jboymechanic

7 years is a bit extreme. My wife and I have 4 cars, all in the 11 to 16 year old range and none are even close to being that bad. All cars have been in WI and MN their entire existence and have high miles (145,000 to 230,000). If you wash them regularly and take care of them they will last considerably longer. Hell, my dad's '78 Ford Bronco, which only does winter duty, is still less rotten than that.

You don't even know how to drive stick shift, but I would agree that stick is sooooo much better than automatic. More control, more power, better mileage, less weight, more reliable, and so on.

I have a 1991 4EAT trans that is ready to run, already replaced the cable drive speed sensor with the newer electronic version. $150 plus shipping if your're interested.

Tom, are you aware of the correct bleeding order for that car? For our '95s the manual calls for front passenger 1st, rear driver 2nd, front driver 3rd and rear passenger last. Not sure if it would be the same for Kara's car.

Yeah Miles, you are flyin' on this baby.

I know a lot of people around here also run 10W-40 in their EJ22s, that may help reduce engine noise, but that measure is really only delaying the inevitable.

I was at a junk yard in Casa Grande, AZ, looking for parts for my '56 Imperial back in February. They only have classic cars, a lot of rare ones, and they don't allow you to touch ANYTHING. You find what you're looking for and come back to the office and a hired hand comes and removes everything for you, even the most basic stuff.

ALWAYS do brakes as pairs. If only one side rotor is turned the texture will be different and the car may pull to one side or the other. Brake parts aren't that expensive, it is the labor that kills you when you go to a shop. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. This is your safety you're talking about here, is an extra $50-$100 not worth it for your safety?

But I thought true beauty was on the inside...

Heat is a Subaru's worst enemy, this is especially relavent to the EA82T engines. I had one that had a catalytic converter plug up and create excess back pressure. That, in turn, created more heat and then the head gasket blew. Listen to Miles, stay away from pumping up the boost and make sure your coolant system is working 100%!

Sounds to me like you need a front brake job as the previous one was done improperly. Brakes should ALWAYS be done as pairs as the pressure required to push out a caliper piston and then for it to return would be off balance. Always replace all the same components on both sides. In your case, I would recommend front pads, rotors, and calipers as your pads and rotors will be "cooked" on your pass side.

Did you use a genuine Subaru thermostat? I recently did a head gasket job on my 2.2 and learned the hard way after I used a Napa thermostat. Kept wanting to over heat and I thought I screwed up my head gasket job as well. Checked the lower radiator hose and it was cold even when the engine was up to temp. Put in the genuine Subaru thermostat (thanks again, Davebugs) and it was good to go. It's a stretch in your case, but maybe it is the same issue. Good luck.

He said two tasty beers, that's how long!

Removed the rotten trialer hitch Mounted up 26" BFGoodrich tires (off Tom's Loyale) Straightened the steering wheel out so it isn't at a 45 degree angle when I go down the road (turn signals shut off properly now too).

Wouldn't a five speed have a 3.9 front and rear diff gear ratio?

Or a CD for like $5, that's what I have. Not as convenient as the hard copy to carry around, but it is cheap and gets the job done right.

I finally got around to fixing this as I've been driving the car more regularly. The end of the trailer wiring was shorted out. Cut the wires and taped them off, no more issues.

Tom, you sent me a text that you tach at about 2,600 RPM at 65, my Legacy is the same. Makes sense as both are '95s and both are automatic, you have 4.11 gears.

Replaced the Knock Sensor, old one was cooked, just a big melted mess.

To add more detail... Finished new rear parking and disc brake job Bled the brakes Going to have the 26" tires mounted up this week.

Yes, exactly.

If you do wish to clean the IAC, this is the procedure from the FSM 1. Start and warm up engine until radiator fan operates 2. Hold throttle open so engine runs at 2,000 RPM 3. Disconnect bypass hose from IAC 4. Slowly pour one 16 oz can of cleaner (Sea Foam is good) into bypass air hole 5. Leave the engine to run for 5 minutes When you do this expect lots of white smoke from the exhaust. When you're done don't forget to re-attach the bypass hose to the IAC.

Yep, Felpros are good (they actually make some of the OEM gaskets for Subaru), they're also pretty darn cheap on RockAuto.com.

There is no such thing as being done with a car, only breaks! When are you going to do the rear wheel wells and rockers?