Gnuman

I don't know why this struck me as so funny, but it did. the tires on my 92Legacy Wagon are badly worn (I'd guess I have about a couple of thousand miles left in them at the most), so I went looking for replacement tires and found them to be way out of my price range (250 for 4 minimum. 500 for the ones I want). Then I remembered that the wheel size is the same on my Subaru as on my 93 Dodge Caravan (minivan). I had laughed earlier when I found out that the towing limit was only 500lbs less on the Legacy as on the Minivan, so I decided to check the tire sizes. . . The Subaru uses P195/70R14 and the Caravan uses P195/75R14. Hmmmm, not a lot of difference, and the wheels use the same bolt pattern as well (5x100mm). Not wanting to hit weather with badly worn tires, I decided to see if the wheels would swap over (the tires on the Caravan are brand new, with only about 2K miles on them, so the circumfrence problems should be minimal). The Caravan wheels fit on the Subaru, but the reverse is not true (the hole in the center of the wheel is about 1mm larger on the Caravan wheels than on the Subaru wheels, added to the fact that the Caravan wheels sit farther out than the Subies). I had a good laugh when the first Caravan wheel fit right into place on the Subaru, and annother when I dropped the front end down on the Subaru and there was still plenty of clearance in the wheel wells. . . I think this should hold me through the winter, and I can save up for the good tires (that will be put on the correct wheels) for next fall. . . Now I have heard both ways on this issue, is there a problem with using the taller tires on the Subaru, providing the circunfrence is within spec? I know that the speedo will be off, and there may be an issue with clearance (but that looks to be ok). Are there any other issues that may need to be considered with this setup?

So they won't have to fix what they broke?

RonP, what part of NorCal are you in? I'm in Oakley (think "Antioch"), and would be willing to eyeball the mounting options for your Legacy. I have a 92 wagon and I'm thinking hard about a similar light in a similar place for mine. PM me if you would like me to take a look for you. .

Well, yes, the quality went down to "fantastic" from "unbelievable". . . As for "no better" I personally have to disagree. I looked at an '05 Legacy GT wagon the other day, and what I saw was that the cabin areas and controls have been improved a lot, and the engine a little bit (overall). This from a person htat owns a 92 legacy wagon (EJ22 was one of the best engines anyone ever made. . .) I have a few issues with the newer powerplants, but the overall car is much improved over the one I have, and I would buy one in a heartbeat (if I had the cash) over just about any other car on the market today. As for the issues I have with the 2.5 powerplants, it is primarily a case of "there was nothing but room when I had a 2.2, now everything is so tightly packed". . . It may have had something to do with I was looking at a turbo model, and I'm used to a N/A engine. I have also heard others "bashing" the new models, but what I have heard was mostly complaints about the styling of the newer bodies, and problems with the 2.5 powerplant. I am certain that Subaru is addressing these powerplant problems, and the body style issues are a matter of taste. . .

is turning the heater on to high (and the temp as well) really necessary? the heater core has full flow at all times in a Subaru, dosn't it?

The shop I frequent is a combo Ford/Subaru shop, and when I go into the parts/repair section (to check on parts prices) I generally see a dozen Fords and a Subaru or two. . .

Dead clutch is my guess. Can you replace a clutch yourself, or do you need a shop to do it? Before running off to the tranny shop, check the clutch fluid resivoir to see that you are not low on fluid. . .

I didn't know they made a Legacy in 89. . . Drop the tranny, it is a lot easier. I recomend getting a clutch kit from Exedy, as they make the OEM clutches for Subaru, and the price is reasonable.

I also recomend that you see a Dr about the back and neck. Also is your Legacy a wagon or a sedan? Check for proper operation of the rear hatch/trunk, and have the rest of the car checked out by the dealer. My 92 wagon got rear ended in a hit and run, the owner at the time never bothered to fix it, and then he sold the car to my stepdaughter, who gave the car to me as a derilict five years later (I had been telling her I could fix the hatch, but she never let me). Doors that do not work annoy me, so I fixed the hatch in about 1 min by using a picklefork as a prybar on an socket extension slipped through the latch ring on the body (it was not fully engaging the latch on the hatch). . .

Electrical tape alone is not the answer, it is the question. The answer is NO! (sorry, couldn't resist) Personally, I would solder the wires and put shrink wrap around it. . .

Heh, I had a similar problem at Home Depot when replacing the fire door to the garage in a house. . . I told them exactly what I wanted (32" wide solid core door predrilled for lockset and deadbolt), and the answer I got was "I'm glad you know what you are talking about." I bought the door someplace else. It is not my job to educate the sales staff that I'm buying from. If they cannot keep up with me, I go someplace where they can.

Check the coolant level, and perhaps "burp" the system (run it at normal operating temps with the radiator cap off for a bit). If that does not fix it, I would suspect the water pump.

From what I can discern, the only real problem with the 2.5 engine is the head gasket, which is a weak link in the system. I personally own a 92 Legacy wagon and love it. While it does have the "better" 2.2L engine, I would readily buy a new Legacy wagon in a hearbeat (if I had the cash). Ranger83, what you buy for your business should reflect what your business needs are, and nothing more. Ford can be very reliable if regularly maintained, but if you are even the slightest bit sloppy on the maint schedule, they can go bad fast. . . (my experience, anyway). From the sound of things you are looking for a single delivery vehicle and not a fleet? If you decide on Subaru, go with the Legacy and save a few $$. The Outback has a lot of nicieties, but for delivery, they are not really needed.

Aside from lighting, have you considered a rallycross type bumper?

I would change the fluid, and if that does not fix it, replace the pump.

Actualy, that is exactly what it is. . . The wiring diagram is a schematic for the vehicle.

Interesting, so they essentailly replaced a part that is prone to binding and failure with one that is much simpler and less likely to fail. . . Sounds to me like they intended these cars to last a while. . .

I'd clear the code first, and then see if it returns. If it does, then replace the switch. I dunno the cost of the switch though. . .

42: Idle switch, Abnormal voltage input entered from idle switch. Fail safe is to Judge OFF operation. That is from Legacy777's page, BTW. . . From that I would guess that you have a bad idle switch. Is the car idling badly?

Actually there is a link at the top of the page for a FAQ page. . . Now if there was some actual content in there it would be great. . . I suspect that the content from the FAQ section went *poof* for some reason.

OK, so how do they regulate the cabin heat? Diferential air flow?

And you wonder why I do all my own work. . . Actually a lot of the reason I love my Subie so much is because I do all my own work. THat EJ22 is about the easiest engine I have ever put a wrench to.

Heh, I got my 92 Legacy wagon for *free* because the stepdaughter had burned the clutch in SF, along with the balljoints being gone. . . I'm in the middle of putting it back together (new clutch and balljoints, as well as a rear window wiper motor so far), and I have had nothing but praise for the car every time I have worked on it. . . I would say that a small trailer (one snomobile or jetski) should have no problems at all. If it is an auto, get a tranny cooler. If it is a MT, try not to slip the clutch much at all. . .

killashandra, on the '91 MT there is an adjustment that you can use to loosen the clutch cable a bit so you can drive it to richierich's shop. It 's toward the back of the engine compartment, on top of the engine in the middle. you need a 10mm and a 12mm wrench (the cable has two nuts that lock together) they need to be unlocked from each other and then you can loosen the cable (the larger nut) about a half dozen turns and lock the nuts back together. richierich can give you a much better price than I could, it seems, and I would have to drive up from CA to do the work (which is a large part of the reason for the price).

No problem. I only remember that switch because it is the same place that a lot of cars put the hazard lights (4 way flashers), so it was unusual. . .