98ImprezaWA

I had a similar issue with the steering feeling "loose" at higher speeds, and the steering wheel turning about 1" before any actual turning. It was the steering u-joint. I brought it to GD thinking it was the steering rack, and he tightened up the u-joint and all was well. Might be another place to look.

Thanks for the part number and that link! I had only been able to find the part number for the whole combo switch, which i don't need. I was starting to think I might have to buy the whole thing and just use the steering roll connector from it. You saved me $$!!! I hope I can find one at a pull-a-part. they sure are pricey... even for just the steering roll connector. :-\

So is the clock spring the same for legacys, and imprezas from this generation? or do i need to look for an imp. specific one to replace it with? i see a trip to the pull-a-part in my future also, is the airbag something i need to be careful of when i replace the clock spring? i'd rather not have that go off on me if i can avoid it!

Forgot to mention also, i've had the car for 6 years, and the cruise control has never worked in the time I've owned it. Don't know if that will make a difference or not... it looks like clock spring is the general agreement regardless!

I have a '98 EJ22 Imp. The airbag light has been on in the dash for a while, and I discovered today that my horn doesn't work when I tried pulling into my street only to find a large truck hanging out in the middle of it leaving me hanging half way out into traffic. (Thankfully the guy in the car behind me wasn't tailgating and was paying attention!) Over the last few days I've noticed a clicking sound when I turn the steering wheel. Researched a bit on here, and it looks like the clock spring is a possibility? Does that sound right? Would that make a clicking sound when I turn it? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Patience, determination, and a good parking lot to practice in. Thats all you need and you'll get it! It really just comes down to understanding the feel of your car. I had my clutch replaced a few years ago and it was VERY strange for a while afterwards! I totally understand where you're coming from!

Ah HA! Someone else writing about how GD saved the day! Nothing but praises!

Bring it to Rick (GeneralDisorder) down in Portland. Kind of a hike from where you're at, but you know you're getting the best of the best.

Well they've got to do something with those old tires no one is ever gonna buy! Why not inject a little "beef scent" into them, chop them up, wrap them in plastic and make everyone else get rid of your waste for you for free?! Thinking of making "I'm GD's #1 Fan" t-shirts... Maybe a giant picture of his face, with that written across the forehead. hahaha

I haven't gotten any free beef yet. I didn't buy my tires from them. But any free beef is good beef! Im pretty sure its jerky. And some of it also comes in tube form... like pepperoni.

I'm going to preface this by telling you all what I'm sure you already know! That you should only go to a tire place such as Les Schwab for tires, or perhaps an alignment. That is all. They offer free beef when you buy tires. Enough said! If you go for an alignment and they tell you that your power steering rack and pinion unit need to be replaced and are loose, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT believe them. OR the quote that they will then give you for $1000. Instead, go see Rick! (GeneralDisorder) It is guaranteed that he will save the day. And your wallet. And you will make a new friend. And he has a very sweet cat. And he just may tell you that it is indeed NOT your Power Steering rack that is broken, just that the steering u-joint is loose. (right Rick?!) He will take it out, clean it off a bit (a lot in my case... it was an east coast car) tighten it back up, and instead of being $1000 for the wrong thing, it will cost you $60. Labor included. For the right thing. This $60 also included replacement of a torn axel boot. Which he drove around with me to get. So not only did I get a cheaper CORRECT diagnosis of the problem, I got an axel boot included in the deal! And he took time out of his day to go and get it. SO, moral of my story, go see Rick. (obviously he knows about more than just steering issues. he knows everything. he's a subaru superhero.) Thanks Rick! ...and don't forget, he has a really sweet cat!

Yay! responses! Right... superbowl. that makes sense. I've been doing homework all day, and kind of forgot what day it was... So the rack/pump/lines are what i'll look for. Thanks for the help! -Lisa

nothing? help?!

I've been away for a while. I missed you guys! My car missed you all so much it decided that it would start making a strange ticking-ish sound and screeching when I turn the wheels all the way. Found that the gears are worn out in the rack. So... here I am! Its a 1998 2.2 Impreza. Now the weird thing is... this is not the first time it's gone through a steering rack. This one has been in for about 4 years. Granted, it was used when it went in, but subarus are known for NOT going through steering racks, no? Any ideas why mine has decided to kill 2 of them in it's 13 years of life? AND, I know this is probably a difficult question to answer not having seen/heard the car, but do you think its ok to drive like this? Not for a long time, just until I can save enough to get the new one in. I don't want to do more damage, or have it totally fail on me. But I kinda really need my car! It IS noticeably "loose" feeling, but I don't really know what to expect from it. Will it slowly just get worse, or will it go out on me and be really bad? Thanks for the help!

Sounds like my technique! Opening the hood is a 2 person job with my car. Unless I have string handy. Glad I'm not the only one who MacGyvers this one...

wow, great find! i'll be keeping my eyes open for it around town! welcome home!

My dad's 1999 Legacy L it did this once about a year ago when he had the car all loaded up and driving around Pittsburgh (really hilly) Turned the car off, and back on, and nothing. No light, just normal. Now about a year later it started flashing again, while he was on the highway. He had been driving for a while already, and it just started flashing suddenly. He said the car didn't feel any different, the light was just flashing. Again, the light has since stopped flashing, but its happened twice now, and he wants to figure it out. He took it to the dealer the 1st time it happened, and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. It has never done it right at start-up. I forgot to ask him if it blinked 16 times. Manual says that the trans might be going. (it is old and tired in that car, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it died any second now) In searching through the forum I found this gem from back in 2004. Does this seem like it could be the issue? The OP had said that his AT oil temp light came on while he was on the highway: the flashing light indicates that the Transmission Control Module (a little computer similar to the one that monitors the way the engine works) has detected a fault somewhere. The fact that it blinks 16 times doesn't tell you anything other than a fault has been detected. You need to do some electrical troubleshooting to figure out just which error it has seen. There is another thread on this board that describes in detail (with some pictures), just what you need to do to read the exact trouble code. I can't remember which one it is now, but I'll poke around a bit and I'll post another message here when I find it. It is also true that one of the more common failures is the "Duty Solenoid C" which controls the All Wheel Drive transfer clutch on the back of your automatic transmission. Driving with this failure won't necessarily wreck your transmission, but it will excessively wear your tires, you will feel the car jerk around corners when you're turning a corner slowly (that's called "torque bind") and eventually you will wear out parts of the drive train, so something else will break sooner than it otherwise would. Your best option right now is to have the transmission fluid changed, and drive the car with care for a while to see if the blinking AT Temp light goes away. You should also get the trouble code that is stored on your TCM, and decide what to do next based on that code. Sounds like you've already changed the fluid, so all you need to do is retrieve the old code and watch that AT Temp light carefully for a while. Thanks in advance for any help!

Hell yeah! Another girl! Yay! Welcome!!!

Love it!

This had me laughing hysterically! Thank you for that, you're my hero at the moment! And I'm sure my neighbors are wondering wtf! From your first link, it seems most like a Clunk. I successfully managed to waste pretty much all of today, and didn't get under the car to look around at all. But tomorrow, I swear!

Ooh there's a list of car noises?! I'll search for that too. Thanks! Tomorrow/Saturday are designated car days! (clean, try and readjust the wipers, oil change etc...) haha I'll see if I can find anything to better describe the noise, and try to track it down a little better. Its really frustrating! And I'll use the jack stands for sure! I promise! ...always do. This may be a dumb question, but whatever. What is the best manual for a 98 EJ22? Chilton? I always hear bad things about the Hayes ones. Are Bentley manuals any good for Subaru? I really feel like I should have one, but I don't know which one to get!

haha if I had newer pics to post I would! It is a horizontal movement. :-\ If I'm listening to the radio I hear it if I'm specifically listening for it. Windows closed. It was making the noise before I changed the wheels. They didn't make any difference in the sound at all.

Not really sure of the best way to describe this sound... not really a clunk, not really a clank... sounds to me like its metal on metal. Not just one of those trademark Subaru rattles that we all love so much. Its a '98 EJ22 Sounds like its coming from the drivers side front. If the road is uneven or kinda bumpy it makes this sound. Doesn't change with the clutch or RPMs. Sounds like something might just be a little loose in the suspension? I really don't know. Its been going on for a while and hasn't gotten any worse (that I've noticed... maybe I'm just getting used to it?!) I changed my wheels a while ago I decided to see if there was anything obviously out of place while I had the wheel off, and the only thing that I could find was it seemed to me that I could move the axle around on the drivers side a little. I'm assuming thats bad? Help please!

Ooh I'm so excited to see other VW lovers on here! I have a friend with an 87 vanagon that is planning on doing a subaru swap at some point. And we have a collection of old (mid 80's thru early 90's) VWs. Obviously I still think my subie is the BEST ...because it turns on when I want it to, and runs, and doesn't have all sorts of insane electrical issues... but those VWs definitely have that little something that makes them awesome. ...sorry to get off topic here, I just got excited.

Welcome! There's a lot of good information and definitely a lot of real enthusiasts here! Glad to see a WRX actually get driven, rather than just cleaned and talked about