northgeorgiaroo

Not a mechanic, but it seems to me I heard a noise that could? have been similar when a starter solenoid failed to disengage the starter properly. (your arrow is pointing directly at the starter) But, my gosh, if you have been having this problem for a while, surely the starter would have fried by now if that were the case. Other thoughts, since it depends on rpms, could it be something loose that is causing a sympathetic vibration?

Windshield does not leak. All rubber seals are good, zero corrosion on body and frame (except the PO's fender bender that is causing some fender rust where it got smacked.). That is why I still love this car, even though I have now swapped an engine and am now looking at opening the transmission back up.

Thanks all for the replies. Tires all match, and I inflated them all to the owner's manual recommended 35 psi immediately after the drain/refill. That was part of why I was soooo hopeful that the problem was solved. When the torque bind is happening, putting in the FWD fuse does not immediately solve the problem. The problem has been coming and going, so I can't really tell if putting in the FWD fuse eventually solved the problem, but my gut feeling is that if it were going to do the trick, it would be instant like "flicking a switch" -- am I right? The fact that the power light flashes when I have the problem indicates to me that this is a component failure inside the transmission. I just thought I would confirm this with you guys before I borrowed a multimeter and crawled back under the car. I have read the legacycentral post on diagnosing a Duty C problem, and I think I can manage it, but as someone who is frightened and bewildered by transmissions, any advice is appreciated. I am going to lunch now, and I am stapling a note to my forehead not to forget to try and pull the code (with instructions from legacycentral) when I park. (Aside -- Does the tranny really have to be warmed up for this to work? If so, Why?

Recently undented and resealed a dented transmission oil pan on a '90 Legacy wagon 4EAT. While it was off, changed out about 6 qts of old, dirty trans fluid and this seemed to fix my torque bind. A few days later, it was back. Primarily when backing out of a parking space. At this point the "power" light on the dash was flashing for about 5 seconds after startup. Then, it was GONE again, and the power light stopped flashing. I didn't get the code from the transmission (I read a post on how to do it, parking the wagon with transmission warmed up, then cycling through the gear selector while turning ignition on and off. I just couldn't get it to work . Had to make several short trips this evening, and I swear I heard something whirr in the tranny at the end of the trip while parking, and it seemed to bind a little when I parked. I turned it off, then immediately restarted the engine -- yup, power light flashed at me -- I think it was laughing too! Next trip, though, no bind, no light! What is most likely to cause torque bind to do a Houdini act!? As I mentioned in a previous thread, I am not entirely sure I am up to opening up a transmission. I am willing to give it a shot, though, if a replacement solenoid can be had for not too much, and the alternative is forking over a grand to a mechanic.

Did you install that in the Legacy in your sig? I came from an old school 'roo and got used to watching the oil guage to know when I needed to add oil Now have a 90 legacy wagon and an idiot light. I was thinking of adding a guage, but was wondering if someone has a clean-looking aftermarket oil psi guage that won't look completely out of place on my dash.

Doesn't that stuff come off with brake parts cleaner? That's all I've ever used on new rotors.

Update to the UPDATE! Drove around the neighborhood about 2 mi. round trip following pan replacement and refill, and was UNABLE TO CREATE TORQUE BIND!!! And the pan doesn't leak!!! (Dan knocks on the wooden desktop) It is certainly something I will keep an eye on (in the form of checking tranny fluid, tire pressures, etc.), but for now I am moving on the fun part of having a Legacy -- Driving It! (Oh yeah, and getting tranny flushed all the way out, replacing the struts within the next few months, pounding out the crunched fender eventually and all the other "little things".) (BTW 2.5 -- The AT Temp light is not flashing when I start her, although the CEL is on -- I will pull that one, but I suspect it is an O2 sensor)

Update: Finally had time to take off the pan and all... Fluid smelled funny... got about 6 qts total out. The stuff that came out of the drain hole didn't seem to have any grit in it, but I noticed there were flakes in the stuff that came out when I got the pan off. RTV is curing overnight, and will refill tomorrow. How serious is this torque bind likely to get? Right now it just happens at low speeds in tight turns (parking). Advice?

I was making more of a comparison of the "older gen" forum and the "new gen" forums. (C'mon, you have to admit, there is always a thread -- or two -- on the first page where someone is cussing their HGs; maybe the moderators should creat a separate forum only for 2.5l headgaskets ). I sincerely hope you have no problems of the sort, Anthenium, and you probably won't with a 2.2L -- but it has happened (to me on a Legacy I probably bought with the HGs already blown. It may have actually been worth it for the crash course in EJ22s and for helping me find the USMB!) Good luck with the OB

Love the Legacies! Recommend to anyone. http://www.Legacycentral.org also has a VERY thorough write-up on the 5-sp. swap. It doesn't sound easy, but definitely sounds do-able. Maybe when I have a house with a nice, big garage .

:lol: (pause) (read again) mrmm ... hrm.... :lol:

Not a 'roo, but I had a Yota corolla that had 210k mi. on the clock when the original belt let go. Also a non-interference engine , so replaced the belt and got another 50k mi. before the cylinder no. 3 quit compressing. Clutch was bad, struts were bad ... gave it away and got another 'Roo.

Wow! I LOVE USMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been on a board with so many people ready to help, even on a basic question like this. Thank you to everyone. Good lord willing, the old girl will be up on jack stands tomorrow, getting her transmission pan un-dented. While we are talking about pans, the oil pan that came with my new used engine is rusty as heck. I know I should have just swapped on the one from my engine while it was out, but I just wanted to get the ol' girl on the road in a hurry. If it doesn't leak (no signs yet), y'all think that rusty pan will be OK for a while? Or should I try to do that too? If I do, could I just use the same permatex on the engine oil pan? (I am in Dalton, GA, and NOOOOO ONE around here has Roo parts. The #$%^& Subaru dealer in Chattanooga just up the road doesn't even stock first generation Legacy parts -- when I needed stuff for the timing belt job, they told me they could order it and get it the following week - I ordered from Courtesy Subaru in South Dakota where they are MUCH nicer and more knowledgeable. Same wait, and I didn't have to drive to the dealership).

Thanks, Gary, and don't worry, Skip. It would take a lot of fast talking to get me to put a hole in a perfectly good pan just to get out a dent. I have zero welding experience anyway, so that wouldn't be an option anyway. I'll just pull the pan, undent it, and put it back with a new gasket.

OK, Crazy D. I smoked a cigarette and inspiration struck! Here's what you should do: Next time your buddy starts eyeing a huge jump, hit him in the head with a shovel, steal his WRX and give it to me! Net effects: Buddy: Concussed, but alive. Staggering around wondering what the #$@# happened to his WRX. (no difference for him). You: Not concussed, alive and well! Me: Driving a new WRX! Actually, this might work out even better for your buddy, because he would actually be able to file an insurance claim on the car. Everyone comes out ahead!

Welcome to the new generation forum. I look forward to reading your posts about your upcoming head gasket problems .

For a Darwin award, you have to remove yourself from the gene pool (i.e. end up dead). That's the one we hope he WON'T get after crash no. 3. Absolutely nothing wrong with having fun in a WRX. Big problem with being stupid enough to do a 50' jump in a WRX w/o roll cage, REAL race suspension, 5-point restraints and flippin' helmets. F@#$in Solberg wouldn't try that, and he'd stand a helufa lot more chance of pulling it off than your buddy. In the future, if you are going jump your roo, (5' or 50') it's kinda important to look PAST the landing spot and see what you're gonna need to do after you land. (and you CAN still do the shorter variety in a carbed EA82 w/AT:headbang: ) To be philisophical, I think that's the problem with young drivers -- failure to think ahead .

Thanks for the FAST reply, Jamal:burnout: ATF in the hair is no problem. I got some in my mouth replacing the lines to the radiator. THAT SUCKED! I spent about 20 min. spitting and gagging.

Hey, guys. When I swapped in my used EJ22 on my 90 Legacy wagon, the guy who was "helping" me shoved the jack right under the AT oil pan to raise the tranny and line up the engine -- no cradle, not even a 2X4! (OK, he really did help, since he provided the engine hoist, but damn, what a doofus!) So now, I have a nice dent about 1" upwards in the bottom of the AT oil pan. Although I have rebuilt an EA82 years ago, (I know, I know, who hasn't:grin: ) and done the timing/h2o pump/etc. on my engine before putting it into the Legacy, I have NEVER so much as opened up an automatic tranny on any car. Before I joined this board, I really just kindof figured automatic transmissions worked by some sort of magic:grin: . So the question is how easy is this to fix? Can I just drop the pan and bend it back, or are there a lot of baffles on the inside of the pan that will make this difficult? Tranny has had some torque bind issues, but there is no way I am going to try a rebuild or duty-C replacement on my own (yep, I've done a thread search). Is there anything simple I should do while I have the pan off to keep the 4EAT going as long as possible before a rebuild?

Find some jump seats and turn it into a Brat-za!!!!!!! Dude, I am looking through my center console as soon as I post this -- I will send you all the change I find to do this project. If we all do this, there will be a really cool Impreza rolling around Picksburg, and we can all take credit! ......... Um... My wife cleaned all the change out to buy a Slurpee. Sorry. But please do this, and post PHOTOS!

Umm....... The "Guinea Pig" is the one who started this thread:-p Sounds like it will at least move the car, so we can close that debate. If my torque bind gets worse (I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope it would get better:rolleyes: ), I'll try it on my 4EAT, and be another guinea pig for the autos. When that happens, I vow to do it until the tranny grenades, and I'll report back.

:headbang: :headbang: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Subaru Wagons Rule!!!!!!!!!!

Tips: Replace ALL the timing components at the same time, including water pump. Oil pump, too, if it shows signs of wear. And reseal everything on the front end, if you are doing this with engine in car. (It can be done, I have been told by folks on this board.) If you take out engine, replace the rear main oil seal, too. No point in doing a major disassembly job, then having to do it again in 6 months. Good Luck!

Sounds like there was something a lot more wrong with those tires than the size! Could have been one or two really underinflated, or maybe you threw a wheel weight, and the out-of balance wheel was throwing everthing else off?

Yeah.... I should have suggested that! I just did the same thing to a Head bolt. Once you trim the spot where the bolt meets the washer, it relieves all the tension holding everything together, and you don't need to get too close to the head/sprocket/whatever other part is stuck to do it. Where would any of us be w/o the Dremel tool? :headbang: