Lesbaru

water in the tank? This is funny, cuz I just heard about a guy who had an Impreza that was dying on turns. Turns out there was a bunch of water in the tank that got swished over when he turned corners.

Rain-X is a beautiful thing.... I'm from Seattle, and now live in Michigan (against my will, I might add). Today it is minus 13 degrees F. Rain-X lets plain ol' rain just blow off my windshield at highway speeds, don't even use the wipers when I go fast. In the winter here the Rain-X makes it much easier to scrape ice off, and makes it very easy to clear the windshield when the semi-trucks splash muddy slush. I just use cheap NAPA wipers.

The more I hear about the Phase 1 2.5's, the more grateful I am to the USMB for educating me and Scott (Hi Scott!) for selling me his 2.2. Remind me to send Shawn some money...

Water in the gas tank? knew of a guy with an Impreza who's car died everytime he went around a sharp corner, because the water would get stirred up and get sucked into the fuel line. Could there be water in your gas tank that gets stirred up and pulled into the line when you're braking on a rough road? Has your fuel filter been changed? Was it grungy?

Don't forget the oxy sensors! We had one go out on our MT 2002. The replacement is starting to go bad now. Our dealership has an awesome mechanic who always tells it like it is. He says the oxy sensors are too exposed in the Forester, get spashed with slush during the winter, and the thermal shock knocks them out. He also said it won't show up as a check engine light; you just gotta know what a bad one feels like. (lots of stalling, dying, fading, surging, etc.) -Kaja

Just had the spark plugs and fuel filter replaced on my 96 Legacy. Wow, what a difference! No more funny-sounding idle, and not one hesitation on the way home. (knock wood) Next week's paycheck goes toward timing belt, seals, and pumps. A few paychecks after that: shocks, and the rest of the 120k maintanence list.

Just got back from taking my 2.2L 96 Legacy for the routine maintanence at the dealer. Oh, those mechanics LIKE the 2.2L. Maybe Emily at CCR could get you a 2.2?

Only happens on the inside of my windshield, too. Not the other windows. I wonder if it has something to do with the angle of the windshield glass and heat dissapation patterns. My Saturn did the same thing here in Michigan. ONly the windshield. Drove me nuts. (I don't have a garage) Those deep plastic/rubber mats are nice, they do make it easier to keep things dry.

Here it is. I used the search button (top of screen, far right) and looked for "hatch and latch". This link is to the thread by Commuter that I used. http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2513&highlight=latch+and+hatch (I hope the link works. I've never tried to paste one into a post before.)

My 96 Legacy had the same problem. Apparently quite a few of the later 90's wagons do. The "license lamp bracket" and latch handle rust. Then you end up with a misbehaving hatch latch that eventually refuses to open at all. Commuter posted a wonderfully detailed explanation on the old ezboard 5/25/02 of how to replace the two parts. It took me a while, but turned out just perfect. I got the bracket and handle (the part with the spring) from 1stsubaruparts.com for about $30-$40. I can't remember the price exactly. LICENSE LP BRKT: part no. 84927AC020 LATCH HANDLE: part no. 62150AA211 -Kaja

Well, I drove more miles than that (around 60) at freeway speeds with no problem. I have a MT 96 Legacy. Is there another mechanic you can take it to? I agree with a couple of the other posts, it sounds like you have the symptoms my uncle had me check for when he suspected I had CV problems with my car.

I'm an old fart, but I remember being taught NEVER to shift any car into first unless I was at a dead stop. If the car was moving, even a tiny bit, the thing to do was to shift down into 2nd. Never even tried shoving either of my Subies into 1st while the wheels were rolling.

I've given up on the idea of repainting the peeling front paint on my 96 Legacy. I plan to just slap a cover over the whole she-bang. (out of sight, out of mind... and it'll look all sexy, right?) Found LeBra for $92.99, and 1stsubaruparts has the OEM Nosemask for $93.57. Anybody have opinions on either one? LeBra's description says it has perforations so it will dry quickly. Does that matter? From my experience with boat bilges, I've learned that perforations tend to let water IN more than they let water OUT. :-p

How much are they for 96 Legacies? My car crunches on little bumps, so I'm gonna have to get that looked at. I have to prioritize my repairs by how much they cost at the dealer (got scr*wed by an indie mechanic) and how much damage is being done by waiting on the repair. Bleh.

I got a decent "shower curtain rod" style dog barrier from petedge.com for $45. You can easily adjust it so that it fits tightly. I've been pretty happy with it in my 96 Legacy. I don't know how it would compare to an OEM barrier in an accident. It's easy to see through because it has a few bars instead of a mesh, and it keeps my goofy dog from climbing up front while I drive!

Whoops, I forgot to mention that mine is a 96 Legacy. The link you gave is perfect. Thanks!

Just a recent rattle that I'd like to track down. While idling or driving I get a funky rattle (sounds like just between the engine and dash, but I don't think it's actually THERE) between 2500-3000 rpms. The kicker is it totally goes away if I hang on to the shifter. I'm thinking something has loosened up, but have no idea what. Is it important, and should I try to fix it myself or have the mechanic look at it?

I've got the same thing going on with my spruce green 96 Legacy L wagon. Only it's coming off in little flakes. The front bumper does look kinda funny, so I'd also be interested in a way to make it look better. I've thought of getting one of those black nose guards (bra, whatever) but I'm cheap. Gotta fix a few other things first. (and buy a left-handed acoustic guitar. I've wanted one for 23 years... That's higher on my priority list than lingerie for my wagon )

Or you could be lazy and take the easy way out, like me. I just set the tripometer every time I fill the tank, and make sure to re-fill it around 190-200 miles. Someday maybe I'll fix it.... maybe.

Glad you are ok! Now I see why all Subarus got 5 star safety ratings...

Sounds good. I'll be going back to WA in January at some point (just to visit.... sigh) And I'll be taking my gf to get lasix eye surgery Jan 22-24 (couldn't pay me enough to make me let someone mess with MY eyeballs!) There is another new Michigander on the board, can't remember the name (dang brain loss!). My uncle in Ludington is also a big time Soob nut, but he just lurks on the board.

I'm in Lansing MI. And TomRhere is in Jackson, I think.

Wheel bearing/ hub/ ball joint!!!! (that's my vote) My 96 Legacy was making some spiffy "clunk" noises on turns (and ONLY after it was warm) after a baaaaaad independent mechanic destroyed my hub and messed up my ball joint. You could peel the dang wheel away from my car with one arm (and thereby reproduce the "clunk") because that's what was happening when I turned corners! I hope you get it checked out soon!

Caught your location... do you geocache? There are a bunch of geocachers who belong to the USMB.

I bought my 96 Legacy for $4,500. It had 94k on it. So far I've put 10k on it and replaced the wheel bearing on the driver's front ,and the liftgate latch (very common for this year) and regular oil changes. The 2.2L has a nice reputation. My next "big" expense is replacing the fuel filter due to hesitation problems ($59.95 at my stealership). I fully expect to get another 94k out of this car. (My 86 GL wagon was at 164k and very few expensive repairs before a deer ended it's glorious career!) I've owned Saab, Honda, Saturn, Toyota, and Subaru. I have no intention of ever buying anything but Subaru in the future. (Maybe a 2006 to keep with my 86, 96, X6, pattern?)