Nbe1210

My mechanic lives a few houses down. I'm going to offer to pay him to come look at it with me and see what he thinks. I have no welding skills or equipment and he will be the one doing the work. He has repeatedly patched my exhaust for the last 2 years but said the metal is too thin and rusted. I'm no welder but looking at it I feel he is right. He's always been more than fair with me so I have no reason to doubt him (he usually charges me $30-$50 for the patches. I don't know any mechanics that you can drive away for anything less than $100). Does anyone think I will have any troubles with the cats/o2 sensors? Codes or rough running? Thanks for all the info. Keep it coming please. You guys are the best.

The Impreza exhaust is only $50 from the down pipe all the way back with a good muffler. I think I will check it out and see how it looks for fit. It seems a little too good to be true. Thanks for the info and if anyone has any suggestions of what to be vigilant of I would appreciate it. Thanks again. Nick

Thanks for the info. That was my concern without actually seeing the exhaust laid out under the car. Are the hangers, bends and cats/sensors in the same spots? I wonder if it is as easy as extending a flange 5 inches somewhere although it never is.

My exhaust is again beyond repair on my 97 Legacy Brighton Wagon. Even though the car still runs well I am hesitant to invest $600-700 at this point in its life. I have found someone in town who is parting out a 98 Impreza wagon and this might be my answer (depending on what price they are asking). Could it fit with some small modifications? I would imagine that the Impreza exhaust would be a bit short but a little creative welding might do the trick? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Nick

Replaced the alternator on the side of the road in the dark. It took about 30 minutes. I would like to thank the engineer who used only 2 sizes of bolts and adding a tension screw. also the person who invented the headlamp. Everything is running smooth and all the lights have gone off. Success.

The same lights came on in my car (97 Legacy Brighton) yesterday morning, brake and battery. I drove home after work and my radio and speedometer would go on and off as I hit the brakes and blinker. I foolishly covered my ears and eyes and tried to get to and from work today thinking I had enough juice. It started like a champ this morning so I thought was ok. Now my car is dead on the side of the road and I am trying to find an alternator so I can get it going after work today. At least my car died near a coworkers house so I got to work. I'll get back with the results of my new alternator. I saw some people say to charge with a battery charger. Will it hurt to jump it and get it home after the alternator is in and then charge it with the charger? Thanks

I just remembered that I am heading to CT to my parents this Saturday night and came across this. I may be in luck. http://hartford.craigslist.org/pts/4118336701.html

Thanks for all the advice. I'll spend Saturday hunting for some used tires. Cross your fingers for me.

Thanks for all the info. I understand the diameter-circumference difference just wrote it wrong but thanks for clarifying. I also get that used tires may be a bum deal but isn't a higher quality, half life used tire better than a new junk tire? If the used tire is significantly cheaper of course. I have bought cheap new tires for a civic i had and wished for my old, nearly bald michelins back because they rode and handled better even with little tread left. I have a few use tire places around to check out for before I eat it on junk new tires. I will definitely make sure they are the same brand and check the circumference. Unfortunately, I just don't have the cash to pay $150+ per tire and get something nice. Thanks again and any other ideas are welcome

My 97 Leg Brighton is in need of tires. 180/75 r14 I was hoping to make it a bit longer but I failed inspection for a ball joint and the tires. At the moment I really don't want to spend $2-3-400 on new tires so I have been looking around for used tires. I have found a few sets of 4 that are mismatched but from the one car. By that I mean that all four tires were on a single car (not a subaru) and have more or less the same wear but are different brands. My questions and concerns are as to how much difference can there between the outside diameter of the tires and still be OK? Are 2 different brands of tires with roughly the same diameter OK? Does anyone know of a good source for used tires in the seacoast NH area or southern Maine area? I am on Dover, NH When we bought this car used from Charlie's Subaru in Augusta, ME they replaced one of the tires with a smaller size and it burned up the transmission on our move to NC. I remember stopping and seeing smoke coming from the new tire. Of course they denied it since we were far away but the warranty covered the work and a strongly worded letter from an attorney friend convinced them to pony up for new tires. The whole process was miserable and I would rather not go through it again. Thanks for any help and suggestions

I'll start soaking it tonight and maybe give it a try on Thursday or Friday. If the pinch bolt doesn't go easy I'll leave it for the pros. Thanks for the advice and I'll come back with the results. Any other advice is always welcome, of course.

I guess it doesn't hurt to give it a try. Maybe I'll get lucky and the bolt will come right out???? Do I need any other parts/supplies or just the ball joint and maybe a new cotter pin? Grease? Prescription drugs? Thanks

I just failed my inspection due to a bad ball joint. My shop quoted me $150 to do the job. What do you guys think? I have had many horrible days with sheered off bolt heads on the this car in that general hub, caliper, and suspension area. I'm in the seacoast area of NH where we salt things liberally. Is $150 worth the money to let someone else deal with it? I figure about $50 in parts to do it myself for a ball park so I'm giving up $100 in savings and maybe a lot of frustration and grief. Thanks for any opinions.

My wife's 09 forrester did the same thing. She had not put the gas cap on. It was inside the door but not screwed in. I breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed at her for being careless and then ran before she hit me with something. Good luck.

I'm going to confidently say this was a success. I drove to work this morning, about 20 minutes (15 miles) at 55-65 mph with stops and slow downs in the towns I pass through, and the car was shifting smoother. First to second was a smooth and quick, second to third still had a little delay between when second let go and third grabbed on but was smoother and faster than it has been in a long time and third to fourth was fast and smooth. No strange downshifts and it seems like less deceleration. The car hasn't driven this well in quite a while and it seems to be getting better the more I drive it. I can't say if it was the fluid or the additive. I used Valvoline max life AT fluid ( it was a dollar more than the generic auto zone stuff) and Lucas Oil/Transmission fluid fix (the 24oz round bottle). It took a few small top offs to get the fluid just right but I think I got it. I added a little at a time and waited until I drove it to check it again so I could get a hot and cold read. After draining from the pan I disconnected the AT fluid line on the top drivers side of the radiator and it pumped out very quickly. I had a gallon in less than a minute and it had just started to run clean out of the hose. The old fluid was dark but not black and opaque. I'm sure there is probably some fluid I didn't get but the improvement in shifting is there regardless. Thanks to everyone here for all the help and tips. I might get a few more years out of this car yet. (if the rust doesn't get it first)

All done. You weren't kidding about it being hard to get a read. I drained 2 gallons out between the drain plug and pumping out the cooler line. I just drove to grab some beer and the car was shifting about the same but I am definitely low on fluid I just can't tell how much since the dipstick comes out covered every try. It did seem to be shifting a lot less rough. I'm letting the car sit now. I used the Lucas stop slip additive. It was like pouring molasses. After a few minutes I only had about a quarter of the bottle in so I mixed it with new at fluid and it went a little better. I'll report back with the final outcome.

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I didn't want to take the AT fluid pan apart if I didn't need to. I'm crossing my fingers that this will be €@$¥. I don't dare actually say the word. I'll post my results and any benefits after I'm finished.

I'm going to try the supply/return/cooler line "flush" this weekend. Any tips on finding the lines? I haven't poked around yet under the hood to find them. 97 Leg Brighton. I'm hoping they are pretty obvious. Is the filter important to replace also or does running clean fluid through it help to clean it up a bit (probably not)? Thanks for all the help and tips.

Thanks for all the great tips. I'll drain and change the fluid as soon as I have some time. 2 jobs and a 2 month old baby, so I lack free time lately. When I have some results I will post them promptly. Does anyone think there is any harm in flushing the system like the video above? I would hate to expose bad seals and make another problem for myself. Thanks again.

Thanks for the quick tips. Maybe I'll just drain it myself. I have a friend with a lift that would make this very convenient. I called Midas to make an oil change/tire rotation appointment. They have a $22 special for both. I found this video on using your supply and return lines to the radiator to flush the system. Is this legit? It seems like you are inviting air into the system but maybe that doesn't matter. Would this have the same negative effects a flush might? Should I replace the filter also or is it not as important? Thanks again. You guys are the best.

My 1997 Legacy Brighton automatic is shifting a little weird. It has a slight hesitation between shifts and will sometimes downshift when it does not seem appropriate. I have about 155k on the car and it runs fine otherwise. It has a replaced motor and tranny at about 60k due to being sold to us with one tire a smaller size than the rest by Ch@rlie'$ Subaru in Augusta, ME. That was the last time the AT fluid would have been new. I just put a new (to me) exhaust on it and new o2 sensors and the engine runs nice and smooth. I found this video that more or less exactly describes my shifting issue with the same car and a fluid change seems to do it. I just called a Midas to get a price on a AT fluid flush and was told to be careful as the transmissions sometimes just quit on this generation of subarus after a flush. He said to let it ride. I don't understand this but have heard it before. So should I not change the fluid? Maybe a bottle of the Lucas Slip stop stuff? Would something else remedy my sluggish shifting? Any suggestions? I can drain and fill the fluid myself but thought a flush to be better and less wasteful/toxic. I definitely do not want my car to quit. Thanks for any help

I had a somewhat similar problem with my 97 Leg Brighton. The buzzer would beep randomly while driving. It was maddening. I opened the steering column and cut the black wire coming off of the ignition key sensor. Not the big cluster of ignition wires but the ones coming out of the side of the ignition switch. Problem solved. Hope it helps.

New exhaust is on. It fit perfect but now i have a bunch of codes. I started anew thread for new problem. It seems like whenever I fix something on this car something else goes wrong before I'm finished. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136952-replaced-exhaust-and-i-have-codes-now/?p=1151758

The air filter never came off and the only the three codes i listed above came up on the scanner. No po420. I'll look at the hoses when I have a chance later today. Those plugs on the 02 sensors are a pain to unclip. Maybe something got bumped or knocked loose. Thanks for the thoughts. I'm hoping it drives ok today so I can get to work. Update: I drove to work this morning and the CEL was on but the car drove fine. Better than it has in a while in fact. I just drove to another building and the CEL is off and all seems fine. Maybe it was just a computer hiccup??

I used my front sensor as I had replaced it this past summer with a new one and I think I used the rear from my old exhaust also.