idosubaru

200,000 miles is a fair amount for any automatic transmission. the 4EAT in that vehicle is an excellent transmission and they have great track records if the vehicles are not neglected. you're at the mercy of the past 10 years of maintenance and treatment. how well were the tires kept rotated, was the fluid ever changed, and how was the vehicle driven? it could make 250k or 300k no problems....if it started to have issues next year though i wouldn't be surprised either. hopefully it's driveable somewhat? check for good shifts, no flashing lights on start up, and no torque bind around turns (search on here if you don't know what that is). i'd plan on changing all the fluids and changing the filter.

transmission fluid changes are a good idea, so you did the right thing. changing the fluid and keeping your tires matching are good ways to avoid torque bind over the life of a 4EAT (your transmission) Subaru. good luck, post back how you make out.

in addition to nippers comments, i will add that ignoring it is a very, very bad idea. you will cause premature failure in various drive train components and wear your tires faster, i'll guess axles will be the first to start going out. those things shouldn't "cause" it. if you don't typically drive it my guess is that it had problems before this work, you just didn't know. but...if you're still suspicious i'd check the fluid level and color to make sure. if the $800 clutch pack replacement isnt' suitable, just run it in FWD with the fuse in. i've done it, i'm doing it, and know others are now too, it'll be fine. of course this is only suitable if the FWD fuse even works. if you put it in and still have TB then it won't work. let us know how the FWD fuse goes.

this is common to 1999-ish vehicles. bizarre since the 4EAT remains changed little over the years, not something you would expect to have problems. a friend had hers fixed last year....just shy of $2,000 i think and that was a family friend who's a retired transmission rebuilder. you can search the forums, there are a few instances of people trying additives that helped or relieved the issue. last year i emailed one of the guys who successfully tried this a few years ago that i saw when i searched the threads. since this girl was having a problem with hers i was wondering how his made out a few years later. he wrote back and said he never had any problems with it.

it's super easy, particularly after the first time. some notes: first - get an MWE or Subaru only axle. do not buy anything from the autoparts store. you would be better served with a used Subaru axle. like nipper said - just replace the entire axle, don't bother replacing the joint or boot. the hardest part of the job is getting the axle nut off, they are very tight. they can break 1/2" socket wrenches. best bet is to have a 3/4" set, high quality air tools, or a torch handy. even a small propane torch will work fine. most are 32mm axle nuts. heat the nut up and it will back off much easier. there are two bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the hub. the top one is a cambered bolt. you need to mark it and install it in the exact same position since it adjusts your alignment. i just knock a chisel on the edge of it so it puts a divot in the bolt head and strut. then when i put it back together i line those two back up again. very simple, just need to know to do that. you'll need a punch to drive out the axle roll pin, very simple. when reinstalling the axle, take note of the splines in the axle so you know which way to install the holes for the roll pin. so there's two possible ways to install it. you'll notice one hole has a "spline valley" in the middle of it, and one hole has a "spline peak" in the middle of it. take note of the axle and transmission stub it slides onto and it's super easy, you don't have to guess, pull it off, and rotate to get it right. that's it, these are really easy. once the wheel is off you just unbolt the axle nut, two bolts for the strut mount and knock the axle pin out. then it pulls right out, install the new axle, knock roll pin back in - 2 strut bolts - axle nut and done.

they are not the same, but easily interchangeable. the 1995 will have dual exhaust ports and the 1997 will have single. so the exhaust manifolds will be different. snag the exhaust headers and that solves that minor issue. the 1997 is an interference engine and the 1995 is not. i have seen (and i have the motor) one 1997 Impreza Outback without an EGR set up on it, but this is very rare indeed so that shouldn't be an issue..but like i said, i ran into it once. the transmissions will interchange just fine, the final drives may differ. if they do, then you'll just have to swap the rear diff as well.

money is an issue - so you need to make a good financial move here. if the car is in otherwise good condition - can you at least look into trying to keep it? you can do an EJ22 swap and have a great, reliable vehicle. that's what i would recommend in your shoes. EJ22's are cheap and it's a direct swap. i can get one around here with a 3 month warranty for $200....and even picked up an EJ engine with 100,000 miles, 3 month warranty for $150 last fall. trade in...you'll get hosed unless you cover up that rod-knock. which i don't recommend, that is shady. don't buy a forester - it'll have an EJ25 in it, they blow head gaskets and have some rare but more-than-usual-subaru rod knocks. do a search on here or a search engine for EJ25 head gaskets and see. if you want a subaru go with an EJ22 (2.2 liter), one of the best engines Subaru ever made and they are easy to find cheap and not that old. i'd personally recommend a 1996 or earlier in your shoes. reliable and very low risk of any significant issues if you can keep oil and coolant in it. good luck, that does suck.

on the only bad diff that i saw, chunks of metal came out when i changed the fluids. it should be very obvious whether it's the front diff or rear, sounds like you definitely have it narrowed down to the rear? driveshafts can cause noises too - they are best to remove for positive identification. the joints and carrier bearings can fail.

based on GD's comments this is rare or an anomaly, not popular. the confusion probably comes from the similarities between the EA81 and EA82. some of the companies that build EA81's for aircraft will do EA82 stuff for guys wanting them for cars.

if you do replace the rear diff, just get a used one. they fail so rarely that buying a new one or rebuilding is pointless. used ones can be had super cheap...because there's no market for them. there's a marketplace forum on here, you can post there and someone probably has one. they don't fail very often so i'd double check some things first. i wonder if the replaced bearings are failing again? maybe one wasn't installed properly or the hub was damaged when the previous ones failed...or the axle nut is working loose?

the 96 will have single exhaust ports, the forester will have dual. you'll want an EJ22 exhaust manifold (that will bolt right up). 99 incurred some changes and i forget which/if any are relevant to your situation. i think you'll have bell housing bolt issues though....one will have 4 and the other will have 8. still doable but you'll have to decide whether to just have one starter bolt instead of two or decide if you want to drill/tap the second.

1. use the stock coil. aftermarkets are not reliable or needed. there's not benefit really. 2. sometimes changing oil oil helps the TOD, do that frequently. find out where you're using your oil before you proceed. you likely just need to reseal the oil pump properly to get rid of your TOD. TOD is normally caused by two different things that both have entirely different solutions: A: Oil pump seals. the mickey mouse seal is usually corrupted, this is the most common problem. some people have problems getting the mickey mouse seal to seal properly. in these case i think a new oil pump is needed. B: HLA's. these will need treatments (MMO, ATF, Seafoam) or replacement. trying HLA fixes for oil pump problems or oil pump fixes for HLA problems will not solve your issues. if your HLA's are random and intermittent and many are noisey, then it's likely the oil pump. if it's just one, then it's probably an HLA and not the oil pump.

you'll probably be fine but anaerobic is the way to go really. that's what i always use. i saw that O2 comment as well, that's the first i've ever heard of that.

area you serious? i've asked about this a number of times. i think skip and I would love to hear more from you about this. i have the same problem. my question is this - i imagine there's the speedo drive gear and a driven gear right? there has to be two that come together. are they both replaceable this way or only one? if it's the gear that's around the diff that's bad, then that won't be replaceable as easily i don't think. is one more likely to break or be damaged than the other? i imagine maybe the driven gear is mostly likely to be bad...the one on the shaft for the speedo sensor?

city driving does not make for good gas mileage. the closer you get to 0 mpg (sitting there idling) the less noticeable difference you'll see between any vehicle. i'd complete the tune up - i always do plugs, wires, cap, and rotor at the same time to keep things simple. except that i exclusively use Magnecor wires which never need replaced so after the first time it's plug, cap, and rotor only. GD brings up a good point - i've sent away a few sets of fuel injectors to companies that flow test them before and after cleaning/repairing. subaru injectors seem robust but they typically have some dripping/bleeding, whatever they call it at higher mileage/age. 'im not familiar with SPFI as mine have all been MPFI units, but given that GD already mentioned it, it could be worth checking into. RC Engineering and other companies will test them before and after cleaning/rebuilding. RC is rather expensive...but it doesn't really cost that much anyway. There are much cheaper companies out there.

for most people the very best thing you can do is just swap over to coil over struts. the air suspension system can be awkward and cumbersome if you don't have the time to learn it, maintain it and have easy access to spare parts. i love the air suspension and always keep it running in my XT6's. it's rather reliable if you put some work into it. i have some instructions posted on subaruxt forums about maintaining the air bags to prevent them from leaking and some other tips. if you go through the maintenance on a properly working system (good luck finding one!) the suspension will last years and many miles with no issues.

those plugs are available new, we have some information on sourcing them over on the subaruxt forum.

if you have any problems figuring that out then just get a used one to swap in. they are cheap and easy to do.

those metal exhaust shrouds are really bad for this kind of stuff, good chance that's what it is. i've crawled under subaru's and seen metal hose clamps holding them type, sheet metal screws drilled into the exhaust...people come up with some good ones for settling that down!

the engine has to come out to replace those. so they probably pulled it, or just said they replaced those items.

junk yard? i can rebuild that. a new front clip and some bondo massaging. how in the heck did he survive, didn't look like any room left in there at all.

i think subarupartsforyou dot com has a good parts look up function that shows part numbers. you can also call a subaru dealer and ask for part numbers from a 96 and a 90...or whatever years interest you. when buying used, try to find one that doesn't have beginnings of a crack on the base, that's how they fail. used ones aren't often in great shape.

i thought there were some late 90's automatic legacy's with 4.44's...but i'm not sure. the 99 SUS was a 4.44 but that does you no good.

i emailed you instead of PM.

i'm leaving to go out of town. i'll PM you instructions and contact information. i have one in hand, if you pay by early tomorrow i'll drop it in the mail. otherwise i won't be back til early next week. the code 21 is your coolant temp sensor as you know. if the connector and contacts are good....it could be corrossion down the length of the wire. there's no way to check outside of pulling the ECU plugs and the CTS plugs and checking resistance. but at this early stage that probably won't show much. a new CTS may help, but i've yet to see one actually fail. the auto parts stores sell them new for $19 or so.