daehttub2000

There are a number of excellent threads on those blasted bulbs. Here's a start. I think you'll find everything you need to know eventually by following this thread. These is a good link below as well on the "related" threads list. Good luck. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2498&page=1&pp=10&highlight=clima te+control+backlight

Lots of good suggestions here. You might want to take down your Red Sox flags and take out all the baseball junk in your trunk:lol: But seriously, if you have a roof rack system and a lot of extra gear in the back, it will affect your mileage. I'm always amazed at what accumulates in all the little storage compartments and under the seats in my old wagon. Depending on your roof rack configuration and what you carry, a fairing might help. It would allow you to put more BoSox stickers on your car which are more aerodynamic that those car flags:grin:

Yakima is a terrific rack system. The standard roof rack on Legacy's are a bit short and narrow if you are going to haul a bunch of stuff. My 95 Legacy has the standard factory roof rack with the cross bars. I initially tried to use it with the Subaru branded yakima bike racks with the lockjaw thing. I then used the plastic "c" clip things from Yakima to mount additional yakima bike racks (the ones with the short tray and the fork thing for mounting the front wheels) and the ski racks from my old subcompact hatchback with the standard Yakima cross bar rack. The factory rack with the Yakima add-ons was just too short and narrow. I also couldn't "turn down" the yakima ski racks when they were not being used so they acted like air brakes on the car (advantage of round cross bars versus the flat oval ones). I eventually ended up getting the Yakima cross bars where you mount the rear bar on the factory rack and you have the towers on the front. I found the standard factory rack to be too narrow to carry four bikes and too short to carry sea kayaks. Of course, if you aren't hauling a small army (friends who don't have station wagons) you might get by with a standard factory rack. However, once you add Yakima cross bars, you can literally carry anything (windsurfer, bikes, kayaks, ski's, snow boards, stinky friends...) on the roof. A Yakima cross bar setup may cost a bit more at first but if you haul a bunch of stuff for a lot of people, it will definitely pay for itself. P.S. Find a sign to hang on your rear view mirror so you don't go through a drive through with something on top of your car...

I don't know about the 91 Legacy but the 95 Legacy's O2 sensors would always freeze up when cold (moisture?) and cause the CEL light to come on. After helping the Subaru Dealer send his kids to college with numerous O2 replacements:mad: , I finally found the technical service bulletin about the problem and simply ignore it now.

ericem: You're probably correct. I meant to say that the 95 Legacy door handles are really flimsy and not designed for yanking open frozen doors. I'm not sure what the 91 Legacy door handles are like.

Good question. It all depends on how much snow driving you will do and the trade off between pinching pennies and safety. If you commute on regular roads in a moderately snowy area, you can get by with all season tires on your AWD Subaru assuming you have decent snow removal in your area. You still have to be very careful though. If you want real peace of mind and live in an icy/hilly and very snowy area, by all means spend the extra dough to pickup an extra set of rims mounted with good full-time snow tires (Blizzaks work the best for me). The downside to full-time snow tires as folks have mentioned is that they stink on dry/wet pavement when there is no snow. The tread wears really quickly too. I'm a snow nut and there is no comparison between snow tires on all four wheels and all seasons. I have an extra set of mounted tires/rims for snow for the winter and try to change out to all seasons when the weather gets warmer. The timing is tricky though. While it may cost a bit more upfront, think of that accident or tow you might avoid... Whatever you do, don't try to save money by not buying an extra set of rims to keep you snow tires permanently mounted. I did that once and after the second change, my tires were toast (think endless leaks/flats). For snow/ice performance, the WS-50 Blizzaks have been great. I trust the Tirerack reviews. The key is "downsizing" when you put full time snows on sportier cars. Think ground pressure per square inch. Regular spec tires for performance cars will have the car floating on the snow. Not good. I park the WRX in the winter because the Chicago salt will kill it and the steamroller tires make it worthless in the snow/ice. The old legacy sticks like glue on those skinny 14-inch wheels. Hope this helps.

Rverdoold lives in the Netherlands according to his profile so he's probably near the sea (or at least below sea level:lol: ) where it's very damp and probably rainy/foggy this time of year. His old car is probably loaded with moisture that will freeze up (locks, windows, doors, etc.) when he hits the cold dry interior (interior condensation). He needs to be careful. I don't know about his 91 legacy but the door handles on my 95 are flimsy plastic and not designed for yanking open frozen doors (think crawling into the backseat and pushing open the door). I have this problem whenever I drive from Chicago (I live next to the lake) and head into northern Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan to partake in the crazy Scandinavian ritual of XC skiing. It's almost guaranteed that it will freeze up unless I park it in a heated garage for an extended period of time to dry it out or take some of the above mentioned precautions. I've had my windows, door locks/doors, windshield washer fluid, and (on a non-subaru) throttle cable, freeze up on me. It's not fun when a throttle cable freezes at 70mph... P.S. Bring along a can of fix-a-flat as older tires/rims can go flat when it gets super cold Personally, I'd rent/hire a newer car if you want to impress your girlfriends parents

You've received some excellent advice. I’ve done the Chicago to Northern Minnesota drive over the holidays and had several cars freeze up over the years (rainy in Chicago at 33 degrees to minus 25 degrees in Minnesota after a day or two). Here’s what I’ve learned (I’ll highlight some items that have not been mentioned yet): 1) Use synthetic motor oil. 2) If the battery is over 4 years old, buy a new one. 3) Put some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol in your windshield fluid reservoir. The stuff you buy in warmer climates doesn’t work in the really cold places. Plus, if you constantly top off your washer fluid without running down to empty, it seems to “go bad” and lose it’s antifreeze properties. It’s no fun driving in the snow with no washer fluid. Run your wipers and washers until you can smell the alcohol so you’re sure you’ve flushed the old stuff out of your lines (front and back). 4) Buy one of those cheap antifreeze testers and check your car. 5) Fill up with an Ethanol blend gas (In the US it’s about 10%) or use Heet/Dry-Gas. 6) Get a block heater. You’ll probably see cars with electrical plugs sticking out of the grill. Anti-freeze will eventually freeze if it gets too cold. 7) Squirt that unfreeze stuff(alcohol stuff) into your door locks and follow it up with some graphite lubricant to chase out any residual moisture in those old car doors… 8) Don’t wash you car for at least a week prior to driving to the cold and pray it doesn’t rain right before your trip… 9) Spray some silicone on those old rubber car seals around the windows and edges and hope it prevents your car doors from freezing shut. Happy Trails

Here's a great article the 08 Impreza WRX with a sense of humor about Subaru loyalists: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/automobiles/autoreviews/21IMPREZA.html?ref=automobiles Here are some choice quotes: "...Mona Lisa was no Monica Bellucci. Even so, you would never fiddle with the Mona Lisa’s looks..." "...With apologies to its zealous owners — their vision was apparently too clouded by speed to notice — the original WRX was one of the homeliest cars around..." "...The redesign of the WRX is clearly aimed at expanding its appeal. But the loyalists are not happy, blogging that this WRX, whether the sedan body or a new five-door hatchback, is ugly. Coming from WRX fans, that’s a bit like Chef Boyardee griping about the food in Tuscany:lol: ..." "...I think what’s behind some fans’ allergic response is that the WRX no longer looks anything like a WRX, or much like a Subaru..." I don't care though. I'll stick with my bugeye 02 Rex until this fugly un-Subaru phase passes.

Here’s yet another rant from a loyal Subaru fan… As much as I hate to admit it, Mitsubishi really nailed the styling of the new Evo. Now if Subaru makes the new STi slower than the Evo and doesn’t give it an intelligent center differential to match the Evo’s handling, it’s really going to get UGLY… By the way, the frameless windows, IMHO, was one of the coolest things about the Subaru when you’d open the front doors with the window down during the summer. It gave the Subie a sort of convertible openness. It also made gearing up for various outdoor activities a cinch. You could sit in the car with the door open and not bang/snag/rip/bump yourself or your gear on a @#* window frame. As for the silly complaints about window rattle, the extra body rigidity/stiffness required with frameless doors more than made up for it. P.S. No more 5 speed manual for the Legacy Wagons? What? No Legacy Wagon? Just Outbacks? @#*^$!!! P.P.S. I hope Subaru remembers what happened the last time they tried to go mainstream in the early 90’s. Anybody remember the disastrous “Subaru, It’s What To Drive” campaign that pitted the Impreza against the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla? That nearly killed Subaru. Fortunately, Subaru came to its senses and returned to being odd and quirky by going 100% AWD and introducing the Outback in the late 90’s. P.P.P.S. Subaru, if you’re listening, there IS a difference between “odd and quirky” and “butt ugly.” Like someone on this board so eloquently stated, “beauty is skin deep but ugly goes to the bone…?

Too bad about the tough little Impreza. Ouch. Glad you're O.K. Deer in corn country (Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, etc.) are no joking matter. These +250lb corn-fed monsters have killed people by going through the windshield. Scrawny East Coast deer that run up and down the hills are speed bumps that mess up your paint job. The swerve/don't-swerve decision depends on where you live and what you're driving. Of course, easier said than done. I think it’s just a natural self-preservation reflex that makes one swerve – unless you’re some sort of psychopath accustomed to mowing down pedestrians… I never speed or "lead the pack" at night anymore in deer country but now try to have a semi (or some other fool) ride point for me. I had a close encounter with a herd of deer at +80mph at night. The I somehow missed all of them. I swear I drove the rest of the way at 40mph. I find that good fog lights expand the peripheral view of the road and illuminate roadside deer that ordinary headlights/hi-beams miss. Don't get me started on squirrels. I swear they purposely target cars and bicyclists to get them to crash.

Tirerack is definitely the way to go. Spend the extra bucks to get your snow tires mounted on an extra set of wheels. Blizzaks are my favorite on my old legacy. Super performance on snow and ice and a blast for driving on frozen lakes. However, the tread life is really short if you have a snowless winter or procrastinate and leave them on after the spring thaw. The fronts wear out in a hurry so you have to be extra careful about rotating them. The downside is that the blizzaks are noisy and reduce your handling performance (be careful in the wet...).

Try PC Auto in Arlington Heights. 1410 N. Rand Road 847-259-7670. A WRX racing gearhead referred me to this shop. I had an external leak on my much abused 95 legacy 2.2L. I was getting tired of smelling antifreeze and was worried about when it would start leaking internally. They did both head gaskets for under $1,000. There was no internal leaking so it was an easy job. They are flexible and did everything I asked them to (I wanted to keep it cheap). The Subaru dealer was going to run at least $2,000 or more. They're literally down the street from a Subaru dealer so they have no problem getting Subaru parts.

Here's a sneak previews of a slightly disguised WRX STi on the test track in Germany. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/spyshotvideos/209819/subaru_impreza.html "rolling suppository" comes to mind... Personally, I think this is retaliation from the "Alfa Nose" designer since we dissed his design so badly. "Cut off your nose to spite your face..."

Once again, I think the scribes at Car and Driver said it best: "... Unfortunately, something went awry with the exterior styling. Although the original car was hardly the Halle Berry of automotive beauty, the 2008 Impreza is from the Hieronymus Bosch School. The Premium package includes an aero styling kit—front-lip and trunklid tail spoilers and side skirts—that’s akin to adding makeup to a toad..." Thanks to the 2008, I don't think my 2002 WRX is so fuggly. Also, the Alfa-nosed WRX looks positively stlyish and original (OK, appeallingly weird) compared to the derivative 2008 design. Fortunately for us Subie fans, it's what's inside that counts.

I've learned the hard way a few times (D'oh!....D'oh!....D'oh!) that it doesn't pay to be cheap with batteries. Change them at five years if you live in snow country. My last pennywise/pound-foolish moment cost me an alternator when I tried to nurse along a 5-year old subaru brand battery. Alternators are a lot more expensive than batteries. D'oh! Go with the Consumer Reports recommended brand and don't buy the no-name cheapos that don't show up in the Consumer Report tests. Trust me. I've learned the hard way.

LOL, Great Uncle. If memory serves, the 02ish WRX's were electronically(or drag?) limited to 130mph. Glad to hear that you were "supervised" and sensible enough to try it on a wide open and clear straightaway. Now that I'm older and wiser (ha!) I no longer indulge in top speed blasts. I just get my yucks with 0-60 sprints on the advice of my lawyers... Finsol: That's nuts. You would get along nicely with some of my motorcycle addled friends. It's not fair to compare motorcycles with cars given that ridiculous power-to-weight ratio advantage you motorcycle miscreants enjoy. Hope you were wearing a helmet and body armor during that high speed blast. Bugs kind of hurt at that speed amoung other things. Did you sign your donor form on your license:rolleyes:

Welcome to the wonderful world of Subie Wagons, especially the WRX wagon! The stock 02'sh WRX's meet the LEV(Low Emissions Vehicle) standards. However, a popular modification involves dropping one of the 3 (yes, THREE) catalytic converters and monkeying around with the downpipe/exhaust so be careful and count the cats before you buy...

I procrastinated about fixing a rust spot on my 95 Subie behind the rear wheel well and when I finally got to it I discovered that it was perforated… D’oh:dead: When I removed the rotted sheet metal, it left a golf ball sized hole. It was too big to just plug with bondo and I didn’t want to do the sheet metal/rivet thing and the Auto stores were closed so… I cut out a piece of a Miller Lite beer can to patch the hole. It wedged in tight and I completed the repair with rust remover, bondo, primer, paint, and clear coat. I used bondo on the backside of the repair to seal it. Ugly job but nobody looks inside the wheel well… Will this last or buckle with the next major temperature change? I’ve got a another spot to fix and was just wondering…

Is the driveway paved or is it one of those "boonie" driveways with vegetation in the middle between the wheel tracks. I'd guess burnt vegetation on the heat shields or catalytic converter then. Or, if your Subie is a bit leaky as is the norm, you might have some collected fluids getting spilled on your hot engine bits when your Subie's arse is pointed up in the air. I know the metallic smell of burnt clutch. When I first got my WRX I did a few Car and Driver drop clutch acceleration tests. I was a bit too overly enthusiastic on one such start. That was the last time did that boneheaded stunt. It was fun though:rolleyes:

You're lucky you had the smell to tip you off to a torn CV boot. I had a "D'oh!" moment with a torn CV boot. I had noticed earlier this year at the car wash that I had picked up some gunk just behind my right front wheel that wouldn't wash off easily. I thought I had driven through some spilled junk on the roadway. I only found out it was a torn CV boot when the car was on the hoist to repair a leaky tire. The tear was on the outer boot and the grease had spun around the inside of my alloy wheels and only a small amount would spill outside. Now I know what axle grease looks like...

1) I think I see the intercooler scoop bulge in the photo. The 02ish WRX hood scoop looks tiny compared to the newer ones so I think it's a WRX in the photo. 2) There is freeware that allows you to superzoom the photo (irfanview). The flash/glare obscures what appears to be the check engine light. The crummy out of focus shot messes up the rest. 3) This @*#% post is literally driving some of us nuts. O.K. Hondasucks, time to pony up your answer or I'm taking all my toys and going home...

If he doesn't give up the ghost by tonight, I say we take away his Subie and give him a 1984 Chevrolet Chevette Sedan Automatic for his winter driving in the Oregon hills... He can either drive it or sit in the back seat... If he's nice about it, we might even give him the Chevette Rally model -- no kidding, there really was one:lol:

1) The f-stop on your camera is incorrectly set so you've provided us with a "Nessie/Bigfoot" picture that is so blurry that it could be anything 2) Your Check Engine light is on and the engine is idling. I had to magnify your picture a bit. The image is fuzzy and the "check engine" light looks a little too far to the left but that's my best guess. 3) You 02ishWRX is in a real office and the engine is idling. I hope you have CO detector in the building... 4) I have some clear pics of a 2002 WRX instrument panel for comparison but do not know how to upload/attach pictures on this board. Everything on the instrument panel and steering wheel checks out for a 02ish WRX. 5) You're driving me nuts. Please let us know what the answer is. I actually went out to my car to take pictures

I don’t know what the differences are between a 2000 and a 1995 Legacy (I’m assuming a 2.5L H4, not a 3.0 H6) but I replaced the alternator in my 1995 last month. The setup looks pretty similar in my 2002 WRX (without the extra plumbing of course). It was a surprisingly simple and quick affair and I’m well known for being all thumbs. I used both a Haynes and Chilton manual. The Haynes manual was much more informative. The Chilton manual was pretty poor. I also used a marker to mark where the belt tensioner was set before I loosened it to make things a bit easier. I just used a metric socket wrench set. I think I only needed a 10mm and a 12mm or something like that. The toughest part was pulling out the plastic plug/connector from the alternator. The entire thing comes out after squeezing a plastic tab thing down. The manuals assume you already know this. I was really afraid I’d break it or the wire. The rebuilt Subie alternator with limited lifetime warranty was $158 after the exchange with the old one at Autozone. Ouch. If you had the time some of the USMB members have less expensive options. The “do-it-yourself” labor savings was really nice considering how simple the repair was. The car runs great and with the money I saved I ended up replacing a 5-year-old battery 12-year-old battery cable plus a few other odds and ends. P.S. My alternator was the original with over 150,000 miles. Are you sure your alternator needs to go? I recall there being an alternator recall for some “newer” Legacies. You might want to do a search on yours on cars.com or hopefully one of the Legacy gurus on this board will let you know.