deiscient

Anywayz, the way we are all ragging the B9 aside, this thing might just end up being a hit. If Toyota' Scion xB can sell like hotcakes (a shoebox on wheels if I am a day old) then "odd" styling may not be as big a turnoff as so many posit.I'm just saying, is all...

Have folks had reasonable luck with them? I am kind of in need right now; alternator started giving that telltale hum of failing bearings just this WE and I noticed rainwater boiling off my hood just above the alt. location; not good at all! Have the alt. off the car and seeking to avoid forking over $200+ for a new/reman. unit. Would rather sink the difference into repaying my bookie...I mean new belts. TIA for pointers.

Speaking of the SAAB models there was an article in Sunday's Boston Globe comparing the B9's overall styling with an old SAAB station wagon circa 1960. The similarities were very striking, right down to the Edsel-esque puckered grille. Scary thought... Can't find an online link right now but will keep searching.

You may want to check the local clean air/smog laws in your locality. In California you must, repeat, must use OEM-specced exhaust parts exclusively. I see you are "international" so check your state/provincial bureauc..er, laws as well as federal/EU/national. At any rate I would guess that a converter arrangement other than as manufactured would skew the exhaust gas mixtures and yield some funky ECU behavior. Perhaps someone with more ECU experience could comment on whether the engine could "learn" the new output or if some hacking might be required to be compatible.

I second that. Wore down the edges of my original tires within 30k miles using the door jamb pressures (29-30 psi). There was plenty of center tread left at that time, however. My second set lasted nearly 60k when kept ~34psi and wore pretty even. YMMV, of course (sorry, couldn't resist).

My experience so far has been that you should expect 50-75k mi from a water pump. AFA oil pumps go my original pump in my L went Tango-Uniform at 60K mi. The current one has been good ever since; no leaks when I replaced the timing belt at 120k (when I replaced the water pump as preventitive maintenance). As an insurance policy it may be worthwhile replacing them while you have the engine face open already. New water pumps can be had for $70 and oil pumps for $130. That seems cheap versus getting stuck Bog-knows-where with a seized engine. JM $0.02

Agree on the hoses. Unless they are leaking just leave 'em alone. AFA bleeding/flushing the lines a trick I saw was to unplug the ignition coil and rev the starter for a few seconds (can't find the URL just now, sorry). Rotate the steering wheel lock to lock while "starting" to bleed/flush the rack. This may be more easily accomplished with a second person minding the fluid level.

Does the dealer have repair receipts for the car? That will give a pretty good history of mileages over time. You can then gauge approximately where it is now. OTOH, if he has no repair/maintenance records then run, don't walk. JM$0.02 EDIT: Also, as an American of French ancestry "odometer replaced" sounds Vichy to me...

You covered my top suspects, it seems. Also check the bushings. They are small bits of plastic and when they wear out you will basically have metal (sway bar) scratching against metal (crossmember) making that horrific sound similar to fingernails on a chalkboard.

According to this page the alternator ranges for a 93 Legacy should be 13.5 and 14.3-14.8 V, respectively. Granted, the spec. may be different for your later model than for mine. Nevertheless, at first glance your mechanic may be correct to raise a flag although your car may continue to operate fine at those output levels. So things are deteriorating and it will fail once the output gets below a certain threshold voltage. Falling voltage output is a warning sign of a failing alternator. You will never sense it unless you check it with a voltmeter, however. As the output continues to fall it will eventually go below the threshold of the vehicle's electric system yielding insufficient charging to replace electric power consumption. That is when you will experience "failure". It is a process, not an event.

What kind of noise are you hearing and when? BTW, you may want to start a new thread to discuss this as it may involve other suspension components as well/instead.

Even more now. I have found single pressure hoses for sale at Autozone under the "Powercraft" branding for about $25. I also found a "United States" brand at thepartsbin.com for $63. Dealer OEM parts only come in a pressure-return bundle for over $200. The fastenings on the engine block DO seem serviceable on closer observation; the rubber cushions appear to be in 2 parts and the metal brackets are held shut by screws. Question to the group; does anyone have experience with these or other brands of replacement hoses? Experiences to share, etc? Price differences are significant but I would hate to find out later that I only got what I paid for.

Kind of off topic but I thought there might be more expertise in this matter here. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=34067 I have a '93 Legacy that needs a new PS pressure hose (periodically leaking fluid requiring replenishment every ~2 weeks or so). What are the preferred brands of replacement hoses? An OEM replacement from the dealer runs over $100 whereas the local Autozone has a "Powercraft" branded aftermarket hose for about 25. I have seen other online offerings in the middle of this range. What experiences to folks have with hose replacements and what are the "favorite" solutions? TIA for pointers.

When I replenished my PS pump recently I used Citgo Dexron III. The back label clearly states that it is acceptable wherever Dexron IIE or Dexron II is required. FWIW, in the ATF section of Autozone here I could not find any of those other Dexron types either although there was an ample supply of Ford and Chrysler specced fluids in addition to the Dex. (that is a GM standard, I think). I suspect this question is an academic consideration only with no practical impact, much like the discussion of the various API motor oil classes yesterday.

I was able to get at it from above by using a socket extension slightly longer than the starter body. I then attached my ratchet, swinging it parallel to the firewall. Again, I had to do this mostly by feel and got a few scrapes to show for it. Admittedly, I took the easy way out and just replaced the whole unit with a Bosch reman. Did not care for the "adventure" of replacing the solenoid contacts even though that would have probably done the job (3-4 clicks before turning over ~ bad contact).

My first advice would be if you have no record of a recent oil change then do it now. Ditto for other servicings whose time may have lapsed according to the maintenance schedule and for which there is no record (coolant, trans, diff. changes, spark plugs, air and fuel filter, e.g.). Most of this can be done by a private shop as long as you make sure they are familiar with what your car needs. And get that coolant question settled BEFORE you go ! Hope all this helps.

FWIW, I have been running plain 10W30 dino juice (different visc. from yours, I know) in my '93L since day 1 and changed every 3750 miles on schedule. It is now nearing 124K and still runs like new. Used pretty much all basic brands: Exxon, Chevron, Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. I tend to stay away from any store "house" brands like what you find in WallyMart or the like but that is not to say they aren't fine as well. The general rule around this board (and others I frequent) seems to be stay away from Fram filters. I generally use Bosch or Purolator premiums. I guess I'll have to defer to someone who knows your year and model better than I on that one. UPDATE: See this thread for a coolant discussion in '02 and later cars. Man, I hit post before looking around sufficiently .

I found this PDF document from the API's website some time ago. It describes the different service classifications for automotive lubricants and what they mean. I'll let it speak for itself . Often the pages describing basic maintenance leave this information out so as to be more user-friendly. The back pages have listings of the allowable fluids in most cars. This is among other technical data and specs. for the more mechanically inclined. That is surprising that there would be no such information present.

I just replaced the starter on my '93 L a few months ago so I can actually sympathize. The thing to realize is that the top eyelet of the mounting bracket is held in place by a 6" bolt that screws inside the flywheel bell housing. The lower eyelet, however, attaches to a bolt protrusion from the housing and is secured by a nut. While I could easily reach the top bolt with a box-end wrench the lower nut required a bit more gymnastics and an array of socket wrench extensions (4, 6 and 8-inch). It is there, though, even though it is pretty much out of any available line of sight when working from above. You might be able to see it from below if you have jackstands or ramps (I do not so can't be of much help here:-p ). Also, the nut will require a bigger socket than the bolt. I think they are 17mm and 15mm, respectively but my memory could be a little off. You might want to try detaching and removing the fuel filter and hoses to give some more room (make sure to relieve the fuel line pressure or let the car sit cold for 24 hours before detaching those lines!). I scratched my hand royally on those hose-clamp screws when I did this job. You can then use your left hand to guide the socket onto the nut while you crank with your right. Make sure you torque them right when you put the starter back. Good luck and HTH.

Sounds like a brake shoe is not seated properly or loose. Do you have drum brakes on the car? Since the interior surface of the drum cannot be machined absolutely perfectly there will be slight variations in the friction of the drum against the shoe when braking. If the shoe is not seated firmly enough and the rotating imperfect drum hits it's harmonic frequency (in your case between 20-30 MPH) the shoe will vibrate. Sorry if this is a bit theoretical; I am a bit of a science junkie:cool:

Uh, we're not talking about the Dart, here. Then I would agree with you:D .

To be fair, the Impreza will be "gone" in name only. It sounds, from the article, like the model is simply due for a rename. Too bad about the Baja, though. It will be gone completely due to Sube's inability to engineer "smart airbags" in a cost-effective manner considering the model's market and pricing.

FWIW, when I was in college one of the spring festival events was the "brick-it and smash". Basically, we drained all fluids from a car on its last legs. We then took bets to see how long the engine would last when run at full throttle; closest time without going over. Then we ran it 'till it seized. I recall dispatching a couple of Dodge Aspens/Plymoth Volares that way (that was in the mid 80's for those out there who may not remember those particular desecrations of automotive history).

Not sure if this helps but for my '93 L I needed a 22mm socket. Special socket at HD but fits on a standard 3/8" wrench. See if the plug has a hexagonal outer surface. A socket of requried size might be easier to find and manage.

There have been several discussions on CV shafts here over the years. Do a search for "CV shaft replace" or somesuch and review the threads. There were several brands specifically fingered as recommended or to avoid. Sorry I do not recall which ones. Good luck and hope this helps.