1997reduxe

Just a funny story here. I had similar problems with my 97 Legacy, it would only start at certain times, and wouldnt do so especially after the car was hot or running for a long time. I actually took it to one of these auto starter cheap places here in Houston area, and they "rebuilt the starter" for 80 bucks, but i am assuming that they didnt do it right or didnt fix solenoid because it still did the same non starting when hot thing. I hadnt gotten around to take it back in there, when I actually realized one day that you could take a hammer and set it on the top of starter, open drivers door and tap starter through top of open hood with arm down along windshield, while turning the ignition with the right arm. I never took it back. Just kept starting it that way when it got, uh, cranky, till I finally got rid of it.

I think I used the crows foot wrench idea that's been written here before. search for that. I think I basically put the open end of a big long wrench in between the teeth of the sprocket. But to tighten the crank pulley for me was the big challenge. I didn't get the key right the first time and basically tightened the key into part of the back of the sprocket--watch for that. It loosened up and I think I now have a partially shot steering pump. I don't think they sell the chain wrench at Harbor Freight anymore. I didn't see them on their site either, or Sears, and had to go to a local tool specialty shop here in Houston to get it. 40 bucks.

Hey all. Not a Soob question, but does anyone here know of a good board (not nearly as good as the USMB, of course I'm sure,) where my poor disfunctional Mazda-RX7 owning friend might be able to get some good info? That's all for now. '97 (278K and counting!)

or car-part.com has some with like 90 K but no price. hope that helps

90 engine on ebay for like 350 + 150 ship, but over 200K, or this: http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/1125138382.html (i'm in Houston too.) '97

Hey!, what a coincidence! Can I ask you about this? I just (Friday) took my 97 Legacy into the shop when I had this big growling from the left front wheel after driving in this horrid flood last weekend. They (Axle and Wheel in Pasadena / Houston TX--great place, by the way) agreed with me that it was a gone bearing. (Don't ask me how I thought it was a wheel bearing, I think this was the only thing I'd never heard on a car before.) But when they wrote up the estimate, it said front bearing and rear inner seal. And when they had the parts ordered ahead of time (Napa, also) they seemed to have a problem with the inner seal, which they felt didn't fit and they had to reorder. Is this the seal you're talking about? Thanks, once again for all your help, and omniscience, Grossgary.

Just my two cents, (and all due respects to all on this board which has truly saved my driving ability and thus my life in some very hard economic times,) but sometimes the best and most informative threads I've learned from on this Board have been when everybody gets all free form and it turns into a free-for-all...NOW THAT'S FUN!!! gotta love the FWD fuse! Been on it for like 8 months now and it's the only thing that's saved me, till I can get a better job etc etc etc. 2000+ miles on my new timing belt and all's well!!!

Yeah disrespected just sent you an IM. I've (tirefully for this wonderful Board) asked about the true year of my 97 forever and ever and... '97

So sorry, Im the one looking into this car, my brother was helping me out asking you all about it. Greatly appreciate your help. The first post was correct, it is a manual transmission, and she says it was towed in neutral, forward, with back wheels on ground. So Im assuming, that since it was in neutral, the motor did not turn over so that should be ok, right? The transmission is shot, and Im assuming the vc unit is messed too. can someone explain, if the vc center diff is messed up, can that be fixed, or replaced? THANKS AGAIN, Matt

I had problems with my old bolts on my 97 a while back. There was this machine shop in town that for like 20 bucks or so would break all the bolts for for example the brakes or the struts. I first went to them when I broke a bolt off of brake caliper, and they got it out and then broke bolts etc. Even they broke another one in process, but they had the tools to fix it. '97

I just did this same job last weekend. The easiest way for me to get belt on was from advice here on usmb about leaving off the bottom left pulley till you get the whole belt on other parts, then after putting on bottom left one pulling tensioner pin. I had put red paint marks on camshaft pulleys and crank sprocket--right on a tooth each where they were facing directly upward. then the lines on belt went right upward too. I don't know--it worked. Runs great. Make sure you have the water in and oil, tighten all water pump bolts, it's really easy to miss one. It doesn't matter about running engine with no AC/Alt belts on, but I at beginning of job left key on in ignition overnight, and then running it with no alt (had to jump from brother's truck) really killed battery. Took an entire day just to recharge. Oh, and how are you tightening the crank pulley? I tried to rig up something the first time, and had to take half of it apart again to find that I had not really gotten the pulley actually onto the key, but was in fact pushing the key into the back of the pulley. (Good that at that point I didn't yet have the chain wrench.) 2nd time was better, on the key, bought chain wrench, all good. Can't believe how well it runs, and realized how much I was actually curtailing my driving cause I knew the belt could go anytime, etc. '97

Oh, I was wrong, my brother tells me it is an automatic, not a 5 speed. I don't know exactly how far it was towed, but far enough to have the car called a total loss by insurance. the lady's just selling it to get something out of it.

Can someone help me diagnose this noise? About a year ago I put my 97 Legacy 2.2 AWD Automatic into FWD via the fuse due to this noise that was happening under the car. For months it sounded like a bearing going, creak creak creak at certain speeds etc. But then all of a sudden when I was driving it there came one day this much louder and immediate crinkling and tinkling, like something was coming apart directly under the driver. I put in the fuse just to see if it would help, and the noise was immediately gone, or at least to such a minimum that it was not noticed in comparison. But lately i hear the same crinkling and tinkling at a low level. when I hear it I think of the term "bell housing", for whatever that's worth. any idea how I rid myself of this worry? Can taking out the drive shaft get rid of it? I don't mind driving it in FWD. Thanks, '97

Hey all. I've found a 96 Legacy Outback AWD 5 speed that was supposedly towed in reverse on two wheels while in first gear? (Could anyone really be that stupid?) Anyways, the owner says it has just damaged the 5 speed manual trans, though from what I understand it most likely also fried parts of the AWD, no? I was just wondering what other damage this probably caused. Thanks in advance, '97

Oh, 360, Fleetwood! I used to love that drive out from Boyertown to Hamburg and the Appalachian Trail. Route 61 is a great trip to go to State College... Nice area, Oley, etc. Stuck in Houston... '97

Gasket sealer? They seal the plugs? Damn I learn a lot on this site... Anywho, as to whether its worth it FOR YOU to fix this one up again, I agree. I think it's up to whether the body/interior is in good shape. I am in the same situation. (If you search my recent posts, I've been going through fixing mine up with timing belt, and it has 272K on it.) On the other hand, I know where two Legacys are (96es), one that they have a "fuel pump problem" with for $600 at 150K, one where a towing company ruined the trans for $800, with 95K. Course, I'm not telling where...

wow, I like that picture. i actually thought it was something you made in photoshop, making me realize how much i need to get back into that program... I'd like to get the graphic too... will pm

Oh, I miss snow. (Houston)

Yeah i just got it done. Runs great. Wonderful! I can only recommend two things mainly: 1. Buy a new hydraulic tensioner so you don't need to compress old one. 2. Replace all parts possible, including water pump. 3. (okay, three) get a chain wrench like they recommend on this list. I don't think they sell the one at Harbor Freight mentioned here anymore. i checked their store and the website and it's seemed to have disappeared. '97

Thanks to all on this list. I finally got my 97 running, and it runs great. The big noise from the belt area was the water pump. I bought a 40 dollar chain wrench from a great tool place here in the Houston area, World Products Incorporated in Pasadena, Texas. That did the trick (other than me getting the HB on the crankshaft key like it was supposed to be. My only question is: How do I go about being a donor? Thanks all, '97

Just my two cents, but sometimes on these self-diagnoses and via web it's easy to get so into it that you have no idea. Have you taken it to Subaru (just for diagnosis) or to a good Suby shop? Maybe specializing in foreign cars. I'd think it'd be worth checking it out by a few "experts" before getting rid of it. Thass all... '97

Oh that's good. Then the only thing I need to do is get the darned thing on.... I looked at the keyway in the pulley, and it looks like it's been through this before.

Oh, and one more thing. It seems that only about half the key protrudes out from the crank sprocket. Is this right? Thanks again. 97

Naaah, we just used a piece of iron and I drilled holes in it to put two short allens into the holes on the pulley. But I think I may have found the problem. When I took off the pulley there was an indentation where the key pushed into the back of said pulley--not where it was supposed to be, in the keyway. I just hope I didn't screw up the key. '97

No, I didn't really inspect it, other than to notice that there was a key in the crankshaft. I thought I put it on correctly. I think I'm gonna take it to a shop next door and see what they think... If the crank key is screwed up then I guess the things probably pretty much toast, huh? That's depressing. Damn.