Olnick

Okay, I'll bite. I saw 1) a house and 2) an apartment building. :-\ Do I win anything?

Marshal Wolf (the MW of MWE!) is a super nice guy and a straight shooter. I dealt with him twice about a year ago--for two different Subies. He bent over backwards to take care of me. Give him a call. Product has been excellent. Price back then was around $75 per axle plus shipping & core. Check around your area for a small independent auto repair shop and get an estimate. Probably be a lot less than your $97 lift fee dealer! Good luck.

To cool--or moderate--the temperature of the IAC body. Same thing coolant does in the rest of the engine.

Sorry Sport, but I gotta disagree with you. There is no "Sensor inside the IAC which reads water temp." The ECTS, which sends temp info to the ECU, is near the IACV but not part of it. Glad that $20 IAC solved your problem but most of the time a thorough cleaning of the car's existing IACV works just fine (and it's cheaper!)

Sorry Les--didn't mean to question your knowledge or ability. But I get paranoid when people talk about towing their AWD vehicles! Seems all 4 on the ground is just fine with manual tranny. Happy travels.

Congrats! Those first gen Legacies can be absolutely wonderful vehicles. You might want to read up on proper towing procedures (it is AWD, right?) before you start pulling it around.

Hey, I love your "doodled picture" and the red dots. Don't think I've ever seen a clearer depiction of the problem being discussed. Good going!

Oops! That would be me. Sorry. I remember the situation now. Haynes' instructions, in their infinite thoroughness, said "Remove the mounting bolts (see illustration)." And of course the drawing showed just 3 bolts. Eventually my fingers found that there was, lo and behold, a well-hidden 4th bolt! Anyway, good going. Hope it solves the problem.

You'll probably get more specific information by reading and asking questions in the Older Generation forum. Good luck with the project and please do keep us up on your progress.

Fascinating problem jdemaris, I'm impressed with your ability to track it down--and thanks for sharing the solution with us. It very well may help someone else down the road.

First thing I'd check is the shifter linkage & bushings. Might just be that simple! By the way--congrats! Nice looking car, looks to be in great shape.

Actually I think the "new improved" seal is black! I believe it replaced the brown ones.

Agree with bugsy^ The oil pumps rarely fail. But the screws on the backing plate often loosen. Remove the pump, clean the backing plate and screws and Loctite them. You'll need a new o-ring where the pump mates to the block, along with the Permatex Ultra-grey. Get an OEM Subaru crank seal. Good luck.

No problem--I'll attach some to this post. (Ah shoot! I forgot how to attach weather.)

While you're in there consider removing the IACV from the car and giving the innards a thorough cleaning. One air hose, 2 small coolant hoses and 3 bolts is all it takes. Also clean any gunk out of the air hose, maybe replace the PCV too. It should have a new gasket when you put it back in. Good luck.

Check out Amazon, they have Bosch in the $40 range. Universal type--they come with a solderless connection system that worked just fine for me.

Beginning with the '97 model year the venerable EJ22 went through some major revisions to make it more efficient (becoming an interference engine in the process!) Definitely heed any specific model year indications! Good luck.

Congrats on dealing with Jason--super helpful and a nice guy to boot! Oil pump: Remove and check the screws on the backing plate (5 phillips head as I remember). They sometimes loosen up. Clean and Loctite them. Reinstall the pump with a new o-ring and a neat bead of Permatex Ultra-grey. Might want to replace the crank seal too. Good luck.

Good looking chauffer there, superu!

To follow up on what davebugs said--are those receipts from a Subaru dealership or from a chain parts store? Subies can be a bit finicky about plugs and wires!

Now that's what a Subaru should look like! Good going. Do you notice any difference in handling? And welcome to USMB.

^Agree! I hadn't noticed the car was that new!

You're absolutely right--'96 Outback with manual tranny is an EJ22.

Unfortunately the previous owner's sins are catching up with you! Not fair, but that's life. Good luck.

Aha, good question! Does the sound go faster as the car goes faster? That would indicate something with wheels/axles. Does the sound slow a bit as you go through each gear--as the RPMs drop a bit with each change? That would indicate engine. Or at least that's how I picture it! Good luck.