rweddy

Look at this. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Subaru/auction-14352086.htm Turbo Brat! :cool:

Good Dealer? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Like military intelligence. If you are going to be in Denver area, we have manyVery good independent specialty Subaru shops that I would recommend. Here are my recommendations in the Denver metro area. Strictly Auto http://www.strictlyauto.com/ Just Roos http://www.roosonly.com/ S-Wings http://www.s-wingsstuff.com/

I would start there also. Take it to a power wash car wash and blast out the brakes with high pressure.

That is why you need to buy a synthetic that has friction modifiers in it for manual transmissions. The off the shelf synthetics like Mobil 1 gear lube do not, they are fine for differentials but terrible in your transmission.

I swear by it. It is not snake oil, but technology. Manual transmissions are made to run with GL-4 tranny fluid, GL-5 is too slick. But in Subaru manual transmission and transaxle share the same fluid. So if you run GL-4 you could damage the diff. Most people go out and put in mobil 1 or other GL-5 synthetic and their shifting gets even worse. So stick with dyno oil or get a synthetic that is made for gear boxes. Redline is not the only manufacture, Castrol has some fluid GLX I think that is very good, and a few others. Redline is the easier to get in the United States. BTW My local Redline dealer has told me stories of multiple Subaru user who were told then needed tranny rebuilds, put in 75W90NS and are good to go.

Subaru's Reverse Gear is not synchronized so this is normal. To stop this put it into 1st or 3rd or any other forward gear, then put it into reverse. If your first gear is now grinding try to go into 3rd then 1st gear. Does this stop the grinding?

Do Not do this!! Do not run conventional GL-5 synthetic, it is too slick for a gears and shifting will be even worse. You need some Redline 75W90NS or some other good synthetic that is made for running in a gear box. Store bought synthetics like Mobil one and Quake state are GL-5 and they are fine for differentials, but are too slick for gear boxes.

Bravo!! I could not have said it better, or agree more. :clap:

Yea after all I have read I am going with the Nokian WR. I have read numerous reviews and they all are great. Plus all the over Audi/Volvo/BMW clubs rave about them. Thanks for the advise Pugelly

I also found this page. http://www.snowtire.info/

These sound great. I read this article about them. http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/nokian.htm Here in Colorado we have very weird weather conditions. One day it will be 10 degrees, next day 18 inches of snow, couple days later 55 degrees. It would be a giant pia to change from snow to back and forth. I like the sounds of this all-season tire.

You have the classic 2.5 Phase I HG failure. Do a search on 2.5 HG or look at this thread. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23082 Sorry to 2nd Cookie's opinion but this is a HG issue.

That totally sucks. You either get a light or a gauge. I would rather have a gauge than a light myself. I would get a new motor from http://www.ccrengines.com/

Someone told you the O2 sensor is not important? Sure if you don't mind bad mpg, car running poorly, no power, etc.

I am not sure I understand? "has a faulty oxygen sensor that results in the CE light coming on without cause. "The cause it the oxygen senor is faulty, which turns on the CEL. Am I missing something here? Did you already replace the bad 02 sensor?

I like them!! But I do not think they would be best for a 100 mile daily commute!

Thanks for the input. Do you have a seperate set of wheels for the winter tires? Why 225/75/15? Is this a taller tire than the Stock is 205/70/15?

I am looking for tire recommendations for my 96 OBW. I live in Colorado and commute 48 miles one way in snow, rain, etc. I want a tire that is very good in snow; ice is generally not an issue here in Colorado. I have never run dedicated snow tires before, is there that much difference? Worth the cost of 2nd set of wheel and tires? I would like to get away with an aggressive All-Season if I can.

I feel your pain. That sucks, I would be flamed myslef! I think is must be your driving style Yea it will be interesting to see, with the like of the new saabaru. And the new outbacks are awseome.

Toyota and Nissan did nothing on the issues I mentioned. I found these out after the fact and from news groups. This was an issue on brand new or nearly new Ms, not 5-7 year old BMW’s with over 100k on them. The 2.5 HG issue was not on brand new vehicles. Also Toyota did do a recall on some 3.0 HG issues but it was only if original owner and under 5 years or 100k. Most find the HG issues over 100k on 2.5.I am not defending Subaru, I think they could have handled the situation better. They are a car company looking to make a profit. The 2.5 HG issues are generally on older high mileage vehicles. I cannot think of one manufacture that has gone back and done recalls on vehicles that are this old. But they could have been up front with people and paid for the parts or half the repair, and stopped people for chasing their tails around and changing out radiators, thermostats, water pumps, etc.

Hello Greg. I understand the gas prices, got rid of my FJ-80 last year because of the same issue. Great site for info is- http://www.cars101.com/subaru_links.html Also for outbacks http://www.toad.net/~rrubel/outback.html Ok here is the lowdown on the vehicles. A forester is based on the Subaru impreza, the outback on the legacy. The legacy is bigger than the impreza. They both share the same driveline components depending on what years you are talking about. I am not too familiar with impreza so I will speak to the outback. 1st generation was 96-99 (95 was 1st year but really just a legacy with badges) 2.5 Motor Phase I has some HG issues, this is a fairly common problem but as long as you know that it could be an issue it is a cheap fix $1200 or less and otherwise the cars are good for 200k plus. 00-03 2nd generation Phase II 2.5 motor, Subaru fixed issue on HG. Check out the links I sent you, you will be very happy with a Subaru, not as off-road capable as the rover but better on gas and parts are WAY cheaper! I help my friend fix his disco from time to time.

I am not saying there is not HG issue here in CO also. But according to the people and shops I talk to it is around 40% not the 100% that is expressed here on the list. And the fix is generally around $1200 for a shop to do it, less if you do it yourself. I just think that this is a small price and issue. All vehicles have design flaws, with the exception of maybe Honda? Let’s take a look at manufactures like Toyota. I had a 4 runner with the 22re 4 cyc which is considered by most to be one of the durable, most reliable motors every made. At 140k I needed to replace the timing chain (this is a wear item just like a belt). $2500 parts and labor, you had to pull the head and the oil pan to replace it. Or what about the HG failures on 89-96 3.0 Toyota motors. I also have owned Nissan pathfinders, great trucks, but the have poorly designed throw out bearing in the clutch, they go at 60-70k, $2000 to do a clutch on these, lots to pull out. Volvo 850/S70 wagon have major flaw in the Heater cores, 2500-3000 to fix. I could go on all day with other issues with manufacturers. I think Subaru did make a mistake on the phase I 2.5 but it seams to be fixed in Phase II. And a $1200 fix for a vehicle with over 100k (usually) that will go another 100k does not seem that bad to me. Trust me I miss the days of old, my 82 GL wagon went over 200k with doing nothing to it at all!! But is was small, very slow, death trap in wrecks, and got poor gas mileage for its size. (off the soap box now)

I am not arguing the fact of HG failures on 2.5 motors. I am saying that I really like outbacks. But at the same time I know several my local shop that have 200k on original motors, and it is not as widespread an issue as it is played out on this board. And do not think that other manufactures do not have issues either. I would not mind paying for a hg considering that is the only real major issue on 96-99 outbacks. This is compared to other vehicles. Are new subarus as reliable as older pre legacy? No but they are way more advanced, bigger, safer, faster, etc.

So again if the outbacks have braking issues so will the regular legacies since they share the same exact braking systems. I agree about the 2.5 phase one, 2.2 is a better choice but I think the 2.5 is bashed way too much on this board.

I have driven a both 97 and 98 regular legacies; they are no different than my 91, imo. My co-worked has a 98 wagon, and since I am “expert” anytime there are issues I drive it. I have a different view. I mountain bike, snowboard, climb mtns, etc. I go place that a regular legacy could never make it so I need the ground clearance, gearing, etc. I think the regular legacies ride way to low and the suspension is way too soft for me. I am not saying one is worse than the other, just different.