Setright

Rice Burner, check out http://www.subaruhighmileageclub.com The links page has link to an American police sube

I HATE leaving my car with someone, nevermind indy or official dealer. As someone mentioned: no amount training or manuals can garuantee good quality work. The trouble is that the mechanic isn't working on his own car, so why should he care? I am going to have to turn my Legacy in soon for some rust repair on the rear arches, and the thought of handing over my keys to someone who won't treat it as their own is giving me sleepless nights How do I know they won't take it for a spin round the block? The deep thrum of my EJ22 will certainly entice...and then they'll floor it on a cold engine....:boohoo: Okay, maybe I exagerrate, but I wish I didn't EVER have to leave my baby with a stranger.

You have to wonder how the car has been treated when the clutch is burned at such low mileage. I'd say stay away.

Here's the answer you don't want to hear: DO NOT drive anywhere with the car in this condition. It's not just your life and well being, but also the other people you share the roads with On the other hand, the bolts are that small because they don't have to work very hard, most of the time the car's weight holds the top of the strut against the tower. Only when the suspension expands (deep holes/jacking up) do the bolts really come into play. Oh, and they stop the strut support rotating along with the steering - the McPherson set-up relies on rotation about the strut "axle" for steering movement. If it were my car, I would flatbed it home or to the mechanic and fix it. I'd hate to have the front suspension play a prank on me during a brake/turn-in/throttle open/throttle close/oversteer manouvre

All four?? Holy smokes, torque me up baby !!

Yeah! How come only England and Japan get bi-turbo Legacies?? I wish I had a B4 or a Blitzen

Well that REALLY sucks, I guess next time I buy a car I will be turning my back on Subaru :-( Applegump: I am nearing 300,000 km and my right rear bearing is starting to make noises like it might need replacing soon. SO, you should have a good 40K miles before you need to worry.

What is going on with Subaru??? It seems like since GM has taken over everything is falling to pieces. I have had a number of duff new OE parts. NEW head gaskets that were soaked in the morning. I am on my THIRD center exhaust pipe, the others have rattled themselves to pieces. AND, I am still fighting the dealer over cold clutch judder on my new clutch. :madder:

I have the Haynes manual, ISBN 1 56392 326 2 I find it covers a surprising number of details. Sometimes I spend a while try to work something out and a few days later discover that I could have saved a bunch of time, cause its there in the manual! Even, so I have seen Haynes manuals for other cars and they have been PATHETIC! The above book number is a good source of info the first generations of Legacy, and not conclusive proof that Haynes make the best manuals. I also have a Gregory's "Automotive Service, Diagnosis, and Repair" book which I find extemely helpful since it covers all the theory in general, you just have to apply it to whatever car you are working on at the time. Oh, it might have helped that I spent six months in an authorised Subaru dealer...but that was thirteen years ago.

Somethings is wrotten in the state of Subaru: I had the HG on my EJ22 (!) replaced at 120Kmiles and the brand new OE gaskets started getting wet. In the morning, the gaskets would be wet to touch and moisture would collect on the head and block. Engine on for a minute or two and of course the moisture would evaporate, can you imagine the fight I had with the dealer... Got new ones, of a different design in the end. So far so good. Anyway, I also replaced my clutch in Jan 2002, and guess what? BIG TIME COLD JUDDER I am STILL fighting the dealer who installed the clutch :argue: It's a shame of grand proportions that Subaru is going the way of everyone else. Used to be possible to trust their OE parts. Is GM to blame??

Bank reckons I can't afford it? Why those little....!

I was in Frankfurt about a month ago! Drove down to visit family friends. Got to try their Porsche 911 C2...hmmm, not too bad. However, the day after I took my Sube to the Nordschleife and THAT was an experience So, if you see a 1992 Legacy with a Nurburgring sticker on the rear quarter window, that's me!! Just for info: We cruised from Puttgarden to Frankfurt at 150km/h and the car returned 10.2km/l. (8.0km/l at 200km/h..) Speaking to my bank today about the new car, probably can't get more than 30,000kr. for my old one. Oh, and I got the exchange rate wrong, it's 6.8kr. to 1$.

Next time it won't start open the bonnet and tap the starter motor with a spanner/hammer. Fairly hard, but not so hard that you dent the casing! If she starts up fine afterward it might be time to renovate/replace the starter motor.

They should be available Stateside :-) I have only heard them called "Red Box" in the States BTW. It's basically their OEM quality replacement pads. Slighty better friction and heat failure resistance. I have run mine to the point of serious stink in the cabin but they keep braking, but my rotors are slotted which helps a lot when the pads are boiling

Okay, maybe I should keep my big mouth away from the Older Generation forum, but here goes anyway: I would strongly recommend that you use Mintex "Red Box" brake pads. I have experimented with a number of different solutions and these are by far the best compromise bewteen price/lifetime and not least braking performance! On slotted discs they last me about 20K miles, and while they do wear the disc surface they don't eat away more than can be expected. And they tend to leave a smooth surface with only very shallow ridges - which means that you can swap pads without resurfacing the discs.

Top notch work there, Newsance! Show those arrogant brand-snobs who's the boss!

Flo4Legacy, just because I am curious, where exactly in Germany are you living? I live in Copenhagen :-)

I know, I know, I read in CAR two months ago that the new Legacy would be lighter. Excellent, thats the right way to go, the present Legacy is a bit porky. I have already touched a new one, but the way. One the of Dealers here had a few on his lot because they were being used for commercials - quite lucky there were only there for a day! Even so, I cannot afford a brand new car, the whole point is that rather attractive discount. Not sure yet... Oh, would it be a good idea to opt for the 2.5? Is that head gasket problem solved or what??

Well, insurance isn't what's holding me back - 28 yrs old. Also, Euro models are built in Japan. Right now the first thing is to see if I can sell "Scoobes". If I can't get the right price, I will stick with "him". It's not that I don't enjoy driving it, but it's getting old and will lose the last of its value soon. If a sale isn't possible, I reckon I will fork out the money to have all the rust seen to properly - mechanically there is nothing to point fingers at Oh, yes prices in Danish Kroner: Reg price '03 Legacy 2.0 AWD Wagon 330,000 kr. Discounted to 270,000 kr. Asking price for my Legacy: 40,000kr. I paid 37,000kr. for it in June 2001, but since then I have invested about 45,000kr. in repair/upgrades. I think the present exchange rate is 8.6kr to 1 US$

Well, my EJ22 blew a head gasket at 120K miles. Just after I bought it That was over two years and 58K miles ago, and I despite a lot of WOT driving I haven't had any problems. I suspect the previous owner may have overlooked a cracked coolant hose and let the car overheat. You need something to provoke the head gaskets on an EJ22 before they go. Even so, the hole was tiny, but it meant that compression gas from cylinder 3 was slipping into the coolant, so I replaced them before it grew bigger. No sign of any piston/bore wear though. Compression is good and oil consumption is low. Between my preffered interval of oil change of 6K miles it will drink about a litre of Mobil's finest. There is some evidence to suggest that most of that is burned off over 4500 rpm, which I think is quite reasonable for such an old engine. It pulls very smoothly and with plenty of vigour - right up to 130mph yesterday! I think rust is going to kill my car before engine failure.

Thanks for the quick replies I reckon I'll let my bank decide if I can afford it! I have never really "believed" in buying brand new because of the depcriation, but thats not an issue here. Hear you on the recall thing, Texan, and I have thought about that too. All the bugs will be ironed out of a 2003 Legacy, but no doubt a 2004 will have some teething troubles. Well, I'll be sure to get back to you all!

Okay, I need some advice: I own a 1990 Legacy 2.2 AWD with 288,000km on the clock. She's still running fine, in fact I clocked 210km/h yesterday Since I bought it two and a bit years ago, I have replaced the exhaust system, springs and dampers, and upgraded the brakes. I have done a number of smaller things like spark plug cables and all the routine maintenace. No wonder she runs so well! However, rust is starting to make an appearance in most corners. Nothing deeply critical as yet, but it's getting obvious and will certainly manifest itself soon: Winter is on its way and Danish roads get a lot of salt due to frost. Now, as you may know there is a new Legacy on the way. Therefore my Sube dealer is offering the last of his 2003 models at a 20% discount!! SO, do I jump at the chance and buy brand new at used car price, or hang on to my present Legacy until it rust kills it? I drive 40,000km a year in connection with my job, and I fear for the long term with my present car. Reliability isn't that big an issue I know, but I also have to consider that in a years time it will have a very big mileage on it and noticeable rust: It will be very hard to sell. I reckon I will be able to get a better price for the trade now, and a new Legacy will last me a loooong time Any thoughts along the way???

Well, when I start my car cold the exhaust has a slighty sweet smell, but nothing that offends. On the contrary, it smells like a healthy engine. My cat was replaced a year ago. Only once it's hot does it start to develop a slighty less pleasant smell. Nothing like the dreaded "Cat-stink", ie. rotten egg, more the smell of a really old bread toaster burning out If your PCV valve is new, it might be sucking harder and perhaps there is more gunk in the rest of the PCV pipes and hoses that needs to be burned off. Run it for a few miles more and see if the smell subsides. Maybe keep and eye in the rear view mirror to check for smoke.

If you are runnning OE brake pads and rotors, I wouldn't suspect these parts. If you are using GreenStuff or some other "fast road" pad, I would not hesitate to blame them. I suggest removing the wheels and cleaning the mating surface between wheel and rotor - ideally, you should also remove the rotor and clean the rotor/hub interface, but let's assume this was done when the rotors were changed. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure the lug nuts are tightened gradually with a torque wrench. 95-100Nm should be plenty. Uneven and over tightened lug nuts can easily produce brake vibes.

The purge valve is part of the evaporative emission control system. Intake vacuum is "stored" when the engine is off and used to draw gasoline fumes (mainly from the tank) into the charcoal canister. Later, when the engine is running, the purge vavle draws the fumes into the intake and burns them in the normal engine cycle. If the valve is stuck open it will feed too much air into the mix, behind the MAF thereby fooling the injection system, and causing a very slightly weak mixture. Usually, this will show up as a slight stumble on pick-up from standstill, but once cruising, there shouldn't be any problem. If I you hadn't told me about the whole dead battery thing, I would have suggest replacing your spark plug cables, going on the other symptoms.