Suzam

I went the other way from CURTISBAD and looked for a 2.2 for my daughter. Found a nice 97 Legacy L wagon with 112k on it 3 years ago. 22 MPG is the lowest she gets in mixed driving and 29 if she take a longer highway trip. We just lost a 98 Outback 2.5 with original HG's and 155k. My mother-in-law never heeded my warning to keep an eye on the temperature on highway trips. She cooked the engine then bought a 2001 Outback to replace it.

Free is good. Stop by Autozone and have the codes read. Then you'll have the answer you need as to what the next step will be. Why pay someone $$$ to plug an ODB II reader in? BTW at 112k you should have already done the timing belt and other 105k service.

Just make sure you examine the old wires and rewire to the the same contacts on the new plug. You don't want to do all that work and have them be wrong.

Insurance won't be an option, she has no comprehensive insurance just basic coverage. :-\

My daughter lives in Philly and some jerk celebrating the 4th went down the street smashing car windows for no good reason other than personal enjoyment. She now has a smashed out rear side window in the cargo area on her 97 wagon. How much of a PITA is it to replace one of those? Assuming I get the glass, should I just bite the bullet and pay a professional to replace it? I've never replaced a stationary piece of glass, only door windows. Any advice is appreciated. I did tell her not to lose the gasket in case that can be reused.

It kind of makes sense, but it sounds more like when when I was a 16 year old sophomore and on a date with one of the senior cheerleaders!

Different weight oils give different pressures and older old thins out as it is used and can give lower readings than a fresh oil change.

I've got a 97 Legacy L Wagon that will sometimes turn the left signal OFF as I turn the wheel into the turn. So if I'm waiting to turn left it's fine but as I start to turn at the point where it would bump it on the way back it bumps it the way out. It's hit or miss and I have already signaled so it's not that big of a problem.

So I'm guessing the new one wasn't a Subaru.

Ok, here is a link to a different board that may be a solution that I found with a google search: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/23769-low-oil-level-light-after-oil-change.html

Not being familiar with the 2010 models, is it an idiot light on the dash or on the display? I would think oil status would be a TOP priority as far as giving you correct information in real time, not after a few start up cycles. Did you physically check the oil level to make sure it was correct?

Try moving the steering wheel as you turn the key. Sometimes the wheel "leans" against the switch keeping the cylinder from moving to the lock position where the key can be removed.

As you get closer to retiring the car, start shopping for another one in good condition. Easier to find one while you still have transportation than to buy something you need in a hurry.

FIND THE FWD FUSE HOLDER UNDER THE HOOD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND PUT ANY SIZE FUSE IN IT A.S.A.P.!!!! This will disable the AWD and keep you from damaging the transfer case. It may also prove that mismatched tires are causing your other problem. KEEP THE FUSE IN UNTIL YOU GET ALL 4 MATCHING TIRES. The fuse holder is a small black flat box marked FWD on the cap. It's near the firewall and strut tower on the passenger side.

You've driven 80K in 3 years with minimal costs other than normal maintenance. You should consider how quickly you will run up the mileage in the next 2-3 years and figure what mileage and condition you hope it will be in. There are never any guarantees as the mileage goes higher, but there are only a few engines I'd want to do it in, and the Subie 2.2 is one of them.

When we got our Outback from the dealer there was a blister pack in the storage under the floor above the spare that had the key lug and our regular lugs that got replaced and a serial number for the replacement if lost.

Only if you tie your shoelaces together while doing it.

So the new cap stopped the trickling noise, but does the coolant still flow out and fill the overflow? Have you considered getting the hydrocarbon test done to confirm a bad head gasket?

Yeah, no problem. Like I said in the email, not a big fan of sketchy wiring. You may be better starting from scratch.

Yeah it would be nice if they were there, but the kit isn't too difficult if you can figure out electrical circuits. Took me about 1.5 hours the first time and about 45 minutes the second time including the lamp assemblies themselves. The directions are straight forward but the connections are a bit hard to locate under the dashboard on the drivers side. It used 2 vampire clips to find out it the headlights are energized and low beams are on to throw the relay and a couple of plugs that go into the junction boxes. I think the only things I'm missing is the 10 gauge wires that pass though the firewall. I can send you a copy of the wiring instructions if you PM me your email if you're interested in seeing it.

I've wired a 95 Legacy Sedan and a 97 Legacy Wagon and neither was prewired for fog lamps. The original OEM fog light kit for the legacy came with switch, relay, wires and an installation diagram. I believe almost all of those fog lights on the Legacies were dealer installed. I think I have a wire set that's about 80% complete that I pulled from a wreck before I found a NIB set on ebay. If you're interested I'll dig it out and see what is missing.

+1 on the prestone, don't forget after you full it to burp the air out.

Our 2001 Outback came with a mounting bracket made of plastic and included 4 screws. We only have a rear plate in Delaware but the wife wanted her University of Delaware Alumni plate on the front. I did hesitate to put the screws through the bumper at those dimples but did anyway. The plastic there is pretty thick so the screws had plenty of bite. Here is the link to the part number.

Have a hydrocarbon test done on the coolant. That will tell you if exhaust gases are getting passed the head gasket. If no gases are found then more than likely it's a different problem. Short list of other things, off the top of my head: Radiator cap. Water pump. Radiator (clogged or damaged) Cooling fan operation correct. Genuine Subaru thermostat. Bad Heater core. Also a proper burping of the cooling system is important.

Use the search function to find a few posts on JDM headlights. Be aware that the focus of the projector lights is backwards (for a RHD setup). You will not see the curbside well and you will blind oncoming traffic.