JT95

Two years ago I sold my 230,000 95 Legacy LSi and bought a 73,000 99 Impreza Outback Sport. It has the phase II EJ22 and I have really enjoyed this car. I still miss the sunroof and leather seats, but the size difference was not as noticable as I had anticipated. The 2.2 is a great engine, even though it isn't as punchy as the 2.5 in the RS. The fun factor of the Impreza is def a couple notches above what my Legacy was. If you need to hang around the 10 yr old-ish model years, you might want to consider an Impreza witha 2.2.

I need to replace the upstream (front) O2 sensor on my 99 OBS. It looks pretty stinkin tight under there. Do I have to drop the exhaust to get a wrench around it or remove the heatshield or anything, or can it be done without removing/dropping anything else on the car? I wanna know before getting underneath it and all dirty. Also, I hate to buy a new O2 sensor and find out that isn't what is throwing the code. I have a 99 OBW parts car that has the same 3-wire plug on its sensor. The car had not thrown any codes, so I thought I would swap on that O2 sensor and see if it fixed the issue temporarily (until it went bad as well, being that it is a higher mileage engine). Are there any issues with swapping in a used O2 sensor? (other than it being used and of unkown life left)

I think it would be foolish to buy a pre-HG 1999 for anything less than a crazy good deal if you already have a '97 that is running a 2.2 engine. $7,000 + the $1,000 you estimated + anything else that will pop up the first year is a major investment for the same generation car with an unknown history. If you want something newer, I'd invest that almost $10k into a newer generation Sube. (Personally, I like the 97 body style better than the 2000.) Otherwise, invest $3-5,000 in your 97 Legacy and make it a sweeter ride. Wheels, paint, and add an Outback hood and grill and front bumper if you want. The 2.2 is a super little engine. If you live within driving distance to KY, I'd give you a sick-sweet deal on Outback parts off a 99 OBW project car I have sitting in a field that I have given up on, especially if you pull yourself.

My first Subaru was a 95 Legacy wagon with the EJ22. I knew general car stuff, but nothing Subaru specific. My thermostat went out a few months into owning the car. (Oh joy--it's on the bottom of the engine...lol.) Replaced it. Problem fixed. A couple days later--apparently not. My temp gauge shot up and I shut the car off in some random parking lot. Fluid level was fine. Must be a faulty thermostat. Replaced it again. Same issue again while driving in town. I was perplexed. I ended up getting help from this board where it was suggested that I "burp" the radiator/cooling system. I did that, and the problem went away. Drove the car several years before selling it at 230k. That is a good place to start. And it's free.

Thanks, Gary. I have some serious vacation time coming up at the end of the month, so I will dig into the whole assembly on both sides and do a thorough check. My Roo is needing some TLC in other areas as well, so that's how I plan on spending the first two weeks of June. ...and then I gotta figure out how to fab a bracket to mount the supercharger I just picked up.

Yeah, I bought a replacement alternator from Advance several years ago for a Caprice the family had at the time. It had a lifetime warranty. I think Advance replaced that alternator with another one off the shelf five or six times before I sold the car. While redeeming my lifetime warranty one time shortly after buying the first one, I noticed that they no longer offered a lifetime warranty on it. I also had an Auto Zone alternator go bad on a little Civic I was driving way back in the day. Major PITA too. In a RWD Chevy it takes 10 minutes to replace an alternator...the Civic was an operation. That Honda was horrible to work on...my first and last I will ever own.

For your situation, if funds are limited and you don't have the garage or experience to work on the car yourself, I would think the easiest and cheapest route for you to go would be a used transmission from a salvage yard. If you buy from a legit salvage yard, a trans will have a 60 or 90 day warranty. Not tons of security, but enough to cover you if it has a pre-existing issue. I would assume the trans swap is something any shop could do and not screw up, which might not be the case if you have someone tear into the trans you have. After you determine that it is indeed the trans that is the issue...

Thanks for the feedback. I will pull my rotors in a couple weeks and have them turned. Probably should have had that done already as standard maintenance. I replaced the pads myself. Been doing pads on my Subarus for several years now, so I don't think it was a screw-up on my part with how things were reassembled. Plus that was months ago. Pads were mid-grade. Not the cheapest, but not top shelf either. They did come with a lifetime warranty, which I don't really understand on parts that are supposed to wear out, but that's neither here nor there.

My front brakes have started making a grinding noise as the car finishes rolling to a stop. It does this only occasionally. Sounds like if your brake pads were gone, only these were replaced less than a year ago, and it only does it from time to time. Any ideas what this issue could be? I had a tire store do a quick brake inspection and the guy said he didn't see anything, but I honestly think all he did was look at pad wear. It'll be at least two weeks before I will be able to take the time to tear into it myself, and even then I am not a brake man, but I am good at following someone else's lead...

Yeah, my GPS has kept me straight on the speed since I started running these 70 tires temporairly. I think I'll keep them. I am excited because I have been waiting very patiently for a good deal on tires to come my way and these ended up being cheaper than mailorder. Thanks for the feedback

GM wheels bolt onto Subaru hubs? Shoot, I bet that set of 15x7 ralley wheels from the muscle car era would look sweet on my OBS...lol.

I am trying my luck at "restoring" factory alloy wheels that have the clear coat rot and pit/stain issues. Getting an ugly set and then stripping and refinishing them might be an option for you. Junk yards always want too much for wheels that aren't usually in great shape, in my opinion, but sometimes they are the only option. There should be a good number of 90s Subes with alloy wheels making their way to the yards though. I always thought the Tribeca wheels would look stankin' awesome on an OBS, but I settled on a set of 15s from a 95 LSi.

And what exactly were said parts, and do you still have them for sale? I know there's a fab shop that sells "butt-sag" spacers. Mine doesn't sag that much, but I don't feel like replacing struts right now. Will struts off an Legacy Outback wagon fit, or only Forester?

From what I hear, driving around with a goobered O2 sensor will hurt your MPG and leave your idle rough. I know a guy who has been driving for a year now with a bad O2 code.

http://www.customersrevenge.com/node/611

Knock sensor is a little doodad guy that is bolted onto the backend of the top of the engine with a wire plugged into it. Remove your airbox off the throttle body and you should be able to reach it if you are creative. I replaced the one on my 95 Legacy and it was a pretty straightforward procedure. That was a few years ago, though. I had a code that specified the knock sensor needed replaced however, so you need to check your code at Autozone or wherever. I do remember an issue I had with my 95 several years ago. I had bought the car used (150k) and had been driving it about a year. Like you said, pressing the gas did nothing for the engine when it would take a weird spell to pretty much go powerless if taken over a certain low RPM. I don't recall any check engine light though. It would just do it at odd times. I replaced the fuel filter and thought that fixed it, but it did the same thing a couple weeks later. I took the fuel lines off the filter and turned the car on to see if I had pressure. Let it shoot some juice outta the line for a bit, put it back together, and it never acted the way again. Never figured out what the issue was or why it had acted that way, but since it stopped I didn't worry. That does nothing for your situation, so I have no idea why the hell I am rambling on about it. Sold the car a few years later and that was the only engine mystery/issue it had experienced in the years and miles I drove it. Thing was humming at 230k when I last drove it. Best car I ever owned.

I got a sweet deal on some new tires. I am currently in the middle or redoing my alum Subaru wheels, so the tires are just stacked in my garage for now. My Outback Sport is a 99 model and came with 205/60 from the factory. I am currently driving with a set of 205/70 that were already mounted to my spare set of wheels that I had pulled off an Outback Wagon. They do rub sometimes when I have to cut the wheels real tight like in a parking lot. The tires I bought are 215/60 BF Goodrich. I like the tires a tad bigger than factory, but not if it is going to cause any real issues. The 205/70s on there are too tall though. By my calculations, the ones I bought are 1/2" taller overall than factory and not quite 1/2" wider. (The 205/70s are over an inch taller than factory spec...but I was never great at math formulas.) 215 / 25.4 = 8.46" width. 60% of 8.46 = 5.07". That's for one section of sidewall, so you'd double it and compare that to the same from the factory tire to determine overall height difference of the tires. Anybody run 215/60s on an OBS or other GC8 car before? The car had 195/60 tires when I started driving it, and they were too small for me. Have never driven it with the factory spec 205/60s. Since I haven't mounted the tires, I can swap them if I decide I need to...but I'm just looking for at least one green light from somebody to keep them.

Turns out the blower motor was indeed dead. Luckily, I had a spare from a parted out OBS, so it was a fairly quick and easy solution. Of course, the motor itself was the very last thing I checked, naturally... That was my weekend accomplishment in the middle of our flooding rains. Now I'm hoping that my airbag light is as easily fixed when I swap out the clock spring from the same donor car in a few weeks.

I know the intake/head matchup on my 95 2.2 was different than what my 99 is. So, if you got a phase I would guess you would have to swap the heads. But, if you are swapping heads, you can get yourself a 2.5 block if you want. However, with phase II to phase I EJ22, you might be able to just switch the throttle bodies off the intake manifolds...I dunno. I no longer have a phase I in my possession, so I can't look.

Thanks, OB99W. I may not be able to dive into this until the weekend, but you def gave me some help.

Do you know specifically what the relay looks like? I plan to crawl under the dash this afternoon and try to decide exactly where the little "blunk" sound comes from when I turn the blower switch on and start from that spot. I have a volt meter, so I suppose I could at least see where the line of power might go dead and then check back for advice on what to do from there. I have a parts car that can hopefully provide any parts I might need if something heeds replaced. And, I will also check and make sure there isn't a mess of debris in the squirrel cage. My car stays outside, but not near trees. But, I've only owned it a couple years, so who knows where it used to park. I would think a clogged blower would still make some sort of noise, like it was struggling, but who knows. I just gotta figure something out because it def is not safe or comfortable to have no blower motor.

Nope--the blower is completely dead. Now, I did have an issue a few times last year where the blower would go from full blast to like a 2 power on its own when the A/C was turned on. I turned the A/C off and it would go back to normal power after a bit. It did this a few times and then never again, but the blower never randomly quit working altogether until this past week.

I have a weird issue going on with my climate blower motor. For no apparent reason, the blower will sometimes just stop working. Turning the switch off and then on does nothing for it. Sometimes it just starts back up again on its own, sometimes not until after the car has been shut off and sat until next drive. I can hear a little electrical blink or click coming from inside the dash on the driver's side when the switch is turned from off to on, even though the blower motor does nothing. The a/c compressor will still kick on too when the blower motor has stopped running. What could be going on here? If the squirrel cage had a bad motor, wouldn't it just go dead for good? What do I need to check out? I'm not the best at electrical troubleshooting, and I hate to rip the dash apart on a ghost chase. Has anyone one else had this issue? My car is a 99 Impreza. Thanks for any helpful input!

One person's use:

Sorry, the car is a 99 OBS, 2.2 engine, 84k miles One of the first things I checked was the intake passage. With the throttle fully exposed the car still died a few moments after being started. I didn't check spark plugs, but can't imagine that is an issue, as the car will idle and drive with the MAF sensor unplugged. It doesn't run great with the MAF unplugged, but it won't run at all with it plugged in. It just doesn't seem likely that a fouled MAF sensor would totally kill an engine, but I have no idea, as I've never dealt with the issue on a car before. I had been running an aftermarket filter since July, and figured out that might be a cause to the problem. I'd never heard of that before putting it on my car or I would never have used an oil charged filter. To run the diagnostic tool, does your car have to be running? I've only had that done a couple times at the parts store, and they always had me start the car. If the has to be running, then I can't have it tested with the MAF plugged in because the car will not run more than 5 or 10 seconds if the MAF is hooked up. I'll stop by the parts store after work and see. The parts stores all have the MAF sensor replacement priced from $280-300. Subarus are hard to find in junkyards in my region, but I'll give it a try. It takes a special torx bit to remove the sensor from the housing. Is it possible to clean the thing while it is still in the plastic tube? Thanks so much.