Olnick

It is, Oh, and congratulations on your success!

Nice summation, grossgary. There's a lot of wisdom in your statement. Thanks.

You can search right here on USMB too. Type in Idle Air Control IACV. Good luck.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou, Ed!

Amen to that, nip. Finsol, I'd bet that is exactly where your problem lies. I've never messed with mine but I'm pretty sure it has been discussed here before. Try a search for hill holder and see what you can turn up. If that doesn't help then I'm sure someone will chime in with help. Good luck.

You're a lucky guy, Sako. Fits right in with my theory that Subaru owners are the most caring, considerate people on the road. USMB offers ample proof of that! And +1 on the engine coolant temperature sensor as Emily said. Skip's suggestion of checking/cleaning the IACV is a good idea too. Aloha!

Check to see if Alabama has a Consumer Protector's office. Talk to your local BBB office. Call the DMV and see if they can help you or point you in the right direction. It all depends on the laws of your state. Since they just sold you a car that apparently is not serviceable you may have some rights. But do it asap. Good luck.

Nice pix, Andyjo!

Not quite. I believe Legacy L models have discs all around. My '95 does.

Check prices at some of the online Subaru parts houses, then call Jason at Mike Scarff Subaru in Auburn, WA, 866-528-5282. Nice guy, very knowledgable and always, in my experience, has the best prices you can find. Mention USMB (don't know if we get special pricing but hey, it never hurts!)

Way to go, Steve, and thanks for the update. I'd strongly suggest you take the old starter out and check the contacts anyway. (It's not that difficult--if I can do it I'm sure you can!) Those starters are pretty rugged and it's a waste to replace the whole thing for the sake of a couple of dollars worth of small parts. Anyway--more good luck to you. And keep us posted on your progress. Aloha.

What Cougar said for sure. But personally I'd be most suspicious of the contacts in the starter solenoid. Disconnect the wires to the starter then remove the entire unit (one bolt and one nut on a stud, both different sizes--bottom one is probably easiest to reach from underneath.) Then remove the cover plate from the back of the solenoid (phillips screws?) and pull the plunger out. Carry some light sandpaper along--you might be able to clean the L-shaped copper contacts and the circular ring on the plunger enough to keep it working for awhile. Good luck, Steve. Hope it's as simple as that.

It's also a good idea to change your oil filter midway through that longer interval. Synthetic has a lot of "cleaning" power and will probably loosen up a lot of crud. Congrats on your "new" '97!

Aw shoot, avk. You just took all the mystery and romance out of it. You should have told everyone you are a super genius mathematician! Anyway, thanks. You made my morning!

Now that's funny. When I first read this thread I was sure someone knew the number or would calculate it. Thanks, avk!

Yeah, and wax the car too. (Shiny cars always run better!)

An excellent suggestion. I did that to loosen an extremely tight rear diff plug once. Just make sure the angle of attack between the jack and the breaker bar is as close to 90 degrees as possible.

Will soon be pulling the shifter in my '95 Legacy to replace the bushings and am in need of a new boot--the black leather "sack" type. Those long, bushingless shifts have worn big holes in the original! New OEM one is about $40, not an unreasonable price I suppose. That's from Jason at Mike Scarff Subaru in Auburn, WA. But got to thinking, has anyone tried any aftermarket boots (if they exist)? Any recommendations? Or anyone found decent boots in a pull-and-pay or salvage yard? Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions, gang. Mahalo & Aloha.

Yup, really. What prompted it? Probably marketing--"new body styling, increased horsepower!" As far as how they did it, you'd have to get inside the inscrutable minds of FHI executives and engineers to find out. J/k! I'm sure someone here knows what they did.

Hmmm. Leads to the inevitable question, how many MtnBikerChks does it take to , , , !

Yes, it can be cleaned. On my '95 Legacy 2.2 I found it best to remove it from the engine for cleaning. Not too difficult a job. Try a search for IACV--lots of info here about it. Good luck.

Actually '95 and '96 models have 135hp.

No shame, Tsuriman. You solved the problem and were thoughtful enough to post the solution. Thanks!

Looks good! Nice work, Erik.