idosubaru

depends what you're wanting. if it's basic service...which is probably all you need, any competent mechanic should be able to help you. frankly i'd avoid the dealer, there are more bad ones than good ones, so i wouldn't touch them anyway unless you have very good reports from them. what i would do is find the best, most honest local mechanic you can. ask around, ask people you know, at work, around town, anyone. look for a good, honest mechanic. let us know what you're doing and we can tell you any subaru specific things that might be useful in the particular job you're getting service for.

i don't think the starter motor is going to fix it, but let's hope it does. ignition cylinder or mechanism controlling the steering lock seems most probable. will the steering wheel lock if you turn it without the key in it?

windows annoy me, i just swap doors. if the pull it yourself yards are as cheap as they are out here it's far easier and quicker to just swap doors. swapping doors is super easy - 4 bolts, one pin, an electric connector and you're done. just an idea in case you see a cheap door. i realize you want to do it yourself but as a last resort window/glass shops don't charge much to install and they're super quick. got my rear OBS window replaced for $35. which means it's not hard to do either so that's probably the route you'll want to take.

oh right ed, i may be thinking of the 15" variety, none of the 14"ers may fit...scratching head. there is one size (14" or 15") where some do fit and some do not...basically the steels don't clear the calipers but the alloys do. if that's true it rules out the 14" steels either way.

no. 14" steelies will not work. i think some 14" alluminum alloys may have enough clearance, but almost positive the steelies won't work.

Will front 97 Legacy GT Sedan struts work on 97 Impreza OBS? will the ride height be okay?

i have the rockford u-joints in my XT6 driveshaft which is the same as your EA82. they require a bit of machining to install but do work. a machine shop will likely charge about $100 to install plus the cost of parts. in the XT6 you can actually drop the driveshaft without removing the exhaust, gotta pry it a bit, but it'll come out. i believe the same is true of some..if not all, EA82's.

1k - 2k like GD said. the more you want to "get out of it", the more you're going to have to advertise - here, ebay, autotrader, subaru boards...keeping in mind you're looking for a particular kind of buyer, most people even here don't want an 82 or FWD. that it's a manual is a good thing for sure though...ebay being risky of course and the more patient you'll want to be. if you want to sell it quick, do not expect top dollar, it will take awhile to find a buyer that wants exactly what you have and nothing else and is willing to pay for it.

XT6 front struts are completely different than EA82 front struts, they are not immediately interchangeable. maybe with some significant modifications you could get them to work. but there are turbo's and XT Turbo's with front air suspension that would bolt right up, is there any reason you wouldnt' want to use those?

that's about right. pretty sure you can jack the one side of the car up and turn the wheel by hand to see if the gear driven insert at the transmission (where the cable screws into) turns with the wheel. i believe it's the passengers side you have to turn. you can also try to turn the slotted insert with a screw driver, it should not turn (without the wheels turning). if it does turn then something is probably wrong. you can also spin the cable/instrument cluster a variety of ways just by rigging up a drill to it, spin it and see if the speedometer indicates anything. if it does then it may be in the trans side of things.

private sellers you will typically get a better deal with. also keep in mind that you're dealing with a board full of subaru specialist mechanics who know this board can help them. this board alone can help you save thousands on a car. it takes patience, time and knowledge to find one cheap. any dealer is not a place to get one cheap and even private sellers are sometimes looking for top dollar so they can go get a newer car.

as a flight software engineer for two NASA satellites i will add that GD is understating the truth, he's saying it rather nicely. i know people that have the equipment and capabilities to do this, but their time is worth bank. you'll be hard pressed to get the support you need to do this without massive amounts of money or very lucky in the friends department. have you tried contacting companies that do this? i talked to one in Australia that reprograms soob ECU's, and they would work with this older stuff for around a grand, but i don't remember what all they would do or what kind of flexibility they could give you, but it might be worth talking to someone like that. hope you figure something out....i'm tired of seeing "MS isn't cutting it" reports. i've always been tempted, but until they're reliable i'm not going that route.

really, an axle seal? it's not very common to replace axle seals as preventative maintenance. i'm not saying it's a terrible idea, i've never done it before though. unless you know the boot hasn't been ripped long i'd just buy a new axle. personally i'd replace the axle with MWE or Subaru only axles (don't have much personal experience with GCK). parts store axles absolutely suck, i (and others) have seen brand new ones blow to bits...not to mention leaking grease, cracked boots, vibrations and clicking. if that's not appealing to you, i'd consider replacing the boots over a store bought POS. it should be okay, but could start vibrating (inner) or clicking (outer) if much debris has gotten up in there since it broke. if you drive on dirty/gravel or off road it's probably not a good chance to take that it will be okay. normal road driving, you'll probably be okay. the good news is that the axle won't blow to bits, it's not a safety issue, it may just start making noise down the road if it's been exposed too long.

this is not oil related...or is very, very unlikely. coincidence only. you really need to get the codes checked, guessing is a very bad idea. the most common issue in my experience is plug wires (cylinder misfire code), but others may have different experiences so you're just relying on guess work without the code. if you end up changing the plug wires, make sure to use OEM Subaru only on this engine. can you list your location, change your profile so it shows up under your location properly?

if the noise is new the very first thing to do is change your oil and filter. that is always step one, particularly if your oil is low. the idea of just adding oil every time it gets low is not a good replacement for changing your oil. always keep in mind that not only do you have a very sensitive valve train because of the HLA's, that you're not paying (or hearing) to have your valves adjusted. so it's a give and take thing. yeah HLA's are more sensitive, but you don't have to (can not) adjust your valves. but what this means is that frequent oil changes are your friend and will keep your HLA's clean and quiet and from sticking. change your oil often. often times the oil pump needs resealed and ATF or seafoam may help. the oil pump seals and ATF adding treat/solve two different problems, they do not work all the time in every situation, each one specifically addresses a different issue eventhough what you hear is the same TIC,TIC,TIC,TIC!!!!

only thing i could do is meet for breakfast like on my way to Ohio early Thursday morning and that's pushing it being a travel day and holiday.

yep, change the filter and the transmission fluid. Subaru's tend to have a really good chance of making 200,000+ miles if properly taken care of, that means you need to change your transmission fluid. realize that because of marketing and advertising, you are convicted of changing your engine oil. the same should be true of transmission fluid, change it.

EJ swap.

calipers are so simple i'd just rebuild them. take yours apart and see what they look like. if the piston and bores aren't rusted, pitted and distrubed, they're fine. calipers are very simple, not much to them. even the rebuild kit only consists of a seal for the piston, and the rubber dust boot. other than that, it's just benign parts like a new rubber bleeder screw cap. i scored some $8 rebuild kits off rockauto, and that's for both sides, and it's super easy to do.

drill a carefully placed pilot hole with a thin bit, then use a self tapping sheet metal, or other, screw. once the screw grabs, use a hammer under the head of the screw to pull it out. or buy/borrow a seal pulley. screw drivers work, just don't score anything yo'ure not supposed to, that's easy to do.

it should work but the 99-01 motors are a bit different than the 97, but i cant think of anything that will hold you up in that swap. i personally wouldn't do it, as the 01 2.5's have headgasket issues. you'll sacrifice some reliability and possible costs down the road for not much horsepower. i think you're aware of that, but if not just search for "2.5 headgasket" or "EJ25 headgasket) on here or the internet and you'll find plenty of info.

looks like someone may have already gotten it, i think someone from maryland posted about it.

probably a headgasket, but it won't take long to verify. i would do some checking to make sure it's not something simple. thermostat, leaks, compression test, leak down test, etc. all the way from allentown to baltimore, take lots of coolant! the passengers side is typically a problem area with the heat from the turbo i suppose contributing to that. external leaks or headgasket problems around that area. look for external leakage or pull a spark plug, on real bads one you can see the coolant laying in the bottom of the cylinder. fix it quick and change the oil quick. these are great motors, but if even small amounts contaminate the oil you will compromise the bearings of a block perfectly capable of a lot of miles. coolant and water ruin bearings, sometimes takes a long time to finally show up, but it will.

has the door ever been replaced, worked on or that area painted? i'd have another look at the plunger as well. when you press the plunger with your finger, does it work the same way every single time without a hitch? if it works fine every single time then see if the plunger is sticking, not coming fully out (pull my finger type of test), or maybe rubbed/broken off. or remove the screw and make sure the metal isn't all rusty (highly doubtful). if it's a bit senile, check the electrical connector that pulls out with the switch.

that MAP sensor does have some input into the TCU - there are other threads on here with people having trans shifting problems related to the EGR. fixed it and trans shifting cleared up. i think i swapped that filter with another, i'll give it another whirl, maybe remove it for one test drive to see. does subaru carry that goofy little filter?