Soutthpaw

what did they cost. think they make something that i could use to lift my 97 outback

Thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread, it seems to be pretty informative, I am no electrical or electronics engineer so if anyone is I'm enjoying learning in this thread, I enjoy the Diagnostics and troubleshooting on a professional basis as well.. I am wondering where we can find someone with intricate knowledge on how the ECU sends a signal to the Solenoid... and why it causes the failures.... I am guessing it will be beyond most tranny rebuilders and most subaru technicians. Anyone have a good contact at SOA that might actually be able to get a definitive answer.. Is there anyone here who has actually had a tranny fail after doing a mod like this??? was it specifically the transfer clutch pack that failed???

That is what I was getting at when I started the thread, thanks for putting it in simple terms I read that link on inductive kickback... based on that diagram you would need to inturrept the ground side of the switch. however if you interrupt the Pos side, you are creating a break before the solenoid so the problem of wearing it out would not apply... Also it does not explain why people who are using this mod are killing their clutch packs. I think what is happening is that constantly locked-up fluid is not getting between the clutch pack friction surfaces. they are drying out or overheating and burning up. The cause would be driving too agressively or too long with the Lock-up on. I would use it mainly for slow speed crawling when needed. AWD is better for snow and icy roads than 4wd anyway. Wish I had the Traction control option... oh that s another thread

more details at http://www.Subaruoutback.org

can anyone who has a set of outback springs laying around, please tell the the uncompressed height and inside and outside diameter of the front and rear springs thanks

Got those too, Heh got 4 stock fog lights off of jeep wranglers an also some 6x9 cepek off road lights, may do 6" pencil beam off road lights as i like the beam you get with them

Its in the planning stages, will tie into the bumper itself... may get to starting it today...see see.

Just weighed my 97 Outback at the local scrap yard and it was 3520 lb, 1860 lb for the front axle if i remember correctly.. no i did not scrap it but wanted to see the difference with and without the bumper I was making so i used the drive on truck scale

I've used plasma cutters but still prefer my cutting torch... I can cut just about anything with that. Again it just comes down to practice...many hours of it over the years. Wire feeds are cool, thats what i used for the bumper, (plasma cutters and wire feeds excel on thin material) However you need to find someone who is a good welder to show you how to get a full penetration weld. I have seen many poor surface welds that won't last. Biggest mistakes-- is that people go too fast and dont let the weld puddle melt into the base metal. other is not prepping the weld joints correctly with bevels etc. I prefer stick welders, but dont have one right now. you get much deeper penetration with stick welding if you do it correctly. Did you get one of the Harbor freight benders... ? dont be surprised if you collapse the tubing. you need a mandrel bender to do thin wall tubing.. or fill the tube with sand and cap the ends before bending

I was at the local self serve junk yard today and they were just putting out a Brat, complete less carb from what i could tell... What caught my eye was the original camper shell and it still had the seats in the bed.... I am not a Brat owner but thought I would pass it on. its A1 auto salvage on Hwy 85/87 in colorado springs, CO. engine, tranny and Tx case were there too

Well just finished the main part on the bumper on my 97 OB

Found this thread as i was looking to see if people had specific issues with any plugs. anyhoo i looked on NGK's website and they say the Double platinum is the OEM plug for my 97 OB http://ngk.com/results_app.asp?AAIA=1270022 If you want to understand more about their plug coding see this link at the bottom of the sidebar is a link to their plug designations http://ngk.com/sparkplug411.asp Just about everything you ever wanted to know about spark plugs is here...

So do you want to share with us how you set up that switch with resistors. I am thinking of putting the car up on jack stands and then hooking my lab scope to the duty solinoid to see what is really happening with that solinoid. I dont think it is a voltage spike causing the switch to burn out because we are not dealing with high voltage like in a secondary ign where you need a condenser or something to handle the power surge. I was looking on Alldata, I am thinking based on their diagram showing the intended operation of the solenoid that the reason trannys are failing is that folks who do this mod are using it on hard surfaces for cornering. It probably needs some slippage as the solenoid normally decrease the duty cycle in cornering.

No way is that solinoid pulling even close to 30 A

ever tried those drive shaft disconnects that you can get for towing vehicles behind RV's check camping world website, i know they sell them. But Subaru's dont break right? so they would not need to be towed

Nope, but its still at the local self serve junk yard. which years had LS diffs, what were the gear rations and do the Outbacks have LS? if not can they be swapped over??? I am in Colorado so there are usually 5 to 10 of the old Subarus in the local yard at any given time ... there is about 3 xt6's there now. the 2 door coupe one... not sure I got the model name right prob at least 5 wagons and a few sedans as well as a couple of the old early 80 wagons.

Ok I was reading that link before I asked the question. basically if i put a switch in which is normally closed (when off) if I turn it to ON it will create the 4 wd mode correct? Does that trigger any OBD codes?? I am not sure why you need to pull a ground of Pin 4? why cant you just use a spst swich in line (series) with the #11 wire? Thanks for the article by the way. I got a center diff lock swich from the junkyard out of a 88GL 10 I can use that. I pulled up the wiring diagram for the 88 to see what the configuration of the switch is it has built in illimunation, and depending which 2 wires i use it can be normally open or normally closed in the off position. DJ

I need to know how solinoid C is activated. I already know the wiring diagram but can't find out if it is activated by voltage or by varying resistance. also what are the values for the solonoid when it is fully enganged and when it is fully disengaged. if it fails the tranny is supposed to go into full AWD lock-up. So am i correct to assume if it was unplugged it would default to full lock-up

here is a link from another site i'm on but its a list of vehicles with 4x100 bolt pattern that you can look for at your local junkyard. I dont claim it is accurate but a good place to start alright i put together a list of factory 14s that will fit this car. helpfull when going to junk yards first off the hub center on the tercel is 54.1mm bolt pattern 4x100 all these are the correct bolt pattern year hub miata 90-05 54.1 escort 91-95 54.1 zx2 98-03 54.1 geo prizm 93-03 54.1 kia sephia 94-01 56.1 kia rio 01-05 54.1 suzuki areo02-05 54.1 esteem 95-03 54.1 corrola 93-02 54.1 ( i got mine off this one) Mr2 00-05 54.1 cavalier 91-04 70.3 neon 94-05 57.1 vw cabrio 95-03 57.1 vw jetta 92-98 57.1 vw passat 90-97 57.1 plymoth horizon 87-90 57.1 colt 86-93 57.1 saturn sc 91-02 57.1 civic 80-05 56.1 accord 82-89 56.1 accent 00-05 56.1 sentra 91-99 66.1 mirage 93-02 56.1 protegay 90-01 54.1

Well I am not a big music buff, but check the owners manual . it will tell you which stereos play MP3 or check with the local dealer

keep in mind that many people who can afford it often replace there cars every couple of years. 30,000 is usually around the time of the first major service, so they sell it instead of dropping several hundred dollars into a major dealer service. So expect to have to do the normal service items due at that time. If you wrench yourself you probably can do the service fairly cheaply

I have read several threads mentioning that if you want to save money and can wait, Buy parts online. Great idea, but what if you cant wait. Try printing the online parts list with prices and taking it to your local dealer. Tell them you would rather keep your money in the local economy, then ask them if they will match the prices on line that you have. point out that yes you have to pay shipping but don't usually have to pay tax! My experience is that most dealers will be willing to match or at least come very close to the online parts pricing to earn your business.. hope this helps DJ

Yeah I have seen those too... They are very cool but also very Illegal and a blatent violation of copyright laws. The host of a forum that was aware of such an item on their site would be asking for trouble if the publisher decided to sue for copyright violations.. Remember the whole Napster MP3 thing.... No different.

Here is one to make u smile... This is out of my 1983 Tercel 4wd wagon. Rebuilt the motor over about 6 months and then forgot to tighten the Connecting rod cap bolts.

Gonna put a snorkel on your next one??????????? Actually I found this online, but I liked the bumper design so will probably use this as a guide for building the bumper for my OB. Anyone happen to know who's car this is as i would like to get more pics of the bumper