paddleboy

Hi, I have a 1997 Subaru Impreza OBS. I t has recently started having the noisy/rattling speedometer issue. At random times, there is a buzzing sound emanating from the dash and the speedometer jiggles wildly. It doesn't tend to last very long but drives you a little buggy. he rest of the time the speedo seems a bit shaky. I have also noticed that the cruise control is operating a bit unstable. I've read the archives on this topic and have verified that my car has a two-piece speedo cable. I am lubing the part from the "joiner" to the speedometer (once I figure out how to get that little clip back on). If that doesn't work, what else should I do? I saw one thread about the joint between the two speedo cables...is that a common failure part? How hard is it to replace? Thanks (in advance for the help), Paul ps. In troubleshooting this, I noticed that a rubber boot that comes from the front transfer case (transaxle?) is broken open. I assume this is going to need replacement? How big a job is that?

Fuel mileage is the one big disadvantage of the subarus in my opinion. I work in the diesel engine industry (for over-the-road trucks) and I disagree with the statements that diesels are far more polluting than gas. It is true that the diesel is made from a different component of the oil than gasoline which is exactly why we need a certain number of diesels - it allows us to use ALL the oil (although these days they can do amazing things in refining). While the NOx and HCs from diesels are the main issue, I seem to remember that they have very low CO and CO2 emissions compared with gasoline engines. Again, it is not an issue of one being better - they have different polluting agents. Both the NOx and HCs have been radically reduced and are going to be very minimal come 2007 regulations. Smoking, lung-choking diesels are a thing of the past and the low end torque and low fuel consumption is amazing!!!