Gnuman

I've never used them. I always use Exedy clutch kits. For about $250, they are a very good deal. . .

Mine ranges from 18 (towing, carrying large boxes on top of the car causing drag, etc) to 27 (pure highway, set the cruise control at 85 and just steer for 6 hours. . .) Oh, and this is on a manual, though. . . The AT should get better milage on highway though, as under normal conditions, the rear wheels only get 10% power, while the front get 90%

very bolt on, in fact. direct swap, except that the wiring that went to the seat had a different plug (the seat was older than the car. 91 seat, 92 car. they changed a few things in 92. . .). I have been working with a few later model Outbacks lately, and I noticed that they are the same seats as the 91 LSi (that I robbed for seats and stereo) had. Well, not exactly, the headrests on the LSi were better. . . Grab seats from a higher rated Legacy or an Outback. should be a plug and play solution.

Be sure to resurface the flywheel. It will make the new clutch grab better, and last longer. also make sure to look for cracks in the flywheel. I've pulled a lot of Suby engines and I've see a number if cracked flywheels (including one of my own). . .

But how are the clutchpacks bad? If I understand the diagrams, the clutchpack is a hydro acuated friction clutch, and burning them out would mean no friction, causing a FWD only condition, as no drive is transfered to the rear wheels due to the lack of friction in the pacs. or is the usual failure a bonding of the clutch materials (friction heats them up causing them to "weld" themselves together)? One more question: is there a good way to check the AWD function of an early 4EAT? I know of one where the front wheels slip when driving up ramps. when I put the car on jackstands (all 4 wheels up) all 4 wheels spin, but the rear ones can be stopped (by using the parking brake) without the frront ones stopping. the same is true of the front wheels (the rear ones do not stop when I jam a block under thefront wheels to stop them). what other checks can I use to tell me what is going on with this tranny?

How long does it usually take for the MMO to free up a noisy lifter? On the engine I repaired we ran MMO in it for a couple of hours without results. . . Granted I did put in a quart when I changed the oil, and it got quieter over time as the engine ran (to warm it up and get the proper level on all of the lash adjusters). Perhaps it is a degree of "stuckness" that was the issue here. . . There may have been a couple of HLAs that were just starting to stick on the left and the MMO cleared them up when running with the new oil and MMO mix. . .

'94, your engine has the hydraulic tappets if your nick is any indication of the year of your car. the 2.2 went to solid lifters in 97. the hydraulic tappets, however, are not as hard to service as Yewman sugests. I just repaired a 90 Legacy wagon that had a loud talve tap that needed to be repaired. I pulled the offending rocker arm assy and cleaned all the lifters (tappets) in carb cleaner (using the recomended procedure for filling them, I pumped the carb cleaner through them until they moved freely) then I checked that they still held pressure. When I was satisfied that each of the lifters was working properly, I filled them with oil and put them back in the place that they came out of on the rocker arms. Only one had to be replaced as it would not hold pressure like the others did. After all this, I put the rocker arms back in the engine and buttoned everything up, and did an oil change on the car. when I started it up the engine bucked and shook for a while until the internal oil pressure backed off the valves on that side, then the engine ran like a dream. no noise at all. I used carb cleaner to clean the tappets(lifters) as that is what is recomended to free them from the rocker arms if they are stuck in place because of a buildup of varnish (as tends to happen over time, when engine oil is getting hot). It is actually a varnish buildup that causes most of the problems on these lifters. Sometimes the ball berring that seals the oil in place gets weak (well, actually the spring that holds it in place) and it starts to leak. If that turns out to be the case, that particular lifter has to be replaced. The engine I repaired had 180K miles on it and only needed one lifter (tappet). I would say that that is a good indication that this tech works pretty well. Not sure why they went back to the solid lifters except that perhaps the solid ones are cheaper to build. They are really no easier to maintain over the long run. . .

It is attached between the steering column and the steering gearbox sith two bolt clamps. You remove the clamps by taking the bolt out and prying gently on the flats where the bolt used to be, then pull off the shaft. PB Blaster will probably help in this removal as most people never remove or do anything else with this linkage, and you indicated that yours is showing corrosion to the point where you consider it dangerous. That also indicates that it is likely to be siezed between the shaft and the clamp (U-joint). The actual linkage is a pair of U-joints that are connected together. The top is removed the same way as the bottom, so if you can get one side loose, the other side comes off the same way. . .

Well, I'd consider a 2.5 if it was SOHC. . . the DOHC version is a B***h to work on. With the plugs horizontal, and pointing right at the frame rails, they are dificult to get to, along with the dificulty of getting at anything around the heads. . . the rest of the engine is like the 2.2's that I love so well. . . I'm concerned about the H6's as they all seem to be DOHC units. What is the reason for this? I cannot see any real advantage to this layout, except for more moving parts, and more chances for failure. Add to this that the DOHC design puts the plugs and wires in one of the most inacessable positions I can imagine on these cars. . .

behind the glove box is where the condenser lives. In that is a thermqal relay that keeps the A/C from freezing up by getting too cold. that is going out. that is what is causing the fast relay click. I had mne go out just after I converted to R134a. PM me if you want me so send you one to try out. Or you could go to the stealership to get them to sell you one. . .

So be sure to get a rear end to match, or be very sure that the one you get matches your reae diff

The anti-dive "dig bone" on the top of the transaxel has to be removed as well. Lift the engine out enough to lift the tranny a bit, and remove the radiator as well. there are only 4, so if you got one on each side in front of the halfshafts, and one on each side near the top, you should be good to go. . . It is easier, however, to remove the tranny when doing this job. Is there a reason you are pulling the engine instead? there is a lot less to disconnecr/reconnect when pulling the tranny than when pulling the engine. That is a much better route unless you are also doing work on the engine that requires removing it from the car (or is made a lot easier by doing this)

92 Legacy wagon (6 years older than yours, and heavier) with the same engine as you have (almost, yours has a bit higher HP) still makes 120MPH (on a clear straight level road at 3:00AM). I have redlined often, but the car will not go beyond safe engine speeds. The ECU (built in engine computer) sees to that. It cuts fuel at redline to prevent going over. Keep the oil changed (3K miles interval, always use a new filter) and do not beat on it too often, and the car will last a good many miles. Mine already has close to 175K miles on it. I started a year ago with 130K. . .

Capri, looking at your post again, I notice that you are taking your reliability stats from the posts here. This is a place where enthusiasts come to get advice|rant about trouble they are having with thier cars. Not a good representation at all. Moreover there is a wide range of ages on these cars, and a lot of what is talked about cannot be attributed to the 2006 model year. there is also a wide range of vehicles being talked about. . . Perhaps if all the posts were about a single late model car I could see your point on " a lot of repairs". . .

I'm the guy with the struts. My milage is in my signature. the timing belt is coming up, and much of the work I'm doing at the same time is because I plan on keeping the car for at least annother 100K miles (perhaps 200K). Most of the work Ive done to my car has been upgrades (better seats, better stereo, better wheels, roof rack, deflector). Part of the strut replacement is upgrade, part because with 170Kmiles on the car, the struts wear out. I'm getting AGX struts because I got a towing hitch, and want the ability to stiffen the rear end when I have a trailer attached. They cost twice as much, but I love my 14 year old car and plan on driving it until the chasis falls apart. Oh, and when I do finally retire Emily, I'll be buying annother used Subaru. I figure that is the safest bet I can make in any respect. . .

This is exactly why I put a deflector on the back of my wagon. at the same speed (80MPH) I get 7 more MPG with a clean top rack than with luggage up there. I attribute this to the deflector actually getting the air it needs t break the vaccum bubble at the back of the car. the faster you go, the bigger the bubble, and the more drag it produces. the deflector is designed to throw air down the rear windshield to keep it rain free and dirt free (mostly, anyway). that air is also pulled into the vaccum bubble, reducing it's size. As you go faster, the deflector throws more air down the car, reducing the rate that the vaccum bubble expands. Spoilers work in the same way, for the most part. The extra large ones like on the Sti are for balancing the weight distribution between the wheels, in order to give better handling at high speeds. THis is a good thing on a track, but fairly useless on public roads as the speeds you would have to be going to get any real benefit out of the thing are so far beyond the legal limit that if you get puled over at those speeds, you can kiss your license goodbye. . .

What years are you talking about? My rev limiter cuts my engine at redline on a '92. are you trying to go faster than that?

I got you beat, northguy. My 92 Legacy wagon was given to me just over a year ago. Granted I've dropped a bit over a grand in it on upgrades, and a few repairs (the largest being a new clutch) and I plan on a big refurb in about 7K miles (stocking up on parts now: Timing belt, valve cover gaskets, rear main seal, I may do the heads and the rest of the seals along with a new WP) and annother one when I get the parts together (4 new AGX struts, new Subaru ball joints, perhaps outer tie rod ends, alignment then tires)between the tires and struts that will be annother grand right there. . . So why do I keep a car that needs that kind of work? Well, to start with, it is reliable as hell, twice as versitle, and handles great. Oh, and I can say that I own a NA 4cyl wagon that will take 120MPH and hold it onlevel ground with the ride still being stable. . .on bad struts. with good ones, I'm sure the ride at high speeds will improve greatly. . .

I'm gussing that you are trying to make sense of my nick, with that Linux box comment. I can see no other referrence. YesI build Linux networks and servers as a consultant. I also do mobile auto repair, specialzing in Subies (cause I love them so much, and too many get abandonded for lack of a place that will work on them affordably), and covering most of the San Francisco Bay area (and a bit inland as well)

Could it be that you have never had a car worth holding onto until now? You say this is yoru first Subie, so the point is valid. . . :cool: I do not mind the nose on the new Imprezas, nor do I mind it on the B9 much (better in person than in pix, BTW). So does this car have that awful rounded stereo area, making a sound upgrade mearly impossable?

OK, waitaminute. When you get torque bind (in an automatic transmission) what part actually went bad? if putting the fuse in solves it, I suspect that it is not the Duty Solenoid, but I may be wrong. From the looks of this, teh fuse turns the Duty C to max, disengaging the clutchpack. when you have torque bind, it looks like the clutchpack is always engaged (otherwise the rear wheels would be spinning freely, and there would be no bind). So if Duty C fails, giving no release to the clutchpack, you get torque bind like symptoms. Sopmeone please tell me where my logic fails, or if there is a simple fix to the torque bind without replacing the whole extension. What part in particular is the one that fails?

Of course, if you keep it, like you said you were, then I'm certain that no one will give you any money for it. Is there a significant reason that you prefer the Outback to the Legacy? As far as I can see, the Outback is still a Legacy that has been lifted a few inches and given a few options extra. Can someone point to when, or if this has changed? The lower slung Legacy will handle a lot better on the road than the Outback, and since you are keeping the GL for offroad stuff. . . In either the Outback or Legacy, any of those years are fine. I believe the 04 is the year they put out the Anaversary Edition, which gives you a nice set of features. As for tranny preference, I persoanlly prefer the manual, but it all depends on what you plan on doing with it.

I second the welcome, and offer you this advice: stay away from the dual height shocks. They are prone to failure, ad for that reason, most people swap them out. Yes there are lift kits available, but finding one for your model year may be dificult. Putting bigger wheels and tires should not cause serious problem if you keep them all the same size as each other. Also note that the higher you lift the car the worse the handling will be in comparison to the original height. Annother problem is fit: if you go too big/wide, you will start hitting parts of the car with the tires themselves, so you will have to lift again (at least). If this is for a second car|strictly offroad beater, then this is less of an issue. For a Daily driver, however, this can turn into an expensive option.

Well, how about me? Does "I come to you" sound close enough? Are we still talking about the Justy that you had serviced in Santa Cruise? Or are we talking about a different beast? The leaks should be fairly easy to diagniose and repair. The brakes I'd have to have a look at. . . Oh, I meet the qualifications mentioned in the post above, and I specialise in Subarus. Send me a PM or email (both can be found in my profile by clicking on my name), and I'll reply with my phone number so we can set up a time. I service an area 100 miles in radius from either SF or Sac. You fall in that range. . . (I will not go 100 miles west of SF though, unless you provide the boat)

StarKiller, Handtool, You may want to follow up with an email. As you can see from his stats (in the upper right hand corner), he has posted exactly once. It is a fairly safe bet that he may not even know about PMs yet. . . He did specify an mail as well. That would probably get to him faster than a PM as most people (yes we are the exception) check thier email far more often than they log in here. . .