idosubaru

I'm entertaining a significant bolt on repair too. I'll still weld a piece into the torn spot, but I'm hoping the bolt in affair will beef it up to make sure it never happens again. It was repaired once before, doesn't look like a good repair......but mine probably won't either. :lol:

Doesn't need to be an argument, you guys are allowed to disagree. Thanks for replying 3 eye, this isn't that structural of a part so I'm not too worried about it - that extra confidence makes me more ready to jump on this. And I can always re-do it later! It's not a harbor freight but not a lincoln either, I forget what it is but it does seem very hard to get a good weld with. I'm not a good welder, but I don't think it's all skill.

sounds like torque bind. use the search function and read up about torque bind. how to tell, what it is, how to diagnose, and how to possibly fix. very common and covered in great detail here. if you're tires are at all mismatching...even if one is more warn than the others, that's enough to cause torque bind on a 4WD vehicle. if it is torque bind you should also peruse the owners manual section detailing proper care of a true 4WD vehicle to avoid future issues.

okay, great. thanks guys. access is easy enough to clean and put an angle on the edges. i'm welding in a complete rectangle all the way around so I'm not sure how tight i'll be able to get that, but i'll try. it's probably 1/8" and all i have is a wire feed mig welder. i'll give it a try, if it doesn't hold i'll do it different next time. glad you mention that though, i'll be sure to keep templates of the repair for the next time just in case. i'll be bolting a backing plate behind all of the "bad" metal that's torn out. once that plate is bolted in place behind the bad section, i'll weld the new piece of metal in place. so the welded piece won't be standing alone so to speak. actually the backing plate should be taking most of the load since it's spread over a wider area and that's what the bracket that holds some equipment bolts too and pulls against. i might follow up with a picture here once i get the backing plate in place if i have any questions. thanks again!

I need to repair the frame on my tractor. When welding two plates of steel together, meaning one end to another, do you butt them up next to each other or leave a small gap and fill that gap with weld? How wide should that gap be? Probably 1/8" - 1/4" steel. And should I just match the thickness or should I make the piece I'm welding into the tractor frame a little thicker to give more metal to weld too?

the H6 might be an option, they are excellent in terms of reliability. not sure what the ratings are but the 4 cylinder automatic heavy 4WD OBW's might not be that fantastic of a trade off. my last tank in my H6 was 24 mpg. the 4 cylinder will need timing belts at 100,000 and 200,000, at $700 dealer cost, including probably some pulleys, tensioner, etc. the H6, having a timing chain instead of belt, can make 200,000 miles with none of that maintenance. so as far as costs go - the H6 has some advantages that way. i think most foreign companies have not improved reliability much in 20 years, my personal opinion is they have gone backwards in some ways and forward in others. it's a trade off for other things, but for bottom line cheap reliability subaru has lost ground. best bet at a high mileage is to get one new or get a one owner, well maintained vehicle. 200,000 miles is easily expected out of nearly any of their products though.

make it whatever you want that doesn't set you back financially. maxing out your finances is not a healthy way to live. the tighter feel of subaru's with good struts and beefier sway bars is a welcome one, so yeah it's worth it. those improvements are much more satisfying and noticeable than trying to make an NA subaru "fast" IMO.

Some of the non-Outback wagons (like the L and brighton models) have the EJ22 as well - though again they aren't nearly as nicely trimmed out and stuff. Better cars though with the more reliable EJ22. Not too hard to find an EJ25 with the headgaskets already replaced or blown, I see them all the time. Took me about 1 minute to find one in your state: Here's a 98 with the headgaskets already replaced: http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/1689073204.html If it's not replaced with Subaru head gaskets though I wouldn't buy it. The major engine maintenance is done, that's a good deal.

90-94's are harder to find though in the rust-belt and not cosmetically pleasing to everyone. that being said personally for the price range you're looking for I'd just find one with blown headgaskets, buy it for $1,000 and spend $2,500 on new head gaskets, timing belt kit, reseal the engine, etc. Then you're in a very reliable vehicle for $3,500. I would be comfortable up to 150,000 miles if the car is in good condition. One owner, well maintained vehicle would be kind to you. Keep checking autotrader and craigslist locally. The 1996 manual trans Outback is a highly sought after vehicle because it's the only OBW with the EJ22 - which doesn't have the head gasket issues of the EJ25. You can get later model Impreza Outbacks too which have the EJ22 instead of the EJ25. More reliable engine though it doesn't have all the comforts available - smaller, no leather, not as much room, not quite as nicely trimmed out, stereo's, heated cold weather packages, etc. 1997 and up are all interference engines, and all EJ25's are, so set aside $1,000 for a good timing belt job on any vehicle you get. Done right you can get a nice, cheap, 4WD Subaru that can reliably and inexpensively give you 100,000 miles of service.

you have'nt clarified the original problem question have you? have you removed the old sensor and properly installed the new one? that needs to be done first i would think, then start chasing issues.

yes, the 96 won't have a screw on external filter and the bellhousing bolt holes may look a little different, but otherwise they're identical and that doesn't really matter anyway.

you can't (easily) swap SOHC and DOHC engines.

My XT6 had loose (came off by hand) front axle nuts. It had been driven thousands of miles like that - friend drove it from Texas to GA to WV like that when I got it. It was fine after all tightened up, no bearing issues. But I guess, like you, prolonged use like that would cause some kind of problem. If you have a roar up front then that sounds like wheel bearing. If it's a vibration then axles might be a thought. And if so, if they aren't MWE or Subaru axles then there's no telling as aftermarket axles are low grade. Leaking, vibrating, shaking, clicking, failing, short life spans, etc are common. I tigthten the axle nuts more than the manual says.

it's going to come down to finding a good match between buyer and seller. the car isn't worth very much in the standard market, so comes down to how much you want one with this work done to it. paint and metal look clean and nice, though there are dents in the lower door panels. areas are different but around here that car in stock condition (without the lift) would be hard pressed to get $1,000. with a quarter million miles i don't see the lift making it worth near $2,800. but for someone wanting an older, cheap to maintain Subaru offroad wagon as a daily driver it might be worth it. at that price the buyer is probably someone who wants a lift but can't do the work. i don't know if SJR installs their lifts but if they do then paying premium price for a vehicle with a lift already installed might not be necessary. it does seem nice for someone wanting that exact set up though.

any importer of JDM engines can get you one if they're available. have you called and asked about availability? you would bolt up your intake manifold to the JDM block. a picture of one: http://subaru.kacsh.com/rx4.html

Probably need to do the old clear them then see which ones come back first gig. Good luck.

Make me! ?? No need to lock, I can avoid it since I'm the problem. I was asking a question. Sorry I rubbed you wrong, I'll avoid your thread. Most folks have a goal in mind so I was wondering what yours was. That was a real question in both of my last two replies, not sure why it sounded so inciting? It's typical to start by knowing what the goal is and asking and answering questions to get there. Maybe you said earlier and I should have revisited?

That's what I'm saying to the last 4 pages of replies. This is really simple stuff. What did you say your goal is?

trans pump is not accessible through the pan. remove the transmission and separate the front diff from the transmission assembly to get to the pump. in general these transmissions are robust making used a very good option. since there's a low demand they're often easy to find cheap. i bought an EJ 4EAT a few years ago from a yard with a 90 day warranty, under 100,000 miles for $150. hardly worth fixing the old one for that price, although that's below average. point is, you might want to look and price it out just to see what you can find. someone on here might even have a known good transmission for you. Gloyale has a great write up on removing the front diff, might want to check that thread out. You'll start getting into work that effects the backlash and that's critical to not screw up or you'll be fixing it again. Not terribly hard and with help from this board you should be good to go, but a fair warning in case you've never dove into trans/diffs before.

yeah sounds like typical battery/charging/cable/connection party.

Type of driving makes a huge difference, what have you gotten before and auto or manual? 23 does sound low for average driving conditions. I've seen gas mileage increase 3mpg after a brake job on a vehicle that had perfectly operating brakes, just low pads. When was the last brake job and are you sure they're actually greasing the slides and not just pad-slapping it (common practice)? O2 sensor if it's original would certainly be a place to look. They're not lifetime use parts. Not sure if they're easily testable but it would be only the front O2 that could affect gas mileage. On older generation Subaru's they run perfectly fine with the O2 sensor disconnected. So if you disconnect the O2 (if it's possible on EJ stuff - i've yet to try it) and the gas mileage doesn't change at all (go down) then that might be an indicator that the sensor is bad? In general I figure I'm going to replace the O2 sensor at least once for sure so I do it early and figure I'm maximizing my return on the new part and increased mileage over the life of the vehicle. So I replace them without much thought. There was a recent thread about bad CTS causing engines to run rich, and probably decrease MPG.

I saw online where excess moisture in the lines can cause the fluid to boil and fail like this as well - there was a name for it. Anyway, seems unlikely given the light kind of driving she was doing. But it was an odd day and 90 degrees when it happened. There is all sorts of dirt in the MC and I had to rebuild a front caliper on this car less than a year ago. I'm betting the fluid was never changed for 15 years. I just hate "not knowing". The manual bleeding sounds like a great idea, I'm almost hopeful the master cylinder is bad and I get to see it. How exactly do MC's fail and why would it show up one time only?

She said the brake pedal hit the floor. Based on the replies I'm thinking master cylinder since the "Brake" light came on too? Seems awfully suspicious for the brake light to be on (reservoir full) and then this happens a day or two later. I wasn't sure what failures modes the proportioning valves or brake booster have, never seen or heard of those failing. For her sake I don't want to spend any more money than we have to in order to fix it (labor being free it's parts only). No ABS.

Friend said her legacy brakes weren't working at all, had to use the emergency brake to stop. 1996 Legacy L wagon automatic 4WD. I found no leaks, master cylinder has fluid, and it seemed to work fine in the parking lot where I work. The brake light was on a couple days ago and I wiggled the fluid level indicator in the master cylinder and the brake light went out so I figured it was just a sticking indicator. So what can "fail intermittently" so to speak?

you can always try clear coating it a simple way (can or whatever). if it starts to flake again, then so what, do it again. i've seen folks come up with great results using canned paint and clear coat, i'd consider it worth a try.