95Leg

I just finished fixing what sounds like the same problem on my 95 Legacy last night. On mine, the flange right behind the cat had rusted away, so there were just 2 bolts hanging on by the other pipe, which was still in good condition. The hardest part for me was cutting away the old bolts, that process took a couple of hours trying different tools (If they are original, don't even bother getting out the wrenches). That alone was enough of a pain that I think it would have been worth it to pay some money for someone else to do this job! If it was up on a lift, I think it would have been much easier, but just having it jacked up, there isn't a whole lot of room to work with. If you have a 3" cutting wheel of some kind, that would probably be best. Otherwise, a dremel with large cutting disks will do ok. I ended up cutting away the springs first, which then gave me a good shot at the bolts. Eye protection, gloves, and long sleeve shirt are a good idea, since sparks will be flying. If anyone has better ideas, please use those, since this process seemed to take forever. I originally got out my bolt-cutters, but again, there is not enough room under the car to use those when you just have it jacked up. I tried a hacksaw blade and sawsall, but those didn't work well either with the cramped conditions. Save the bolts so that you can compare the length when you tighten up the new bolts. Once you get those off, the next problem is finding the right parts. I went to my local Advanced Auto Parts. They had 2 kinds of split-flanges. One I think was made by Walker, and involves 2 pieces which bolt together, and then it has 2 additional holes for the spring bolts, I think it was 19.99. It looks like the better solution, but there is not enough room behind the Cat heat shield to use it. I bought it, and then realized that I was going to have to do some major cutting to the heat shield in order to use it, so I decided against it. Instead, they also have a type which is just 2 half-circles, and it only has 2 holes, so you slide the 2 spring-bolts into the holes, and that is what keeps the 2 half-circles together to form a full ring around the pipe. It ends up being much skinnier than the other kind. I think it was 13.99. Mine used the 2" type. You might want to take a tape measurer with you, and make sure the circles line up to give an inside diameter of 2". The sizes aren't marked on the boxes, so even though I asked for 2", I receive 2.5" instead, and had to make another trip back to exchange. The bottom of my cat heat shield seemed to extend out further than the top. When you install the split-flange, install it so that the bottom half is going to sit closer to the pipe end and not require as much room. Even oriented that way, I had to take my dremel tool and cut off a strip about a 1/2" off the bottom of the heat shield. The guy at the parts store said he used to work at a muffler shop and they had to cut into the heat sheilds at times. Do not buy the Walker donut gasket that Advanced Auto has! They sold me Walker part #31358. It will fit the pipe, but it is not long enough across the pipe, so when I went to tighten everything up, it was not going to seat well, unless I was willing to tighten the bolts up a huge amount. I drove it to the dealership with that gasket in there, and sounded like I was driving a dirt bike. Instead, I bought the gasket from the dealer (part number 44011AC000 for my 95 Leg Sedan) for 11.33. If you put both gaskets on a table, you'll see that the dealer part is much taller than the walker part. The walker website shows to use part #31357, but that is not taller, just a slightly larger inside diameter--so just avoid walker for this project. I don't know if NAPA or someone else sells a better donut, but the dealership is a sure thing if you have one near you. If you go with a different donut, try to compare with whatever amount of the old gasket is left, and see if it is about the same length. The Walker part was enough of difference to see against the small piece of donut that I had left....I originally saw that but thought maybe the old one had been compressed somehow after many years of use. I used the bolts that came with the split-flange. I picked up 2 boxes of exhaust spring assortments from Advanced Auto for around $5 each. It had 2 springs in each box, and I used the smaller springs. I bought these before going to the dealership, so if you are at the dealership, you might just want to get the springs from them, although I don't know if they sell them separate or not. I also used some large washers that I had sitting around. The holes in the flange that is still on the pipe are rather large, so I needed some washers there before the nut. When I tightened it up, I tried to compare to the length of the bolts that I cut off, and I ended up tightening it so that the nut was about the same length across the bolt. I might have gone a little further to make sure the gasket seated well, but it was nice to know that I had tightened them up to about the same length as the ones I took off. The donut gasket was put in dry---no kind of sealant/spray/gel used, and it sounds great today. Good luck....I'm just glad that I can drive around in "stealth" mode again with a much quieter exhaust system.

I did this a long time ago but have forgotten the details, so I'm mainly going to give you some ideas from memory. I think there are some trim bolts when you lift the lid of the console. That might allow the center trim to come off, and maybe allow access to some more bolts that secure the trim around the shifter. I remember thinking that it would be very bad if the bolt slipped and fell down into the abyss, so be careful when taking those bolts out. I don't think I took the shifter off. Once the trim around the shifter is loose, I think it will move up a little bit and give enough room to get some fingers in there. I do remember having to reach underneath some of the shifter and blindly pulling out the bulb and putting the new one in. I think it is just a regular socket where you twist the bulb and then pull it out. Once you pull it out, you can go to the parts store and get a replacement. The one that I used was the same size, but was a different intensity of light than the original, but has worked just fine. I don't remember any particular problems, so I think it was pretty straightforward. Good luck!

I have a '95 as well, so I can tell you what I've run into. Someone posted info about replacing the light bulbs in the heating/cooling console, so you might be able to find it if you search. Mine does not light up either, but it looked like the fix would take a couple of hours, so I just have lived with it. Follow the fuel filler pipe from where you put the gas in, to back behind the wheel. As it gets to it's lowest point, there is a plastic shield underneath the pipe. Make sure that it is cleaned out, otherwise, dirt and sand pile up in there and eat away at the pipe, causing it to leak gas. Look up info about the "ABS buzzing". If your ABS light is ever on, or you hear a faint buzzing noise coming from the engine compartment, you'll need to either tap on the ABS relay, or disconnect the wiring harness. I've had this happen a couple of times, and I've meant to replace the relay, but never have. Probably happens once a year or so. Also, the fuel sender sensors can get corroded and cause the fuel tank indicator to be inaccurate. Someone posted info about cleaning, but again, I just live with it, rezero the trip odometer at every fill-up and drive for 300 miles before filling up again. The low fuel light still works on mine, so I know if I've gotten real low. Good luck!

There's not much room to use a cheater bar if you don't lift the car. I was able to get the rear drain plugs off easily by using a regular 1/2" socket wrench, and then using a floor jack (or you could use the scissor jack) at the end of the wrench. The car started to lift up a little and then the plugs finally broke loose. Then of course a fluid pump makes refilling the oil very quick also.

Sorry, I don't remember how full my gas tank was. I did not drain the tank, and there was no fuel spilling out when I removed the pipe from the hose. Most of the fuel that was in the pipe had already leaked out through the hole.

My 95 Legacy fuel filler pipe rusted in the same manor last year. It really is easy to clean out if you know it is there. I ordered the fuel filler pipe from one of the online subaru sites. I think it was just under $100. I was afraid that the hose connecting between the pipe and the tank would be in bad condition, but when I actually replaced the pipe, it seemed ok, so you should only need the fuel filler pipe. It took a lot of twisting and hard pulling to get the pipe disconnected from the hose, and then a lot of twisting and pushing to get the hose on the new pipe. That is the only real hard part about changing the pipe, but if anything bad happens to that hose during the process, it's going to turn into a major project. Also, I don't think the new fuel filler pipe came with the plastic valve that you'll see in your old one. Make sure you take the old one off and put it in the new pipe. Preferably before you install the new pipe on the car, or else you'll do the job twice like I did!

If you're on the hunt for hidden debris and rust spots, look at the fuel filler pipe. There is a plastic shield (at least on my 95 Legacy) that covers the side of the fuel filler pipe and then attaches at the bottom of the pipe. The bottom of the plastic shield loaded up with dirt or some other debris and rusted my fuel filler pipe. Found it when it started leaking gas. Not too bad to replace but took a good amount of time. You can probably check it without jacking up the car and taking the wheel off. Just try to look at the pipe from behind the rear passenger wheel, and you might be able to get some fingers or a screwdriver or shop vac in there to clean it out.

You've probably already done this, but does the light come on when you have the key in accessory position or when the car first starts to make sure the basic light works? My gas gauge does not work (I fill up and reset the trip counter and go for 300 miles) and I haven't cleaned the sending unit as described in previous posts, but when my light comes on, I think I usually end up filling up with 12-13 gallons.

I probably wouldn't push any more grease into the joint with the torn boot on. Any dirt in there is probably on the surface of the grease that's sitting around the axle, and you don't want to push any more of that into the joint. When I cleaned mine out, I tried to get as much of the old grease off without pushing it further into the joint. If you are planning to use a quick boot, you want to drive the car as little as possible until you clean it and put the new boot on. I've read about people using duct tape or other methods to seal up a torn boot until they can get it fixed, to prevent any additional dirt from getting in there. I'm sure it's not as good as OEM, but the boot that I got at Pep Boys seemed like better quality than other quick-boots I've seen and seems like it should last for a couple of years. With all the advice about how easy it is to replace the axle on the Subaru, I will probably look into doing that next time instead of the quick boot---if the weathers nice.

I appreciate all the extra input. I've always heard it's a pain to replace the CV axle, but if it's really that easy on a Subaru, I might have to look into it next time I have a problem with a boot. It's good to hear different opinions on the subject.

"..but they only prolong the need to replace the cv axle" That's why I used one instead of replacing the whole axle. When it starts making noises while turning, then I'll replace the axle. My experience is that it takes a long time before the axle really deteriorates, especially if you catch it pretty soon after it has ripped and hopefully not much dirt really got in there. I've always had a hard time finding the correct Quick-boot for Subaru's. If you decide to go this route, cut your old one lengthwise and then take it in to the shop with you, because the one they have listed will probably be shorter,longer or have the wrong diameter openings. I just did this to mine a couple of months ago, and I ended up going to Pepboys who had some various Quick-boots sitting in the aisle. I just looked at them all and found one that seemed to match up well. Get yourself some worm-gear clamps to use instead of the clamps that come with the quick boot.

I wish my memory was better...I just did this on my 95 a couple of weeks ago. I ended up removing all the black trim that you see from between the radio area to the armrest console. If you lift up the armrest compartment, you'll see a screw which needs to be undone. Then there were a couple of spots where the trim popped off, either the sides, or the top near the front. Once that trim is off, there were a couple more screws which needed to be removed around the shifter (be careful not to drop any of these screws!). Then I was able to move the trim around the shifter up high enough, that I could get my fingers underneath and blindly unscrew the mount for the lamp bulb. Take that bulb in to your local auto store and get one that looks similar. If I remember correctly, I went with a 94 or 95 bulb, but that was actually a little brighter than the one before. I think a 74 was the one that I decided I should have gotten.

You might just want to call up the DMV or an inspection station and see if it is required for your state inspection. I have a different car with the airbag light on as well, and I've gone through 3 years of state inspections (not NY) without a problem. Airbags are not a requirement so I wouldn't think that you would fail the inspection just because yours are not working. The question about whether it is safe or not is another issue.... A lot of stuff will pass inspections. I have a couple of cracks and divots in my windshield, but when I inquired about inspection, they said it was only a problem if it causes your windshield wiper blades to wear quickly.

I should add that I disconnected the wiring with the car off and then reattached the wiring the next day when I needed to use the car again. I didn't use the car with the ABS wiring disconnected. You might be able to, but I didn't try that. I think the ABS light might have been on for a while that day, but then I think it went out on it's own after I turned it off again to get gas. I should also add that this occurred after the car had been driven briefly on the beach, so the sand might have had something to do with what I experienced. Sorry, I haven't looked into testing the unit.

I had that happen a couple of years ago. I heard the buzzing, disconnected the wiring to the ABS unit. When I reconnected it the next day, there was no buzzing and I haven't had another problem since then.

Sorry, I haven't taken out the original cassette player. I don't recall if mine says kenwood on it, but it is radio/cassette only, so it is half-height with open storage below it. I think on my previous subaru GL-10 I couldn't find the correct harness so I ended up splicing the original harness and a new one and then playing connect the wires. Good point about the sheet metal. I usually wear some work gloves while working on the car, so I might have had those on when working through the access hole. I don't want to scare you either, but changing out that regulator wasn't a whole lot of fun since the access hole is so small. It might be worth just popping off the panel and trying to see if something just fell on to the track though.

I also "discovered" a method after much time trying to figure out how to get them off when I replaced them around 2 years or so ago. It's a variation on the shallow screwdriver method. I think anything looking like a curved screwdriver would work, but I ended up buying what I think is called a "tack remover". It looks like a small claw from the back of a hammer, but attached to a screwdriver handle. I suppose you have to be extra careful about the sharp edges scratching anything, but it seemed to slide into the edge of the seal and then give me the leverage to pop it out easily.

It's been about 2 years since I did this, so I might be a little fuzzy on the details. Behind the panel is some sheet metal with access holes in it. Behind the sheet metal and hard to get at through the access holes is what you're interested in. There is the window motor, and then the "window regulator". The window regulator is basically 2 lengths of metal which are hinged together in the middle and form an "X". At the top of the "X" is a slider which the window is attached to. When you roll up the window, the two sides of the X come together, which pushes the slider (and the window) up. Going the other direction, the 2 sides move away from each other and the slider comes down. I had a large knocking noise as well, which was caused by one of the sides of the "X", hich was broke, being pushed into the sheet metal. Taking everything apart took a lot of time. You have to take off some trim around the door handle, and then I think everything else pop's off around the edges. It's small pieces of plastic that push into the sheet metal and then lock on, so it takes a little effort to pop them off, and there is the possibility of breaking them. If you find out you need to take out the regulator or motor, you have to take off the window, and then move the slider down, unbolt the motor and regulator assembly and then keep trying different orientations until the whole assembly comes out the access hole in the sheet metal. If you end up replacing it yourself, I bought a combination motor/regulator from thepartsbin.com for around $60, but had to transplant the wire connection from the original motor. It's worked fine for the 2 years or so it's been in there and was cheaper than the ~$100 regulator-only part from subaru. Good luck and leave yourself plenty of time if you're going to do it yourself..... FYI: Mine was broke on a cold day as well, but occurred when a local mechanic was unsticking a brake caliper for me.....I can only guess someone leaned across a half-opened window or something.