Gnuman

Heh, I have a friend that needs some repair work done on a couple of cars (A Mustang 5.0, and a BMW) and lives 50 miles away. Since I have a hitch on the car I went to U-Hual and rented a tow dolly, ans went out there to bring them back to my place to fix. The Mustang was a bit wobbly when I went over 50MPH, but there was not a lot of oputrtunity for that as I was bringing it back in rush hour traffic. . . Got a few "double takes" when people noticed just what was towing that beast. The car had plenty of power to pull it even over hills. Would not want to do that again until after I get new struts, however, because of the stability issues at speed. The BMW, being lighter, rode just fine with no stability issues at all, even with my bad struts (rear at least are shot). This was just annother case of my Legacy proving that she is a lot more car than most people can even imagine. . . Or perhaps it is more proof that I'm crazy. . .

And with Subies, the good news can quickly become repetitive. . . I need to change my signature, I'm coming up on 150K. I recently got a set of alloy wheels for the car, so the "mods" are almost done (Richierich, I still need #5 for the spare, if you still have one). They include the CD player that came out for those years, the "Plush" seats with the lever that lifts you up for a better view, (and the headrests on the back, along with the ones on the front that adjust front to back as well as up and down), the wheels, a towing hitch, the carco area privacy cover, and a roof rack. . .so far. . . The wheels, and driving lights finish out what I planed as soon as I got the car. I may add better struts (If I don't just go with the GR2's), and I'm thinking that a DVD player to stick on the headliner for the rear passengers would be cool as well (that last is probably just dreaming. . .) Oh, yes, and a paint job is in order as well. I was thinking of something along the lines of World Rally Blue with a "gold flake" (actually brass, but who cares, it looks good)I may go with a silver flake though, as it would go better with the wheels I got. . . Body work comes last however, as the original owner did not put any into it at all (even when he was hit, he never got it repaired. . .) so there is a ways to go before it is ready to paint. Hmmmm. . .if I got to a pick and pull, I can grab an EJ22 engine that I can rebuild, clean up, and even paint, then throw in the car to really spiff it up. . .. Yeah, I love my Legacy. . .

I fell in love with my 92 Legacy L wagon the second i opened the hood. The parts that tend to go bad on older cars are all right there staring you in the face (P/S pump, alt, and A/C right there across the front) then I looked at the rear of the engine, and found the clutch adjustment, and starter in places that were so easy to get to I was shocked (I have worked on cars that were a lot worse laid out). then I did some work on it (changed plugs, oil and air filter) and fell in love with it all over again! That was the last time I changed the oil with the front wheels off the ground (I love how you can do that cleanly with a Subie), but I got a look at how the underside was put together, and it is as great as the top. When I first started driving it, i was amazed at how forgiving the powerband is (you hardly ever really have to shift, and that is smooth as butter), along with the quickness of the acceleration (and I got it because my daughter was put off by the cost of repairing a dead clutch). Even with bad struts, this car handles better than a lot of new cars do, and performance matches that easily. I've made a few mods to it (better seats, CD player, newer tires, I have a roof rack to put on, and a towing hitch) and you will get this car away from me when you pry my cold dead fingers off of the wheel. By the way, Rich, do you still have those alloy wheels laying around? I'm interested. PM me will ya?

First off, Linda, it is NOT YOUR FAULT!! Get that thought out of your head right now. AAA sent a call out for a flatbed, and the tow company sent the wrong truck. It is the tow company's fault. They should have to pay for repairs. AAA should back you on this. If not, they become liable as well. As for needing to ditch the car, don't. this is a repairable item, and your dealership should be able to fix you right up (if not, find annother dealer. . .)

Sounds like it may be on the way out as this is as yet an intermitant problem. This woud mean that it is not bad enough to throw a CEL (is that something like a fit?) yet, but getting there. Which part was bad on your '92 when you had the same symptoms? I imagine that the MAF is a lot more expensive than the coolant temp sensor. . . Also, what kind of milage are you getting on your '92 these days? I'm getting between 19 and 24MPG with moderately aggressive driving. . .

By the MAP sensor, do you mean the MAF that is near the air filter? Does the coolant temp sensor also control the temp guage? That works normally. Hey Josh, could you post some pics of where these sensors are? Thanks.

NO! Do NOTdo this!!! Have you ever seen a breaker bar slip off a nut while this procedure was being implemented? A buddy of mine ducked out of the way just in time as the breaker bar went through the wood side of the garage they were working in. . . Just missed his head. If you need more torque, you can put a pipe on the end of the breaker bar for more leverage, but a penetrating oil will probably be needed as well.

No CEL, so I don't have much more than that. I made the mistake of buying gas at a station that was still using MTBE (the price was 10 cents a gallon below everyone else) and the car ran like . . . . well you get the idea. I quickly switched back to a better brand of gas, but I suspect that there is some degree of buildup in the top end. I'm thinking Seafoam for that, or is there something else that I should try? The engine takes a long time to fire up when cold, and acts like a cylinder is misfiring until the engine warms up, then things smooth out. Could this also be a temp sensor somewhere?

They also failed to mention the spring clip that holds the clutch cable housing to the bracket near the top of the clutch pedal. There are mistakes in many service manuals. the difference between Haynes and Chiltons is one of style, nothing more. Each has good information. I use both on occasion. When I cannot find the information in either, and inspection does not provide the answer, I come in here. My advice is to look at both, and see which one you are more comfortable with.

Hey, I asked first <G> perhaps i could give the evgine a good home, however PM me with a price offer. . .

I think it was just bad luck on the one that died. At least I hope so. . .

The good news is that i can do the work (head gaskets or engine swap, your choice) and I'm about halfway between you and Sac. Worst case, I can pick it up from them and tow it to my place to do the work. Or you can flatbed the car to me and we can go from there. This problem has has also piqued my interest, and I'd like to see what happened in there to cause these problems. From the sounds of things, a small crak may have opened up between the oil jacket and the water jacket, at the same time the head gasket blew (this would be cause for a rebuilt engine from ccrengines) or a local rebuilder/importer. I have all the tools needed for either job, as wel as a love for these engines. My goal is to put you back on the road with a reliable engine in the car you like so much. I also have a local machinist that can look over the heads and resurface them if needed. See what SOA will do for you, and if you are not happy with them, come and see me.

There is a pinch bolt that holds the top of the balljoint to the knuckle. take that out and pry (gently) the slot open with a screwdriver. There is a "roll pin" that holds the half-shaft to the transmission. The rest is pretty normal (start off by breaking loose the big nut on the outside, and removing the wheel, then pull the top of the balljoint out as mentioned. This will give you enough room to pull the hub off of the outside of the halfshaft, then you turn the axel until you have a clear shot at the roll pin with a drift punch. Knock this out and pry off the half-shaft (you will only need to get it started, it comes off easily after that) Replacement is the reverse of removal. Line up the holes on the inner joint and the splines and secure with the roll pin, pop the outer joint into the hub, replace the ball joint into the knuckle, torque everything to spec and you are good to go. . .) I'd say an hour or two by yourself.

OK, I'm confused. Didn't the Legacy keep the 2.2L engine until 2000? if it is a 2.5, then it is certainly a Phase 1 engine, as the Legacy would be a bit behind the curve there. My offer to buy still stands, or I could repair the car for you (I was gonna repair the car if you sold it to me anyway). Give me a PM, as I'm a lot closer to you than Seattle. . .

What engine is in the car? I'm thinking you have the Phase II EJ22 engine. I have not heard a lot about head gasket problems with this engine (the Phase i EJ25 engines had internal head gasket problems, though). If you decide to get rid of it, PM me first, as I'd be interested in the car. I'd even take it as it is now (and even come and get it). Before you get rid of it, however, get a second opinion on what needs to be done, and the cost of it. . . I'm just an hour north of you, so give me a PM and I'll send you my phone number to set up a meet. . .

take it to your local auto parts store and have them read the code that the ECU stores. Bring that code to us for further diagnosis. From the old code stored, you have an intermitant misfire on #3. This could cause raw fuel to be poured down into the cats and cause them some damage. It will also throw your fuel trim way off. . . Hmmmm recursive problem? OK folks, will a battery dance clear fuel trim memory?

Sounds to me like a vaporlocked cooling system. Burp it, after you replace the thermostat with a genuine Subaru one (the aftermarket ones do not have the hole that allows it to be burped). Search this forum for "burp" and you should find the procedure easily. I would not mess with the heads until you are sure they are blown. After that, go for it. The car is well worth whatever effort you put into it. . .

Either way, the valve is open both when hot and when not. this would indicate that there is no action coming from the solenoid. there is also no sound (from the description), indicating that there is no action coming from the solenoid. if it is a "hot on ignition on" system, then applying hot should close the valve to disengage the clutch. Remember, there is no speed difference in the wheels to tell the TCU to engage the solenoid. . . I would order the part.

Sure it is. Just a difference in what kind of money we are saving. Repairing the environment costs money just like everything else. In this light, spending a little bit now saves a lot later. Good investment, IMO. . . Last time I used a block heater was when I was stationed in WI while I was in the Army. All of Jan would never have highs above 0F (let alone 0C. . .) lows every night in the double digits below. . . I left it plugged in all night every night at that time (this was also 23 years ago. . .) and that worked out well.

Got oil? A/C compresser? How is your P/S?

That is what proper adjustment is for. . . If properly adjusted, the rockers will not have enough space to make a ticking sound when they ride up on the lobe. The clearance listed in the manuals is the difference between the respective positions of the components when cold and when they have expanded after the engine warms up.

What codes does it throw? The ECU should store the codes until you clear them. a '95 should be OBD II.

Between the cable housing end and the clevis pin, there is a bracket that the housing is held onto by a spring clip.(the clip is on the side of the bracket closest to the top of the pedal) Pull this spring clip out (towards the drivers side wall) with a pair of pliers. the cable should now be free from the bracket, and you can then pull it out from the front of the firewall (in the engine compartment) Installation is the reverse of removal. (The Haynes Manual missed this one, I had to go look. . . )

The info I have is 15.8 USGal. Yes, there are two sending units. Not the senders are not broken, just a but gunked up. they need to be cleaned, not replaced. In the wagon, they are easy to get to, being right under the floorboard in the cargo area behind the rear seat. I would also leave the job for summer, knowing what Illinois winters can be like. . . This is a job that is best done outside with plenty of fresh air. . . Other than that, it is an easy job to fix. if you want to check to see how far you can go on a tank, you can carry a 5 gal can of gas with you in the cargo area (you will not need it until you get real low, so fill it up then. . .) and run it until the low fuel light comes on. then get to a gas station, and fill up (the 5 gal gas can is insurance). Looking back over my logs, the most I have been able to fit into a single tank is 14.4 Gal, and the low fuel light was on then. IIRC, it is set for two gal above a dry tank, so you should have about 40 miles range once the light comes on. I get between 250 and 350 between fillups with a 92 Legacy (and you show better milage than me. . .)

The ball joints for my 92 Legacy wagon cost me $50 online (for both). Better to just replace them. They are easy to replace as well. These are parts that may wear over time, and they affect your steering (how is that "not critical"?). Perhaps I'm overly picky on brakes and steering. . . I consider them to more important than being able to move at all (if you cannot stop, or you cannot steer, I don't care if you cannot go. . .). Mine were badly worn (I had just gotten the car), and fixing this was easy. Check yours out before you decide to replace them. If they are not worn, you can put more grease in with a syringe, to extend thier life. No matter what you do, they will not last forever, though.