Strakes

Do a lot of early 2.2 liter engines make a piston slap noise? Our 1993 2.2 doesn't have a piston slap noise. Are you maybe talking about a ticking noise. Maybe the hydraulic valve lifters have got some dirt lodged in them from the motor flush? Maybe it's a crappy oil filter?

Our 2.2 legacy was about $375 at the dealer and it included all new drive belts, a new water pump, cam seals, & oil seals etc.

Congrats! Nice picture. It looks really good!

Thank you. I had searched using a bunch of terms and came up with nothing. Thanks for the link!

Ouch. My head hurts. Our 93 Legacy wagon's tailgate lift supports/struts are not holding up their fair share. I have these questions: (1) How hard are the gas charged lift supports to replace? (2) Do they come with all the hardware included or do I need to pop the lift support off of the ball joint with a pickle fork or something? (3) Where's the best place to purchase these lift supports? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

Welcome!

You could get them recovered at a good upholstery shop.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28624 Yes, you're clutch appears to be slipping. See if this thread helps.

The solution to the dreaded Fumoto Fear and an end to your Fumoto Nightmares: http://www.fumotousa.com/faq.htm Check out the 2nd question and the answer.

$175 for the front, just for labor? It's not going to take more than 30 minutes a wheel to replace rotors, & replace the pads. What's his hourly shop rate? FYI, A set of new OEM front rotors cost me about $90. (about $45 each)

Yes, they'll fit.

Don't know about your stereo question. To get to the oil filter, you must first remove the plastic pan...not the whole thing, but the 1 foot square access panel that is directly underneath the oil filter. There are 3, two-piece plastic fasteners that secure the plastic access panel to the entire plastic belly pan. Remove those 3 fasteners by sliding a flat head screwdriver and prying the center grey plastic fastener and pulling it down. Then pull out/down the black part of the plastic fastener. Then slide the plastic access panel forward.

Hey Len, I've bought sway bars, brakes, filters and oem parts from www.ipdusa.com but for struts, the best price I got was from www.tirerack.com

I've got one of these on each our cars. I had them on my old Volvo's and just kept the magnets when I sold the cars and put them on the Subarus. http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=73&NodeID=907&RootID=629

If its the clutch cable then definately adjust it first. I assumed you had a hydraulic self adjusting clutch. I'm glad Bill caught that. The clutch slipping in higher gear is because you are asking for a lot of power from the engine to turn/spin a relatively hard gear and the weak link in this chain is the clutch. If you are running out of friction material or the cable is out of adjustment, then the likelyhood of the clutch to slip is higher. For example: it's kind of like trying to bike in the hardest/fast gear up a hill with weak knees. Your knees will give out. Or you can switch to a easier gear and save your knees. With strong knees, you'd probably make it up the hill fine in the hard/fast gear but really tired. I hope that helps.

Is that the original clutch? If so, then you may be at the beginning of the clutch being spent...and you're catching it because you are very very observant of your car's quirks. It's hard to tell you when the clutch will finally go out, but if the problem progressively gets worse then you need to get the clutch replaced before you get stranded. The telltale sign of a clutch going is to drive up to 45-50 miles an hour, make sure it's in 5th gear, keep your foot off the clutch pedal, and then floor the gas. If it slips, then your clutch is about to die soon.

The 2.2L is a great engine. If the car has been well maintained, then that is a great car.

Once a tire has been driven a while out of balance (maybe because you lost a tire balancing weight some time ago) your tire is probably worn unevenly and out of round (no longer perfectly round). An unevenly worn tire can cause a lot of road noise. Did the tire shop say anything about your tires being out of round?

70 mph is about 3200 RPM for 2002 Legacy GT with 5sp MT

Here's thread that may interest you: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2899

Isn't there a Service Bulletin for certain late model Subarus for excessive and abnormal brake wear? Have you looked at all the service bulletins that apply to your vehicle?

Looks like a cross between a Porsche Cayenne and a Pontiac Aztec. A face only its mother could love. I wonder what kind of face Saab's version will have.

Is there air trapped in the system? Have you "burped" the cooling system?

Service bulletins are covered by the manufacturer while under warranty. If it's outside of warranty then you have to pay for it. Recalls are covered by the manufacterer whether in warranty or not. That means you'd have to do some research in what exactly your 5 year warranty covers. In the states, you have 3yr/36000 mile bumper to bumper (everything) and 5yr/60000 engine & powertrain. I think that since it is so close to your 3 year warranty being out, they need to come up with something. Maybe they cover the parts and you pay for labor or something like that?

Hey guys, this article may help you: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=1906&page_number=1