bkvail

OK, to give a little background - I am almost 50 and have driven stick shifts since I have learned to drive at 16. This is my 5th Subaru (all have been manuals). I have owned this particular Subaru for quite a few years (96 Outback, EJ25, 5 speed). It has always been hard to drive *smoothly*. My husband hates to drive it because it's hard to drive (and he has been a truck driver for 34 years), my son hates to drive it because it's hard to drive and he has always driven manuals) It feels like something to do with the clutch, but I have never been able to pinpoint it. Even my brother, who is a master mechanic for Nissan couldn't figure it out. He replaced the clutch a few years ago because it was getting hard to go into gear - a bearing was nearly seized he said - but clutch/throwout bearing/flywheel surface was done at the time. Anyhow, for what it does - you almost cannot start driving it without it being herky jerky. The ONLY way to drive it smooth is to drive it like a race car - and I don't like to drive like that, haha. I can also be going slow in a parking lot in 1st gear and all of a sudden, it will be like it fell on it's face and starts acting herky jerky again... it is NOT from too low RPM, it's not a lag. But, I have to immediately push in the clutch to get it to drive smooth again. It has acted like this since I have owned it (and changing the clutch did not change it at all). It feels like a mechanical issue to me (not electrical/fuel). It does have other issues the last few months - where it acts like a carbureted car when it's cold. Not very responsive, kinda lurches on acceleration (this problem is definitely electrical of some sort). It has also fairly recently had replaced: head gasket, timing belts, water pump, spark plugs and wires, fuel filter, air filter I have a love-hate relationship with this car, ugh. I can't just throw parts at it and I have way too much money into it to sell it. I just need to make it acceptable to drive again....

thanks for the info, I think I'll hold out for a correct VSS so I don't have to do any wiring 'nipping/splicing'.

I guess it's possible there has been mouse activity, but I see no evidence. I bombed out at the pick-n-pull - 4 Legacy's, all automatics though, gah. I guess I'll look in the classifieds here.......

My '97 OBW sat for several months in need of a clutch...... when I drove it to the mechanic (my brother), the speedo did not work. It sat for another couple months, then finally the clutch was done last week and I picked it up. The speedo (and odometer,tripmeter) doesn't work as well as the cruise. It seems to run the same, although still not an easy car to shift smoothly (was hoping a new clutch job would fix that - yes, the flywheel was surfaced). Anyhow, I pulled the codes this morning and got P0500 and P1540. *Both* are VSS codes? Can 2 VSS go bad at the same time??? I really hope it's not a wiring issue - but with it sitting for so long, maybe there is corrosion somewhere?

yes, the CEL is on - haven't gotten around to checking the code on it yet (just got the car back from my brother who put the clutch in for me on Thursday, then worked in the yard all day Friday/Sat./Sunday). I'll check the code before I head to town today though. The speedo/odo/trip/cruise all don't work. My son said that when he was using it for college, that occasionally the speedo would quit working and banging on the dash got it to work, but no amount of banging will get it to work now, for me anyhow. The car actually sat for about 6 months It needed a clutch, didn't want to mess up tranny - but it actually turned out that it was the pilot bearing that was toast, anyhow...... when I took it to my brother's after it had been sitting so long, that is when the speedo didn't work (worked when I parked it). Anyhow, I'll get the code reader out today and check to see what the CEL says.........

so, since my speedo/cruise doesn't work on my '97, then it's the speed sensor that's bad it sounds like? I think I'm going to try to find one at the junk yard since they are well over $100 I just had a new clutch installed, so don't have much extra cash to spare right now!

interesting, thanks for the info! I'll check into the price of the speed sensor.....

I have a '97 Legacy Outback that the speedo quit working on (and CEL now is on because of it), thus the odometer/tripmeter/cruise are not working either. My brother (Nissan master mechanic) tells me the dash cluster needs to be changed. What are the compatible years if I find one in a junkyard? Are regular Legacy's compatible too? It has 150K miles on it, and my brother just changed the clutch in it. My son (who was using this car for his first 2 years of college, then it sat for 6 months waiting for a new clutch) - he said that the speedo quit working for him before and banging on the dash got it to work again. No amount of banging on the dash has gotten it to work for me though

yes, they worked fine - and those freebies lasted the season last year, and I purchased new one's the same size for this year. You will like the larger size - and it makes the car seem like it's geared a tad bit better too. My son has the car now at college in Idaho. They have had no rubbing issues - and I got new summer tires the same size last spring because I liked the size.

well, that's interesting - it would certainly be worth a shot to try that! Hubby says we are not tearing into it until it fails Would suck for it to fail on him in Idaho though when we are in NW WA! He is back to school again today and so I guess we'll try to replace the fluid when he gets out mid-May and comes home for the summer...

spring BREAK for sure, LOL. One of his buddies backed into my soob the other night too broke the bug guard and put a small crease in my hood

which also requires the same thing - pulling of the tranny, bleh.

ah, yes, the people that owned it before lived in Seattle if I remember right.... so lots of inner city driving there......

oh lordy. My 18 yr. old son is the current driver. And, his Pathfinder (that the clutch fork just broke on) is his ''wheeler'' (we straight axled it, lifted it, 33'' tires, etc) - so, it's quite possible that my precious OBW is seeing some hard times. He does go in the mountains in Idaho with it (he is in college at U of Idaho), and I noticed grass/dirt stuck in the hitch on it the other day (he is home for spring break). So, it's quite possible he is being very rough on it ::sniff::

Interesting test! I will try that today and see. I sure hope it's only in need of bleeding! With a bent clutch fork also a possibility - I might as well replace the clutch while I'm at it huh?! Ick. Just this week, my son's pathfinder, the clutch went out - he thinks the clutch fork broke because he heard a snap and then the clutch wouldn't work (hydraulic clutch also) So, we already have one rig we have to tear out the transmission, don't wish for two

The clutch on my 97 OBW engages very close to the floor, like only 1'' off the floor at the most - it doesn't have enough free-pedal in my opinion. Is there an adjustment or do I need a new clutch? Car has 137K on it, don't know if it is original clutch, but I am assuming it is original. My son has had the car in Idaho for college and I drove it when he got back and it seems like it's engaging even closer to the floor than before. It makes it so you have to sit with your seat more forward and closer to the steering wheel to be able to get it to disengage!

thanks all for your input, I am going to go ahead and have them installed.

It's pouring rain outside, or I'd go check, LOL. I THINK original is 205/70R15 ? So, these are a bit wider, right?

My hubby scored free studded snow tires (used Sears tires, but in very good condition) - they are a size 215/70 R 15 - will they work for my '97 OBW?

LOL - no thanks!

d@mn! It's 4 studded tires on wheels with very little use for $150!

will wheels/tires from a '90 Legacy work for my '97 Outback wagon? the tires are 185/70 R 14 - my son has my outback in Idaho at college right now so I cannot go look to see what size is on it now

I already spliced in a 'stock' one from a junk yard car this afternoon - and it works fine. I don't plan to use any special high wattage bulbs so hopefully that is all I will have to deal with! thanks!

is it common for the headlight plugs to go bad? I had a non-working headlight - so I just assumed it was the bulb. Changed the bulb and it still didn't work. I looked closer, and the plug was fried in the center and the top connector looked like it would not have been tight on the bulb prong.... so I decided to go to the junk yard and get a 'new' plug. Out of 6-7 Legacy's, i only found TWO intact plugs - the rest were gone. So, is this a common thing to go 'bad'?

thank you, thank you, thank you! that doesn't look too terribly bad! Karin