Lesbaru

Does it only happen when the car has been driven for a while? Cruddy brake fluid getting warm and expanding, making the brakes touch a bit?

Mine has done that since I got new cats. Theory is that the new cats keep down the usual stink, but don't pull out the sulphur, so the only smell that remains is the burning rubber/sulphurish smell. Either that or my car is about to explode....

Smart Service said my brakes from a different garage are ok. (non-OEM pads are the problem, not rust) But I can't stand the noise they make when my foot is OFF the pedal. Once the car has been driven for 10-15 minutes the brakes start a constant squeal that only goes away when I touch the brake pedal (of course, that's when a different chorus of squeaks and shrieks takes over, but that is bearable). The brakes make louder howls as I drive around curves (still without any pressure on the brake pedal). The only way to get the noise to stop is to pull off the road and stomp on the brake a few times. Then it's quiet until the next time I use the brakes, when it all starts up again. Anybody got any ideas what I should do? Should I even bother? Dang, I should've gone to Smart Service in the first place....

When I was considering getting an 05, I got a little bugged by the "drive by wire" thing. I prefer MT anyway; but especially if I were to have no PHYSICAL connection to the throttle. Dang, I'd want to be able to take the engine off-line with the clutch if it started having a mind of it's own. (wasn't there a big problem with runaway Audi's when they started drive-by-wire?)

My bearings went on my Legacy, and it sounded like you describe. Like a knobby tire. Be careful that whoever replaces them (if they do) knows how to finesse Subi bearings. I got into trouble with a doofus who used the wrong tools and destroyed my hub. Yay....

I had to replace mine, for the same reasons. I got the panel off by climbing into the "trunk" and working from the inside. I can't remember how I eventually got the hatch open, but I think I did most of the work with it closed anyway because it was all easier to reach. Commuter posted excellent instructions and parts numbers (and the thread had some reasons why these things go bad on our late 90's subies). I used those to replace mine. Got the parts from 1stsubaruparts.com Click on the search button at the top of the page and type in "hatch latch rusted". I got 4 threads, the last one on my list was the one with the instructions and stuff. It was from May 2002. (I don't know how to post links, sorry!)

Ya just gotta be willing to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but let me get you someone who can help." Or something like that. Diplomacy always seems to work better than, "Uhhh I've only worked here for a year." (I've tried both approaches in my jobs.... hee hee! It was the difference between looking dumb, and looking dumb but helpful.)

Mine played this game after I put in a cd with a label that a coworker made for me. After that I had to pull my cd's out with a pair of tweezers wrapped in a hankie. (so as not to scratch the disc) I finally gave up on it and don't use it anymore. Is there a simple way to fix it?

Commuter posted very complete instructions on this replacement, with parts numbers and everyting. I ordered the parts from 1stsubaruparts.com and used his instructions to replace it. I don't know how to search for that thread, but give it a try (or someone can post the link?).

Is it your wheel bearings? Definately go to Smart Service. I've been to both Carter and Smart Service. Smart Service wins, hands down. (check out two of my earlier threads for my "why I don't go to Carter anymore" stories.) Go to Smart Service, tell 'em you heard about them from the board (and me, Kaja, who has warm fuzzy happy thoughts of them). They read the USMB. They are COOL!!!!!

I was told my 96 2.2L was a single port and about to die a miserable death due to messed up exhaust valves. I took my car to a different mechanic (Yay! Smart Service!) who said the car was just fine and there was no sign of immanent demise or cruddy exhaust valves. Drive on!!

Williams Subaru/Williams Auto World in Lansing MI was always good to my Legacy and my gf's Forester. John the service manager would take time to explain (which I always appreciate) and would bring me back to the work area and point out things. He called us a couple times to check on repairs and make sure the cars were doing ok, and was especially kind after they repaired a mess a bad indie made of my hub. I thought they were expensive, but they were cheaper than a certain dealer in Seattle/Shoreline... (my son proudly informed me that he and his grandparents made farting noises as they drove their Impreza by that dealership last week.) Williams Subaru is pretty small. Maybe it's a size problem; maybe bigger dealerships lose the personal sense and start to treat customers like resources. I've seen that in different clinics I've worked in. Larger clinics tend to milk patients for money, while smaller ones tend to want to heal people.

Watch out for the dual exhaust port/single exhaust port problem. Apparently 96 and 97 2.2L had some engines that had single exhaust ports instead of dual. The single ports get too hot and mess up the exhaust valve sliders. Then you get misfires and poor mpg and gooped up cats, etc. The only way to fix it is to replace the cylinder heads. $2,200 or so. That's what happened to my 96 Legacy... sigh.

Oh, hey, the mechanic at Suburb Service in Seattle explained the rash of strange problems with some 96 and 97 2.2L as being caused by some of those engines having single (vs dual) exhaust ports which heat up too much and then mess up the sliders for the exhaust valves. A whole series of problems follow, which can all be truly solved only by replacing the cylinder heads. (He gave me an estimate of $2600.) Mine is a 96 2.2L.

A mechanic at Suburb Service told me that some of the 96 and 97 2.2L had single exhaust ports instead of dual, and that they heat up too much. Then the sliders for the exhaust valves get messed up (from the heat). He said that to really fix it you have to replace the cylinder heads. (ouch) My 96 2.2L seems to be having the same series of symptoms. When I get my axle replaced and my oil changed next week he's also gonna check for the single port exhaust valve problem. He thought that might be the root cause of all the weird things that are going on with my Legacy.

Dang, spit, and dirty socks! Had new plugs and wires put into Twobaru (we'll discuss 96-97 Legacies and dual vs single exhaust port problems later) on Monday. Last night I saw something glinting through the edge of my hood. Popped it open, and whaddaya know!!!! OLD SPARK PLUGS ROLLING AROUND UNDER MY HOOD!!!! AND I COULD ONLY FIND TWO OF THEM! Ahh, the physics of loose objects and car engines... old spark plug falls into fan: zing! Crash! Dead Twobaru, dead Kaja. old spark plug gets into a belt: zing! Crash! Dead Twobaru, dead Kaja. I'm calling Carter's manager tomorrow (he's a M-F kind of guy) to have a friendly discussion about how mechanics need to be given enough time per repair to do a good job, check their own work, and clean up after themselves. I will also discuss with him the reason I will not be bringing Twobaru in on Tuesday to have her new axle put in, and why I am going to Skagit to buy my new wagon. (The nice indie mechanic who will be replacing the axle said he could look around in the car guts for the two missing old spark plugs.)

Whoa, I wonder if that's the REAL cause of Twobaru's latest disaster. Got a misfire on #3 AND had just replaced the cats. And it's stinky. Just had all the plugs and wires replaced (2nd time in two years). Will have to try the dollar bill test. Have to replace my left axle next week. (pop pop pop ting pop thunk pop pop) Exhaust valve party the week after? Awww, heck, it's just money..... (sigh) Kaja

Oh, no! I will be in Bellingham that day. I hope you get a good turn-out! Sounds like fun and a good food-raiser. Kaja

I just got new brake pads ("lifetime" whatever that means). I'm guessing they're metallic cuz they squeeeeeeeeeel and sqeeeeeek. (thanks, Jamie!) They also STINK. Like sulphur. Real bad, embarassingly bad. I took the car back to the repair dude (Brake Doctors on Aurora in Lynnwood WA) and they took the brakes apart and put them back together again, said they were fine. I can deal with squeek, but do they have to stink?

96 Legacy 2.2 L 5-speed. Got the new cats, but I am chicken to try to reset the computer on my own. (I am NOT mechanically talented!! Black wire first? Red wire first? Sheet, which was it.... kaBOOM!!!!) If I just leave well enough alone, will the computer gradually reset itself? I really want my gas mileage to move back up. My last tank was 19 mpg, which is better than 18 mpg before that, but not as good as the 24 mpg I was getting this summer.

Well, bummer. Car runs better with new cats, but my mileage actually went DOWN to 17 mpg. What gives? Anybody got an idea what might be causing this? (it was 24 mpg, then after CEL for cats it went down to 18 mpg) Do I need a tune up after installing new cats? The car runs great.

The CEL went on, got diagnosed, and then later went off all by itself. (Magic!) the reason I finally had them replaced is that I started really losing power, the engine was acting very wimpy, and my gas mileage went waaaaay down. My uncle has a Subie that goes through cats often, and he told me to get them replaced PDQ.

Whoa, $1200!?!?!? My dealer (Carter Subaru in Seattle) wanted $2300!!! I had an exhaust shop replace mine for $508.

My power came back when I got my new cats. When my fuel filter was clogged the car would darn near stall when I'd accelerate from a stop, but had no problem on hills or merging on the freeway, etc.

A long shot... Could your cats be clogged? My Subie got the shakes at 2500-2000 rpm when I was slowing down, which went away when I got new cats. I didn't anticipate that so it was a nice plus.