bluegreene

Thanks for the help! I will check for that tomorrow. But I'm back to the question of why it would continuously seem like the cable is stretching out. Yea... chances are it fell onto the road as I was driving... Ok.. That does make plenty of sense.. that the hardware got tossed out of the way when it broke. there's a lot of old rubber hoses and boots that have corroded on this thing...

I've released the clutch cable and tried manually activating the clutch lever on the transaxle. It won't go into first or reverse and I was pushing on it pretty hard. The cable is routed the same as before but I did not zip tie it to where it was before. So if I release the hill holder cable and let the hill holder lever lay in place, I should tighten it 1/4" past that point? Nowhere in the reinstall of the clutch cable did I readjust the hill holder cable. I did not add the spring. It was hanging there (not attached to the clutch lever) after the cable and hardware broke. Also, the rubber seal on the clutch lever is broken and I'm afraid now that the hardware may have fallen into it. Could that be the reason why I cannot manually push the lever in enough to put it into gear?

Well... After replacing the cable, and every few weeks, I've had to readjust the cable because it starts to get hard to go into first and reverse. The nuts are not getting looser because I've noticed threads being added every time. Now, I'm out of room, the clutch pedal is hard to push down and today it started getting hard to go into first and reverse again...

90 legacy.... When I am moving slowly and turn hard to the right, I notice a clunking/clicking noise coming from the left side. Or at least I notice it more on the left because I'm driving. It doesn't always do it and does it far less when turning to the left. Seems like a strut thing because it sometimes makes a similar noise when going over bumps.

Yep. It was either the AC pulley or the tensioner pulley. I'm just going to leave the belt off for now.

The battery/alternator is fine I think. It turned over no problem in -20~ last week. Never seen any charge light. Going to check the belts today. Thanks for the replies! If it is the AC unit, I may just take the belt off and leave it off. That won't be a problem right?

Just two days ago, my 1990 legacy started to make a whining noise which is directly connected to engine RPM. It sounds like it's coming from one of the idlers or one of the accessory pumps. I want to think/seems to be coming from the air conditioning pump. I was thinking about removing the air conditioning belt to see if it goes away. IF it is the air conditioner, I should be able to just remove the belt and not even worry about air conditioning right? (I don't ever use air conditioning anyway)

So I know for a fact that the bolt pattern is different on a 1998 legacy because I tried to put those wheels on my 1990. Looking online for bolt pattern charts shows anything above 1990 legacys to have the same pattern... Where can I get the actual information?

I've noticed though, that it will level out (it wont go under 1100) in a minute or so but if I drive off and stop at a stop light, it will still be high when warm (sometimes up to 1700). When it is fully warm ten minutes later or so is when it will truly level out. I guess I'd rather have it high than low for the cold season coming up... Still have those nasty snow tires. There is a crack in the IAC hose... Just going to replace that.

After replacing the clutch cable, I mildly cleaned the IAC and now when it starts it idles high! About 1 and a half. When it warms up it levels out. Is that still the IAC you think? After inspecting the hoses, I have found a small crack in the hose going into the IAC.

So now I don't know where the proper positioning of the cable is. Seeing how the hardware was missing to begin with, I'm not sure what It needs to look like. Just tested it and the clutch doesn't engage when all the way to the floor. Does this look somewhat correct? Pretty clueless here... You'll notice it's not fully seated in the space to the far right. Also, the rubber seal on the clutch bracket has cracked in half.

There's a C-clip holding the cable housing to the bracket before going through the firewall. You need to move the C-clip the same direction as the slot in the bracket (towards the fuse box). Thing is a mother F&$%er to get off. I ended up clamping a pair of needle nose vice grips on there and worked it off.

Got most of the cable off. Figured where the spring goes and now I just cant get the housing out from behind the pedal. I got the actual end piece connecting to the pedal itself off but not the place where the housing attaches to the floor board just before going to the firewall. I can't really tell if there's anything I need to remove.

This is what it looks like. I did not remove anything from the clutch assembly. Durania, you are absolutely right. Ordered one from the parts store to look at it. Then went to the dealership and the difference is astonishing. Every bit about the OEM one is bigger and stronger. Yikes, good thing I posted this thread. Thanks y'all. Oh and the parts store cable did not come with hardware. Out there looking at how to get the thing out... And where does this spring go???

So, I've discovered that my clutch cable in fact failed leading me to think my clutch had gone out. The cable has fallen into the rubber sealer and all the hardware attaching the cable to the clutch bracket is gone. Will clutch cable kits include everything I will want to replace? (There's a few different kits available at a local parts store. And it's hard to tell from the pictures) It's that 1990 legacy again. XD

The thing already has 220k. I wouldn't mind keeping the motor in tip top shape if the body didn't have rust -- this is why I have some reservation about tearing the entire engine apart. I just need to strike a balance between reliability and cost effectiveness.

Going ahead and replacing all that was what I had imagined would be the best option. I'm somewhat leery of ebay listings of that sort. Is that actually going to include good quality parts or total chinese crap? I've used bearing presses before but usually we would hit both the inner and outer races. Why just the outer? Thanks guys.

The clutch just went out on my 1990 legacy. I'm going to go ahead and replace the timing belt and water pump. I'm thinking the idlers too. Can I just replace the bearings inside the idlers if they're still in good condition? Should I even worry about the idlers?

Welp... 1990 legacy wagon. There's a vibration happening when I turn the wheel to the extreme (left or right). Imagine a purring sound but a vibration. IS something loose and/or something worn out?

It's going to need a rebuilt motor isn't it.... Assuming it's the timing belt. Funny, I've been planning on capitalizing on poor maintenance by picking up an outback with a busted motor and putting a new engine in it.... Didn't think I may be getting that chance from a friend.... But it's an automatic so really, I have no interest.

Yea... my heart just sank a little bit when I went out to look at it...

Sweet, I'll try that and post back! Thanks

This thing is actually not my car. I'm just helping out a friend. It's at 110K. (I really pray he had the timing belt changed.... :-\) I sent him an email requesting maintenance history. I don't know anything about past maintenance. Supposedly, the girl who was driving it when it broke down said there wasn't any crazy noises. So, I don't have a pressure tester. Would a car parts place have one for me to borrow? I'm almost wishing the pump was on the bottom so I could just unhook the hose and turn the key on and let the fuel run onto the driveway for a second. Thanks a bunch guys.

As the title suggests, when the motor is cold, the idling will slow down almost to the point of a stall then jump up to 1200 and then fall and often die. I generally just hold my food on the gas for a couple of minutes and then it will idle but low (around 500). As it starts to warm up the idle slowly works its way up to just under 1000. Also, when it's cold, If I turn on the lights, stereo or anything else, I see a small dip in the idle speed. No check engine lights. Kinda confusing for me.

Hello everyone! A little searching did not seem to pull up this particular piece of info I'm looking for. 1999 legacy outback died on the interstate. I charged the battery and it will turn but wont start. I had a friend turn the key to "on" and found 12 volts at the fuel pump harness for a moment. High likelihood it's the pump right? Thanks y'all.