idosubaru

good point - inspection is your first move. they may spin nice and smooth like a new pulley should. if not, then start visiting replacement or the zero cost regrease method posted in the USRM.

is it possible that old sensors are somehow more susceptible to this? would new sensors help at all, or is that completely unrelated? from the few that i've removed they degrade quite a lot. any other ideas on dealing with this? +1 on bad struts...just drive an XT6 with flat air suspension and yo'ull see just how dangerous bad struts are, and those are non-ABS vehicles. i know that's a stretch, but definitely shows the importance of good suspension on any vehicle. it's getting very important safety information out there. what other subaru related item from the factory creates a situation where it is physically impossible to stop??!! that's a big deal! i didn't even know that this was an ABS issue, i just assumed something was wrong with "my" car. discussion leads the way to improvements or tips on how to deal with it.

a search and skimming through some ABS threads would answer this. try cleaning up the sensors first. they can attract all sorts of debris. just follow the ABS wire behind the hub and unbolt it. the fronts can be removed without even jacking the car up or taking the tire off. not sure about the rears, but doubt it's difficult. i believe there are common ABS relay issues...common to 1996 actually, search on this forum and yo'ull find the information. i thought it was EJ25 stuff only, but a search will give you all sorts of info on it.

not very often - but on an interference engine that has a really good chance of making another 100,000 miles it's good practice to go for it. if your pulleys seize yo'ure looking at buying a new engine or a very expensive rebuild. you could inspect them and then possibly inspect them at 50k to see how they are doing, but if you can't do it yourself you probably won't because it requires removing the timing belt again, and you probably won't pay for that. why not go with an aftermarket kit, you get everything you need for far less.

there are SVX and impreza platforms with 114.3 patterns, so i'm wondering if that would be a rather easy conversion to do here anyway. the 114.3 impreza's are rather new but they're only going to become easier and easier to get and might be reasonable from Subaru...two things not true of the XT6 5x100 stuff. and the picture posted above is the way to do it, it's how i would do it, and a company has already done it. but they are in australia and it's huge dollars for the kit. crossbred performance.

that might be true but those aren't in demand here. maybe somewhere else. 5x100 is the main demand item. i've yet to see anyone (although i'm sure it's been done!) trying to convert to 114.3. between usmb and the xt6 site, there's a bunch of guys looking for 5x100 lug sets as i type. kingbobdole, xtsix, 85wrx, Psyko, 2K4STi....okay those guys are from the xt6 site, and i know there's more over here (though some are the same guys). either way, 5x100 demand is high. not too mention someone i know paid $700 for a set! i've sold quite a few, they are not hard to sell.

i understand your situation. owning two cars isn't necessarily that cost prohibitive in general. more initial outlay but with the right decisions you will get more miles and reliability out of them. less headaches when mods, maintenance or repairs are needed. in the US insurance can decrease with an additional vehicle (mine did). if cost is an issue then a good option (particularly with projects/builds) is to get one that needs and engine or transmission or body work if you can do that. you can get nice late model EJ's for 3 digit price tags over here easily.

ebay, thepartsbin.com, and rockauto (great prices sometimes but i'd recommend avoiding them to non-mechanically/subaru minded persons as their parts listings are confusing and dead wrong some times).

the subaru maniac in me still says find one of those toyotas. you can't find one because they're that good!?!? with that much towing and that kind of weight you can't beat what the toyota is going to offer you. IMO, i hate to say it, but it'll be at least if not more reliable than an impreza. the early, base model impreza sedans aren't all that far from boring in my opinion. i like the OBS and RS, but the sedans don't do it for me. my actual opinion is not to try and have one vehicle to do everything but have dedicated vehicles - one for winter, one for summer, one for hauling/towing, one for off roading..obviously you can combine some "categories"....much simpler that way and you get to have more cars.

dealer prices are rip offs here. i've used tons of aftermarket kits and never had a problem. if you want to donate hundreds and hundreds of dollars to subaru and no one posts, give any dealership a call...or the online place you're going to order from. you can always email Jamie from genuinesubaruparts.com and she'll get back to you, she's even a member of the board.

a very good friend of mine hit someone, a pedestrian, massive injuries and they never looked at his vehicle.

i'm not slamming ABS and i don't disagree with your points. i think it's great, but a huge over sight. more people should know about it, and Subaru should do something about it. i don't care how effective a vehicle is at avoiding accidents that i have a 0.002% chance of seeing in my lifetime if the thing is physically incapable of even coming to a complete stop in conditions my wife has to drive in weekly. physically incapable of stopping??? that's my hang up, what other options do we have?

oh man that is so annoying. on grades with snow you literally can not stop, absolutely baffling - would a manual do the same...in neutral...in gear?

how vintage? how about a 2005 mandolin!?!?!

i am as well.

the external leak of your vintage engine is "better" than the previous internal leaks the same motor had from 96-99. whatever you do, just don't let it overheat, that is critical.

thanks for posting this, i had horrible problems last year, i am so glad to read this thread. being new to antilock brakes i didn't realize they would install something so pathetic in a vehicle. they trade a marginal improvement in safety in some areas for an enormous danger in bad weather...when driving is most difficult? in this case ABS is a POS. my 1997 impreza OBS ABS system totally pissed me off last year, completely worthless. note my location....west virginia, terrain is steep, we get snow. on steep hills with snow it was literally IMPOSSIBLE to stop with the ABS, my wife couldn't even drive her own car. i don't understand how more people are not in accidents because of it. i had to drive the car, put it in neutral and the emergency brake was the only way to actually stop the vehicle. without the e-brake the ABS would pulse and pulse and never stop the vehicle. it wasn't even ice or that bad, any time it was snowy. my XT6 would stop on a dime with plain old all season tires. my XT6 is unbelievably better in the snow than the OBS...same transmission, no antilock brakes. Achilles heel as nipper said is an understatement.

nice! i could use that on some of my projects....shear off a bolt - beat the tunnel...drop a screw in a tight spot - beat the tunnel...something just barely won't line up - beat the tunnel some more...break something - beat the tunnel...light bulb blows - beat the tunnel...heater quits working in the garage -......

yep, your stock lug nuts will work fine. nice "sig"...i mean title, bratman, goofball!

yes, replacing the tensioner is not a bad idea at all. labor should be minimal, the old one has to come off and be compressed, you could almost argue that a new one is easier and quicker to install since they come pre-compressed and pinned! more importantly than the tensioner is the fact that all of the timing belt pulleys have 150,000+ miles and 8 years on them and you're expecting them to last to 250,000 miles (the next timing belt change). it is fairly normal for at least one to be low on grease, a good mechanic can tell and will replace those if you ask. usually the lower sprocketed (toothed) pulley is the one that's the worst of them all. they are very expensive from subaru, i myself actually replace them all but i buy aftermarket kits that have all the tensioners at a reasonable price so i don't have to guess which ones might be okay for another 100,000 miles or pay ridiculous dealer prices. with these long intervals it's hard to say which pulleys are good for 100k, 200k, or 300k.

how about oil changes? kidding aside, there's only so much you can expect from a 20 year old vehicle. i would guess that you didn't buy a 20 year old vehicle because it was in excellent mechanical condition, all tune up items were addressed, it was a one owner car, or it was in pristine condition and top dollar vehicle. just a guess. usually it's the other way around, people drive 20 year old cars because that's what they can afford, they're comfortable with them, know something about them, they're easy to get, and they are reliable if you like the trade off of cheap reliability and 20 year old expected maintenance items. but of course you know this, you're PO'ed that the car is dead, that is annoying for sure. good luck figuring out a solution.

i'd probably look into getting another engine. rebuilds are costly, the most economical solution if you're spending that kind of money is to let CCR do it for you, let their expertise and excellent warranty work in your favor. or get a used one. i saw a $275 one for sale around here recently, which is a fair deal. if you can manage your engine wisely you could even install an NA block, they are far easier to find and cheaper. of the handful of oil starved and frozen EA/ER series engines i've seen, typically the oil pump, cams, and connecting rod bearings all show signs of significant wear. it's probably rebuildable, but not something i'd undertake.

they are very easy to replace, but i really don't want to pull the hub. you can actually replace them without even jacking the car up, just turn the wheel and reach around the tire from the front of the car. a couple minute job literally (minus the rust of course). thanks for the offer john, i already have two new sensors. they wear so much (maybe it's just this area, snow and such) that i wanted brand new ones on mine.

anyone have much luck removing stuck ABS sensors with a sheared off bolt head? doesn't look like much room for a drill but i have a right angle attachment. once the sensor is off are the bolts usually frozen in the hubs too? i have new ABS sensors so i don't mind ruining the old ones to get the bolt out.

Okay i'm ordering that metal plate part number above and now i'm looking for the gasket part number. thanks guys.