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we have owned both -- and I fear there may be an unfair bias here -- of course, this is a Subaru board. By the way, the manual distributes more than 50 percent to the rear -- it's really split in the middle between the front and rear (logically speaking), but the center diff uses an additional viscous coupling to insure stronger transfer. The Subaru automatic is essentially a front wheel drive car with the ability to electronically engage the rear in a pulsed fashion (remember, it has to release periodically to sense traction, otherwise it would not know when to release). The Honda real-time system is essentially a front wheel drive car with the ability to mechanically engage the rear once slippage is detected. It engages quickly in my experience and smoothly, and I can personally attest that it is a capable vehicle in 12" of snow. Yes, tires spin upon acceleration, but I got that with my manual Subaru also. Of course, I would attribute this to buy a driving style also. Admittedly, I scoffed upon the system at first as well, but for what it is, and what it was meant to be, I think they did a good job, and it has developed no problems such as Subaru's famous binding problem. One can't compare vehicle height and center of gravity when discussing the drivetrain. Mike

...and a web page that doesn't... Mike

'Tis pssible this could work well. IF catastrophic gasket failure occurs slowly over time due to erosion, AND the conditioner prevents the erosion inherent to the porous metal, then it WOULD work. Mike

I had a 90 loyale and a 97 legacy. Both fun. Legacy accels a good bit better and has better cruising power, more refined. mel

I can personally attest that the all wheel drive in the manuals is quite effective. I have a broken loose both front and rear wheels during sharp acceleration on wet roads, and the ice and snow performance is equal to the older Subaru's part-time four-wheel-drive performance. To clarify, transmission output is sent to a 3rd differential, envisioned as if it were in the middle of the car between the front and rear. Equal torque is applied to both ends in a no-slip situation. The viscous fluid does not permit a whole lot of speed differentiation between the front and rear and in my experience was very effective even in off road situations that were perchance a bit too daring for the car's design. Mike

Full engagement would cause binding if you are turning. Medium left or right turn would be enough to tell. The tires will growl, the car won't want to move, it'll feel really "off" if it's a full lock. Mike

start with spark plug wires, and spark plug gaps. More likely than the coilpack, and with 105,000, you are overdue for these to wear out. It will get worse as the wires burn internally. Dealer wants like ~$16 per wire, I'm sure they can be had for less. Mike

Spark plug wires! Esp. with the tach jumping about. Does it ease off at higher rpms?? Or under less throttle? If so, it's wires.... Mike

People that rip on subaru's reliability must have never driven a ford, dodge/plymouth/chrysler, suzuki, volkswagon, etc.... or even a M-class Benz. Remember the Samarai? 60,000 was the most one could expect from the motor before the head cracked. Ford escort--- great to 60,000, then a dangerous little car. Look ma, no brakes. Look ma, plastic radiator stretched and the fittings fell off. Look ma, leak in the metal gas line. A friend just bought a late model lincoln. Electric window stopped working after he took a pothole by surprise. $550 repair on the window. Chevy caprices manufactured with slightly off-center fittings on the rear of the driveshaft. Even the replacements shook. Ford cop cruisers known to split in two when T-boned. Your mechanic has probably had bad experiences with subes in the past. It's ok, everyone has the right to an opinion. However, when properly maintained and driven in a civilized manner, and oftentimes not, it will last a long time. I'd consider another engine. Who knows how the PO treated it. Mike

EGADS thats HIGH. Dealer replacement of swingshafts with CV ran me something like $300, new parts.... can't recall one or two- I think just one. But brakes.... subaru brakes are real easy to do, pads and shoes'll be like $60, right? rotors will cost a bit... what do you think, $100 each? Doesn't take more than an hour or so, but the book might call for a little more. And midas installs some junky parts. I see ads for $79 per axle, most cars, for brakes. That's $160 for a brake job, 4 wheels. Probably just resurfacing the rotors. More for new ones. Mike

siezed cam makes sense, esp with the way you describe the sound of cranking. Hard to visualize, tho--- since the 97 2.2 uses roller bearings on the cam followers it really sounds like a camshaft bearing problem, maybe from oil starvation. To my knowledge, I've never heard of a sube doing this... Junk yard motor, or at least junk yard heads. Mike

urabus, dude you are hard core. Nobody but the solar guys and maybe the navy drains and cleans their batteries-- it's a messy job, but that alone will prolong their life greatly. And in your case, that cleaning makes up for the drawbacks of EDTA (sediment collection). You might consider building/buying an electronic desulfator. With patience, they work well. I've built a couple. do a google search on "desulfator." one of the top results will be one a few levels deep in flex.com. Mike

He DID repair/replace the right items for that type of service. The labor to get in there is consuming, but by replacing all of those items at once, you reduce future repeat repairs. The do-it-yourselfers suggest the same type of service, except to remove and retighten the oil pump instead of replace. So you know: T-belt should be replaced every 60,000 Water pump *should* be replaced then, but it'll go about 105,000 miles, not quite to the 2nd t-belt replacement. Front seal at the oil pump often goes around 60-70,000. Tensioner on some last 100,000+. Some go out sporadically earlier--- anytime after 50,000 Give him/her a chance. They seem to know the motor. Mike

the oem batts that did so well were made by INTERSTATE. There is a taller interstate that fits just fine, has a bit more oomf, and is $10 cheaper due to its more standard size. EDTA is the battery equivalent of a hack. It can cause particulate to build up on the floor of the batt, which *could* pile up enough to short the plates. It can help gain a few months out of a dying battery. Stuff's been around for years. Used to buy it for like $2.50 at western auto... Mike

cool batts last longer. 125F is when serious degradation starts to occur. Agree with installing the largest that fits. Actually, starter batterys should not be used for more than 20% (80% remaining) discharge. 7 years, 106,000 on oem batt Mike

forgot. the 2.2 is a bulletproof motor, until like all AL motors, it overheats. Make sure the cooling system is in good shape--- new coolant, flush the system and make sure the hoses are happy and it'll last a long time. also, suck out the PS fluid with a turkey baster and add new. start car, turn the wheel a few times, car off, repeat. cheap maintenance on the steering. Dexron III atf works great, synth if you can find it.

we normally suggest doing water pump and front crank seal when you do the t-belt--- concensus says that the pump lasts about 105000, not quite long enough to make it to 2nd t-belt change. The labor getting to the t-belt is what costs. the belt is $35 and the pump ~60, but you'll fork over $350 in labor. The seal costs ~$7. Some also suggest pulling the oil pump (sits "around" the crank shaft) and tightening its casing and replacing its prone-to-leak o-ring. stock ngk plugs. Little-to-no gains by going platinum. Note, expect plug wires to start failing after 70,000 miles or so. Slppy acceleration/missing under load is the first symptom. Mike

call tirerack-- they sell takeoff's at excellent prices. Stick w/ oem or = to oem weight as to not upset susp calibration for unsprung weight. Sub oem wheels tend to be really light. mike

1. regular oil maintenance-- some cars I've had see better mpg w/ synth oil. Our subaru saw ~1 mpg increase after synth in the engine, MT, rear end. 2. Keep tires inflated over the factory pressure-- I think I favored 32 psi. 3. don't mod the front bumper, air dam, etc. The factory design is been praised for exceptional aerodynamics in the 96-99(?) years. 4. Stick with ngk plugs, new wires after ~75,000. 5. our '97 2.2 MT AWD had adjustable valves. Keep 'em gapped right. 6. Avoid wider tires. They'll make a difference. I went from 185s to 205s and saw a bit of a drop. the oem 195/65 should be a good compromise. 7. Insulate all of the intake plumbing up to the throttle body with pipe wrap, silvery-plastic insulation, foam, whatever. Be creative. include the filter box. That said, 32mpg was the best I saw. With spirited commuting, 26-28 was normal, 25-6 with A/C on full blast. As low as 24 strictly short in-town trips. Nothing will fix a heavy foot... Mike

used 'em in a 97 legacy wagon. yes, 15% harder would be a fair estimate. Excellent feel for spirited commuting. not go-kart stiff, but firmly planted. mike

20-30 should be fine at those temps. I am wondering if this is completely piston slap or if it's pin slap-- ya know, the thing banging against the piston pin. mike

old timing belt? clogging cat? crinkle in exhaust pipe? Top end cleaning? Mike

domestics do this if the wrong fluid is used or the friction characteristics of the fluid change.i.e, slick ATF in a chrysler does this consistently. Flush the fluid and use exactly what the manual calls for. Mike

I don't think its the TCU. Wondering if it's getting erroneous data from ECU.... ie., in gear 1, pedal floored it should kick in, right, well...what if it doesn't know it's floored. Also wondering if speed sense might be contributed by ABS-- that's what I thought they did, at least on other cars. [scratching head] mike Is there a seperate power feed to the TCU to drive the solenoid? Wonder if wiring in front the TCU is weak.

oh oh careful, Valvoline rated next to mobile 1. Havoline is on the other end of the scale. :-( Mike