burke615

Thanks, guys. I'll check those out tomorrow (or Friday if the stores are closed) and see how it goes. Thanks again, and happy Thanksgiving! - Charles

If I were buying it, I wouldn't be buying it. With my '99 OBW, I got a head gasket replacement, which aparently did not fix the problem, the engine seized and I got to buy a new engine. I don't recall off the top of my head whether the 99 and 97 have the same engine, but I believe they do. As always, YMMV. Cheers, Charles

Ok, I am planning on giving my old '99 OBW to my brother, now that I have my '05 OBXT. Here's the problem: although I have been pretty good about driving it for 20-30 miles on weekends, I did not manage to do so this past weekend. So it has been sitting for 10-11 days since last starting. My wife went to move the cars around because we are having company, and she said it started rough. Unfortunately, rather than leaving it running for a bit, she just moved it and turned it off. I went out to run an errand a couple minutes later and now it won't start. When I crank it, it will occassionally feel like it is about to "catch", but that only lasts half a second or so - a couple of "pops", then nada. I have tried the following: Crank ten seconds, rest ten seconds, repeat. Crank with pedal halfway down for 5-10 seconds, rest, repeat Crank with pedal all the way down for 5 seconds, rest 5 seconds, repeat The last method came from the "Flooded Engine" section of the owners manual, and seemed to come the closest to working. Unfortunately, it didn't, and I don't want to burn out the starter motor (or wear out the battery) by continuing to pound my head against a wall. Being fairly inept mechanically, I figured I would come to the experts for advice. Any ideas what the problem could be, and how to fix same? Any and all help would be very much appreciated. Oh, if it matters, it is about 47 degrees with misty rain falling here. Don't know if that would affect it. Thanks, Charles

Hi, Patrick, My understanding is that if it was towed with all four wheels on the ground (in neutral, obviously ) there should be no problem. But towing it up on two wheels is seriously bad mojo. Caveat: the only time I've ever had my old Legacy towed, it was on a flatbed. To give yourself a warm fuzzy about this info, check out Subaru's page on towing. Cheers! Charles

Thanks for all of the advice! I guess I still didn't get a clear-cut answer, but more information and opinions to consider help, too. For the record, the salesman said this when I picked it up: "You don't have to baby it, but try not to go over 4000 RPMs for the first 1000 miles." I asked about cruising at highway speeds, and he replied, "At 4000 RPMs, you'll be doing about 100, so that shouldn't be a problem. Just try to vary your speed." Thanks again, Charles

OK, I am taking the plunge and replacing my '99 Legacy Outback with a new '05 Outback XT (5-speed). I have been reading up on how to best break in the engine, and there seem to be two schools of thought: 1. Drive at varying speeds for about 1000 miles or so. -or- 2. Drive it the same way you will do most of your driving. What do you guys think? What is the best way to break in this engine? I'm concerned because I drive 90-100 miles on the highway every day for work. If I need to drive at varying speeds for 1000 miles that may mean that I am doing a *lot* of driving around town this weekend. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! Charles

Not answering your question, really, but my 99 OBW had the same problem - occassionally the speedo would just register zero, even though I was doing ~65 MPH. Mine was indeed the head, as indicated by the fact that the cruise control had no problem. Replaced the head and the problem went away. Also, note that in some states (Massachusetts, for example) there are laws about indicating the mileage when you replace the odometer. The shop that did mine put it on the frame of the driver's door. YMMV. Good luck! Charles

Hmm, I hadn't noticed the directional part. That throws a big wrench into the works. I guess that's why they still use a donut spare, eh? Thanks for the assist! Charles

Thanks for the link, but I don't see any descriptions of the options, just a list of whether they are available or standard. Am I missing something? Regards, Charles

Yet another question: I am considering buying a fifth wheel & tire to use as a spare when I buy my new car. The question is, will it actually fit in the compartment that the "donut" spare is in? It looks kinda tight to me. Has anyone tried this? Thanks, Charles

Does anyone know where I can get descriptions of the options on the Outback line? Subaru, Consumer Reports, Edmunds, and Vehix all just give one line names, like "Front wheel holder". I can't find anywhere that actually describes what that is. I would have thought SOMEWHERE online this info would exist. Do I actually (*gasp*) have to go to a dealer and listen to them babble to find out what they are? Thanks! Charles

Yeah, I actually did check that. That's actually the first thing I do before getting into any car. Anyway, I think I am just going to get an Outback XT sans moon roof. The only issue with it is that it has an electric seat adjuster, which gives it about 1/2" less headroom than my '99 Legacy Outback, but I can live with that. Thanks for the comments, guys! - Charles

OK, I'm looking at a new car now, and have a minor problem. I would like a moon roof, but I have a very tall torso. This means that where I have plenty of clearance in a car without a moonie, my head nearly touches the moon roof in pretty much every make of car I have tried (Outback, Forrester, VW Passat, etc., etc.) My wife had an odd idea which I immediately discounted, but which I can't get out of my head: why not buy a car, then have a body shop lower the seat? (I am certainly not confident enough in my skills to attempt such a thing myself, particularly since messing it up could be fatal. I keep picturing the seat coming loose in a collision and flying toward the dash as the airbag deploys. Not a pretty picture.) So I ask all of you retrofit/body shop gurus out there: is it possible or advisable to physically lower a seat in a car? I'm not as much concerned with whether it can go up and down (although it would be nice for my wife to be able to drive my car) but I would like at least limited back and forth mobility. What say you? Thanks! Charles

Thanks so much for the replies, guys. So if I understand this correctly, some WD-40 sprayed liberally in the hatch handle might clear up the problem? And if not, then I get to take the thing apart, which just might have to wait for warmer weather (supposed to be around 15 F here for a few days!) And frag, that explanation was great - I think I actually know what is going on now. Thanks again, Burke

Hi, Frag, Sorry this took so long to reply to, but I had some "other issues" I had to deal with (death in the family + holidays...) Anyway, my hatch stuck this morning. I couldn't remember exactly what you said here, but I remembered it had something to do with pushing the handle. This is what I did: 1) Unlocked car with fob. Hatch was stuck. 2) Locked and unlocked car with button on door. Hatch was still stuck. 3) Pushed the handle in and pulled it out. Locked and unlocked car with button on door. Hatch opened! So from that can you tell me what is going on/how to fix it? The only other possible wrench in the works is that the car was running with the heat on while this was going on, so it is marginally possible there was some de-icing or something going on. The thing sticks in warm weather, too, though so I don't think that is related. Thanks a ton! Burke

I work about a quarter mile from a television station with several transmission towers (including one 1000+ foot monster) and my remote needs to be right next to the driver's side window/driver's side windshield to work. At home (45 miles away, and half a mile from a radio station) it's fine. Two of my co-worker's who have similar-vintage ('97-'99) Legacy Outbacks have no problem, though, so I must have just gotten the "lucky" frequency...

Thanks, Frag! I'll give that a shot and let you know what happens. (Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, now I'll probably have trouble getting it to stick again...) - Burke

Greetings: I have a 1999 Legacy Outback Wagon, and the rear hatch has been giving me fits of late. It will refuse to open "occassionally" (i.e.: it works when I leave home to go pick up the wood for my new floor, but won't open once I get to the store!) When I depress the latch, I can't feel or hear a click or anything. I had a trustworthy (non-dealer) shop look at it, but they saw nothing obviously wrong so they just lubed it up. Unfortunately the problem continues. Has anyone else seen this? Any tips on what to look at? Thanks, Burke