lhrocker

On my way home tonight, the battery and brake indicator lights came on the dash. I had this same problem 2 weeks ago when the nut holding the alternator broke. Well I looked under the hood and the belts were in place, but the pulley on the engine wasn't turning. I shut off the engine, and the pulley that had both the alterator and AC belts was wobbly and loose. Is this something major that I shouldn't put any more money into it? The car is a 95 Legacy w/188k on it? If it is a low cost fix, I will drop it off at a gas station in the morning. If it is big bucks, I will probably sell it for parts or something. Help.... I need some quick advice. Thanx, Pete

Yesterday, the nut which holds the bolt for the AC fan belt tension adjustment brokd on my 95 legacy. Is this bolt easily replacable, or is it part of something bigger? If the single bolt can be changed, is it difficult to do? Thanx, Pete

I need to reiterate that when I said this is the only work I did in 70K miles, I meant major work. Routine maintenance was done (oil, filters, etc...). I was just wondering, if I get bad gas mileage (not really, but as an example), would changing the O2 filter, before I get a CEL light goes on, be worth it. Some sensors are easy to get to and change, which was the point of my question, I guess.

In the past month, I had some major and minor work done on my 95 Legacy such as new radiator, water pump, timing and alternator. I bought the car at 107k, so this is the only major work that has been done in 70K/2.5 years. Should I do things like look at replacing O2 sensors, coolant temp sensors, starter motor, coil packs, etc..., or should I wait for them to go bad. Some things are fairly easy and inexpensive while others are not? I only have one car and need it to get to work, so should I just wait for problems in this area to arise or would doing early maintenance help?

Well, I got the alternator and it took me all of 5 minutes to put it back in - I love subies!!! I replaced the belt while I was at it, but in looking at the AC belt, it looked like there was play in it and it wasn't real taut. I didn't replace, but I will. Would this cause the AC to be not very cold? Thanx again, Pete

It turns out that that lock bolt on the alternator broke, which caused my steering issues. I took out the alternator, but part of the bolt is in the hole and I can't get it out. My question, can I drive it as is to the parts store to get another alternator? I's only about 4 miles?

Thanx Hohieu - I think I have a spare sitting somewhere that I can plop on before going to work in the AM. Pete

My 95 Legacy wagon had a weird problem on the way home today. When I started her up, the engine made a squeal, like the serpentine belts were loose. As I stepped on the gas pedal, the squeal increased, and then when took my foot off the pedal, it decreased. It did this for a few seconds and went away. As I was driving home, all of a sudden, I noticed that the battery and brake lights went on as I was slowing down. When I accellerated, the lights went away. Also, I noticed that the steering became very tight. I stopped the car and took a quick look under the hood, but it was getting dark. I just drove it home slowly. The brakes worked as normal, but when I turned the wheel more than 1/4 of a turn, the brake and batt lights would come on. I'm going to have it looked at in the morning. There were no CEL lights or anything else. One thing did happen yesterday - I went shopping and was in the store for 1/2 and hour. When I came out, the car wouldn't start. The lights, radio, windows, etc... worked, but when I turned the key, no sound at all. I got a jump and the car was fine up until this evening. I had 3 or 4 stops from the time I got the car jumped to the time the lights went out. I thought it may be the battery or alternator, but would that cause the power steering to go out too? Thanx, Pete

I just got bought a Sony cd with front aux and was wondering if someone could help me out on the wiring harness. On the harness that I bought, there are 11 wires and on the Sony harness, there are 13. The speakers match up colorwise. After that, the matching remaining colors I have are red, yellow, black, blue and blue/black on the Sony. On the harness, I have red, yellow, black, blue and orange. It's easy that the red, yellow and black will connect to the corresponding color. The blue is power antenna, which I don't have, so I can leave it off, but what is the orange? There is nothing to connect it to? Thanx, Pete

OK - where is the coolant temp sensor located and is it easy to get and install?

Here's some more info. The car has 185K miles on it, I bought it at 107K. I did a full tuneup last September and replaced the battery in November. I had the radiator, water pump, timing belts and ignition wires replaced this past weekend. The wires were replaced because after or during rain, if the car sits, the car starts but then runs rough. No roughness in nice weather. By turning over, its the sound it makes when you turn the key to the start position. So instead or rrrruuummmm... start, it's rrrruuuummm, rrrruuuummm, rrrruuuummm, rrrruuuummm... start. I think the Alternator and Starter may be original also. Does this help. And the first time I noticed this was about a month ago.

Is the cassette deck of a 95 Legacy standard DIN size? I want to replace it with a regular store bought car stereo and with removable face and want to make sure that there are no mods to be made for the installation or surrounding plastic.

My 95 Legacy is starting to have problems starting in the morning or after work. It no longer turns over on the first try. It takes 3 or 4 "turns' of the starter before it will turn over (not the key). Once it starts, it's fine and will start right up again if I run errands. The battery is new - bought it last year. Could it be the alternator or starter? What's the best way to troubleshoot?

Doing that kind of work is kind of "over my head". I can do regular stuff like tuneups and taking small things apart, but I don't have the time to do something like that. The water pump is original, and the car has 185,000 miles on it, so I think it was the thing to do. The timing belts may or may not be original, but at 185k, it's not a gamble I'm willing to take if the work can be done anyway. So new radiator, timing belts, water pump, coolant, and labor came out to $850. And it is running good now.

Well, upon driving home last night, within 2 miles of my house, the A/C in the car started to lose it's cool. After that, it sounded like a belt was broken but the car ran fine. Upon pulling into my driveway, the car stalled. I restarted the car, pulled in and got out. I smelled something kind of burning, like either oil or some fluid, but it was too dark. This morning, I looked under the hood and under the car and found that there was coolant on the floor. I drove it to the local shell, and upon looking at the car, the radiator is shot and the water pump is original. So they will now replace the radiator, water pump, timing belts, oil change, coolant and spark plug wires. The reason for the wires is I told them I have hesitation in starting the car when it rains and they said it's probably bad wires. So, I'm in for almost $900. I bought the car with 107k on it and it now has 189k in a little over 2 years. I hope that this is it, but if I get any tranny issues in the future, it will be time for a new car.

Thanx Keith

I've been having problems with my headlights and finally got to look them over last night and they plastic on the socket is all worn and falling apart. I checked at the local autozone and they said this was a factory part. Is there any other place to get them? It's for a 95 legacy. The ones that I saw had the wiring protrude from the back with no insulation while the ones in the Subaru protrude from the bottom (right angle) and does have rubber insulation. I'd be willing to cut and splice. Thanx - Pete

Thanx - I did a plug/wire change in September and this problem started way before then (Feb/March maybe). The wire aren't oem Subaru, so I may try that. Could it be that the plugs aren't tightly connected to the plug? I reseated the wires at the coil pack side. When I first got the car in 2003, it had 107K and it was a rainy day. As soon as I got home and prepared to go out, the car wouldn't turn over. I called the salesman who came over to look over the car and was stumped. After about 1/2 an hour, it started, so I drove it back to the dealer. When they looked at it, they said something weird like a cover wasn't put back over the alternator (it was over 2 years ago). He said that he put it back and everything would be fine. I haven't had a problem until last year. It sounds electrical, but who knows. Maybe I'll replace the plugs and wires and coil pack again. My mileage went down from 27 to 25, but it may just be a winter thing. Oh well, it's tough cause I live 40 miles from work and only have one car. Keep the tips coming... Thanx - Pete

I was going thru the search and got some info, but maybe you guys can help me on this. On days when it rains, snows, lots of dew or just plain wet, upon starting my 95 Legacy wagon, it will sputter and feel like it's misfiring. It does this thru about a 2-3 minute warmup. When I put the car into gear and drive it, it drives okay, but every now and then the CEL light comes on. Now I know that I should have it read, but for the most part, it only happens in the rain, so he next day, if sunny, I will disconnect the battery for 15 minutes and the light will go away. This past Tuesday, it snowed and it rained on Wednesday and was misty this morning. On Tuesday, It started up like I listed above and decided that I would get the code looked at this weekend. Well, the light was still on when I went to work this morning, but when I started the car at lunchtime, the CEL went away. It was sunny and dry. My question is when the CEL comes on, should it stay on no matter what? I never drove with the CEL light for more than one day? If the problem did in fact correct itself somehow, where can I start to look/clean/reset? I know that the best way is to get the codes, but any help is appreciated, as always. Thanx - Pete

The low beam on my 95 Legacy wagon doesn't seem to be working but the hi beam is fine. I swapped the bulbs already with new ones and old ones that work, but I get the same results. Is there a way to test the connection? This wouldn't be a fuse issue, right? Thanx, Pete

Ron, If you find a place, please let me know. I'm in Hardyston and would also like to find a good mechanic other than the dealer, who may not be that good. Thanx, Pete

Hey Blitz, Yup - I can do it. I was just wondering about the color codes. I'll just check the wires to pins on the old and the new. Thanx for advice - Pete.

Hey Blitz - Nipper gave me the answer I was looking for. I wanted to know if they had replacement socket/pigtails. I can do the work, but I just wanted to know if the wire colors are universal, or whether I would have to use a tester to match the wire to the pin.

On my 95 Legacy wagon, the drivers headlight keeps going out. After replacing it, it works for 6 months and then goes out. I keep my lightson at all times, but my passenger light is fine after a year and a half. I replace them with standard bulbs and not higher output ones. I do see that the connector is worn. Can I just replace the wire, or splice a new one on? Are the color codes standard? It looks like it has been spliced before I got it. Thanx, Pete

Wow... took her a whole year to do it??? Just kidding. Maybe one day I'll do it, but I'm more comfortable working on my car where if I make a mistake it will not go rather than not stop.