Fairtax4me

I've not seen these. Got a link?

No reverse, but forward works? Torque converter problems are rare but they do break from time to time. Usually in a gloriously bad manner, accompanied by lots of grinding clanking clattering and blood curdling mechanical screams. This would leave you with either: 1) A locked torque converter which would cause the engine to stall when the trans is put into any moving gear. 2) An open torque converter which will allow the engine to spin freely, but will not transfer that motion to the input shaft of the trans, so you would get No Go in any gear. A broken TC would not leave you with only one working direction. First things first, Check fluid. Is it metallic/grey? Is it burned? Is the level proper? I'd also check the cable adjustment to make sure the transmission selector arm is in the correct positions when the shifter is moved. After that I think you get to drop the trans pan unless you crawl under the car and happen to spot something obvious.

Correct. Use a push/pull motion perpendicular to the vehicle. Watch here at about 10 seconds in.

The Hakkkaa-however-they're-spelled are some of the best on the market for performance snow tires. But I hear great stuff about Blizzaks, Pilot Aplins, Nokian, Continental. They're all pretty good, just depends on how deep your pockets are. I always just go with the cheapies and they have always worked well enough for me. Usually Firestone Winterforce. Got some Pacemark Snowtrakkers that I'm going to pop on the Legacy for this winter, even though it doesn't really need snow tires. It got around great in 18"+ snow last year on almost bald el-cheapo all seasons.

For Correct information for your specific application, post the year and model of the car, and what engine you're working on (Year of the engine too if it isn't the original engine), and someone here can post the correct torque specs and tightening sequence for that particular engine. That way you get it right and don't have to do it all over again in a month.

You can check the bearing yourself pretty easily before even taking it to a shop. Park the car on level ground, block both front wheels (in front and behind if possible), put the car in neutral and let it rest against the blocks, then put it in park. Don't set the parking brake. Jack up the corner of the car you suspect has the bad bearing, then grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions and try to rock it. Then try the same at 3 and 9 o'clock. If there is any noticeable movement chances are the wheel bearing is bad. Replacement is probably best left to a Subaru dealer, or an independent shop that specializes in Subaru. The latter is usually the cheaper option. It seems that the newer design is a one piece bearing and hub assembly and is replaceable without a press (good for DIY'ers), but the process may be a bit involved for a novice. Cost depends on where you take it. I'm not sure of the labor time for a rear wheel bearing, but I'd guess around 2 or 3 hours, plus the part $140 from a dealer (the best source for Subaru quality parts). There are after market options as well, which will be on the order of only maybe $30 cheaper depending on where you buy. Probably looking at anywhere from $275 up to around the $500 mark.

Could be a cam position sensor problem. I don't know jack about where the ignition control module would be in that car. Or if it's even similar to what we see here in the US. It might just be built into the ECM. This is the igniter module that we're most familiar with. I guess you could poke around under the hood looking for something of that nature. Its only about 50mm x 50mm.

NO thread lock on head bolts. From the 97 Legacy FSM Do you have the tightening sequence?

The Avid TRZ is not known or being a loud tire. We see quite a few of those at work and don't here many complaints about them. That's not to say there isn't a problem with the tires. Alignment issues can cause uneven wear, feathering, or cupping which will cause a lot of noise. You can look at the tires yourself and usually see any tread wear problems pretty easily. Here's a little guide that may help. http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/ch25/25readtirewear.html

Oh sure you can. Just get a LHD one and flip it around backwards!

14mm and 9/16" are pretty durn close to each other, and are usually interchangeable. But for something like a head bolt I think I'd stick with the proper size for the bolt.

It should. It would be in one of the fuse panels on the car somewhere. Look for "Ignition" on the label or something like that.

The ones I have cover both LH and RH models. This site has 97 99 and 2000, though they seem to be incomplete. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/ Yeah the difference for me was only about 25 bucks. It was about $70 until I asked about better coverage. When I found out I could double my coverage, and get some other goodies I didn't have with my Geico policy, and still pay less, I had to do it. Plus it's also a new policy, the rate will decrease a bit at each renewal for the next couple of years.

Gross weight, yeah I could see that. Curb weight, No way. You got a weigh station or scrapyard receipt showing that? I'm kinda thinking you're seeing the gross vehicle weight rating on the door sticker. Gross weight is the maximum total loaded weight rating of the car with passengers and cargo. Subtract the maximum load weight (listed on the same sticker) from the gross weight rating and you get a round figure for empty vehicle weight.

If you have the old IAC off the car, dunk it in a coffee can full of kerosene. (wear gloves) Scrub it with an old tooth brush as best you can. Then spray it down with a can or two of brake cleaner to finish it off. Take the drive unit off the top beforehand to avoid damaging the electronic bits inside. Just be sure to note the position of the screws for re-installation. This is another of those parts that has to be adjusted a certain way, but you can't do it without a scan tool.

Struts are probably pretty well worn out, among other things. Jump on the bumper a few times and then jump off and see how the car reacts. If it keeps bouncing after you jump off the struts are bad. It should rebound to regular ride height and stop pretty much as soon as you stop bouncing the car. KYB GR2's are pretty much the best way to go for the money for replacement struts. Rockauto.com carries them for a great price.

Pretty sure it's 12 point 14mm on the head bolts. If it's dual cam you need to remove the cams before you can get the head bolts out (well, you don't HAVE to, but it makes it much easier).

Must be some serous tree sap. I don't think I've seen sap eat into a wind shield before. Can't imagine what that stuff must do to paint. Usually a razor blade cuts it off easily and the glass is fine underneath. Did you remove the sap and the spots were left behind? Rubbing alcohol is good for removing sap, even the dried on stuff.

Try emailing the folks at Subarugenuineparts.com. I hear they're good at hunting down parts and are very helpful. And I'm pretty sure you'll get a discount by mentioning the USMB.

There are a few FSMs floating around the interwebz for these. What year is it? Not sure why you would want to rebuild the rack though (not even sure the FSM has instructions for how to do that). They're easy to replace, cheap from a junkyard, and they hardly ever go bad. You should call Nationwide. I was with Geico for 5 years. When I turned 25 my insurance went up, completely opposite of what I've been told by everyone (including Geico, for the past 4 years whenever I've called them to ask for a lower rate) about insurance rates going down when you turn 25. I called Nationwide, along with a few other places looking for better rates. Nationwide doubled my coverages (liability, collision, and comprehensive), and still gave me a better rate than Geico. Not hard to figure out who my insurance carrier is now.

Yeah some of the newer soobs here stateside have the individual COPs (coil on plug). I'm not entirely sure which, but they are basically the same as what you have, minus one turbo. So do you have no spark at all? Or just on one or two cylinders?

Sears or Radioshack are good sources for multimeters. I picked up a decent Craftsman for abut $35. Although it's definitely low grade for an automotive meter, it gets the job done well enough.

Funny you mention that. I knew a guy who swore up and down that the only way to "flush" an auto transmission was to drain and refill the fluid, then put it in reverse and drive around backwards as fast as it could go for about 15 minutes, then change the fluid again. I still don't see exactly how it helps. Though in this case I can see some reasoning behind it. The clutch plates in the transfer unit will spin the opposite direction which may (or may not) allow them to slip again rather than sticking together and causing the binding. Need some friction modifier additive for the transmission. (I'm just kidding don't actually put friction modifier in the transmission. That would be bad ).

Seems to me those springs should be near full compression when the bolts are tight. I think you might have the wrong bolt kit. This is a pic of the OE bolts: sold here: http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=12099 See how much more of the bolt is threaded compared to what you have? It should be drawing up much tighter, probably another 3/16" or better. Try getting a bolt kit from a dealer. The gasket looks like it should work but "looks" and "does" are two different things. edited to display pics in thread

Tire clearance is dependant more on the strut than the height of the car. The spring seat on the stock strut is only an inch or so above the stock size tire. You will get an extra inch of tire clearance under the strut by going to the outback struts. The lift spacers just raise body height.