marinehrnt

Thanks for the ideas. The shaking in the wheel is from side to side so maybe it is related to a bad axle. My biggest problem now if finding someone that can actually diagnosed it.

I have a 2011 Outback with 116k miles. Has a terrible vibration at speeds over 60 mph, which has developed over the past 20k miles. Can feel it throughout the entire car, even the passengers notice it. The steering wheel shakes like crazy, you can even see the mirrors vibrate. The tires are Michelin Defenders with only about 10k miles on them. Wheels are factory and had new struts installed at 100k miles. I even swapped out the wheels for a short time with another set and made no difference. All new brakes and rotors. Have had it back to the tire shop countless times for rotations and wheel balance with no success. Been to two Subaru dealers and they had no answers. Both dealers said they couldn't find anything wrong in the front end and that it had to be a balance issue even though the wheels were perfectly balanced. Its to the point that it can't be driven on the freeway and I'm about to give up on it and trade it in. I know the shake issue with this gen of outback but mine seems extreme. Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestions. I replaced the coil tonight and will see if it makes a difference. It's strange because the problem is intermittent. If I went up the same hill 10 times it would probably lose power 3 out of those 10 and be fine the rest.

Have a 95 Legacy 2.2L that has started losing power while going up hill or under a load. The check engine light flashes for about 30 seconds and the power comes back. The code is a number 4 cylinder misfire. I have replaced the plugs and ignition wires with not change. Runs excellent otherwise, smooth idle and drives great other than the power loss under load. Any ideas where I should look next? Thanks for the help.

Recently bought a 95 Legacy that seems to be having some fuel level issues. I can fill it up and within about 130 miles it reads emtpy. Fill it up again and it only takes 5-6 gallons. Did some searching in the forum and noticed its often the fuel sending unit. I know there are two units in the tank but was curious if its one more often than the other. They are about $100 each and don't really want to just start replacing them in hopes that I get the correct one. Is there any way to test them or is there a good place to start diagnosing the problem without just replacing the units? Thanks for the help.

I recently replaced the rotors on my Loyale, the pads had about 80% life left so I put them back on (maybe a mistake?) It was fine for a day or two and began to make a clunking sound on the right side when coming to a stop and eventually turned into a constant clunk, clunk, clunk all the time. The clunk does go away when the brakes are applied firmly, if I just lightly tap the brake I can feel the clunking through the brake pedal. I installed new anti-rattle clips and made sure the axle nut is torqued down. So, here is the crazy part I can't figure out. If I remove the brake caliper and the pads and just put them right back on the without changing a thing the clunk goes away completely for a day or two and eventually comes back. I just took it apart for the third time and put it back to together and the clunk is gone but it won't last long. I had a brake shop look at it and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I'm at the end of my rope. May try new pads and see if that makes a difference. Thanks the help.

I have a 92 Loyale that needs new wheel cylinders, it is 4wd and has the strut type brake adjuster. There are two different sizes a 11/16 and 3/4 on the wheel cylinders. Is there anyway to tell which size I need without taking one off? No one has them in stock so I have to order them and since this is my only means of transportation I can't really take it all apart without having parts to put back in immediately, and I can't order them without knowing the size. Thanks for any help.

Both head gaskets were done last time. And I was told that only Subaru parts were used. This an independent shop run by a Subaru certified mechanic but I'm seriously starting to question some of the answers I'm getting from the guy. He is telling me the 2.2 swap is a huge pain and not worth the money. I did some research and found the CCR engines website and ran that by him as well, he claims those engines are junk and that there is no way they can be selling true re-manufactured engines for that cheap. He gets really angry if you start to question anything, I think he expects everyone to just follow blindly. I'm about fed up so I may just take the car back and do the work myself. I have never worked on the outback but did tear the engine out of my 92 Loyale and rebuilt it will great success. Thanks for the help everyone.

Thank you very much for all the info on the ej22 swap. I was told that my head gaskets were replaced with Subaru gaskets three years ago. So, I think at this point replacing them again seems a little risky. From the sounds of it the best option is the ej22 and not a rebuilt ej25. Thanks again.

Is that switch to the 2.2L an easy one or does some serious fabrication have to be done? Right now my options are to replace the head gaskets again (said they would do it for $900 since it went out so quickly) or put in a rebuilt engine which they quoted at $4,300 and it has a 24,000 mile warranty. I would love to get away from this engine and go with a 2.2 if they don't have the same issues. Thanks for the help!

Have a 97 Outback with head gasket issues. First head gasket went out about three years ago, got it fixed and it went out again about a week ago. Took it back to the same place and was told it needed to replaced again but they said it may not last long. I asked if they pressure tested the heads and checked for warping. The mechanic said pressure testing heads is completely worthless and very unreliable on this engine. I'm no expert on Subaru engines but this sounds a little strange to me. Is there any truth to not pressure testing or dye testing these heads. They are telling I should either put in a new block and heads or get a re-built engine because there is no guarantee this won't happen again in 1,000 miles. But at the same time they said they can't see anything wrong with the block or heads, but have not pressure or dye tested either. Any ideas? Thanks much.

I'm trying to find a steering rack for my 2002 Legacy. The only options seem to be a rebuilt unit or a used unit from a wrecking yard. The rebuilt racks are selling for about $300 while I can get one from a wrecking yard for about $100. Is it worth the extra money to get a rebuilt one or is a used one from a wrecking yard usually ok? Trying to save money but don't want to get something that will be unreliable.

It is a repeating click that increases with speed. It only clicks while going straight, and stops clicking while turning left or right. Only makes the noise under acceleration and stops immediately if I let off the gas. Doesn't click while applying the brakes. I had it in the dealer yesterday and they thought it was a wheel bearing but finally admitted they were not totally sure. Took it to a local shop today and they dug into it for hours and finally came up with the front steering assembly. They claim the inner tie-rods are loose and rattling in the steering assembly. I honestly don't know what to think, five different shops and five different answers, getting frustrating and expensive to keep throwing parts at it hoping it will solve the problem.

I have a 2002 Legacy gt with an automatic transmission. It has a terrible clicking noise coming from the front end while under acceleration (not while turning left or right). I have had it into the shop three times and was told it was the struts and cv joints on the axles. Got both the struts and axles replaced, made no difference at all, still clicks like crazy, I can feel it in the steering wheel while it clicks. I was then told the transmission mounts need to be replaced and that the transmission is loose in the mounts and causing the noise. I have to say that I'm losing my faith in these people since I have already dropped a bunch of money into the car with zero results. I have taken it to three different shops and they all say something different, some people have no idea at all. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The O2 sensor is old, at least 8-10 years I would guess. It has been running ok but until it gets warmed up it has a really bad hesitation but smooths out when it gets up to temp. I will check with Napa, thanks.