and what are you willing to buy? I did a clutch as my first "big" job (did a timing belt before that), and yanked the engine in my parent's garage with a rented lift. If you have a good rachet set and air tools, it's just a matter of carefully taking stuff off, labeling everything, and then pounding angrily at the engine and transmission because they won't separate... Short of doing machine work, most "car stuff" doesn't require technical skill so much as patience, intelligence, and the ability to figure out what your (possibly inaccurate) shop manual is telling you to do. You will need space and time, above all- a good garage and a 2-5 solid days, depending on how things go. And if you do do it, pull the trans instead, unless you've got a head gasket to replace or something. Doing things topside is more spacious, but I think it was in the end a much bigger hassle.

That's absurd. It takes maybe 30 minutes to do both when the engine is out, and that's doing it carefully. I'd casually ask why they're estimating so much, and escalate from there as needed. It's like timing belts and water pumps: Subaru's tech bulletins, I'm pretty sure, says specifically not to double-charge the labor for the water-pump when doing a timing belt.

(I know this covered on a lot of places online, but I think I've got more useful photos here). A bad or fouled MAF sensor can often cause lower gas mileage and other problems. It may or may not trigger a code in the computer. Cleaning the MAF is easy, and if you do it right, should be a harmless (and beneficial) part of your routine maintenence. CRC sells a special MAF cleaner (most auto parts stores will carry it) that runs about $6.50 for a large bottle - probably enough to clean the MAF a dozen times. After 2000 (I think?) Subaru started putting MAP sensors in cars instead of MAFs. If you have a MAP, this is not for you. If your engine bay looks like what's below, read on. The patient below is a 98 Legacy with a phase 2 2.2l engine. First, unplug the MAF and remove the hose connecting the air filter assembly to the pre-throttle body air chamber. A good tug may be required to loosen the hose. (see photo 1-2) Remove the air filter assembly by loosening the 2 clips near the fender and pushing the box toward the engine. Set the assembly in a clean place. There's no need to remove the MAF housing from the air filter cover, although there are just 4 bolts holding it on. (photo 3). Take your cleaner, and spray the MAF element. (Photo 4). Don't let the straw of the can touch the MAF! Don't touch it with ANYTHING. Move the assembly around, making sure you spray from every possible angle. The CRC cleaner dries very fast, so you don't need to worry about wiping the housing down. Installation is the reverse of removal. Don't forget to put the MAF plug back in before you start the car!

Sounds like you need to find an impact wrench, although unfortunately a cheap one won't be able to do much more than you've already tried with a breaker bar.

On level ground on the highway, are the RPMS always "normal"? If they run higher or occasionally shoot up for no apparent reason on level ground, there's a problem. It's the auto version of a slipping clutch, sort of, though I don't think it's common at all.

Just a thought for you high-mileage/low-economy folks with autos: are you sure your torque converter is locking up consistently? That could put a big hit on your mileage.

You really need to give some more details if you expect a real answer.

What kind of muffler are we talking about here? If you moved up to a 3" fartcan, you've killed anything resembling backpressure in your system, and your mileage will suffer.

Time to look for caravan wheels... the guy sold them out from under me! I was scheduled to check them out in 2 hours :mad: Thanks for the replies.

I've still got my snows on my stock steel wheels for my 98 Legacy L wagon. I've been shopping around for tires (I drive about once a week, so I'm not too worried about wearing the snows down) but I was thinking about getting another set of wheels so I don't have to pay to unmount and remount tires every season. There's a guy selling 4 17" subaru alloys with some blizzaks on them. I have no interest in 17" wheels, but it's cheaper than buying new steelies, and they come with a set of rubber to grind down this summer (I'd replace the blizzaks with summer tires whenever they wear out). My main question is thus: will my little 2.2/5spd be able to get wheels that big moving? And slightly less important: how bloody ridiculous would they look on my stock ride-height wagon? (would they even fit??) The 17-inchers have 215/45/17 tires on them, which works out to about 1.6% difference in spedometer reading over my 185/70/14s, which I can live with.

They help reduce drag on the underside of the car too. The gas milage difference might not be measurable, but every little bit helps... (disclaimer, my Legacy has been splash-guardless the whole time I've had it)

Seconding this. Gasoline evaporates very easily. Sunlight and time can work wonders.

Throwout bearings are NOT pricey... it's unbelievably cheap to leave it out, especially considering it comes with most kits along with a flywheel pilot bearing. As for your gear oil, dark is not good! It doesn't matter if the case is full if the oil itself is packed with metal bits. Change that oil and hope the noise goes away. There's not much else you can do at this point except drive it into the ground and get a new tranny when this one fails.

Rock solid. As long as you keep up on timing belts, it being an interference engine won't matter (and it's worth it to get that little bit of extra torque, HP and fuel economy over the old EJ22). The only problem I've seen on more than one late-model 2.2 has to do with the "new" style timing belt tensioner (a big chunky vertical-pressing thing, rather than the old horizontal cylinder design). These seem to go out on 2.5s a lot too, and can sound like piston slap from outside the car.

Cruise control is a bad idea in rain or snow; if a wheel starts to slip, the cruise module will floor it and potentially send you out of control. I'm almost positive there's a warning about it in the owner's manual as well.

Valeo is OK as well; it's what I just put in. I knew this in advance, but the factory clutch that came out was also stamped "Valeo." I think Exedy also does OEM for Subaru (maybe does more nowadays than before) but don't overlook Valeo if the price difference is huge. As for cables- there's no guarantee a new cable will be trouble-free. If it ain't broke... What I was really saying though, was that having the transmission or engine pulled isn't going to matter much in terms of a clutch cable job. You can run the cable with it all in the car for the same amount of work. As for tows, hey, that's what the extra $10-20 you should be paying a year for car insurance with towing coverage is for.

The cable is not needed unless yours is damaged, and it's not a whole lot easier to replace with the transmission out. I'd wait on that, unless you've really got the urge to preventatively spend $20-30. A new clutch fork boot might be needed- you can check the condition on the topside of the transmission to see if it's worn out. You should order new throwout bearing clips (about $3); they don't come in bearing kits usually and they're easy to lose or break. Definitely order a new metal plate, and make sure you're getting the right thing. I had to reuse my plastic plate because the idiot dealer near me ordered the plastic part (despite my specific request for the updated part #), never acted on SOA's part update message, and neglected to tell me that my order was thus cancelled. That's what I get for living near a mega-dealer who makes Subaru parts share the counter with Mopar morons :-\

I'm going to have to second a floor mat or carpet issue. I spent an afternoon cruising around, trying to figure out why my idle wouldn't drop below 1500RPM. Turns out the heavy floor mat had caught the tip of the pedal. If there's nothing mechanically wrong with the throttle linkage and cables, then is almost certainly to blame. It's got to happen far more often than a medical mishap.