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Okay, I was able to turn the cam pulleys by hand. Just difficult. So if I put the belt back on and crank it, could I be causing more damage if there are bent valves? The car has 108,000 on it. Clean in and out with good tires Southern car, but near the coast, showing some surface corrosion on the engine. Maybe that is why the accessory belt tensioner failed. The owner wants 1000 dollars as it sits.

Yep, It looks to me that pulling the engine would be best. The T belt cover is off. I tried turning the cam pulleys by hand. The turn easily about 1/4 turn then I can't turn them any more- by hand anyway. What am in in for on the heads- worst case scenario?

Local shop has a 2000 Impreza OB sport that came in for a "timing belt job", but according to the local wrench ( never worked on a Subaru), the AC belt tensioner broke, and the AC belt rubbed through the timing belt cover, and knocked the T belt off. They were doing about 40 when it quit. He thinks the owner may just sell the car cheap. I am thinking about it, but the last time I had an engine out of a car for major repair was a Chevy 283! So, how much damage is likely to the bottom end, and if none, what am I looking at for heads. The shop owner says he can get rebuilt heads from BAP GEON for 300 a side? I need to figure out if this is a project worth doing with my son- who will be 16 in April, and doesn't want to drive my Lego wagon to school/job.

Welcome. Looks like you scored on the Loyale. They handle like a go cart ( for a wagon) and are really fun to drive around town. I sold one, a 93 that looked just like that with 80,000 miles in Houston about 2 months ago. He paid a lot more than you did. I am an hour west of Houston, and have 2 Legacy's. If you are passing thru Columbus sometime and need a hand let me know.

I think I accidentally have narrowed the popping or ticking sound that I get when the engine is cold. I had the EGR off today to check and see if it needed cleaning and tested it by pulling a vacuum on it. When I released the vacuum, I heard the valve make the exact same popping or ticking sound. Now I am waiting for the engine to get cold and check to see if it does it with the vacuum line going to the valve blocked with a ball bearing. Question is, will this cause the puter to throw a code, or cause any loss of performance? Then to figure out, if and why there is vacuum to the EGR when it is cold. Oh yeah, what is a BPT valve? It is connected to the EGR vacuum.

Did you ever get this fixed? If not, consider this. I once saw something similar to this on a friends car- Peugeot . He had installed the thermostat backwards. So it had to get pretty hot to open, then once it opened, it would close again, etc..... Don't know if it is even possible to install backwards in a Subie- some cars you can.

On both my 97 and 98 Legacy wagons (2.2l) there is a noise after starting a cold engine. It is like a tick, but sounds like something plastic- more like a pocka pocka pocka - okay don't laugh. Searched all the threads on ticking, but this is not fast enough to be lifter tick., With the engine at idle, is sounds like only once per revolution. Both cars have 150 - 170,000 miles and have been properly maintained- as far I can tell. Don't know if the lash has been checked lately. Been doing this for a year at least, and never worried about it. Goes away after about 3 or 4 minutes driving. Do I need to be concerned about it?

Thanks, I have had the car only a year and don't know how old or how many miles are on the sensors. I will check out the link-looks promising

So, nipper, did replacing the front sensor fix the problem for you? Were you able to isolate the front sensor by checking resistance as it warmed up? If so, what values were you looking for? My search of the "100's of discussions- before I posted btw, revealed 90% of the posts were people talking about something they heard and had not actually done themselves. I always us OE or OEM for ignition, fuel and emissions parts. Learned the hard way on wife's Toyota over the years.

If I knew for sure it was a bad cat, I'd just buy one and put it on without bothering you. If one of the cats is clogged, the 10dollars anti-fouler fix, won't fix anything other than putting out the light. I would like to really fix the problem. I guess you assumed I did not know about the anti-fouler jury rig either. The factory manual says start by pulling the rear cat and checking it for damage, then progress to the front. I was hoping to find someone on here who has actual experience with this same problem themselves, willing to offer the advice of their own experience. So if there is someone who has gone through this themselves and willing to share, please feel welcome. Anyone else with presumptuous and pejorative lectures, please feel welcome to piss off and find someone else with an 8th grade character to converse with.

But c'mon I did search and found no discussions out of 25 that distinguished between front and rear cats. I guess you ASSumed I didn't search. Not helpful, and if I need a lecture- I'll bug my wife.

c'mon, nobody here ever had a catalytic converter issue on a Legacy?

My 97 Legacy L w/2.2 CEL came on and has a code 0420. I think this is for catalytic converter. Question is, if so, which one? Aren't there two cats on these cars? How do you know which one is bad?

As I recall , the fans will come on when the AC is on, or pressure is sensed in the AC coolant line switch. Not near my subie right now, so I can't tell you where to find it, but try pulling any fuse for the AC system, then start the car/

The autocheck shows it was originally a California car.

I am not close enough to go see it.

A picture is on the ebay auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270477115118&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT#v4-15

Where did you get the cable and the program for your laptop? How much was it?

The seller confirmed it is OBD1. The sticker says something about California compliance. I have not seen the car in person. Does anyone actually own a 96 that can confirm it?

Looking at a 96 Legacy wagon. the cert sticker says it is OBD-1 to comply with California law. I thought all 96's and on were supposed to be OBD2. What is the deal on this?

Been thinking about buying a late 90's Impreza wagon and stumbled across this? What is that front end off of? http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=267837010&captcha=success

That is pretty tall. Any problems with camber and tire wear?

What about using the original Legacy springs with new OBW struts? I'd rather put new shocks than used ones from the junk yard. It would be easier than paying for and compressing the junk yard springs to put new struts on them.

Read on here that OBW struts would work on the Legacy Wagon. I did the rears with no problem. Got the struts with springs from a 99 OBW in the junkyard, and gained about 2 inches in the rear and less squat in my 97 Legacy wagon when loaded.. Wondering if the front will be the same easy job. Also, are the springs from the OBW different from the Legacy wagon? Thinking about going with new OBW struts and keeping the Legacy front springs.

I have 2 Legacy wagons; a 98 Brighton ( non abs) and a 97 L. The brakes on the 98 seem very weak, compared to the 97. I think the master cylinder was leaking internally, so I changed it. Still the brakes are weak. No air in the system. The power brake accumulator holds vacuum okay. I am out of ideas. I took it to a local mechanic that maintains our postal carriers Subies. He is scratching his head too. He suggested I buy some Subaru pads, because maybe the PO put cheap Autozone pads on it. I have had it only a couple months. Been weak since I bought it. Any ideas?`````````````````