idosubaru

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.

false.

DUDE! thanks for the heads up, i'm glad i said something. is that going towards GB or away from GB?

is it an automatic or manual? it seems likely that it's a FWD since you don't note any obvious 4WD indicators...like pushbutton, badges, or anything else. you can't tell by driving it - does it ever "peel out" "screech tires" or "get stuck"? but there are a few possibilities. the vehicle may have one time been an AWD and is now a FWD. it may be an AWD with the rear stuff removed...depends what "she looked at between the legs". it's possible to remove the rear diff and axles and still drive it. it could be a FWD. or maybe there are mutliple VIN's on your car (unlikely). where did you pull the VIN from? is it identical everywhere? there's the unlikely chance that the part you pulled the VIN from is different than the rest of the car....like the dash, etc.

it's a joke....TEN THOUSAND POSTS...would you rather buy from someone who's made one post here or ten thousand? and 69 trader ratings....i think he's been around a while and is reliable. ha ha! i would tell him how big you need and see if he can do it. if he has vector formatted images, or equivalents, he can do anything you want. and McBrat if that's something you would like to have let me know and I can probably help. it's good for making large things, like a sign company would need for instance to make large signs or stickers.

gatlinburg..nice, i'll be there tomorrow. anyway, a board member here dyno'ed his XT6 (EA82 + 2 more cylinders) through intake, exhaust, cam, and timing changes. the timing change made the largest hp improvement so says the machine. i forget what he bumped it but he has to run 93 octane which you're already doing.

there's two types of low range, one is rather insignificant i believe just from reading on here. if you need low range that bad maybe you want to make sure it's the best one? i don't know anything about them except what i read here.

not being able to see or hear it we need the best description and details you can muster. but...that being said and me being a psychic, you have a bad axle. find the broken CV boot and yank the axle around. any play? if not, pack some grease in there by hand, pushing it in and all over as best as you can behind the busted boot. if it gets a little better (noise or vibrations), then you just found your problem. it could be so bad that no amount of grease will help though. replace the axle with a good used or new Subaru axle or MWE axle only. don't buy any aftermarket junk. you should investigate immediately. if this is an axle it could destroy your speedometer gear inside the transmission with all that vibrating and the only way to fix it is to replace the transmission...or do a tear down of the trans, which most people don't opt for. either way, yanking a transmission = no fun in my book...particularly when replacing the axle could avoid it. on the passengers side the axle is only a couple inches away from the plastic speedometer gear inside the front diff, all of that vibration can break it (don't ask how i know). other possible options if it's not your axle...sounds like you're leaving many things unattended...are wheel bearings, wheel out of balance, a very bad ball joint, steering rack bushings, tie rod ends. should be very obvious by pushing/pulling or looking.

here's a $64 example done by a buddy of mine with Walmart paint and some semi-proper sanding: http://subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1440&highlight=dollar

i've never seen one like that. could it have had damage prior that you just didn't see? i wonder if it previously bent some valves due to a timing belt escapade? i'd probably use it, based on the comments of these guys, and if by inspection the pits are all within the headgasket sealing surfaces.

i'm with GD's sentiments in general. right off the bat you'll probably need to consider timing belts, water pump, and some seals that go along with a proper tbelt/wpump job. looks like yo'ure not doing the work yourself and that Ej25 timing belt job could run close to $1,000 or more. it's a necessity too as this is an interference engine so if the timing belt breaks you have engine damage. ATF change should be in order as well. it's possible to buy one that's had these items addressed though, so keep that in mind. any 8 year old car is likely to have issues...noises, belts, ball joints, CV axles (often on a subaru), wheel bearings, brakes, knock sensor, fluids...etc. yes, it's possible to get one that doesn't have many problems for many years and miles, but that's less likely that it is likely with any vehicle that's got some years/miles on it. so i guess it depends what the "+" means...2008 is a 2000+! as for the "poor design" comment, that's common too. auto manufacturers have thousands of design points...it's easy for one to be missed or not take the rigors of weather, years, and mileage. most vehicles have some minor "poor design" areas like that, particularly when the age and mileage starts to push the weaker areas. it's all statistics...of course you *could* get one that has zero issues...a VW or Subaru.

i should have an IAC or three, if i can remember to check once i'm home.

i don't know, i mean there's some but it's minor..gets flung off (thanks nip!), etc. definitely nothing worth ruining your timing belts over by trying to clean them with a solvent. this is really simple and i already said it, if it is getting dirty, install covers! my wife's impreza OBS has nice, clean, black timing belt covers.

if they're getting dirty you need covers. don't get anything on the belts, it reduces their life span. spraying/coating/cleaning is probably a bad thing for the belts. if you get new covers, just attach them with zip ties through the bolt holes that way you don't have to worry about those stupid bolts seizing, rusting, and turning in place the next time you go to remove them. i run without covers and haven't had any problems with mine getting dirty for years.