SevenSisters

I've been reusing a copper drain plug gasket. No problems to date. I wouldn't use rubber or plastic. Heck, for what you're paying you could pay for one of those slick Fujimoto drain valves in no time.

When I replaced a rear bearing, the outer seal was shot. Ground away by rust on the half shaft. Rust can happen fast, even faster with dragging or frequently used brakes that generate a little heat. I can see how water, even just spray can get in. 19K sounds way to early, but it was fixed. If you don't have any noise, the fronts are probably OK, but you can crawl under and take a look at the seals.

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1c/4e/22/0900823d801c4e22.jsp Might help too. Buy a new valve.

Cold morning in Georgia? You must be kidding. Maybe you need a block heater. Look for loose or broken vacuum lines, intake hoses, etc. May also be a disconnected (bad connection) or dirty IAC valve. Do a search on cleaning the Idle air control valve.

AutoZone lends the spring compressor with a deposit. That's what I did. Can be a little dangerous though. Someone suggested removing the assembly and having the local garage compress the spring and install your struts. Mark all the adjustments and you probably won't need an alignment.

Wow! You hit the jackpot. I wish I owned a parts store. All of those individual components can be checked for proper operation. Josh may have the info on his Subaru Manual link. It would be under the fuel injection info. Not sure what Haines has, but I'd check each part before I replaced anything. I think the air flow sensor can be cleaned. Do a search on this board. How does it run? If it runs well and you're getting 26 mpg or so on the highway, there's no need to panic. Trouble shoot the smallest code number first and work your way up.

If I recall right, MTBE was approved and mandated by the EPA. Must not be all bad?

I've heard a lot of good things about the Triple Tread and it sounds like a decent deal. Might try a LT205/75R15 for a little tougher tire. Best tire for off road abuse would be a bias tire, but i doubt you want to go there.

Is there normal wear that makes replacement of the oil pump necessary at some point and how do you tell? If it ever gets warmer, I need to do the timing belt too.

Ordered once from 1stsubaruparts.com and was happy with the product (Real Subaru), price, and delivery. I didn't need customer support. It was a rear wheel bearing job and I knew what I needed. Will consider Liberty in the future as Subie Gal supports this site. Will check prices first, of course.

Auto Zone and Advance have them, at least for a '91. Ask them for the OE type. Muffler is welded to the tale pipe, etc. They bolt together with an aluminum gasket. I recall their web sites show a diagram.

Buy the Honda or replace the little screw...whichever is cheaper.

Needing a hammer should have been a clue that something was wrong. Assumming you put it backtogether right, did you turn in the adjuster a little? Was/is there a rust ridge around the outside of the drum? Is the e brake cable rusted partially pulled? on? Did you lube the backing plate?

Doubt it it's rusted. Try a 1/2" drive 6 point socket on an 18" breaker bar,if you don't have the impact wrench and find a new mechanic. Proper torque is only around 30 ftlbs., if that.

You didn't jump it right, but it wasn't real wrong. The last connection is when the sparks can fly and potentially ignite hydrogen gas produced by the battery. Can make a real mess, burn you, blind you, etc. It makes good sense to do the last connection away from the battery to a ground. By the way, ground is hooked directly to the negative battery terminal so there is really no difference. Just safety.

Thanks for the thanks. You can' count how much advice is given here without any response from the questioner. Did it help? Did it solve the problem? etc. Good luck. If people respond that the advice helped, we all learn something. If not, what's the point?

I was typing while Josh replied. Have to go with him on the ECU and relay relationship.

My '91 AWD has a roll-over valve that only appears to be part of the evaporative system and not the fuel delivery system. Never have had to trouble shoot a problem but here's how i'd start: Does the fuel pump run? Can you hear it when the ignition is switched to the ON, but not crank position? IF yes, check the fuel filter and pressure regulator. See if the injectors are getting gas. Be careful. IF no, is there juice to the pump connector at the pump. IF yes, check for continuity of the motor. Then take it out and hook it up to 12 Volts and see if it runs for a second. If no, start checking continuity back to the relay. I don't see how the ECU would stop power to the pump but it probably is tied to the canister purge valve and pressure regulator. The fuel system appears to be relatively simple. Are you getting any codes?

If you want to buy this, pull the plugs and squirt in some oil. Then dry crank it to try and get some crankcase oil to the moving parts, then try to fire it up. Good luck.

Hats off to Click and Clack for the Monster Subaru pics. Let’s face it. no self respecting environmentalist would ever buy a gas hog Subaru, but for the uninitiated, you get great AWD SUV type performance when you need it and it still looks like a car. I know, some people will rationalize they need a Subaru to get through the snow to their commune, but I’ve heard people try to rationalize their Expeditions or Yukons by saying they’ve got 8 kids and like to go camping. But it’s easy, just leaving a little earlier will get you where you’re going in a Geo Metro or even a Yugo. No need for a gas hog AWD. The Car Talk pics just bring to light the evil anti environment Subaru owners that may even drive off the road and kill innocent blades of grass. What a shame.

I've had techs help me and I've had techs tell me I couldn't change the O2 sensor my self. They're just like everyone else. May be the guy just ran the alignment rack. A good driveability tech would have known the answer but may not have told you. A decent tech is going to make $80K per year. If they tell everyone how to fix their own cars, they make nothing.

Back up lights work only when I jiggle shifter, this is a new thing. Bad switch or connection. Trouble shoot it. Rear center 3rd brake light has never worked. Maybe never hooked up. Trouble shoot it. Rear defroster doesnt work, Im not sure if it worked before I got the windows tinted or not. Not hooked up ot the window guys broke the continuity of the silver on the glass. Trouble shoot it. Power door locks...when I close the drivers door, all other doors lock, sometimes not, sometimes they lock, unlock, lock. I can still lock the car when holding handle. Bad switch? Trouble shoot it. Radio Shack has a multi-meter with your name on it. Good Luck.

It bothers me that you put a better tire on the right front. All the tires should have the same tread depth. Failure to adhere to this can damage the AWD system.

There is an electric brake switch interlock to prevent shifting out of park, but I can't see how it's related to the ignition lock. I don't think there are any computer issues either. Probably right about the worn key or maybe something in the ignition switch or locking mechanism that's worn. You said you tried locking the steering wheel. Is it locked or does it turn? Wiggle the wheel like cookie said while gently pulling and pushing in the key and see if that helps. You may wind up having to take the cover off the steering column to look for problems.

Get a letter from the rep and fix it later when you have the cash. Otherwise, it's just paint. I wish I still had paint on mine.