Rooster2

When I had my 91 Subie, the P/S pump broke. I got a replacement from a wrecking yard that worked perfectly. Cost was cheap, like $25. I would suggest going that route.

Sounds like a good improvement. It is always fun to create, work, and complete a special project. The gained results just add to the satisfaction. Congrats!

I had a similiar problem recently. I went to AZ, but unfortunately the CEL had gone out. Their tech said the codes can be pulled only when the CEL is on. I don't know how true that is, but that is what I was told. A few days later, the light came back on, so I drove back to AZ. The AZ code reader said the knock sensor was bad. AZ sold me a new one; I installed it, and the problem was solved.

Since you have a hub tamer, and wanting to take the time to repack the bearings, wouldn't it be cost effective and take the same amount of time to just replace the bearings? That way, you would have full assurance that your wheel bearings will last a good long time since they would be new.

sometimes over heating coupled with poor cabin heating is a strong sign that a head gasket is going bad. 98 Subies are known to develop this problem. Look for bubbles in the radiator over flow tank when it is over heating. If you see bubbles, then you know that exhaust gas is getting into the cooling system through a bad head gasket. There is a lot written about the Subie head gasket problem in this forum. Look in the "search" section near the top of the USMB for past info posted about this problem.

Sorry to hear about your problem at AZ. I have had similiar problems with AZ and Advance Auto Parts rebuilt starters and alternators not lasting very long. It is reasonable for them to give you a free replacement per their lifetime guarantee, but no store including a Subaru dealer is going to give you your money back after using the part for 8 months. That is unreasonable, and not within the bounds of a lifetime guarantee. Refunds are only given in the retail industry when the part is returned unused shortly after purchase, usually because it was the wrong part. I have no affiliation with AZ. I have always found them to be honest in all dealings, and their staff very helpful.

I got the same problem. I will be waiting for your posted results. Good luck!

I read several years ago about polishing dulled plastic head light covers using tooth paste and a wet paper towel. I did that on my Subie, and a Dodge mini van with good results. It doesn't matter what brand of tooth paste is used, though best to avoid the jell type tooth paste, as that type is not abrasive enough.

I have had to fix the same problem on my wife's car. I used a spray bottle of windex, and wiped everything down with paper towels. I pushed on all the buttons on the heater control while doing the wipe down to make sure that they were loosened up. I also had to do the same thing on the radio buttons. Earlier, there was so much soft drink sugar spilled on the cup holder that it wouldn't open or close properly. I removed the two screws holding the unit in, unclipped the sides of the unit that holds it together, again squirted everything heavily with windex, and reassembled. All works well now.

I agree whole heartedly with Nipper, slow way down and don't let the dealer overwhelm you and your brother with multiple diagnosis. What reason did your brother give in taking his car to the dealer in the first place? What firm evidence is there that the car has a HG problem? I am the guy that posted recently about the problem with the 99 and 00 Legy model with the AT problem of slow shifting when stopped from D to R, and conversely from R to D. I added a bottle of Lucas Trany Fix to my car. It helped a lot to solve the problem. It cut in half the delay time in getting the trany to change directions. I would also suggest changing the trany fluid and its external filter. This however, is a project to fix a relative minor problem. My guess is that the AT shifts well to all gears once moving. The inconvenience of slow shifting from D to R, and vice versa is not a sign that the transmisson is going bad. I would question the value of the dealer tell you other wise, if that was what was said.

Welcome aboard, as mentioned above there are a lot of people that know a lot about Subies on this forum, and are glad to share their knowledge with you. It is also good to dig through the archives on this forum for answers to a particular problem you may have before posting. Click onto "search" at the top of the message board, type in your subject topic, and watch what others have posted on the subject. It is truly a great resource. Again welcome aboard, don't be bashful asking for help, or writing your opinions in trying to help others.

Looks pretty much like the same set up on the 91 Leggy that I owned. I thought the blower motor was going bad, but upon removing the motor, I found it gummed up with leaves and twigs and such. Cleaned it up, reinstalled it, and found it to work good as new.

Put on a set of KYB struts on all four corners. You will be happy with the improved handling and control.

No, not your imagination. A few years back, I put KYB GR2s on my VW Quantum. The car immediately sat about an inch higher, and remained that way forever. I really liked the GR2s. The car rode a little firmer then stock OEM struts, while providing better handling.

Lacking an over head beam...........a long time ago, shade tree mechanics used a strong tree branch as a substitute. Maybe that is how the term "shade tree mechanic" got started. Just make sure that it is a very strong tree branch.

I learned this repair trick from a mechanic who replaced a section of brake line on my old rusty '84 VW that I owned. Later, I had another section of brake line rust out, so I repaired the new leak myself using the same technique. Using a tube cutter, I cut out the bad piece of brake line on both ends where there was at least two inches of straight tubing remaining on both ends that was not rusted. I measured the length that I had removed, then took a small section of the old brake line with me to the auto parts store. There, I bought super heavy duty hydraulic hose that is not degraded by brake fluid. I bought the hose diameter that had an inside diameter just slightly larger then the brake line outside diameter. With the small section of old brake line that I brought with me, I made sure that the brake line would snugly slide inside the hydraulic hose. The hydraulic hose will look a lot like vacuum hose, but much thicker, and contain woven cord for strength. DON'T LET THE COUNTER GUY SELL YOU RUBBER VACUUM LINE, AS THAT PRODUCT IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, AND THE RUBBER HOSE WILL BE DEGRADED BY THE BRAKE FLUID. I bought a length of hose that was about 12 inches longer then the brake line section that I removed. The extra length allowed about 2 inches of hose to be slid on to each end of the original brake line tubing. Any extra length I cut off and threw away. Flaring the ends of the brake line before sliding inside the hose is a good idea, but not absolutely necessary. I secured the hose to the tubing with six hose clamps, using three hose clamps on each end. I wanted to make sure that the hose could not, and would not come loose, or leak. I used nylon cable ties to secure the new hose, so that it would not rub against anything on the car under body to create a chafe leak. I drove the car like this for a good five years with no problems. Finally, the car became such a rust bucket that I junked it. The hydraulic hose approach works so well, because you are not having to bend new metal brake line, that never seem to line up just right for connection. It is just so much easier working with a flexible hose. You will need to bleed out your brakes after using this, or any other brake line repair, but I am sure that you prolly already know that. Let us know how you fixed your problem.

I have a 98 Legy OBW Limited with the air deflector, and a 99 Legy OBW (non Limited) without it. The deflector must be part of the Limited package option. Having both cars, I don't see that it makes much difference. The tail gate glass on both my Subies seem to pick up the same amount of dirt.

Last summer my wife broke off the pass door mirror on her 98 OBW Limited. It was impossible to find a Limited in a wrecking yard with the heated mirrors. So, I had to replace with a non heated mirror. It was simply a matter of not hooking up the two factory wires in the door wiring to the non heated mirror. What was a bear was removing one of the philips headed screws that is accessed through a hole in the door frame. It takes a drive with the proper size philips head to get enough leverage to loosen. A regular screw driver will not give you enough leverage. Good luck on the update. I hope you can find the replacement mirrors easily.

You are right about the thermostat excuse. I looked at a 97 OBW last year. Seller said he thought the car had a thermostat issue. Sure, it would idle without over heating, but he said driving it for a while would cause over heating. He had also just installed a new radiator, but still had over heating. I told him I thought it needed a HG replacement. He ask me appx cost. I told him around $1,500. I think he really knew it needed a HG, so just really wanted to sell the car to avoid the repair expense.

Yep, my vote is bad HG. The big clue is your saying " temp gauge sky rocketing into the red", that is a sure sign of a bad HG, as exhaust gas forces its way into the cooling system. Be suspicious of buying that car, because you don't know how many times, and for how long, the motor has been over heated.

My 99 Leggy OBW has a tear in the rear bumper cover. I keep scouting the wrecking yards for a replacement cover. I would guess the same plastic pop fasteners are used to attach the cover that are used on the front bumper. Is that right?

If you are getting only 12.1 V output, your alternator is definitely shot. I have gone the AZ and Advance Auto as a source of replacement alternators. Sure, I know they won't last as long as a Subaru OEM, but the parts stores are so much closer to home then the dealer, and a lot easier to drive to. After experienceing all of which the original poster has endured, I surmise that it is either a bad alternator or battery, and get enough warning time to go to the auto stores for a free electrical charging test. If it turns out to be a bad alternator, I get a decent price on one of their rebuilds, or one free of charge under the store's life time guarantee program. Changing out an alternator takes me about a half an hour. That is a whole lot of time and money saved taking this approach, compared to taking the car to the dealer, or even just purchasing the alternator there.

Reminds me of the story a couple years back here in Indiana, of a kid driving an STI getting pulled over by the cops for speeding 155 mph. I think the cop is still busy writing up the ticket.

Could just be a bad tank of gasoline (petrol) from your last fill up. Suggest adding a bottle of "dry gas" product to your fuel tank. Its an additive sold by various manufacturers to remove water from the fuel. Had it been raining recently before your last fill up? If so, water can leak into your filling station's storage tank if their fill up seal is bad.

There was a post a week or so back, referring to the STI write up in Car and Driver Magazine. There were links to read the entire magazine article on line. You may want to check that out.