Fairtax4me

Speedometer drive is geared to match FDR and tire size. Using forester size tires with the Forester trans will yield the proper speed reading.

Pinch bolts are easy to drill out! Who came up with the idea that the whole knuckle needed to be replaced just for that?! See if the dealer has one in stock and ask if you can see it to take some measurements. Compare to your aftermarket. Perhaps the "new" knuckle is damaged? I've bought these at Autozone and had no fitment issues. Reliability seems to be as good as any other aftermarket ball joint.

Speedometer drive went all electric in 95.

If you have a metric socket set you can check it yourself. A few 10mm screws are all that holds the timing end cover on the drivers side. Pop it off and take a peek.

I can't suggest anyone, but the age of the car and the mileage are both below the recommended replacement intervals, 105k miles or 10 years. I wouldn't worry about it for a while. The AC belt tensioner should be an easy change. Might as well replace the Alternator belt at the same time since it could probably use that one.

I would expect to pay anywhere from 400-700 for an auto with under 150k around here. If you can get one for under 400 that's a pretty good deal IMO. The only major hangups are going to be wiring differences. I don't know enough about the autos to say exactly which years will plug in and work, but I would think 95-97 should be a good bet.

Fill in the crank snout. Grab a junkyard sprocket and pulley and run it. Unless it was major overheated the bearings are fine. No need to Seafoam unless there is a bunch of buildup in the valve covers. If its just kinda dark all it needs is fresh oil.

No point on the old 2.2. If the HG goes bad on that it will be a combustion chamber leak and no amount of coolant conditioner will stop that. If you have the phase 2 with MLS gaskets it may be helpful, but even those are not prone to leaking. Phase 2 2.5 is the one that needs the coolant conditioner because it seeps externally.

If you live in Antarctica you might be able to get away with 5w20. But that stuff is way too thin for that 2.5.

It's way too loud to be a vacuum leak. If there was a Vacuum leak that large it would kill the engine. Plus nothing in the dash is vacuum controlled, It's all cable and electric. Blower fan operates just fine on is own with no strange noises. Only when the AC button is pressed does it start making this hissing sound, and it gets loud enough that the radio can't drown it out. (At least not at a normal volume level) None of my other soobs have ever made any kind of noise with the AC on, except for the click of the compressor clutch kicking on and off. Her dad has a set of gauges were gonna hook up to it and see what's going on with the pressures when we get a chance. 95 FSM lists two different failure modes for the expansion valve (plugged valve, and stuck open valve) and approximate pressure ranges for each failure. Also has quite a few other diagnostics for various problems with the AC system. Should be able to narrow it down pretty easily once we get the gauges on it. If I feel ambitious ill make a video of the noise and post it for edumacational purposes. Which reminds me of the strangeness with the stereo. Factory original stereo, when you turn it on it goes to full volume on the left channels, but the right channel is almost silent until you turn it up to about 1/2. Adjusting the balance almost all the way to the right is the only way to bring the volume on the left channel down. Figure there has to be a short between the left and right channels or something. Not that it really matters because its gonna get a CD/Bluetooth upgrade very soon, along with some Polk DB651 speakers. And Ill be checking for continuity between channels before hooking the new stereo up.

Trans uses Dexron III fluid. It's usually labeled as something like "Multi-vehicle ATF". I don't remember the last time I saw a bottle of plain Dexron III. Just be sure to read the back of the bottle and make sure it says it meets Dexron III specification. The hoses for the transmission cooler are easy to replace. Most of the time the clamps can just be tightened a bit and it'll stop leaking. Clean that area with some engine cleaner or purple power and every few days just poke under there to see if its still dripping. I wouldn't worry too much about the engine oil leaks for now, but keep an eye on the fluid levels and see how long it takes for the level to get low enough that you have to add fluid.

Been poking around for a better car for the GF for a few months and she finally stumbled across one that was a trade in where she works (Carmax). A nice 95 Legacy LSi. Leather, Sunroof, Auto trans, and very clean at 138k miles. Runs great, shifts great, drives great. $1400 Has the usual oil leaks, power steering leak, worn out steering rack bushings, might need an inner tie rod end, but the only weird issue is the AC. AC seems to work, the compressor kicks on, it will sorta blow cooler air, but it starts making this strange hissing sound from the dash, sounds like from the general area of the air box. (Haven't had time to dig into it much yet) It starts about a second after turning the AC on. Starts out quiet and gets louder over about 10 seconds. Turn the AC off and it fades away over about 5-10 seconds. Kinda makes me think the expansion valve has gone bad. Suppose it could just be a plugged evaporator though. Wondering if anyone else has ever run into something similar?

That's what it has a MAF or MAP sensor, and an oxygen sensor. To the ECU the difference in displacement between a 2.2 and 2.5 matters less than a 4000 ft change in altitude. Your old and new sprocket pics are backwards. Perhaps this is where some of your confusion is coming from. The NEW style sprocket has more teeth. They probably did start using the new style on CA spec vehicles, but there are plenty of other things Subaru first used on CA cars and eventually became standard for all.

There are 24 drive teeth on the crank sprocket no matter what engine it's one. 48 drive teeth on the cam sprockets. The drive teeth are not the issue (as you've now seen in the pics above), its the teeth on the outer edge that make up the reluctor for the cam and crank sensors. What you need, are the sprockets that match the ECU that's in the car. The ECU doesn't care about displacement, it will work for either 2.5 or 2.2 engine, doesn't care which it is. What it does care about is that it gets the proper signals from the cam and crank sensors, which means it needs the sprockets from its original engine. Every 2.2 and 2.5 used the 6 tooth crank reluctors at one point. It's not an issue of 2.2vs 2.5 or Cali- vs non-Cali emmissions. Subaru decided (actually it was probably decided for them by the EPA) one year that they needed more accurate readings of the crank and camshaft angles so they could refine the ignition and fuel timing, and have more positive misfire recognition. Then all of their engines were switched to the new style sprockets, whether they were 2.5, 2.0, turbo, or n/a.

The normal oil is just 80-90 GL5 gear oil. I would just try new oil before going crazy with synthetics and all that. Engine oil you might be better off to stick with conventional or a synthetic blend. That engine has the small rod bearings that don't do well with thin oils. I'd go with 10w40 in the warm months, and switch to 5w-30 for winter.

My money's on ignition switch. The return spring is worn out so its not kicking back all the way from the Start position. You will also need a starter soon. The contacts in the starter are wearing out, causing the "click but won't start."

If coolant were constantly dripping into the crankcase you would have water droplets on the dipstick and in the oil cap because the water would evaporate out of the oil and condense on the dipstick and filler overnight as the engine cools. There would be milk chocolatey sludge on both, and you would have a distinct layer of coolant in the bottom of the oil pan. Did you check your new oil to see if it has the same tinting? Drastic reduction in viscosity? Oil draining from anhot engine is much less viscous than the fresh oil you pour out of the jug. I still think its UV dye in the oil. Unless you've monitored the coolant level for several weeks and have had to add coolant because the level constantly gets low. If you want to find out for sure what's in your oil. Take a sample and send it in to have it analyzed. Coolant, gasoline, water, engine metals, etc., oil analysis will tell you. Costs about $30. Oil Analyzers Inc. and Blackstone Labs are the most commonly used.

Dunno about the differences between the parts, but there are three styles. One for a FWD, one for AWD, and one for the Outback, and they are all different. Check the part listings carefully. For the brake line, there is a metal clip that slides onto the hose and secures it to the bracket on the strut. Loosen and remove the flare line then use a screwdriver or pliers to pry the clip off. The hose will then slide out of the bracket. You can cut the bracket and bend it out of the way, but chances are its time for the brake fluid to be replaced anyway, and this is the perfect time to put fresh new fluid in the system.

If you tear it down and remove all of the steel parts from the case you can usually get more. I'd certainly put it on craigslist though since it still works. Put the wheels on there too. Even if you only get $50 for them that's better than what the scrap yard wil give you.

Not that my car is the best example of a properly functioning gauge, but when it hits E I can drive another 25 miles before the light comes on, then I fill up wih about 13 - 13.5 gallons. When its full the needle pegs on the high side of full for between 40 and 60 miles before it starts to come down. (Depending on how hard I've driven the car). Did you pay any attention to the floats on the senders? Are they the old hollow brass/plastic barrel type or are they foam? I know the hollow type used to crack and the float would sink.

IIRC it's on the floor pan under the rear seat, but if not, follow the wire harness and you should find it.

Need to verify (by looking) that the drivers cam and crankshaft timing sprockets are the same. They changed the design of the sprocket around that time. Old crank sprockets had 6 teeth around the outer edge, new ones have something like 25. Old cam sprockets had 7 notches on the back, new ones I'm not sure how many but IIRC they are similar to the crank sprocket. Tooth count on the sprockets needs to be correct or the ECU doesn't know how to time ignition and fuel.

Outback bushings are $80. (95-09) Outback bushings have a different offset because of the spacer blocks between the cross member and frame. Rear of the TVA has to sit lower as well. IIRC also moved the center out a bit to give Outback more positive caster.

If you dig around enough on here and the other Impreza forums (NASIOC, DI,etc) you'll find some links to a site with a bunch of subaru factory service manuals. Should be able to find one with the wire diagram you need.

Just checked on these (reading this thread reminded me I have to replace one on my project car), online dealers are charging $60 each. List price is $83.