idosubaru

i would think the chances of it "sticking" are very slim. the biggest danger is probably not being in the habit of leaving it in 4WD. the more often i've gotten lazy like that, the easier it is to forget or have it in 4WD when you don't want.

Now i'm not too concerned with the heated seats, but thought that might narrow the issue down. 2003 Legacy wagon the radio turns on and seems to function in every way - change channels, etc, but there's no sound.

did it do this right after any work or out of the blue? after having work done it's not that uncommon for fluids that dripped into crevices, exhaust ports, heat shields...etc to burn off after start up. if it's random, then you have a fluid leak. if your power steering fluid is known to be leaking then that's probably the cause. fix known stuff first before thinking it's something else. CV boots loosing grease will also cause smoke as it splatters and heats up.

i'm with GD and would go with the NGK sets unless you're really sure you'll use them for 100,000 - 200,000 miles like i do, which is why i go with Magnecor, but most people don't put that many miles on a set probably.

if you're looking for high quality wires - go with Magnecor, they are awesome. i put them in every vehicle i own and have put 150,000 miles on one set before. you might even be able to ask about checking the length of the coil wire or supplying you with a longer one. or take your wires to Subaru and compare the lengths, particularly the one for the coil. can you just move the ignition coil, make a little bracket adapter or something?

rear main seals are tricky, you want plenty of room to work with so it seats and installs properly or you'll be doing it again the following week. it's not a "gasket" as you mention which are typically more forgiving. a seal needs to be pseudo-pressed in (i usuallly use the old seal) and seated properly. take note of the old seal deptth and install the new one to the same depth. and make sure it seats and installs flush and even.

i've done it and noticed zero difference in gas mileage. probably not worth the trouble although i suppose his driving habits/patterns could be different than mine and maybe it would somehow be noticeable. and as for your loyale, like already mentioned it's a completely different system. is yours a manual? in that case it's comparing apples to the north pole.

i don't think we know what you're trying to do? what engine, what car, etc? as for gearing, i've never been a huge fan of Subaru's high reving highway gearing either in manual transmissions. you might be able to get a 3.9 or something from an early impreza and put larger wheels on it - like 16" or so. look at the trans chart and see what the differences actually are.

not trying to step on toes, have you considered an EJ swap? less money, more power, more reliable....it's hard to beat that. as for those pistons RAM certainly has them.

this might come down to not much of anything. disclaimers like this are very common anywhere and everywhere. it's more of a CYA than it is actual useful information. Subaru probably even has their own, you just ignore or don't see them. in the world of lawsuits and stupid consumers, it's easier for companies to make blanket statements even if they aren't all that relevant.

it lists the XT FWD manual as 29 - i don't think that's even close unless the one that i owned was a freak. on all highway trips they can get 40 mpg. i realize all highway isn't normal, but still 29 seems offly low. i've gotten 29 in an AWD XT6 before. the justy is only listed as 33, that seems low. but maybe the reports of 35 mpg XT's and justy's are more anomaly's than normal?

does anyone know which belts fit which vehicles? it would be nice to know what the actual difference is...years, makes, models, etc?

take it to Subaru and compare the two belts they have to yours. looks like they even gave you the two differing phone numbers.

yep, PT4WD - as in it's FWD when it's not engaged and it's "locked" 4WD when it's engaged. meaning, do not drive on pavement or hard surfaces with it in 4WD, it's the real deal.

oh wow, that sucks. 6 x1.25 or 8x1.25. Pull one of the top ones at the store, they're easy enough to remove and take it in with you. the easiest way to fix these is to find out if the holes are deeper than the original bolt. if so, then there are usually fresh never used threads down lower and you can use a longer bolt. check that out, you might just use a longer bolt and not need to do all the tapping stuff. i've done that a number of times on timing belt pulley bolts.

yep, like will said you have both. 4 CV axles (also called drive axles or half shafts) - one from each wheel to the front/rear differential 1 Driveshaft - this is the long shaft from the rear of the trans to the rear differential They are different. The terminology alone might be confusing you, sometimes hard to know what someone is talking about. That being said "a rattle", sounds more like something is loose, like an exhaust part than a CV. Rear CV shafts almost never need replaced, that's bizarre to replace those. though maybe he was just avoiding replacing the boot and replaced the entire axle instead.

PT4WD - with a button the shifter loyales did not come with D/R.

this tidbit of history is causing major headaches right now. Japanese industry was mesmerized by the skills and thoughts of Richard Deming who was only hired by the US to do some post WWII census work for Japan. Industries bought him back and ate up everything he had to say about quality control (industrial engineering) and more. The US manufacturers have all but ignored it and made little if any steps to improve. American manufacturers have had it coming for a very long time. Poor leadership, poor engineering, inability to change...it's been brewing for decades and is now catching up to them. The economy didn't "cause" their crisis, just made it come faster and harder. So yeah - there were significant changes in production methodology and quality control in Japan during that era and beyond. The quality control of the aluminum was certainly a part of that process. But given the overall record of the EA engines, they are fairly robust for their time and lack of market appeal.

hey nip, that's what i thought too about the windshields. is there anyway to tell if it's been replaced by looking at it? pretty sure the guy i got it from said the windshield was original.

jfromky posted this on the xt board: http://codes.rennacs.com/plugins/Subaru ... Legacy.php haven't had a chance to look through it yet since i'm on dial up, but seems somewhat promising. looks ambiguous though as to what year legacy's it applies too, doesn't say.

that's about right. i like learning, so that'll at least make the pain fun....for a little bit! beats the price tag of a mint H6 VDC OBW...or not - i might be reselling it without an operative air bag system! i priced some air bag and seat belt sets (both air bags and seat belts) for only like $300-ish. that was for 3.0L H6 OBW's. am i missing something, i didn't see these 4 digit price tags? do air bags usually, never or sometimes break the windshield? this one did not. last root canal i had wasn't bad at all, lucky or they're getting better techniques?

i forget what you're trying to do? if it's a gas mileage project i can't go without mentioning how awesome XT's are for gas mileage. a MPFI XT FWD manual do you any good? when i go to NASA/greenbelt, are you close to there? you work normal hours - like 9-5....guess we need to PM, maybe we could meet up.

awesome, this should be fun.

cool will, so you just want this thing for parts basically? unless you can definitively figure something out i'd just move on. i can't imagine it would be hard to find something else for parts and cheap.

hey nip, what's up with those seat belts anyway? how does that work, with them locking/needing replaced? what, how, why do they work like that? and how long have they been like that? our 90's EJ stuff isn't like that is it?