porcupine73

Hello and welcome! It sounds to me like you're probably going to want to get a known good used 4EAT from a similar year Outback. Generally people treat the trans and front diff as a unit and don't try to service the front diff separately. If you do get a used trans, you must make sure it's final drive ratio (like 3.900) is the same as your existing rear diff or the AWD will get ruined in a hurry. One way to do that is to get the rear diff from the vehicle the used trans came out of. There are other options, such as Subaru rebuilds but those are going to be expensive. Trying to do internal work on the front diff and stuff doesn't sound like it will be economical, plus you don't know what else in teh drivetrain may have been damaged too.

The marks also provide a quick visual check at the factory that a certain procedure or calibration or whatever was done on the vehicle. Do the inspector can verify someone at least put the mark on saying something was done and it didn't get missed.

All my sub's transmission and engine oil pans were rusty. Just wire brush 'em, spray 'em with solvent, and spray with flat black barbeque paint. Takes like 5 minutes and it will keep it from rusting further, at least for a while. When wire brushing, if it is worn thin, you will probably feel it, or if it pokes a hole in then you know it might be time for replacement.

Are you still not getting any warmth out the heater? If the coolant is circulating, you get at least some warmth out of there unless it's totally plugged or there is some heating system problem. Even if the thermostat is failed or radiator is plugged heater should work. Did you replace the thermostat? The first post says you did the HGs, waterpump, thermostat. If it is failed closed or in backwards or something that can definitely cause overheating, though with heat out the heater... Can you see if the water pump is pumping and it's making it through the system? Like maybe pull the hot hose going to the heater core and then crank it and make sure you get a good garden hose like stream out of there. Obviously you can't do this for more than a couple seconds. Was the timing belt and tensioner in good condition and not oily or anything?

Well yes, ideally, all tires make/model/size would be the same. The real issue is that they all be within 1/4" circumference of each other. Subaru says to check that with the tire off the ground using a narrow tape measure. There's an article on EndWrench I can look up the link if you'd like. And if you do that, while you have the wheel off the ground, check for any wheel bearing freeplay or noise when turning. Not sure I've heard of wheel bearings making the noise you described, but it's a very quick&easy thing to check any time the wheel is off the ground. (Assuming the wheel isn't off the ground because you're doing one of those rally style jumps we've been reading about...)

Do you think one of the tires is rubbing for some reason? I had this happen with new tires on the '00obw and it was some plastic piece in the wheel trim stuck out a little further on one side and made a weird squeak only sometimes. As you probably already know all the tires (your new front and the existing rear) should all be within 1/4" circumference of each other or it can cause AWD issues.

Yes. And the number of hoses and pipes in that area can be somewhat alarming.

All gas in my area is E10 so I haven't tried anything higher such as E20. Subaru's position (2006): "Subaru of America states that any fuel used in its vehicles should not contain more than 15% methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MBTE), 10% ethanol or 5% methanol. Problems caused by the use of E85 are not covered by warranty." http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/CorrectInfoNov06EW.pdf

Hm, yes maybe air pocket or for some other reason the water pump is not circulating....I don't think it would be a radiator issue because you would still get warm air out the heater.

Sounds good! Say, how many miles are on it? An add-on ATF filter in the cooler line might help keep the AT happy for a long time with fresh fluid (something like a magnefine is easy to add inline). Or there are the Subaru kits for the early 90's models too.

The 2.2L EJ Legacies, esp. say 95-96 and earlier were pretty solid. Engine was very solid. Do need to check for torque bind of course, but if it already has a blown trans then you'll be replacing that anyway. In a recent post people said they were fine hunks of aluminum. Grossgary just had a post about doing the AT to MT swap and people posted some good links. If you want to avoid potential phase I (exhaust blowing into coolant) and phase II (coolant peeping out) 2.5L HG issues, then you probably don't want a 2.5L unless it's ~2003+.

Dang I wish I'd of read that before spending on iridiums again...that might explain why my oldest '94 with the copper for some reason seems like a banshee compared to the '00....

Hm..never heard that about the platinum plugs before. Sounds like misinfo to me. NGK lists a whole bunch of their spark plug models for Subaru's, including platinum in non-turbo applications. What brand throttle cleaner did you use to clean the MAF? If it contains any type of oil/lubricant that would be a problem. There are specific 'maf cleaners' but a non-chlor brake cleaner should work good. Those usually have non residue leaving items such as xylene, toluene, acetone, mek, etc. A chlorinated cleaner would probably work too but chlorine is a lot harsher.

Wow sorry to hear about that bind. If you want to measure the tires, Subaru says to use a thin tape measure and be sure they're all within 1/4" circumference. Suggested Measuring Device tire circumference SuggestedInfo.pdf

Another easy/quick thing you could try is a little Auto-RX in the steering fluid. If you're not an additive person maybe you don't want to try it. I put an ounce in my '96 and it must have freed something up because ever since the steering has been much easier to turn than it used to be.

Should be no HG issues to worry about (at least not like the 2.5L phase I). '95 Outback should have the 2.2L, which many argue in '95 was one of the most durable engines Subaru ever made. cars101.com: 1995: The first Outback is a 1995 Legacy L wagon with special trim. This 1995 model is not the Outback as we know it. The all new Outback was an 'Active Safety Group' all wheel drive Legacy L wagon with the 2.2 liter engine, I'd definitely change out all fluids and filters. Should be a solid vehicle. Is it an AT or MT? Does it show any signs of torque bind? edit: oh yes, if 2.2L, in '95 that is non-interference, so even if the timing belt snaps you may be stranded but engine should be OK.

See if your '95 has the ODBII connector. It probably does. Subaru started to roll out ODBII in '95MY since it was required on '96MY anyway. The '95 may have a few flukes/bugs. Most ODBII scanners are going to say '96 on up since that's when it was required and they don't have to worry about other makes that might not have started ODBII earlier than that.

Cool info on those hex plugs. Skip's method will work. I would not try to start the vehicle and pour fluid in as it pumps out though. I did this on my '96 with a helper and it pumped it as fast as I could pour it in - i.e. it was sucking air. The pumps move more fluid at low rpm than hi rpm I believe. There is an article on EndWrench about flushing. They recommend use of a cleaner to get varnish out (weird-usually Subaru doesn't like flushes and additives). I've been using seafoam transtune on my units as a flush. After I've got the return hose in a jug, I use a cordless drill with a rubber cap on the chuck to drive the steering pump. This gives nice control over the fluid rate so you can keep up with pouring it in. And you probably already know it wants Dexron type ATF, not power steering fluid. Power Steering Fluid Flushing: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/07FebPowerEW.pdf

Yah you should be able to pound out the dent after pulling the pan. Then I spray the outside of my pans with Ace Hardware flat black barbeque paint - makes it look like new. You could even use metal filler on the outside to smooth over the dent if you don't like how it looks. The dented pan may be a blessing in disguise. For mild torque bind an ATF change would be a great thing to try first, esp. on an older unit. When you pull the pan, change out the screen filter too (they usually don't have anything in them anyway). You have to remove this atf pipe over the filter to do it. When you do that, serveral more quarts ATF will come out leaving maybe 1-2 quarts in the system. Just draining the pan leaves 4-5 quarts in the system. Also, do you have the external Subaru add-on filter on this AT? If not it might be a good thing to add. I've used a Purolator kit with gasket and filter on the '96 and a Napa kit and gasket on the '94; it is very easy to do, no problems with leaks (yet!) but my pans were in good shape. Another thing some people use for torque bind is limited slip differential additive. I wouldn't use that unless the fresh ATF doesn't correct the problem in some miles. Subaru recommended it at some point for binding. But it is controversial. Sometimes multiple drain and fills of ATF are needed to get rid of the bind. I've found it can help to get the ATF nice and hot, like not overheat the trans, but after I did some hill climbs in the '96 with fresh atf, got the atf to about 220 deg. F a few times the bind was gone.

Hm...yes, or you could maybe put in a switch or something to allow airbag deactivation if desired. Another issue might be insurance coverage, like if there is an accident and they determine the airbag system was tampered with.....

OK will do. The first time it happened I did bump the key quite a few times. Actually it was kind of confusing that first time because my coolant temp was at 209 deg. F. and after I'd hit the key, but no starter action, the fans would turn on.

Hello and welcome! Hm...when you say it drives fine, do you mean you drove it without the belt on the PS pump? Was the rack bleed through? You know like turning the wheels lock to lock jacked up etc there is some procedure in the manual. Once when trying to flush a unit and driving the pump with a cordless drill, it would not take any fluid for some reason. When I turned the steering wheel a couple times, then it started working... Can you blow compressed air through the supply line to see if anything comes out the return line? The lines aren't somehow reversed at the pipes? The squealing sound is probably the pump's internal pressure relief valve opening, which I think is around 800-1000psig.

Ah....ok thanks nipper I will try to remember that so I don't panic next time it happens...

Great thanks for the info, I'll look into it, especially if it starts getting worse. I don't want this thing to leave me stranded. Though in an emergency from what I see if you have it in park with key in run and jumper that solenoid wire on the starter to +12V it should start?

Ok cool. subarupartsforyou.com is where I got that info I pasted. I order from them a lot and get good results and fast ship.