Gnuman

Isn't that the cookie that the server wanted to set? (sorry, geek humor)

Forgot a step: before pulling the radiator, drain the tranny, disconnect the tranny cooler lines from the radiator, and plug them. Otherwise you will have tranny blood all over the place. . . .

I'd guess that depends a lot on thier Public School System. . .

My bet is on "Much better". . .

If your filter is as tight as this, punch a hole in the top and let it drain until it is no longer dripping (this avoids spills), then using a longish phillips screwdriver, punch the driver all the way through the filter and use it for a handle to loosten the filter until you can spin it off by hand. Thankfully, Subarus have enough room around the filter to actually do this.

Jamie, can I use that quote in my signature?

Cookie, I have the FSM in front of me. Your 99 EJ25 has solid lifters (well, shims). Only the 96, IIRC, had the Hydraulic Lash Adjusters.

B, what part of california are you in? I'm in the Bay Area, and if you are anywhere close to that I would be happy to come over and see if I can help you diagnose it. I do a bit of work on Subarus, and may even be able to get you spare parts, if needed.

I cannot believe no one beat me to that. . .

Well they sell the B9 don't they?

Your biggest problem is that yoru headlight lenses are hazed over. There are several methods to correct this problem. The one I use is to take a small bit of brake fluid and rub off the worst of the haze, and follow that with toothpaste on a wet cloth. Get the cheap paste type toothpaste, not the gell. Apply with a liberal amount of elbow grease, and all should be well. One other thing to check is that the headlights are aimed correctly. There should me a bubble level in the top of each headlight housing. Adfjust the pitch (up and down) on a level surface until the bubble is centered on the marks, then adjust the angle (left and right) so that they light up a good portian of the road ahead of you, but do not overlap significantly. By combining these solutions, you will be bringing your headlights up to the standard that they were when new. I find that my Legacy lights up the road just fine even on low beams.

Ummm, is this happening at any particular RPM range (like 2000 - 3000 RPM for example?) Have you changed your fuel recently (meaning changed brand/octane rating)?

Heh, thanks Josh! now perhaps I can see how the Legacy differs from the Outback in 01. . . It can't still be that the Outback is a Legacy lifted 3" and given a two tone paint job, can it?

I thought the refineries were in Rodeo. . . the tank farm is indeed in Richmond, however. . . I do not seem to be loosing any milage however. CA standards being different from Federal, we refine our own gas. The last real problem we had with gas that I can remember was MTBE, which not only ate your FI components, but you would loose several MPG when running it, and have higher emissions to boot.

Well, my 14 year old Legacy gives me 130 hoprses out of 135 cubes. The electronics are good though.

Sounds as if the axel stub had pulled out a bit already somehow. Hmmm, did any oil escape when the axel stub came loose? If not check your front diff oil NOW. Actually I recomend that you change it, before any more damage is done. At the least is is likely low. At worst, perhaps contaminated. Your diff oil dipstick is on the oposite side of the tranny as the tranny fluid (passenger side versus the drivers side for the tranny fluid). Also keep an eye on that side for any leaking that may happen due to the seals being damaged.

Which is a good reason to get an earlier model year. Pinny, I have to stand with ccrinc on this one. the early models of the Legacy are very reliable, and if yoru son can drive a manual, then get him that. The early Legacy with manual transmission is just about the most reliable car in the snow that I can think of, and a manual transmission is a lot more robust than an automatic in those years. the 90-96 Legacies had a "non interference" 2.2L engine that produced 130 HP, and if the timing belt were to break, for lack of scheduled maintainance (60K mile interval to replace the timing belt for Federal Vehicles, 105K mile interval for cars with CA emissions), then the valves will not hit the pistons as the engine winds to a halt and break a lot of expensive parts. Everything after 97 is "interference" meaning the above is not true of them (you have to watch that belt interval closely). A 90-94 Legacy will be sporty enough to keep him happy as well, so he will likely not be harrased too much by his peers. The older car will also be easier to insure (at least cheaper) as well, making it a win-win all around. I have also used my Legacy (you will notice that it is within the years I mentioned) in slippery conditions (wet grass on hillsides. I was pulling other 4x4's out of ditches), and it perfomed remarkably well. On dry roads, I find that it out performs many cars that are a lot newer than it is. With the lower costs, higher reliability, and well manered drivability you will get a good safe (and drivable) car for less than you spent on your daughter with a bit of room to spare. This will make everyone happy (particularly after your son drives the car ).

If you look closely at the position of the needle (and with a pic that large, it should not be too hard) you will notice that it is on 110. How is that gaining 4MPH on 112? Heh, I also noticed the fuel guage. That s about where mine goes when I push those speeds as well. That is also where my 92 speedo goes to easily (pulls up to there fine, then creeps to the top of 120, perhaps it is governed as well?). OK, now a question to make this thread worthwhile: Is there a way around the fuel cutoff without changing the rest of the ECU functions, and without loosing the Cruise Control (this means you cannot cut the line from VSS2 to blind the ECU to the speed)?

Yeah, but I would be a lot more comfortable at that speed in my Subie. At least that way I have a bit of real metal around me in case anything happened. . .

NP. Here, have a pint on me to help you settle them =>

Ahh, but they are not equal. The manual is cheaper. . . Now you have even more reason to get it.

Well, I'm not sure about the 'run" part but do turn and walk away. Do not look back. Both of these cars are way overpriced. I work for a group that salvages the engines to be transplanted, and anything with significant rust is automaticly a donor car, as opposed to something we would repair and resell (or keep for ourselves).

Just thought I'd highlight the part that Jacek seems to have missed in Nipper's post. Hmmm. . . seems that the choices are a lot of money for an inferior hitch or less money for a good one. A class I hitch would probably be fairly expensive as they are not often made (notice the trouble finding one?), so you would again be paying more money for less hitch. For my money (and I put a hitch on Emily) the class II hitch gives a bit of extra insurance and a better price at that. It was a no brainer for me, actually.

yes. You can actually turn it in either direction, as long as you get the marks lined up right. Nothing hits.

Suruba, you started this thread to ask advice, and here is mine. If you like the car, get it. the 2002 is SOHC 2.5, and the incidence of head gasket leak is much smaller (and less catastrophic) in this engine than the original DOHC 2.5L engine. A manual transmission, as I stated above, is much more reliable than the automatic, although both are very good in that year. The Outback retians it's resale value better than the Legacy (which is almost it's twin) as it is the more heavily advertised and known name. For the 2000 to 2002 cars, there is an additive that seals the external leaks that these engines are "prone" to. I put quotes around that as they are more prone than Subaru allows, but still a lot better than most cars. Subaru has a name for long lasting, reliable cars for good reason. They do not want to loose that reputation, so thier standards of reliability are set a bit higher than most cars. Because of this, even if an engine is considered to be "problematic", it is usually far better than the competition. All this to say that you need not be scared. If you get this 2002, it will take good care of you for a good long time.