idosubaru

try and find a good used Subaru axle, that's your best bet. the one you gotten may have been abused, not Subaru, or something like that. give it another whirl, i've used tons of junkyard axles with no problems. automatic transmissions will move...erratically, but they'll move. manuals will do just what you experienced and GL said, not move unless you fire it up enough to heat the VLSD fluid up. and not a good idea to do that unecessarily. good luck.

i searched and didn't find much info on using later 95+ transmissions in earlier models. i only looked for 3 minutes, so you could search some more or start a new thread with a more precise title "will later year transmissions work in 1990" or something like that.

direct swaps go like this: 90-91 92-94 95-98 with some searching here you'll be able to narrow that list down a bit. for instance, find someone who has swapped a 90 and 93 then you know (which i'm pretty sure it true) that: 90-94 are interchangeable. of course you always need to keep the final drive ratios in mind. i'd avoid the 90-94 legacy turbo's. you probably won't see many anyway but those trans tend to have more issues. spend some time searching and it'll all shake out for you. TONS of good info over the years on here.

oh no kidding, it gave more clearance? that is awesome!

the steering rack has two large rubber bushings that wrap around the rack and are right where the brackets hold it to the car. the steering will shake and the steering wheel will seem to drift and have a delayed response. i don't think just "juddering" would be a symptom of those, so probably not it. only when warm. odd indeed. maybe the pump is hosed, but hate to just keep throwing parts at it. once it's starts "juddering", i'd get it to do it a bunch and then check the fluid - see if it's got lots of bubbles or something in it. maybe that would point to a bad pump (transmission pumps do that sometimes).

that's what i was saying in my earlier reply- they don't use the VIN to make a key, they use the key code. but they aren't magicians either, so they need some way to identify the vehicle and look up the code. your name (if you've been there before maybe), VIN, something. imagine walking in and saying "i need a new key" and they hand it to you. obviously that's impossible, they need something to work with!

that sucks, hope it at least runs okay now? usually with stuff like this, there's more going on behind the scenes. is this your first post? what is Draco? where are you? why did it take so long, it obviously sat for some reason. why didn't you go get it after 2 months, have it towed somewhere else? what was the original estimate?

good thing, otherwise this dude could have listened to my incomplete babbling commentary. "hey sir, we need a title for that key code"........

:lol::lol: awesome!

it's not a bad idea to spend 20-30 minutes reading general A/C info and how to do this on the internet or something. it's not all that complicated, good to know, and helps when trying to figure this stuff out. ah, ha, so it is doing that! this is really simple then, you missed a step. might want to read the packaging or can for some tips. have the car running (i even up the RPM's by pushing the throttles) while charging. charge it with the engine running and it'll take more and quit cycling. but it's leaking, it was low right? so you have a leak somewhere. i'd be using some of the refrigerant with stop leak in it. i've used that with good sucess, not sure how long it will last but it does help. might even want to consider replacing the two orings under the line fittings (only one bolt holding them on) and the schrader valves if this charge leaks out quickly in the future.

taking all your info and documentation with you is the way to go. i wasn't trying to discount that, it would be silly not to. caps, this is getting serious! sorry that wasn't meant to say you are wrong. actually i agree and should have +1'ed that. just stating different locals, management and personnel operate differently. plenty of rural places and honest people left that all dealers don't comply with "protocol". i've had them not be able to cut keys from VIN's before, because the key code wasn't available. and i've never had to give ID of any kind, as time goes on that will diminish as people take advantage of it. and the opposite happens too: a friend of mine is a service manager at a dealer that won't work on any pre-1990 Subaru. they're in the ghetto of a large metropolitan area and get sued too often because of old, poorly maintained vehicles falling apart when they work on them.

yeah there are kits all over the place here for cheap to convert from r12 to r134a. it's simple and easy.

did you follow all the directions, like do it with the car running? something else in the system might not be working right. in general those cheeze-ball little kits in a bottles do work okay, but they certainly aren't professional grade stuff. but i've gotten them to work just fine enough that i would think your problem is elsewhere. i say that because folks are going to say you need a professional, or gauges, etc, to check this for you. and if your a/c system is not working well then they may be right. if it's undercharged it should get cool....then warm....then cool....the compressor will be cycling on and off due to improper levels. it won't stay the same temperature all the time. is the compressor cylcling on and of if you run it for 15-20 minutes?

it's not cut from the VIN per-se. and all the comments about personal info is anecdotal, that just depends who you talk to/where you go. here's how it works: each key has a 4 digit key code, that's what you're after. when the car is sold the salesmen is *supposed* to record the 4 digit code in the sales paper work/computer. if they did this - then the VIN can be used to look up the key code. if not, the VIN won't do it. every time i've gone to a dealer they've never asked for any info, they just look it up. i wouldn't be surprised if they want proof of ownership, just depends on the local and how well they know you. do you have any other Subaru keys, it's not that uncommon for a key to work in multiple vehicles. particularly older and warn down keys. i have like 30! the next step is to look at the lock cylinder in either front door, the key code is stamped on it. on some models you can even see the code without removing the lock cylinder. pull the door panel and look. otherwise you need to remove the circlip and pull the lock cylinder out to read the code. once you find it i would recommend having multiple keys and writing the code down.

if you have a leak it's best to try and find it rather than just guessing. have you looked for leaks at all? a radiator shop can test your radiator for leaks. might be worth a few bucks to find out for sure what's going on. the water pump is a rather involved job, includes removing the timing belt. it's not as easy as some vehicles. if yo'ure doing the pump your best bet is to do a complete timing belt change including an Ebay timing belt kit. more than likely at least one (if not all) of your pulleys isn't going to be in great position. if they fail, they take out your new timing belt so kind of a shame to not replace it all. you might be due for a timing belt change anyway, they're supposed to be every 60,000 on that engine.

i suspect you need an alignment. but i hate to recommend a $70 job as a "guess". i've never had much trouble getting the air out of the system, so sounds like to me if it's holding the full level it should be fine. but who knows, your situation could be different, so make sure the fluids all good. how were the steering rack bushings? if i remove a rack i normally just replace the rack bushings since you can get nice aftermarket ones for only $20 or so from whiteline or other companies. all EJ stuff is about the same, i even use the EJ ones on older gen steering racks.

replace your timing belt with this job. get an Ebay kit to be exact. your 1998 is an interference engine, if the belt breaks or a pulley goes bad you're going to have extensive internal engine damage (more than you probably want to put in this car to fix). as for the crank pulley. typically, a good mechanic can fix this really easily. if they are damaged replace the two sprockets on the crank shaft. if the pulley is damaged, replace it. if the crank itself is damaged, usually can get the pulley (the original or a new/used one) to fit just fine. some filing to make it fit will work. if the keyway is not present, CRANK THE CRAP OUT OF IT, and it's not coming off. i use a socket and a 2 foot pipe over the handle to get it so tight it can't come off. not ideal, but it works if you know what you're doing and have some mechanical aptitude.

there's nothing special about XT A/C's, i've done tons of A/C work on these.

for most folks just get a used shaft. they're so cheap and easy to find you're better off getting two than doing any other option. CHANGE IT NOW. problems at the front of the shaft can break and end up shattering the rear housing of your transmission. then you're in for a really fun job. this can and has happened (even to at least one board member here), i even saw the car today! they are replaceable but that's not normally the best option for most folks. more info on that here if you're interested. some folks, including myself, have done it and replaced them with replaceable/regreaseable joints.

get a used compressor. someone on here probably has one for very reasonable, post in the parts wanted section. get new o-rings and schrader valves, it's only like $3 in parts and they're likely old and compromised. do that and charge it up with 2 cans of R134a and appropriate amount of oil and you're golden.

bieng the old style, pretty sure the 2.2 will interchange, but not sure. you could cross reference part numbers if you have time for that. the forester should have an AT light just like all other roos. so you took it apart but didn't replace anything? clutches are probably hosed. i'm guessing you checked the tires/pressure? the trans/diff hasn't been previous replaced (and not matched final drive?)?

he had a mechanic do it, thanks. he had everythign replaced. complete timing belt kit and water pump, etc.

post in the parts wanted forum here, might get a score. check craigslist and ebay. it's not out of the world to find something really cheap or free on craigslist. like a wrecked car, blown motor. sedan/wagon doesn't matter. the main thing is making sure the final drive ratio matches. in which case you could swap rear diffs if you found a good deal and wanted to jump on a good deal. i think you could use almost any 90's cable clutch trans. some 96+ models (like the GT's) had a hydraulic clutch set up. but 90-94's should definitely work (keeping in mind the final drive ratio). they'll all be 3.90's or 4.11's.... i think most will be 4.11's.

it's been discussed before. you can find more info here. of course newer, lower mileage motors are nice. your logic gets blown apart at price points. EJ22's don't compare in price to EJ25's at all. completely different markets. yes, there are lots of high mileage EJ22's, but there are plenty of later 90's lower mileage ones out there too. you'll pay more...but you'll still pay way more for a newer Gen EJ25 or any EJ25 for that matter.

if you have dual piston front calipers (which i think you do), then 15" rims are probably not going to fit. i think there are some style aluminum 15" rims that will work with some dual piston calipers (though i don't know what the 08's actually come with since there are multiple varieties). i don't think all, if many, 15" rims are going to fit though. might want to check your air pressure in the tires. a set of 16" might help. type in "mazda tire size calculator" to find the equivalent size. our OBW H6, while a fantastic vehicle, doesn't ride the same as our other subarus. i prefer all of our others one to the OBW when driving over backroads, it feels more like my truck i think! i don't thikn it's due to the tires. it may have something to do with the larger ground clearance, heavier car, and doesn't ride nearly as smooth as any of our other subaru's.