Gnuman

No real issues there at all, I even put wheels from a Dodge Caravan on for a while (they fit but the tires rode like crap so I put my old ones back on again) You just need the same rim size (14", 5x100 bolt patern) or a lower profile tire. Well, you can fit 15" wheels and tires in there, but it will make your speedometer lie to you. . . (not to mention a loss of "zippyness". . .)

Ahhh, OK. One of the things I love about my Subie is that the only tool I need to change the oil is the wrench to pull the drain plug. . . Oil change takes 15 mins, and I don't spill a drop. The rest of the things are that the rest of the maint. needs are just as easy (or nearly so, for me anyway), and it drives like a sports car, and it seems like it will last me forever, and . . . well you get the idea. . .

JT, I'm also looking for a roof rack for my 92 Legacy Wagon. if 1990legacy does not want it, I do. PM me if he does not want that with a price, please?

You need ramps for yours? I can reach right under the front laying on my back. . . A mecanics creeper, perhaps. . . Oh, and you forgot the catch basin to take the oil to the disposal place (I use a reusable one, and recycle the oil at the auto parts store)

If it were 15.8MPG, I'd be really pissed. . . As it is, I'm not too happy with getting just about 20MPG right now. . . No CEL (so no codes) but the car has a boatload of miles (well average for the folks here), so I'm guessing that it is time to start looking at replacing sensors. I'll have to decide which ones to start with later, as it is not bad enough for me to really worry about, and may be bad gas. I've been buying gas at the cheapie station close to me as they are selling it for $1.75/gal and everyone else is going for a lot closer to 1.90. . . Is there an issue with MTBE and Subies, BTW? I know some cars have real problems with this stuff. . .

ANd if you arn't an IMBA member, why not!?!?!? These groups are the forefront of the continuing battle to keep trails open so people can ride. They do a lot to improve the sport of Mountain Biking, and they need and deserve our support! (Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. . . Seven years as a Service Manager in a bike shop kinda gets in your blood, I guess. . .) To make my post relevant to Subarus, I would also vote to the Baja and a bed mount for the bikes as the most secure way of getting your bikes to the trail (if there are none in riding distance, that is). Also, with a bed mount, there is less of a drag profile so you get a bit better milage getting to the trail. Stuffing your bike inside a wagon is an ugly fix (will tear up both the bike and the car) and also limits you in how many can go with you (only you and one other maybe, if you don't mind tearing up both bikes by stacking them on top of each other) Dang, there's that soap box again. . . .

15.8 in my '92 Legacy Wagon

Uh huh, suuuuuuuure. . . Around here, I see quite the oposite happening. . . Lots of terminal cases of testosterone poisoning. . . I could mention details, but you would probably never believe me. . . And many sad consequences (little crosses on the side of the road, for example) seem to go ignored by a lot of them. . .

OK, I'm gonna guess that either I'm right, or no one else has had this happen. . .

OK, my car got jealous of all the attention I have been paying to other cars lately, and started making an ugly "grinding" kind of noise from the area of the left rear wheel. I jacked her up and took a look, found nothing broken, and the brakes and berring check out fine. I slathered a bit of lightweight oil on the top of the strut, and on all the rubber bushings (two rods coming from the center to the wheel, and the one going forward = 6 bushings). That fixed it, but I was wondering: What is the "correct" lube for these joints, and how often should they be lubed? I'm suspecting these answers will be "a light grease" and "when they complain". . . Am I wrong? Is this listed somewhere? Was this a freakish occurance?

Well, you may be able to get in there if you turn the wheels all the way in on each side, but it may be cramped. I was just repeating what Haynes was saying. You have to modify the procedure to fit your physical capabilities is all. I recomend that you take it slow and go one step at a time, resting as often as is needed. Here is my wish for a full recovery and return to good health.

Not sure if this is of any use to you, but on my '92 Legacy, there is an aux port on the front of the radio (Looks like a headphone jack), that you can get a cable (just about anywhere, 1/8" mini phono, stereo, male to male) cord that you can then plug into your iPod. The iPod would then play through the in-car sound system.

I don't think he meant that you paid that price, just that you were quoted it. . . As in they tried to take you for a rube is what happened to you. . .

Do you have a Haynes manual (#89100)? instructions are on page11-7 to 11-10 (mostly illustrations) In short, take the front wheels off, and the front part of the wheel well housing. The bumper cover retaining bolts can be found behind this. . .

So you are saying that there is such a thing as being too polite?

There is also a guy in the area that parts out totaled Subarus. He takes the engines to put into Volkswagons (mostly vans), and sells the trannies to someone else. I can probably find out who from him and point you in that direction. If you need, I'm willing to help you put it in, if we cannot fix yours. I also agree that the tranny oil is not the problem, as I'm using 80W oil myself and have no issues with my tranny.

I also work on many kinds of engines. There is almost always at least one plug that you end up cursing the engineer that placed the plug is such an out of the way place that you really cannot get to it easily, while knowing that these are parts that will have to be replaced sometime in the life of the car. . . The Subie had no such issues, and that was one of the first times I had worked on it (or any Subie) at all. Perhaps the 92 Legacy was particularly well engineered, even for a Subie?

Sounds like a faulty sender or a bad connection to it. There are two fuel level senders in the fuel tank of a 93 Legacy (one on either side of the tank). 1) the fuel guage does read the level of fuel even with the ignition off (or at least the level the fuel was at when the engine was turned off). 2) was answered above 3) the fuel guage on my 92 responds a bit slowly to avoid the distraction of the fuel guage responding to fuel sloshing about in the tank. . .Takes about two blocks after I fuel up from empty before it registers that the tank is now full. 4) remember that no fuel guage is 100% accurate. They cannot be. They are at best a guage of about how much fuel you have. . .I like to fill when I get to 1/4 tank, or I go by the odometer wich is more accurate. . .

Semantics aside, if you take good care of the car, you will get well over your $8750's worth of enjoyment and reliability out of the car. I believe that is what you meant by a good investment. . .

I found quite the oposite to be true of Subarus location of spark plugs in my '92. I did have to remove two things (washer fluid resivoir, and the air filter box) but the plugs vere very accessable. The rest of what you said I agree with totally.

You should be able to find a good set of seats at a wrecking/salvage yard for cheap. If you are willing to pay shipping + cost, there is a guy near me that has a set I could check on the frice from. They are in really good shape, from a 91 wagon. Blue velour with the adjustable headrests. . . PM me if you want me to call him up for a price. . . He is parting the car out, so he may not have them long. . .

Welcome to the forum, Tapdancer! I notice you are in SF, and several of us SF Bay Area folks are going to meet at the Barnes & Noble in the El Cerrito Plaza on the 15th (a week from Sat). Come on out and meet with us and show off your new CD Player (if you have it in, or get pointers if you don't)!

That really sounds like something floating around in your tranny (something not quite right with 5th gear). You may not need a new tranny, but you do need this one rebuilt. You are right near several of us in the Bay Area that are going to meet on the 15th in El Cerrito, CA. Come on up and meet with us, and perhaps we can work out a solution if you do not have one already.

The suspension on a Subaru uses 4 McPherson Struts. Most modern Front wheel drive cars (at the very least) use two of these, as well as the older Shock Absorber system. Older cars use 4 of the Shock Absorber combinations. Shock Absorbers are called "shocks" in vernacular, and McPherson Struts are likewise called "struts", so as not to confuse the two technologies.

That means disconnect the battery for at least a half hour (overnight should do fine. . .)