rweddy

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. Right now I am having issues when down shifting into 3rd gear, goes in fine but semi grinds. I am hoping that changing to synthetic will clear up this issue. Is there some way to tell if you have lsd?? Thanks!!

Has anyone run Mobil 1 in their manual tranny? What about Redline MTL fluid? The reason I ask this is in another car I nearly ruined the tranny buy putting mobil one in. It started shifting very notchy and very hard between gears. This was cured by putting in Redline MTL which is GL4 rated instead of GL5 like Modil 1. Then it shifted better then new with the Redline MTL in it. I was told by a petroleum engineer that gl5 is actually too slick for proper synchro engagement, but many manufactures have just changed to recommending gl5 so they will not have to carry two types of gear lube at the dealerships. But I know that in Subarus the front diff and transmission share the same fluid. So would I be hurting the front differential by running the Redline in there??

This is a 96 5spd, is has the very good 2.2 motor, not the 2.5 that was in auto versions.

Yea Haynes and Chiltons, etc are ok for minor repairs, but they are very lacking on true technical content, and you will many times find incorrect or missing information in them. I am hoping to find some on ebay, but we shall see.

Can anyone tell me where is a good place to find service manuals for older legacies? Thanks

Has anyone tired a centerforce clutch? I am not sure if they make them for subaru's but they are great aftermarket clutches.

Welcome to the world of legacies!! Well I have also just joined the new ranks after owning 10 other subarus from 1976-1989. I recently acquired a 91 LS Wagon AWD. I would look for oil pump leaks, possible warped rotors and make sure the auto seat belts are repairable. Gongrates and welcome aboard!!

Sounds like a pretty nice deal to me. Here in Colorado I was looking and found a 96 wagon with 56k and the sold it for 8k and would not budge on price. I ended up buying a 91 ls wagon 5 spd awd with 110k original owner for $3600.

Could this be a noisey drive belt for you power steering? Might back and and steer hard right and left and see if this is your noise.

I could not agree more. But when my father-in-law purchased his used 2002 I told him it was a good idea to get the warranty.

Huh why is this? :-\ Here in Colorado we do not have a choice we have to run our cars through Dyno test every 2 years. They have a special lane for AWD so all 4 wheels are rolling.

I am looking at buying a 1993 LSI wagon w/ 154k (I am stocking pilling up early legacies!! ) This has all options including height control. It goes up and down fine but if you let the car sit for a few days it drops down below factory low setting. Is this a precursor to issues with the height control? How hard is it to convert to non-air suspension? Thanks

I actually have been in lurk mode on several Volvo list like ours here and see very little issue in the v70 awd as compared to the constant issue I read about here. Plus Volvo is the only manufacture that I know giving you club access and stickers when you reach the 100k,200k,300k, etc marks. What did you not like your A4? I have a co-worker who is looking and wanted to give him a heads up. The H6 seems like a nice choice but I still do not have long term confidence on American made subies at this point.

Yea I was not intending to bash Audis with this tread. I actually love the all-roads, but have several friends who own or owned them and they seem to not be as reliable as early Subaru’s. But then again, even today Subaru’s seem to not be as reliable as the older models. That is what is terrible about the newer models, imo. When my current legacy dies if I cannot find a Japan built low to replace it I will buy from another manufacturer. :-\ But to get an awd wagon you have to choose between Subaru, Audi, VW or Volvo. And from my research the most reliable of these is the Volvo by far. So I hope that I can keep my roo for another 200k so I can save up!!

Wow this is what scares me about the path that Subaru seems to be taking. I have owned multiple Subaru’s over the years, ten of them. Most were over 200,00 by the time I got rid of them and I have never once had a head gasket issue or any other major mechanical issues. I would not consider it success to have a head gasket blow at 120k. No offense but as an Audi owner you have probably become accustomed to breakdowns. But as a long time Subaru owner I would not tolerate this kind of failure at such low miles. My current 91 has 110k and I am confident that it will take me over 200k. Unfortunately early 2.2 Subaru’s with low mileage are hard to find, so this one better last me a while. From what I read here and have had friends have issues with I will not be purchasing a post 1996 Subaru with a 2.5.

Well I am not a Toyota proponent, but even if this is the case you are talking about an isolated few vehicles over a few year span. From what I have experienced from friends and read on this list the 2.5 is a terrible designed engine and they all have or will have head gasket issues. I know that my fathers 97 Toyota has 200k with no problems and it seams that this will not be the case with any Subaru product with the 2.5 engine that has been standard since 96.

Well talked to the guy today about the car and he says it needs tires and that the if you do not drive it the air suspension will bottom out after a week or sitting or so and then as soon as you start it up it will go back up and be fine. Is this normal for these? I know my GL-10s never did this but just wondering if this is a first sign of future failure? How much to convert to normal suspension, ie shocks, struts?

So who said it was in Colorado?

Great to hear that. I have a 5spd right now with 110k and love it, like yours it drives like new. This one has all options including leather and height control. I am going to look at this this evening so just wanted to know if they autos were solid. I am getting nearly 30mpg here in Colorado with my 5spd, so I am hopeing that the auto will get like 26ish highway?? They are not asking very much for this car so I figure it would be a good buy even if it has a few issues since the car itslef is soo clean.

Hello all, I am looking to add another roo to the fold. I found a 93 LSI Wagon for sale and had a few ??. The car has 154,000 miles and looks to be in good shape. It is an automatic, what years were the trannies bad in the legacies? Also it has the Height control system, I have had this on a 2 of my GL-10 that I have had before, are they as problematic on the Legacy models? What kind of mpg can I expect with this combo with an automatic? Thanks

I think the worse thing about this is HG issue is that Subaru knows it is a problem and does nothing about it. Toyota had an issue with head gaskets on their 90-95 3.0 motors and they are will still pay for the cost of replacement to any 4Runner or Truck that is under 100k miles that has an issue, regardless if it is original owner or not. And they did a recall so if you have it done before 100k they will pay even if there is not an issue yet to make sure you do not get stranded. As a Subaru owner of over 10 wagons over a period of 16 years it truly saddens me to see that the brand has gone from such a rock solid vehicle to this. I know that when my current 2.2 dies if I cannot find a early legacy w/ 2.2 to replace it I will be looking elsewhere.

When did subaru quit making the legacy in Japan? I know they have a factory here just wondering what years are japan built vs us built? Thanks