Bright1

FOCOCO: FYI, my 96 Legacy 2.2 recently died at idle on 3 separate occasions at stop lights and at idle. The first 2 times I popped it into neutral, turned off the A/C and luckily it restarted right away. The third time it did NOT restart for about a minute, leaving me sitting in an intersection with the 4-way flashers on -- how embarrassing! ;-) When it did restart the 3rd time, the Check Engine Light remained on, but I was able to drive the remaining mile to my home. The next day, I drove 2 miles to Advance Auto Parts, borrowed their OBDII tester, and the code came up as a defective Crankshaft Position Sensor. I cleared the code, but that store was out of stock on the part I needed. I drove home, bought the part online at a different AAP store with a 20% off coupon code (https://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com -- final cost $23.73 with tax), drove 4 miles to pick it up without stalling or throwing the CEL code again, installed it in the parking lot (carefully on a hot engine, takes just a 10mm wrench), and everything's run fine since. Hope that helps...

Here's what happened to my 1996 Legacy L AWD with auto trans: Three weeks ago, I went to a major national chain service facility and had a transmission fluid flush done to my car that entails splicing the ATF fluid line to the radiator / oil cooler and exchanging all the trans fluid. Everything was fine until this Saturday aftenoon, while driving at 45-50 MPH, the trans suddenly starts to slip and the engine revs like it's in neutral. I coasted to the side of the road, but it turns out the spring clamp that held the rubber tubing to the oil line had come apart, and the trans fluid got blown out on the road. So, the car gets towed to another branch of the service company where service technician #2 installs a better worm gear screw clamp around the hose, adds about 3.5 quarts of trans fluid (all it'll take in the sump) and then tries it again but still it slips BIG TIME. He ends up revving the *$^#%! out of it to move the car from the parking lot to inside the garage -- lots of noise and very little movement. If revving a trans without oil would be like revving an engine without oil, it's gotta be toast by now. Now the service manager say they'll have their insurance adjuster check it out Monday a.m. The manager seems to have already accepted responsibility as he's already agreed to pay for the towing, a cab ride and a car rental. BTW, the oil lines are attached to the frame just below the battery, and it looks like the first tech may have bent the metal tubing towards the back of the car a bit, as the tubes are no longer parallel. I took pictures of the pipe where it came apart from the hose, and I have the original spring clamp which looks a bit mangled, so I think I've got the evidence I need to show it was their fault. (I can handle the inconvenience of an honest mistake, but if the insurance company jerks me around, I'll be slamming this company by name in whatever forums I can.) Question: What happens inside the case when an auto trans runs out of fluid and gets revved? Major damage? Do you rebuild it, or replace the whole unit? Thanks in advance, Brian Bright1 on USMB P.S. Plaintiff's photos Exhibit A, B, C just added for your viewing pleasure... ;-)

Pretty S-T-U-P-I-D on Subaru's part to label the little thing 'FWD', huh? FWD could also stand for FourWheel Drive, or Forward. The all wheel drive deactivating fuse should have been labeled '2WD' instead. Better yet, they could have just put a switch in the wiring harness next the jack and labeled it 'AWD / 2WD' with a simple explanation of when to use it. ALSO, there ought to be clear and urgent labeling on the spare tire and jack that explains the importance of inserting the 2WD fuse when all four tires aren't the same circumference, as well as the importance of putting the spare on the rear axle in order to keep both front tires matched. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one on Earth with a full-sized brain!

What kind of mileage / miles per gallon / MPG are others getting in Legacy L's with the standard 2.2 liter engine and automatic transmission? I don't think I've gotten more than 22 MPG with it, even on trips. I attributed its low mileage to the trans and the AWD, and I know I carry more weight (tools) in it than is good for mileage, but with gas prices over $3.00/gal, I'd really like to get more MPG. Is this typical? Besides having the tires fully pumped up, what other tinkering could I do to it to up the mileage? Thanks in advance, ~ Bright1

(1996 Legacy L) I assume it must be some kind of roller or something inside the door that causes that curved streak on the outside of the glass? Anything in particular I can do to permanently eliminate it? It annoys me! TIA, B1

[Follow-up to close this thread...] Thanks for all the information, everybody. Sure enough, it was just the pads that needed replacement. I thought I was going to need new rotors because I had vibration that was still present after the worn rotors on the front were replaced 12 months earlier, but my skillful and trustworthy mechanic suggested just turning the rear rotors and Voila! no more noise or vibration.

My '98 Legacy has developed a quite loud squeal/squeak on the left rear wheel that goes away when I just lightly touch the brakes. My past experience with squeaky brake pads made sound only when I *applied* the brakes... Earlier today I opted to feel the temperature of the hubcap/wheel after a 10 mile trip and it was definitely hotter than any of the others. Obviously it needs service, but does this sound like a brake problem or possibly a bearing problem? All comments / suggestions greatly appreciated. ~ Bright1

Yo, Zingo, Welcome to USMB, we were all new members once... :-) In case you haven't gotten this fixed yet, your symptoms are a road I went down some months ago and wrote the full details about it at "AWD binding problem solved in '96 Legacy with transfer case solenoid replacement." Apparently, 16 blinks of the AT temp light just means "Hey, pay attention to me" but it isn't more meaningful than that. Other knowledgeable members added useful information about testing codes to the thread I started, see: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21669 Cheers, Bright1

Surely the brake lights don't suck down *that* many amps! Anybody got any idea why things might dim down noticeably just for a tap on the brakes? I'm hoping this isn't the symptom of a bad alternator... The idle speed doesn't slow at all, and the battery is only 4 months old. All suggestions / help much appreciated. - Bright1 (Well, almost!)

I have a '96 Legacy with the same problem, and a service advisor whose opinion I value a lot told me it could be the motor mounts, which do get less flexible when they're old (or cold?) The sad part was he said it takes a lot of labor to replace all the mounts, for a total charge of $1,000 -- yowzah! Me, I put my car in neutral at stop lights when it gets annoying. :-) - Bright1 P.S. Can't help you on the ticking, mine ticks, too. AWD is nice, but I miss the quiet purr of my last Honda.

I concur with TheSubaruJunkie and Dave Moore -- please leave 'em on, I'll want to see you coming next time I'm traveling through Sparta, NJ. ;-) I promise I'll have my lights on, too. I've already survived one head-on collision in a 1963 Beetle going up against a 1967 Dodge Monaco station wagon. The Monaco driver's explanation for causing the accident in the middle of the afternoon? "I'm, I'm, I'm so sorry, I, I, I, I just didn't see you!" (Words I will never forget.) It seems that not seeing the other vehicle is a pretty common reason for accidents; last I saw, the use of DRLs was shown to reduce daytime head-on and right angle collisions by about 15%. I'll gladly replace headlight bulbs more often and burn a tiny bit more gas than to ever have an accident like that again... I feel as unsafe riding in a vehicle without it's headlights on as I would riding without a seatbelt. Think of it as a Star Trek thing: Shields Up! BTW, DRLs have been mandatory in Sweden since 1977, in Canada since 1988. They ought to be mandatory on every new vehicle sold in the U.S., too, but our lax lawmakers succumb to influence from auto manufacturers who lobby against regulations of any kind. Imagine: DRLs would save about 6,000 lives and prevent 100,000 disabling injuries every year, with very little cost and no additional driver training. Think Congress really cares about it's alleged constituents? Go figure... - Bright1 (a DRL user since I learned about it in 1986)

FYI, it's not the angle of the wheels but because each wheel in a turn is swinging a different radius arc, the front wheels traveling greater distances than the rears. You can really see this if you look at your tire tracks after a turn on snow or sand. B1

Check out the thread I started at "AWD binding problem solved in '96 Legacy with transfer case solenoid replacement" -- I ended up spending $515 to solve this, and one of the replies said it could have been done for half of that! B1

I don't know, but you can call Farrish Subaru at 703-273-0200 (main #) and find out. If the parts dept. is uncooperative, you could try calling Mark Little at 703-934-1600 (service dept. #) and tell him "Mr. Cooper with the green '96 Subaru sent you..." Maybe he'll be so impressed that he and his dealership got good press on an Internet web site for Subaru owners he'll help you out. ;-) BTW, after picking up the car, I opted to go into the parts department to see what a new valve looked like. It's certainly not anything complicated enough to cost as much as you've been quoted -- even $105 seems more than generous. Please describe the "handshake" procedure. I looked for more information on the web on the 16 flashes code before taking the car to the dealer but didn't find what I needed. I wish I knew of a shop in my area that specializes in Subarus so I could have taken it there. I guess I'm fortunate that in the 3 years since I've owned this car, I haven't needed anything more than routine maintenance. Turning sharp corners smoothly, B1

Re: '96 Subaru Legacy with only 59K miles The problem started when I noticed that while making sharp turns into parking spaces, the front and rear axles would seem to bind (like my old standard 4WD Jeep on dry pavement). Not long thereafter, the AT OIL TEMP light began flashing 16 times after starting the engine. First stop was to try AAMCO for their advertised $99 deal on a Power Flush and External Diagnostic test. They attempted to read the codes from the onboard diagnostics, but said they didn't have the right tools and/or software. They also wouldn't proceed with the trans flush alone, saying I probably had something seriously wrong with either the computer or the trans, and that flushing it could make it worse(?) Second stop was an independent transmission shop that has a good reputation, especially with bigger vehicles (i.e., trucks). They also said they couldn't read the codes. They said I probably needed a new TCU (trans control unit) computer for at least $300-350, and wanted me to leave it with them so they could also remove the pan and look for internal damage. Before I got around to going back for more of that, I happened to hear an episode of Cartalk on National Public Radio (with Tom and Ray M. a.k.a. Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers; www.cartalk.com -- a great show if you haven't already heard it) where this guy calls in with a trans problem with his Buick. Tom tells him that it's time to go to a dealer where people know the make of vehicle and have the right tools, not an independent shop, for the right diagnosis. Third stop: Took the car to my local Subaru dealer (Farrish Subaru of Fairfax, VA) where the very helpful service advisor Mark Little predicted right away the problem was in the transfer case. Estimated cost: around $550. The symptom of "binding" is the primary clue. The final text of my invoice reads, "Customer states AT oil temp light blinks 16 times after starting and binding noise at low speeds turning sharply. Upon diagnosis found code 24 stored. Code for transfer case solenoid. Removed T-case for inspection found normal wear no other defects. Clutch wear normal. Remove and reinstall t-case to replace t-case solenoid." (The part number of the valve is 31942AA090, which is priced at $105.) They warned me that the exhaust needed to be dropped to do this, and if the rusty bolts at the cylinder heads broke, it could increase the cost by a couple hundred dollars. Fortunately, the penetrating oil worked, and they put new bolts back in. All told, including some gaskets, a ring seal, shop supplies, etc. plus $350 in labor, the total tab ran $515. The car *definitely* rolls easily now, feels almost like a 2WD vehicle! I rarely go to dealers for service, but this time it seems like it worked out well. Happy motoring, everybody! B1

When I was in the first grade, my class was going to go on a field trip, and for the first time ever I was going to ride in one of those rear-engine Bluebird school buses. Those of us who were "cool" wanted to sit in the back of the bus, so we raced to see who could get to the back seat first. After having secured a place on the wide back seat, the bus driver comes back and tells us that *nobody* will be allowed to sit on the back seat because "it's right over the engine, and if the engine's flywheel were to ever explode, you'd all be killed." I thought that sounded like a serious design flaw ;-) but I never forget his stating that... Will's right -- be careful lightening those flywheels, they really can blow up (like a flawed turbine impeller in a jet engine). B1