logic23

I think it depends on what you are going for. The 98 outback dual moonroof is the cream of the crop. Some 98s have the newer style transmission with the screw on filters. 99s have several one year only parts. I drive a 99 dual moonroof converted to 5 speed and i think im going to swap the ecu etc to a 98 or 97 setup. The engine of choice would be the 95 2.2 auto (non interference dual port exhaust with egr) you can add forester struts to get more height. This set up will give you the best of all worlds...cheap parts+ dependable ride Or you could get a 99 OBW and convert it to the phase two setup

I got rid of the check engine light related to the EGR. its pretty easy. 1. use the wiring harness with the red plug for the egr "pressure valve monitor?" thats located under the drivers side of the manifold. 2. take the whole egr set up off a 2.2 or 2.5 engine ( egr valve, pressure monitor, vacume thingy and throttle body) 3.connect all hoses/vacume lines as if you had an egr. the ecu is just looking at the pressure monitor so it has no idea that the EGR isn't hooked up to the exhaust. The egr valve will open and close like its supposed to... I drove my OBW for a month like this until I got a manifold with EGR...I

After doing a wheelbearing in my first legacy i've never done one again. Get a used one with the trailing arms and dont mess with the long bolt. The bolt towards the rear of the car is the camber adjustment so be sure to mark it.

keep in it a box for 14 more years then sell in on the forum as vintage New Old Stock.

you take out the glove box and it right there: two or three clips and snap its out... KaraK- as far as does it need to be changed....I'm with the mentality,"anything helps"

DONT EVER GET UNDER A CAR WITH OUT JACKSTANDS!!! and stop using that subaru scissors jack. That thing is for end of the world emergencys not for working on the car. I would hate for you to get hurt....seen it, don't wish it on anyone.

Junk yard is the way to go... carb cleaner or brakeparts cleaner are the best. We used to get bees in the VWs behind the shop. I realized brake parts cleaner melts their wings... cruel but lowers the odds of being stung. There is a small carpet steam cleaner for pets accidents...These things can revive some pretty messed up interiors.....worth the $.

I know the shine you speak of...... You have a pretty sweet car right out of the gate... never had the dough for anything fancy so I always drove base model Legacys. It wasn't until recently that the 96-99 outbacks have been going so cheap.. now I can live in the lap of luxury I wouldn't worry too much about the dealer.. just keep bugging him, play hard ball. Its good to have an inside man who will give you the straight story. Enjoy the ride...surfs up.

I know im adding info a little late in the game....sorry The O2 sensor code might be caused by a bad injector or something that is making the mixture too rich/lean. The dealer probably got the car with the light on and replaced both O2 sensors to try and fix the problem. They kept clearing the codes so that it wouldn't be on while you were test driving. Dealers/car salesmen are a bit slimey. In my 14 years as a mechanic i've still met one that i trust. So with that said just make sure that you get it in writing that they will fix the issue whatever it takes... then double check to make sure they dont take the bulb out of the dash that goes to the CEL. I know it a bit extreme but you need to stay on top of things when dealing with a dealer. They will get sick of trying to fix your problem cheaply, forget how much $ they made from you and start acting like you are putting them out and that they have "done all they can do" I have seen/ experienced this several times..... Either way the issue is probably not that big of a deal. Keep track of your gas mileage and this will be the biggest indicator of the severity of the problem. Stay strong KaraK.....fight the power

it should. they have their own amps in them so worst case you might have to run separate powers to the subs. As far as not feeling them. I have them in my girlfriends 98 forester with a stock head unit and like 360 said they dont give you much punch. I have an alpine head unit and you can really feel them.... they rise to the occasion.... It makes it fun to fight back against the teenagers....give them a blast of grant green or bootsy collins

the earlier ones will work too. They are 80W vs the 120W I mounted two: one under each seat this combined with a more powerful head unit....now the soobs a bumping. Do you already have the factory tweeters?

the MAF was plugged with carbon or the throttle body?

As a mechanic I say stay away from rusty cars. When subarus start showing rust in the wheel well areas its a good bet that lots of the components are rusted too. To add to the problem subarus dont break down/ need stuff replaced so at 125K you or your mechanic might be the first to try and remove something like an axle. It will be rusted into the spindle and the spindle will be rusty and the ABS sensor will be rusted into the spindle... you get where I'm going. You can come further south and pick them up for cheaper and rust free. I have a cousin in Burlington who is going to be buying them from me in Ohio then driving them to VT to sell as rust free vehicles. I just sold one to friends in Brattleborough/Keene area....drove it up flew back.

i drive a 99 OBW that I installed a 2.2 in. This is your best option. The 99 has the phase 2 bolt pattern but any 2.2 95-98 engine will work. 95 is the best as it has dual port exhaust which is the same as the 2.5. If you get a later (96-98) 2.2 you will need to get the y pipe. also getting an engine out of an auto is good because the manuals didn't have egr valves. If you find and awesome low mileage engine w/o egr use it, drill the block for egr then add an auto egr maifold later ( this is what i did) The 2.2 is the most reliable engine you can put in your car. You might have to drill/tapand install a stud for the bottom starter bolt. Good luck

yeah check the cam surface for oil build up or a groove worn from the previous seal. grease the inner part of the seal before installation. Before you tear it apart check your powersteering pump. They will leak and make it look like the passenger cam is leaking.

To those who like projects: I just installed a stock 02 WRX large diameter cat back exhaust that one of my customers gave me in my 99 OBW. My original exhaust was SHOT...the donut flange was rusted out. The WRX exhaust is a little shorter but has the same bends as the OB exhaust. You have to cut all the hangers off and reposition/lengthen them. I replaced the flexible donut flange with a short section of flexpipe which made mating the rear cat to the straightpipe easier. Added a 2-3" section of pipe diagonally to joint the offset weld the flange at an angle to also help join the offset. repositioned the rear hangers welded extentions to tailpipe to bring them flush with the bumper *NOTE i lowered the muffler about and inch so that the dual exhaust doesnt hit the bumper. I'll add pics soon.

ive done them... Not that hard. The worst part is the rear brakes and getting the cable out of the backing plate. The cables run inside the car then exit the vehicle under the backseat. They then travel down the trailing arm into the backing plate

there are 2 pieces : upper and lower. I would go the cheap ebay replacement. It might take a a bit of time to make them and have them fit and not make noise if there are air leaks.... i think they are like 30 at the dealer

It was one of those " i wonder if i can do it" things. Ended up with a 5speed in my OBW limited and the customer now has a 99 auto in her 99 legGT. the swap was take everything connected to/ having to do with the auto and put it in the GT. I even swapped relays just in case. The only thing that actually needed to be added was the wiring to shifter, light and shift lock solenoid. If you are tricky you can cut it out of the loom and remove the wires with their factory ends out of the plug at the passengers pillar. Then you just snap them into the empty slots in the 5 speeds plug and presto.....factoy wiring, no splices. Its good to stay away from splices... they are always the point of failure.

I had done a manual to auto swap. The bulkhead harness, igniton switch assembly, ABS module, ecu,pedal cluster and a small section of wiring that goes from the passengers side pillar to the shifter. Its good to have a donar car so that you can get all the small stuff. Im not sure if 95s were set up to be both. It was harder that the auto>5speed. If you have questions i have the procedure memorized

oem o2 sensors are denso and bosch. Use direct fit only. the splices mess with the voltage...extra impedance.

My buddies did this too. I think the easiest way is to cut the line inside the car and add the coupler/t fitting there. better place for it anyway

could be the ecu. I had one fail on me last week... same symptoms. Where are you located?

I would go after the positive battery connection and the grounds. If the voltage drops below a certain amount the ecu and friends aren't happy.

They are the same belt, one is heavier duty. I was rebuilding two engines at the same time: one OB and one forester. So I was able to install them then rotate the engine 1,2,3,4 revolutions. The belts were in identical places every time. The difference in the part number for the cam is that they put a plastic cam on the right side of the engine on foresters. Both cars are running beautifully, no more leaky HGs.