porcupine73

How's the ATF look? Clean or burned/dirty? How's about a ATF change with some good quality fluid and give it some time to work? Maybe some of those solenoids or something are a little sticky?

You gots ta get da codes read, that will probably reveal much info. Reset is easy with even a basic code tool from my experience. Most places like autozone will read da codes 4 free.

Dodgy ECT sensor won't light the CEL if the ECU can't tell something is wrong with it such as open or short circuit or resistance outside parameters; the thing might just be grossly inacurrate; it's pretty much just a thermistor as far as I can tell.

Hm, well hot/warm start problems from what I see in other threads could be the ECT engine coolant temperature sensor going (I guess causing bad air/fuel mixture on startup until o2 sensor is up to temp).

pcv=positive crankcase ventilation. It's basically a check valve. It passes combustion blowby gases back into the intake air stream. Some people like to put a catch can inline after the pcv valve to catch oil and maybe settle oil vapor/mist and other stuff so it doesn't get fed back into the intake thus potentially gumming things up.

Well if those are still the original wires they could probably use a change. If you look at it in the dark when starting do you see any sparks or anything in there anywhere around the coil or wires, or if you spray some water on it do you see any sparks? If yes those items could probably use replacement. If you replace coil and/or plugs, coat the insides of the boots with good silicone dielectric grease to keep the moisture out of there. Maybe plugs are due for replacement too? Is the issue any different on a warm/hot start vs. cold start, or when it's wet out/dry out/high humidity?

Is it burning/using anything such as oil? I've heard of the adding ATF to the oil as a 'flush'; I don't think I'd be up for it. Sometimes people pull the spark plugs and shoot some ATF or something like lube control lc20 down in there and let it soak for a few days cranking it over for a second once a day (not starting, as the plugs are out) or so to soak the junk off the rings then change the oil after a couple days and fire 'er up. I don't know how well that would work on a Sub since the pistons are essentially horizontal verses many engines that are more at a slant to allow the stuff to work into/soak through the rings. Some people pull water in through a vacuum line which supposedly does a really nice job of decoking the piston tops and stuff; i've never tried it. You could maybe do a cylinder leakdown test or compression test to see if you've got leaky rings or anything freaky like that..harbor freight has the cylinder leakdown test kit on sale for like $25 right now...

I think there are a couple aftermarket options, the only one I can think of off hand is King Springs but you have to order from Australia. I tried PepBoys, Carquest, etc., but no one had aftermarket springs for my '96 Legacy so I went OE, not all that expensive, but not stiffer though...

Ah true dat, well maybe visiting the local salvage yards if they have Sub's of similar years might be worth a shot to compare with what you've got and maybe make a purchase!

one more: subaru-parts-dealer.com for a couple years; good prices. good service esp. on smaller orders.

Well, now I don't know for sure about those model years, but the other threads seemed to indicate to look for Outback springs/struts for the same year as the subject Legacy. In another thread I saw King Springs makes some sweet springs but you have to get them shipped from Australia. I've got a '96 legacy wagon and am planning to order '96OBW KYB struts and either King Springs or OE '96OBW springs. Already have new OE mounts, etc.

Yep, nothin beats the OE manual (and info you can get free on EndWrench for certain jobs). I got a printed set of OE manuals for '00OBW on eBay for about $150; however I was kind of ticked when I recently saw I could get that set on CD-rom right from Subaru for about $200. I also subscribed to alldatadiy, which has the same information as OE, except for a few spots where they show the info for the wrong engine/model.

If the knock sensor is wack and is reporting knock when there is none then your mileage and performance will suffer. The ECU's job is to interpret the voltage from the ECU to determine whether or not there is knock. Some people replace the knock sensor with a resistor but this action is controversial.

The difference is the original 4EAT phase I has an internal 'screen filter' that, when replacing, you must loosen an internal cooler line over the filter, that, when loosened, apparently dumps the contents of the torque converter-I got out the whole 9-10 quarts this way. On the 4EAT phase II's (with the external filter), you don't get anything additional out by removing the filter. I believe these too have the internal screen filter, but it should remain fairly clean as all the clutch shreddings etc. should be captured by the lawn mower sized oil filter on the AT outlet to the cooler. Sometimes the coolers get plugged up with shreddings on some vehicles so I think the external ATF filter before the cooler is intended to keep this minimal. Anyway, I have also used the 'pull cooler line to radiator in-tank cooler' method to pump out the remaining ATF on both phase I and phase II without issue.

Schweet nipper, everything looks nice. I like that scangauge mount location, I think I'll have to try that but I have the old tech scangauge... The lights look hott. Maybe I missed it, but what is the item between the center air vents?

I'm guessing you're removing the cam sprockets to replace the cam seals. I don't know that the engine has to be pulled to break the bolts free. If you do pull the engine you might replace some other stuff at the same time like the rear main seal, oil separator plastic thingy, and maybe head gaskets. Anyway, if the thing is a DOHC, I'd definitely check a good service manual before even taking the timing belt off as the crank needs to be in a position such that no piston is at tdc and cams need to be locked together to prevent potential valve collisions if they move with the t-belt off. Actually there is this EndWrench article deals with the DOHC. I have the SOHC (not dohc), and was able to hold the cam sprockets steady with a chain wrench and loosen the bolts with a socket and breaker bar, but then broke down and bought that special svx tool for the job as I think I bent one of the sprockets with the chain wrench.

Does he need pin punches and those spring pins/roll pins?

I don't think you really hurt anything. Driving with too much ATF I think can cause lots of air bubbles in the fluid which isn't good for antiwear. I believe there is a vent on the top of the AT where fluid can come out. I way overfilled the AT once and noticed fluid all over the floor and traced it back to the top of the AT. There's usually two refill values, one for just draining from the pan, which might be 5 qts or so, and one for a total fill, which includes draining the torque converter. On my '96 Legacy 4EAT phase I, I got about 5 quarts out the drain plug, then when replacing filter, the rest came out, about 9-10 quarts total. I like to check ATF level cold engine running in park, otherwise I can't read it. If you just added fluid, you may have to wipe stick off a few times to clear out the dipstick tube.

Sounds like a sweet ride. I couldn't find anything that searched the entire U.S. inventory, though there are links to each dealer's inventory on Subaru.com. Not sure about '06's, but the first place I checked (Chaplin's Bellevue Subaru) had a '07 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Ltd. Wagon.

Ah thanks OB99W; it appears it is true. I guess the place I get my inspections done knows how to deal with it then in my '96 as they've never said anything about a problem.

Just reading this article at aa1car.com and read Is this actually true? I guess I could do an experiment...

Hi Mikevan10, Maybe...I see reference to a 'Evaporative Vapor Pressure Sensor', at least in alldata for my '96 Legacy, but I can't find any more info for it so I don't know if it really exists.

I can't really think of anything back there that could deliver the say 10A or so an accessory outlet is fused at, other of course than the rear defroster. Most circuits have a little wiggle room with the current draw but if you melt the insulation or blow the fuse that won't help. Probably as suggested best way is to just run a #12 or #14 or whatever from the battery back there and then you can put in one of those triple outlets if you wanted. Make sure of course to fuse the wire as close to the battery as possible with a suitable size fuse to protect the size wire you put in or bad things could happen if it ever shorts. Actually, maybe you could just get a cigarette lighter plug extension cord and run that from the front to back there when you need it; that sounds pretty easy?

Hello and welcome! Regarding the paint, are you sure that area wasn't repainted or had accident repair performed? I haven't heard a whole lot about paint peeling. Maybe some harsh chemical got on it? For tire pressure, I usually go 1-2 psi above the plate on the door. The rear pressure can be a little higher if you're towing or have a lot of passengers or gear loaded. Some people go higher pressure for better mileage or other reasons, but with high pressures other issues can arise such as poor wear etc. I probably get about the same drop in '00OBW with lots of A/C use. The a/c uses a fair amount of power and efficiency isn't it's primary goal.

So what's the deal with the King Springs, I mean if you contact them, I take it they will ship to the U.S.? I don't see any dealers anywhere near the U.S. except maybe South Africa. Agreed on the Monroe junk. I had two sets I installed myself back in '93 and they all started leaking in fairly short order.