The Chad

You guys rock, thanks. I haven't had to fix our Sooby in so long that I forgot what was what!

Very cool. Could I just order the O ring and fix it myself?

I've just noticed that this thing is covered with oil, what is it? I feel dumb, sorry to have to ask.

Thanks guys. I had already done the searches before posting, didn't see any solutions however. The fuse is holding again right now, don't understand what's making it blow. Right on, my only electrical experience relates to guitar wiring which is much simpler! Lots with turning wrenches, however. If it happens again and I happen to nail a solution, I'll be sure to post it here.

Parking lights aren't working, either. The parking lights switch does nothing.

1998 Legacy 4 door, 214K and runs great, we maintain it well. Problem: Tail lights and license plate lights suddenly quit working. Brake lights work fine. I read a couple of similar threads, though no solution was ever listed (that I'd seen). Sounds like this is somewhat common, what should I look for? Need help from the experts. Driving at night without rear lights is officer bait! Thanks guys, appreciate your responses. Really can't afford to take this to a Subaru dealer.

have you tried it more than once? Yep, it performed that way 3 times in a row, weird!!!flat ground or on a hill? on flat when you put it in park do you: 1. hold the brake pedal in 2. pull up on the ebrake 3. then put it in park I don't put the ebrake on... never have, except on an incline ???? that's how it should be done but many folks just throw it in park and then put the brake on. I'll try this, thanks. one way severly loads the parking pawl mechanism (the later) and the other does not. i would try the proper way and see if it still does it, this should tell us if it's related to the trans or not. I'll do that, let you know what happens!

Anyone had this problem before?! 98 Legacy, 192k. Auto. I put my FWD fuse in to check the torque bind, started the car, applied the brake and tried to shift to drive, but it wouldn't come out of park. It made a click noise in the steering column when I pushed the shifter button in, but wouldn't release! I took the fuse out, applied the brake, and it will shift out of park. But it won't do it with the fuse in! Ideas?!

Thanks a lot, I'll check it out like you'd said. If all fails, it's off the the shop!

1998 Legacy. My Wife hit a curb, now the steering feels like it pulses or more accurately makes quick "steps" to the right while turning right at low speeds. For instance, while turning right the steering wheel will take a little step, step, step, step while making the turn. To the left, it seems fine. At higher speeds while going into a right turn, I sometimes feel a rapid mechanical knock like something's loose. While going straight, the steering wheel pulses to the right slightly. Applying brakes doesn't seem to help. So... could be a lot of things, but any tips for diagnosis? I'd already swapped the front right with the rear right wheel, it was a very slight help but it's still there. Already been to one shop and they weren't too good, so before I go to another I'd like to hear what you all think.

I don't know if you'd be comfortable with this, and it may not be a good idea depending on your location or who the seller is, but cash is an excellent negotiating tool if you've got it. With cash, you could tell them you'll hand them the cash today for however much you want to spend. There's someting about he idea of thousands of dollars of actual cash in the seller's hand is a great motivator for the seller to sell for less. I'd bought one car that way, and a friend of mine actually takesthe cash along when he goes to look at a car, and that seals the deal. I don't recommend physically carrying the cash to look at the car, works for my friend that buys and sells but it's not safe!

Just had the timing belt replaced on my 1998 Legacy L 2.2. It was last changed about 80,000 miles ago, so it was time. The car's got 173,000 on it now so I was expecting to have the pulleys replaced too, since it would make sense that they'd be worn out by now. I took the hour drive to Orbach's Automotive in Denver, PA. Love those guys, they're Subaru specialists that almost exclusively deal with Subies and I won't let anyone else touch my Legacy. Anyway, they said that the pulleys were still spinning free and smoothly so they weren't going to replace them. At 173,000 miles! Pretty impressive, I thought. I'd read that after 100,000 or a decade that the pulleys would be dried out and shot, but they weren't. :cool: Thought I'd share that since it surprised me. If anyone is within a couple hours reach of Orbach's Automotive (365 REINHOLDS RD, DENVER, PA 17517-9378), you can trust your Subie to them. They're a great little shop who's been around for 20 something years, they are the definitive Subaru wizards, and have excellent pricing. Tell them Chad from Harrisburg sent ya.

I have seen quite a few of these over the past year in my area (Central Pennsylvania), and the private seller prices have been from $2000 - $3000, in maintained condition, most were in the lower to mid $2,000 range. Your plus is that it's a manual tranny! People really like those, and if someone's looking to buy an older vehicle like this, then stick may very well be what they prefer.

Nipper my man, take the rest of the week off with pay for an answer well done. I searched on what you'd said and found all I'd needed. The dealer had a couple of the bulbs, is ordering the other buld I need, and I'd already installed the bulb for the lights on the gear selecter. Sure will be cool to see everything light up, thanks!

'98 Legacy L sedan, and the only interior illumination I have is on the speedo/tach area, the "cruise" button, and the radio. Nothing else inside lights up while I'm driving at night. Anyone know if the climate control cluster or the automatic gear shifter area should also be illuminated? Other cars are usually lit in these areas, and I'm wondering if the Subaru should be lit up there, too. I'd recently gotten the car so I don't know what's normal. Anyone know?

"Impreza struts into legacy", huh? I know a joke that goes; "A Rabbi struts into a Catholic Church..." Sorry, couldn't resist.

Welcome! I had an '84 Subie 4x4 hatchback, man I loved that little car! Enjoy yours!

I know it doesn't make much sense to hear all this, since most N/A engines do benefit from a CAI. It didn't make sense to me either at first, but what they're saying is right. The stock intake pretty much is a CAI, fenderwell anyway. If you want to check out options, maybe a Weapon R? They claim something like 7 hp at the wheels with their intake, BUT it's always best to check with a person who actually has one on their Outback, ask them for the real story. You probably won't be able to feel any difference with another intake, and you'll also be sucking in more debris which = bad.

I've got the same car as you do, '98 Legacy L, 2.2 with 155k. For reference, I'm getting above 25mpg consistently with about an equal mix of city and highway driving, so something's gotta be up. How long has it been getting this poor mileage? Even though you're not getting the 0420 and 0325 codes, have you checked the cat and knock sensor? It's unlikely, but could be you're feeling the effects before it triggers the CEL if it's just been a short time since the drop in mileage occured. My knock sensor was cracked and I'd gotten a cylinder 3 misfire code that dissapeared after replacing the knock sensor. Did you use genuine Subaru plugs and wires, and did the 0301 occur before you changed the plugs and wires? How about swapping the cylinder 1 and cylinder 3 plug wires with each other to see if the misfire follows. Misfires are often wire related, so ya never know. Maybe use some dielectric grease when putting the wires back on. You'd said the power is good, but can you tell any power difference since your mileage drop? I'm wondering if cylinder 1 really is misfiring if there is no loss in power?

Sounds like a good little car you've found! Great engine, too. Your engine is the non-interference engine I believe, which is safer if the timing belt ever breaks. A very reliable engine. Doesn't sound like you're able to contact the previous owner, but if you can, find out what was done to the vehicle in terms of maintenance (mainly when/if the tranny was serviced and when/if the timing belt was replaced). You said a tire was low, do you know if it was driven while it was low or if it was just sitting for a while and lost air? As Gary said, and he's among the most knowledgable of anyone on here, driving with a difference in tire pressure or even tires with more than a 1/4" difference in circumference in relation to one another can cause issues with your AWD. Speaking of AWD, does the car jitter or feel rough if you're accelerating from a dead stop with your wheels turned sharply? Like if you're making a left or right turn from a stop sign or parking lot? Let us know if it does, as this is called torque bind and we can help you fix it. I wonder if your cig lighter or CD player issues are due to burnt fuses? Check your fuse chart to identify which fuses correlate with them and then pull them to see if they're bad. Always monitor your tire pressure, read the owners manual closely (useful AWD info), and use genuine Subaru replacement parts for most everything.

That's the first time I'd bought a tool from them, and I really should've known better!!! Makes ya feel like a drooling idiot when you screw up like that because of saving something like $30. I'm going to relocate it, from what I've read on here. I need to know the best place to relocate it, though. The pics I've seen on here show relocations on differenct engines, not the 2.2 like my '98 Legacy has, auto. Anyone have any ideas?

Where'd you move it to? I'll search for threads on moving the knock sensor, also. Thanks everyone for the info.

'98 2.2 Legacy. I had put the new knock sensor on a week ago, and just not got a torque wrench from Harbor Freight to tighten it further to the correct 16 foot lbs. Well, the cheap torque wrench never clicked, and after a fairly gentle snug, the bolt spun freely because I stripped it. Ugh!!! So... any ideas on what to do now? Can't use a larger bolt, can I? The knock sensor hole is only so big and doesn't look like I can use a bigger one. I'm angry at myself now, shouldn't got the cheap wrench! Curse you Harbor Freight, and all of your bewitching cheapy goodness!!!

Did you check your knock sensor yet? We haven't heard anything from you. I just replaced mine (I've got a '98 Legacy L sedan), and it makes a huge difference. Let us know what's going on. If you need info on replacing it, we'll help you out.

The CEL is off and has stayed that way since! I'd known the knock sensor was bad and causing some issues, but it had also seemed a little sluggish besides that, which I'd thought was due to carbon build up since a little old lady had owned this vehicle since new before I'd bought it two months ago. She drove it very conservitively, to say the least. The Seafoam treatment had certainly caused it to run better, along with clouds of smoke which made it a lot of fun. So you were right Gary, there were hesitation issues which I was hoping the Seafoam would remedy a little! I'm excited about doing my plugs and wires very soon, too.