idosubaru

this isn't normal, particularly at that age. if it is tight enough and installed properly, get a new drain plug and washer and make sure it's installed the right way.

that's the only thing it may ever see, and that will happen rarely. the XT6 and Ford Truck do all the hitch work.

i would not go through all that work just to remove the rear belt covers, there's no need to. while i remove the rears normally like GD said, i have left them before as well and there's nothing to worry about (at least on mine there wasn't). they weren't needed, but they didn't hurt anything either. looks cooler without them!

i'm confused on what the problem could be, i removed one this summer from an RX and don't recall any issues except RUSTED bolts...grrrr... should only be bolts and clips right? look real close...start at one end and start pulling on it. if it's not bolted down it'll come loose, work your way around the corner and you'll feel it get tight and that's where a bolt or clip is. unbolt or slide clip around....sorry i can't be more help.

there's a really easy way to fix this. just remove both hoses to the heater core. place a garden hose on one end and watch all the gunk come out the other side. flush the engine, radiator and any hoses as much as possible as well. compressed air into the heater core may help as well. much nicer to do this in the summer or on a warm day, your hands are arms get nice and wet and your garden hose won't be frozen! there's a possibility this won't work, but it certainly works often and is the easiest fix, straight forward and doesn't cost anything to try if you have well!!

i have a bolt on hitch for my 1997 impreza. looks solid, but all the black is flaking/peeling off and it has surface rust. what's my best option? is powdercoating overkill and not necessary? what kind of primer paint combo would hold up to this if i wire brushed and painted it? i used some cans of rustoleum on stuff before and it chipped off fairly easily. am i being too picky?

pulling the fuel line at the filter and hanging the hose in a container with gas in it and an extra fuel pump hard wired with alligator clips on the battery may get you out? be easy to do if you had an extra pump on hand.

often the studs get stripped, are you torquing it down with a torque wrench or just by feel? have you tried a Subaru OEM gasket? i'd use a Subaru gasket, torque to specs and make sure the stud and nut threads are cleaning. chase the stud threads with a die and the nut threads with a tap. this will ensure they glide on smooth and the torque you use is the torque you actually get on the gasket. i'd give this one more try with a Subaru gasket. they actually hold up quite well typically, so if it happens again then something is wrong like the head is warped or something.

i put a dab of oil on the threads, i thought that was fairly common and even mentioned in the FSM? maybe i'm wrong. if any of the other bolts were difficult to remove (or sheared off) due to rust or corrosion i'll put antiseize or oil on those, but otherwise dry all the way around. the intake manifold bolts are notorious for rusting and seizing on the older subaru's. i've had at least 4 motors where the bolts sheared off trying to remove them and many are rusted/tough to get out. but i doubt you'll find any like that on yours.

you can check your fuses. but otherwise i'd do what they said and go to the dealer.

buy a non-OEM replacement O2 sensor. they can be had around 20/30 dollars. the $60 more for a plug isn't worth it. the non-OEM replacements just don't have the plastic harness connector on them. they will have only a wire and you cut the plastic connector off the old sensor and splice it on the new one's wire. they come with directions, very simple and it's only one wire! easy!

at 176,000 miles i wonder if a fuel injector could be the issue? i had mine cleaned professionally off the car (remove them, ship them to a company who rebuilds them, reinstall). some tested as "leaking" or "dripping" and i've seen others tested the same way on some other board members vehicles. this was somewhere around 150,000-200,000 miles, i can't really remember. seems to me it was closer to 150,000.

awesome. sometimes just the bearing is replaceable behind the a/c compressor pulley i believe. i've read about it on here before. i think if you do that you don't have to worry about replacing the compressor, discharging and recharging as well.

yep, overheating coolant can affect ATF temps since the ATF cooler runs through the radiator side tank. heat degrades the ATF and trans for sure. if the transmission has problems you'll know very soon, it'll degrade quickly. i suspect no major issues though and it may run for a while if it's not "getting worse".

on older soobs the steering wheel sits on a splined shaft on the steering column. if it's off a tooth the steering wheel needs to be reset, it's not an alignment thing. take it to the dealer and have them reset it.

right, yours probably doesn't have the heater. this one may be for the heater that's available in some other seat option....leather, heater, controls...etc. i'm not very famililar with all the options available on your vehicle, but you could thumb through on-line or through your owners manual and probably see what seat options were available that you don't have and BINGO, that's what the wires are for. without being there and doing it myself i'm guessing - heated seats.

if it's never been changed, a few changes may be in order. too bad ATF is expensive! hate to do it on a questionable trans!

it could be that the car is wired for additional options...like heated seats, electronic controls, etc. vehicles are often wired with options they don't have installed. makes it easy to install them yourself afterwards, tha'ts nice byproduct of that! another possibility that is seat related or pseudo-seat related is that the seat belt clip may be integrated with the seat and the sensor that lets you know your seat belt isn't buckled is routed under there as well. maybe the previous owner didn't like the ding/ding/ding noise from the seat belt not being buckled. but i doubt this is the case.

i highly doubt your filter is clogged. i'd drain and refill again. i'd refrain from the lucas myself but i'm not trying to debate that point here. the filters in these things are really not much of a filter at all, that's why i say i wouldn't replace it. they are only screens and they set such that they really only prevent things from entering the trans oil pump, they don't "capture" much and i've never pulled one out that even had a shred of clog or dirt on it. the on in my fried transmission was even fine. particles come out with a fluid change, the screen only prevents them from getting sucked up and circulated. okay i've said enough...but i wouldn't waste my time replacing the filter unless it's the screw on type...and i don't think those came out until 1998.

you'll have to ask locally about local emissions laws. around here so long as a catalytic converter is on and functioning properly it will pass. i've had very very old converters and larger aftermarket hi-flow jobbies pass just fine. tried once without any converter and did not pass. exhaust changes don't affect anything around here, so long as a converter is somewhere int he mix. i've done tons of stuff to mine, always passes except the one time i didn't have one! but even around here each state has different laws, some areas don't have emissions at all, some don't allow exhaust modifications...etc.

read thoroughly through the owners manual. it may touch on options you don't have, such as NAV. sometimes they even mention quirks to vehicles....like the old subaru's reading near zero oil pressure. i doubt you'll find anything out about the ticking, but NAV options may be in there and oil weight will certainly be in there. i'd personally run 10w-30 synthetic in your part of the country all year long. i would ask subaru to install the NAV system. i would also ask about the tick...that doesn't sound right to me.

if you did a drain and refill, it may help to do that a couple more times. once doesn't get much of the fluid out like an engine oil change. i disconnect all the shift resistors on my subaru's (except the wifes). it firms and quickens the shifts, i think it feels better. it's on the front passengers side strut tower on the older subaru's, not sure about yours. i dont' have my impreza on me to look at. i bet you have WAY more than 1,000 miles left on it. without driving it, i'd guess it may even be fine. deteriorated and gunky internals may cause slow shifting or engaging but without any damaged or faulty parts the trans may be fine for a long time.

no on the pressure relief valve thing for engine/trans oils.

i'd start sourcing a new trans. time means alot. if your trans goes out then it's hit or miss to get a good deal. if you look over a couple weeks or months and just keep your antenna's out there you can usually get one much cheaper and lower miles. that's great mileage out of the original auto AWD trans. i'd expect some seals and internals are compromised. it could run a very long time like it is (or it may not!).

what engine? 87 wagon is EA82 i think? if you ever get a check engine light you need to find the code. a bad water temp sensor should throw a code (but i've seen them not). additionally, i've never seen a failed water temp sensor. it's usually corrossion at the connection/harness. huge issue on %50+ of the subaru's i've had. i have a write up at http://www.xt6.net on how to permanently address this issue. basically install new wire and solder it directly to the water temp sensor. i have pictures and details there (and i think i posted it here as well). on multiple occaissions i've run subaru's without thermostats before and while i don't recommend it, it didn't cause any noticeable running issues at all. how old is the ignition system? plugs, wires, cap rotor? i'm guessing plugs/wires may alleviate this as well.