idosubaru

unlikely but you don't want to run a tire without proper air pressure anyway. i had a very low tire in one of mine last week and it caused no issues. although i have seen poorly matched tires cause an issue, each circumstance is difference. you'll need to describe this "vibration" more to determine what is going on. i'm learning towards torque bind but it could be a CV. if the car feels like it's "braking" or slowing down more than normal when the wheels are turned all the way (in a parking lot for instance), then that's torque bind. it'll induce a braking action to the car. TONS of information on here about TB and it's caused by poor maintenance. The first step is change your ATF as soon as possible and make sure all of your tires match in size and tread. axles won't do that, they'll be noisy. usually they start by clicking. click, click, click and you should hear plenty of noises before they start vibrating. which is why you probably have torque bind, you haven't mentioned any noises really. i have to joke now. you must be used to american cars, because Subaru tie rod ends don't often cause problems! you can crawl under the car and grab the tie rod and try to shake/move it with your hand. if it's so bad that it's causing noises and vibration (rare), it should be noticeable right away. tie rod replacement isn't that hard. one nut (hub side), and it unthreads on the other side with a wrench. so just one nut really and then unscrew it, that's it. the tricky part is rust or corrosion, sometimes they don't want to come off. a torch to heat up the nuts is nice, but i live in the rust belt. and you have to count the number of threads removing so you can reinstall the new one at the same point, otherwise you need an alignment aftewards.

the owners manual will delineate this for her, tell her to check that out. this is also covered extensively on here if you want to search. those questions have already been answered numerous times. the EJ (impreza/legacy) stuff is essentially all the same. even EA's with the 4EAT, all the automatics are nearly identical in principle and towing stuff is the same. i wouldn't flat tow it personally, unless the manual says otherwise, i'm sure someone here will comment. as for the tow dolly, you would have to disconnect the rear driveshaft which is really simple. it's only 4 12mm nuts and it drops off. though on some EJ vehicles there's a cover plate to remove first, but that's easy as well (and then i don't reinstall it!). another way to tow an automatic on a dolly is to put the FWD fuse in and leave the car running while you're towing. cars needs to be on to power the FWD circuit and have fluid moving. but i only do that for short distance, wouldn't work for her.

sounds like you got it right to me. use the FWD strut top and the rest AWD stuff, tear it up! you could check alignment or keep a tight eye on tire wire to see. the differences must be minor. i converted form AWD to FWD and didn't notice any difference anywhere in handling or stance. that's really confusing though since we didn't get an "RX", and that is actually and older gen vehicle over here.

how does that hose switch method work and is this only PT4WD or FT4WD diff lock too? good stuff.

unless i'm missing something, that's not true for EA82's. the only difference that doesn't allow them to interchange on the front is the spline count on turbo and non-turbo axles. otherwise all fronts are interchangeable between auto/manual and left/right.

the drain plug probably wasn't opened far enough or turned at the right angle? i think the notch in it has to line up right so to speak?

great info guys, thanks for the feedback. definitely worth it to me to have the right tool if it makes a difference.

that's damage control. that's what they say as they quote or hand out that huge bill! actually unbolting and engine mount isn't that tricky on most subaru's, but i haven't touched this EZ30 yet.

the 4EAT transmissions are quite reliable. with proper fluid changes and no overheating that used transmission should easily last you a few years. i've pulled 2nd gen (95/96) AWD automatics with the engine/trans connected and didn't have to unbolt anything to make it happen. it's a tight squeeze but it comes out. i've never done 1st gen legacy's but i would guess they would come out too? now, the engine/trans combo was SERIOUSLY angled hard core to come out, but it did! that being said, pulling the trans is the fastest way to do this job...but only if it goes well! it can also be longer and a total PITA. working from the under the car is a bear. hocrest said he uses his 2ton engine hoist and some chain to drop transmissions without puling the engine. weave some chain from the hoist through the engine bay into the trans. then use the hoist to aid in supporting, separating and installing the trans from under the car. he has more details somewhere i'm sure, but sounds like a good idea. good luck!

the semantics are confusing you. use 4WD on slippery surfaces only. "hard" surfaces means concrete, asphalt, typical roads so to speak. not ice or packed snow. it's a direct mechanical linkage when it's in 4WD. the owners manual might be insightful too. this is true mechanical 4WD, you might want to read up on 4WD systems, how and why they work and why it's bad to use them sometimes. knowledge is powa!

Skip - any word on this? How much to have it done or how brutal was it to do yourself? I just picked up an H6 legacy and am probably not too far from a spark plug change.

i don't believe you have adjustable valves, they are HLA's. i would go with frequent oil changes for now and possibly some "treatments" like sea foam (excellent stuff) or marvel mystery oil. whatever you do, keep changing your oil regularly and often. the HLA's don't do well with dirty oil.

those $200-$300 numbers look good to me. depends on your area too. there's zillions of subaru's where i live and it's easy to get something for a couple hundred. scrap prices have come down a lot recently, a few months ago the converter alone was worth $125 for scrap. price might go up if it's really low miles or subaru's are hard to find in your area (which i don't think they are).

highly unlikely the cam is to blame. that stethoscope should at least help you narrow down which cylinder is the cause. sounds like you're fairly confident that it's not something else up front, like a timing belt tensioner? and keep piston slap in the back of your mind too. it usually is loudest at start up and quiets down as the engine warms up. don't think any other tapping would do that.

after i saw your other post it reminded me - make sure the pins are all okay in the wiring harness plug. make sure they're not bent.

mountaingoat - unplug the wiring harness from the transmission and see if it drives like that. it'll be "locked" in 4WD and in 3rd gear but otherwise should run and drive fine. if it doesn't run right that way then it probably points to internal issues. if it does run fine then i'm guessing it could be internal/external to the trans.

go skip, that's niftt, thanks for sharing! i've done that with XT6's before as well.

to the OP - if the shop has extensive experience and feels it's a good fix, i would go with them. the shops i've dealt with are all very competent and know this stuff very well. they aren't in the business of guessing, or hoping something will work when it comes to tearing down motors and such. trust their judgement, it'll probably be pretty good. right on 360. the conclusion is the application you're talking about is completely different from the OP. i agree on all your points dissecting that fictitious off the top of my head in 2 seconds analogy. i'll try and lay off the analogies! the gasket probably will make 50,000 miles. i also think it probably had a good chance of holding without the JB. either way, anecdotal opinions....

really? guess i never thought about it, but loss of vacuum will make it disengage, that's surprising. the ones that need "coaxing" out of 4WD might not let out just due to vacuum leakage maybe? some of my XT6's have needed help getting unlocked. like some driving straight time at slow speeds, etc.

a failed head gasket is often caused by some other cooling system issue. everything in there is 20 years old, plenty of places for problems. new thermostat (subaru only), flushing the coolant, flushing the radiator and heater core are all excellent ideas. a new radiator cap and replacing any hoses/clamps you can get to is always a good idea. on my old gen vehicles i make it a point to replace them all. it's even more critical with turbo's.

mine is a McIntosh system as well, or that's what the radio has on it anyway.

i thought he was talking about the actual cylinder, the sleeve or something like that. that is true of millions of less than ideal repairs. there are head gasket jobs that were never milled, cleaned with a wire brush, and used some cheap o after market head gasket that are still running fine and will hold up for quite a few miles. still a difference between that and repeatable solutions that last 50,000+ miles. seeing a car doesn't mean it has had any substantial use or miles put on it. not trying to be a dork or mean, just laying it out there since this thread could easily come back up in the future as these EJ's age and this question comes up again.

yeah what you're describing doesn't sound like trans related issues. probably tire or traction. the front has all the weight, that accounts for tons of traction related things.

i wouldn't recommend that for anyone else. i don't know of anyone that would recommend that for a cylinder wall repair. i would guess the JB weld has zero percent of holding up any substantial length of time. though i agree the engine will keep running and you wouldn't notice any symptoms for quite awhile probably. that being the case, unless you disassembled them again or drove them 50,000 miles you might not know how successful the repair was.

Thanks skip and dave, This does have the surround sound and subwoofer package in it, so i'll check there too. Subwoofer is under the seat you say? I'm an audio goober but I guess that's a big box and should be easily visible? Guess I'm leaning towards the heated seats and radio issue to be not related. Fuses appeared fine.