Fairtax4me

Running rough at idle might be due to low idle speed. Every car I have ever owned (11 total) has done exactly what you describe. Of those I only had alternator trouble on 2 of them. My Corsica, and my Cadillac. (funny they were both GM, and both gave me the most trouble). All the rest have done the same thing, not one of them ever needed an alternator while I had it. My Lincoln (which I still own) has been doing that for 25k miles. I'd address the rough running issue before paying for a new alternator.

Go grab an early 2.2 and drop it in. Practically no head gasket trouble, no rods through the block, and if the timing belt breaks there is no damage to the valves requiring a major tear down to repair. Just slap a new belt on, re-time and go. Plus it's a direct swap for your car.

No luck from Subaru. I did manage to hunt down some other manufacturers part numbers, and found out Honda, Acura, Toyota and Cadillac also have listings for the same hose.

That's not a 4EAT, but nice try. That's a Toyota transmission.

There's a wire that runs from the ignition switch to the ECU that tells it when the starter is engaged. You might just need to hook that wire up to your push button to get it to go away. Did you run all new wiring for the button when you installed it? Battery to button, button to starter?

http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b11/type_4/suspension_and_axle/rear_suspension/ scroll down to number 8 "Stabilizer-rear". From what I can tell the "D=XX" is Diameter in mm. The numbers change for each different trim level.

Awesome! I think that might be the one! Got the dealer digging, hope to hear form them sometime this after noon.

Not dead yet! Interesting stuff. It hadn't crossed my mind that the 2000 model does NOT have a MAF sensor. So it's possible for the ECUs air density calculation to be wrong if either the MAP or IAT sensor is out of whack. Or even if both are working properly a fault in the algorithm that determines the density might affect the changes the ECU makes to the fuel trim? I see questions concerning the role of the rear O2 sensor all the time and that is the exact answer.

Believe those two videos are piston slap, which is benign, and very common on the 2.5. But rod knock is also common enough to beware of. That is much louder and doesn't go away like piston slap once the engine is warm. So the big question... does the noise fade away after 5-10 minutes of driving?

Apparently... http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/1990-1994_Legacy_Parts_Catalog_-_Engine/

DUH!!! I had this link all along and never even though to look at the parts catalog pdfs. Found an old part number for this hose in there. 807507412 Apparently the new part (807607191, which supercedes 807607190, which supercedes 507412) is a semi-generic hose that's supposed to fit several different locations. Found that out through SOA parts interchange hotline today. But I'm not convinced it will fit and work properly where this hose needs to go. Guess I can try it on the car and see. Gonna call the dealer tomorrow and see if they can find me one of these in a warehouse somewhere. (not hoping for any miracles though)

All brake pads need to be bedded in before you will get maximum stopping power. Did the rotors have a lot of large deep grooves/rings in the braking surface?

How far down is it? Are we talking engine out but still complete? Or is it heads off and crank/pistons removed? Maybe this link will help: This is the engine parts listing catalog for 90-94 legacy and includes turbo motors. I'm glad you brought this up. It reminded me of that page, and I was able to find an older part number for a coolant hose I'm looking for, that has been super-ceded.

They're probably fine. The stud comes up to the last thread of the lug nuts. The main thing you would have to worry about there is stripping the thread when tightening. Some wheels do require "mag" (that's what I've always heard then called at least) type lug nuts rather than the standard conical seat kind. The mag type use a cylindrical shaft to center the lug stud and hold the wheel with a large flat washer. Seen here: I know Chrysler, Lincoln, and Jaguar use these, probably plenty of others as well.

Ah, you get the mountain drive. Hope you made it in one piece today. "Fog on mountain" is an understatement up there. I tend to change trans fluid around 30k. Was the trans fluid changed during the clutch job? Check the level in the trans. Might be worth it to just change it and see how it does.

I got the kit for my 96 from The Import Experts. Belt, idlers, and WP, $125 shipped to the door in 4 days from WA state. I think the same kit for the 2.5 was $250 or so, plus shipping.

Flat black with clear = glossy black. Unless you get matte finish clear, which they do make, but I've never used or seen anything it was painted with so I can't say how well it works or looks. A flat finish will be harder to keep clean and will require a "delicate" touch to prevent scuffing and discoloring. And you can't wax it to protect the finish. Also tire dressing can "stain" certain types of matte or flat finishes.

How many miles are on the one you have? Why do you think you need a new one? The only reason to replace is because of damage (cracked or the drive teeth are chewed up), or because it is too thin to resurface. Resurfacing is generally pretty cheap $30-50. There is a minimum thickness, which the machinist will check before resurfacing. If they say it's too thin to resurface, then you buy a new one.

Do a block test. (combustion gas test)

Yeah I'd still like to kill the brainiac who came up with the idea to raise the speed limits so the state could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on updating speed limit signs during a recession. But I digress... Oil on the clutch sounds possible. But there would be lots of evidence of a leak if it were coming from the rear main. You would smell it bad because it would drip directly on the Y pipe under the engine. When was the last time the gear oil in the transmission was changed?

There's a U joint coupler on the steering shaft where it attaches to the steering rack. The U joints get rusty and seize and cause this type of behavior. You can try soaking the U joint assembly down with PB Blaster or WD40 to see if that fixes/helps it. If it helps you'll need to replace the coupler, although you can probably get by for a while by just spraying it with grease or oil periodically. The other thing that causes this kind of problem is a problem called torque bind. This is when the front and rear axles need to turn different speeds in order for the car to make a tight turn, but they end up locked because the center transfer unit in the transmission is damaged. This one is much more expensive and difficult to fix. Try the first suggestion first, and if it doesn't help we can dig into the torque bind issue.

In VA if there is a light of any kind on the car it has to work, or it has the be covered/removed in order to pass state safety inspection. I haven't read through most of them but this site has info about equipment laws from every state. http://www.liftlaws.com/

Did you spray the exhaust valves as well? Those would not leak into the cylinders, but small amounts of oil dripping into hot exhaust would still burn off and cause it to smoke.

He's not too worried about it no matter what you say, so save your fingers. And he did ask about cost to evacuate and refill which gives the impression he intends to empty the system the environmentally friendly (legal) way. R134A (EPA mandated in the US in 1994 for all motor vehicle AC system use) is a Hydrofluorocarbon, whos detrimental effects to the Ozone are negligible. It causes global warming instead.

Rear main leaks on these are the only leaks that are NOT common. Entirely possible, but it would not be my first suspect. Usually leaks at the back of the engine are due to the oil separator plate seal. This is a much discussed topic here. The oil separator is part of the crankcase breather system. At higher RPM there will be more oil vapor floating around in the crankcase, which is filtered out (somewhat) by the separator plate, before being pulled out through the PCV hose and fed into the intake to be burned off. That extra oil vapor will condense and run down the plate, as it normally should. But when it gets to the bad seal at the bottom, rather than run down into the oil pan, it drips out the back of the engine, down to the center of the bell housing, and drips out right into the middle of the Y pipe. I've never noticed my 96 "whistling" at high RPMs. Any accessory or idler bearing on the front of the engine might make whining/jet-like noises at higher RPM though. How many miles on the car? When was the last time the timing belt was changed?