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Does anyone have recommendation for older/used 16" Subaru alloy wheels that will fit on an XV but use normal profile snow tires? I want to install winter tires/wheels on an XV but don't want to pay the premium for low profile snows, and would rather install used Subaru alloys than black steel wheels or Chinese aftermarket alloy wheels. Hopefully wheels from an Outback/Forester etc fit the bolt pattern and have close enough circumference to the 17's with normal profile 16" snow tires. If anyone has done this please share model/year of wheels you used, and tire size of snows.

I was pulling heads on a 98 Outback and stripped one of the heads (10mm) of one of the cam bearing cap bolts. Even though I was using a 6 point socket, it got completely rounded. Vice grip didn't help either....and that was with a new pair of genuine Vice Grips, not Chinese knock-offs. Anyway, I then Dremeled the head off the bolt...I got a little carried away and ground some of the bearing cap off. Should I try and make it flat and reuse the same cap? or get the same position bearing cap from a same year/model engine and use it? Anyone been in this situation before? What did you do? Is your engine still running well? Photos here:

I'm helping a friend import a 97 Outback into Canada. Which DRL kit would you use? The $25.00 Hamsar kit (model 70987) from Canadian Tire says it does not work with Subaru. Or is there a DIY solution will please the inspectors?

So my car passed smog today....one of the two monitors went away by itself then everything tested fine. However, the Catalyst monitor was still showing incomplete with the scan tool, even after I passed the test. I confirmed with the smog place that in CA you are allowed two monitors to be incomplete, I thought it was zero and was driving around trying to make them all go away. Thanks to the other forum posters for helping clarify this stuff.

I'm trying to Smog a 97 Outback 2.5 in California. The head gaskets were recently changed and I presume the ECU codes were cleared after that procedure. The CEL is off i.e. no error codes, the exhaust gasses were within spec but the car failed overall because of "incomplete monitors". After the failed test I then drove about 140 miles, then I got a loaner Actron scan tool from Autozone and it still shows CATALYST MON and EGR SYSTEM MON as incomplete. Are these two incomplete monitors OK for retest or will they fail me again?

A seller on Ebay is selling a "chip" called "The Juice Box" for $28 that supposedly gives you more horsepower etc. They appear to make them for all kinds of cars, but they appear to look the same. Has anyone bought one? It looks like a scam to me since it appears to have only 2 wires and does not hook up to the ECU directly, just to the air temp sensor or water temp sensor...something fishy here?? see http://stores.ebay.com/The-Juice-Box-Company

I cleaned my tone wheels and sensors. Cleared the error codes, went on a drive. Still have grabby/jerky brakes with ABS fuse installed. Now my errors are 11, 22, 24, and 56. I guess the tips of both my sensors are broken off. The gap is 4-5mm. Does anyone have a photo of a good sensor with proper clearance? Below is a photo of mine before I cleaned it up. Both sides look similar.

see post #4 on thread http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69239 photos here http://californiavan.com/subaru/frontwheelstuds/

For those of you in Canada, do you know that Crappy Tire offers free "loaner" tools at most of their stores? AutoZone and other stores in the US offer similar tools. Good to know when you need a specialty tool once every 2 years or so... Ctire loans most of these PowerBuilt tool kits: http://tinyurl.com/sc9zy Basically you pay for the kit and get a 100% refund when you return it. (Use a credit card, some kits are around $200!) Kit #3 "6pc Front End Service Kit" is especially useful. Powerbuilt part number 648626 Canadian Tire part number 25-6332-6

I just removed the stud. Not too difficult a job. Click here for many photos Procedure below: 1)Loosen wheel nuts. 2)Jack and place car on jack stands or wooden blocks. 3)Remove wheel nuts and wheel. 4)Remove brake caliper (14mm bolts), tie caliper up to strut tower with coat hanger or similar to keep it out of the way. 5)Remove brake caliper holder (tight 17mm bolts!) Remember orientation for proper assembly with brake pads. 6)Remove disk rotor 7)Remove ABS tone ring bolts (5mm Allen head bolts, allen socket would be best & spray penetrating oil first). You can now move the tone ring around to provide clearance to remove the bad stud. 8)Press stud out (I used the Ball Joint Remover from the "Front End Service Kit" loaner tool from Canadian Tire) see http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69394 for loaner tool info 9)Wiggle stud and tone ring around to remove. On the right side of the car there is a notch in the hub at around 11 o'clock position. This gave me a bit extra room. On the left side the notch is around the 1 o'clock position. Installation is the reverse. While everything is apart check your brake pads and clean the tone ring with a wire brush and the ABS sensor with rag/scotchbrite pad.

ok, so I retrieved the codes from the small black diagnosis connector near the yellow select monitor connector. my error codes were 11, 22, 24, 51 Is there a chart online that explains what these trouble codes mean?

I have a 97 Outback with ABS. One of my front wheel studs is stripped. What do I have to remove in order to replace the stud? (other than remove the wheel)

I have a 97 Outback A/T with the 5.3i ABS system. When I apply the brakes, I get all kinds of funky grabbing/slipping sounds from the front and jerky stops. If I pull the 20Amp ABS fuse under the dash, the brakes work perfect, like a normal car. How do I troubleshoot the ABS system and what are the typical problems with the 5.3i system?

Thanks to all who replied. I swapped the piece held with 3 small bolts and the large metal linkage piece (under large nut) and all works fine...car drives/shifts properly. I may put everything back to 97 style now since the transmission vendor has sent me the electrical cable I was missing...

I have a 97 Outback. It was running in 2WD with a 96 AT TZ102Z2ABA that the previous owner installed. I located a used 97 Auto tranny TZ102Z2CBA for the car (the correct one). I'm in the process of swapping them, but the shifter wiring looks different. Am I missing an electrical cable (about 12" long?) that plugs into the 97 shift mechanism then goes to one of the large tranny connectors at the top of the bellhousing? see http://www.californiavan.com/subaru/trannywires/ for photos of each...

Hi, I recently bought a 97 Outback. It was missing the factory remote so I got one through http://www.1stSubaruparts.com (they are also available all over ebay, just search for your FCC ID). Anyway, the remote works fine, but it works TOO OFTEN. The 2 buttons on the remote are poorly designed...they seem to "press" randomly while the unit is in my pocket. Has anyone found a compatible aftermarket remote I can use with the factory security system where the buttons are recessed/harder to press etc? The factory remote GOH-M24 (looks like the one in this link) is driving me nuts! http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html#code%20alarm

Bring an electric screwdriver or electric drill with a nutdriver attachment. There are lots of screws and 10mm's that have to come out to get the dash out. You also need to take out the entire heater/AC box also in order to get the wiring harness out. (and the drivers side fender). If you are doing a Vanagon, aircraft, or other transplant, don't forget you need lots of related bits to make the engine run in another vehicle. Download this document http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/subaruvanagon/files/Wiring%20/ (scroll down for the file below) Wiring Harness Removal Instructions.doc and more general: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/subaruvanagon/files/ under FAQs/What parts do I need from the donor car?

Does anyone know if all 96 A/T Outbacks all had the same differential AKA "rear end"? I just bought a 97 Outback that has a 96 transmission installed....the car is not driveable unless the rear driveshaft is disconnected...I'm thinking the rear end has conflicting gear ratios? Or the rear end is hosed and that is what wrecked the 97 transmission? I'm trying to figure out what is the correct rear end for a 96 so I can get one at the junkyard....

It turns out that my VW fuel pump was getting weaker as it ran longer. The fuel pump was causing the problem. After replacing the fuel pump everything was happy again. (I neglected to mention the 93 Subaru engine is installed in an 89 Vanagon)

93 Legacy, 2.2 non-turbo. Starts up runs perfect, until it gets hot. It then boggs down and has serious hesitation. I plan on installing new NGK plugs (not sure what it has now), replacing PCV valve and possibly the 2 wire coolant temperature sensor. Anything else I should check/try?

Does anyone know if rear differentials are the same from 90-94 Legacy's and newer? If so, what years? What about gearing? Are 5 speed and auto diff's different? What about wagons v.s. sedans?

I found this info from a web that sells ECU's. Useful for searching and identifying ECU's (or ECM's as some people call them) http://www.autoecms.com/main.htm I did a search under "Part number like" and entered "AD57A" (I didn't enter 22611) and voila, I was told the ECU is from a 1998 Legacy 2.2 with left hand drive and auto transmission. This sounds correct to me based on what the seller told me.

I have a couple of Subaru ECU's (or ECM's) pulled from a junkyard. Is there an easy way to figure out what model/year/engine/transmission Subaru they are for? For example, one ECU I have is labelled as: DK6 7Y 22611 AD57A JA18000 DK6 7515 How does one translate this info to something useful?

I have a 98 Legacy engine 2.2 with a leaking exhaust valve on #3 cylinder. I took off the head to have the valve checked/resurfaced and the head resurfaced. I'm going to install a new head gasket on the 1/3 side. I didn't open the 2/4 side of the engine, since it had great compression and passed a leak down test. Supposedly the engine has only 44k miles on it, I bought it from a wrecking yard but there is no way to confirm the mileage. My question: Is it common do change only one head gasket on a Subie engine? (they sell gaskets individually so I would think so). If you have changed only one side, did the engine last for "years" afterwards or did the other side need changing in a short while? Your experiences appreciated.

Where can I find a "year by year" chart showing the various engines available in Legacy's and their respective horsepower? i.e. what was the horsepower rating of a 1990 2.2 normally aspirated engine? How about the 1998 2.2 normally aspirated engine? Hopefully something exists that shows model years 1990 to 2005.