hklaine

Hey Folks. I have seen a lot of discussion suggesting that the Air Idle Controller be cleaned, but haven't found a description of its location. Where can I find this wonderful device? ('96 Legacy 2.2). Tricks/Tips for cleaning it? I've been having some issues with a high idle when I come to a stop lately and last night the car decided that it wouldn't start at all. A half hour and a few more attempts later it started but threw a Crank Sensor CEL and ran a bit choppy. I replaced the sensor and everything seems to be back to normal. As preventative maintenance I plan to also replace the CAM sensor and clean the Air Idle Controller, but I don't know where the latter is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. -Heikki

2nd this one.

Yeah I was wondering about this comment as well. I have never owned a Toyota or a Honda, but my parents own two Hondas. One of them has 130k on it and at the 5k oil change every drop of 0-20 is still in there. I've never owned a Subaru that came close to something like this. That thing runs like it did brand new and has required nothing but maintenance of the manufacturer's schedule which has been pretty minimal.

I bought just about the identical car ('96 Legacy L 2.2 AWD 98k) in November of '03 for ~$4k. I owned a FWD AT Loyale at one point which I sold for a '88 4WD 5MT GL. While the FWD Loyale was a good car the price would have to be amazing for me to buy another. If you can afford to wait, it might not be a bad idea. -Heikki

I ordered a set of NGK wires from here about a year ago. Specifically these wires. I don't remember seeing the "Ultimate" wires listed there last time, but those mention SOHC in the "Notes" field. I feel that the NGK's are some well-assembled wires and I have no complaints. I will also confirm that NGK wires were impossible to find locally. For about $60 shipped I got the wires and (4) BKR6E-11 plugs which when installed made a huge difference in my car's throttle response. The plugs and wires I took off the car when I bought it, however, did look like they could have been on there since the start. (I'm not saying to avoid the OEM's, but these are an affordable alternative) -Heikki

Man, I sold an entire set of (4) of those wheels with relatively new tires for that price last summer. I would imagine that any Subaru 5x100mm with a 55mm offset should work. (?) -Heikki

I also like these tires. I didn't think I got the best treadlife out of them and the sidewalls are a bit mushy when run on "standard" air pressure but the wet traction is GREAT! Much better than the SP8000's in wet weather and in treadlife. -Heikki

Michelin HydroEdge - The only reason I don't use them on the Legacy is because they aren't available in a 50-profile which I am now running with the WRX wheels. B/F Traction T/A - I run these on the legacy. Good balance of treadwear and performance. No comments on snow performance as I run a separate set of wheels with snow tires in the winter (but you shouldn't have to worry about this TOO much for a little while...) -Heikki

You can drop the tranny ;-) If your oil separator plate (or rear main seal) is leaking you might find oil at the bottom of the bellhousing where the engine and tranny come together. You might also/eventually experience a slipping clutch. -Heikki

These are the ultimate!

I apologize if this is a repost, but thought people might be interested in this: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/subaruattopinqualitysurvey -Heikki

And the needle hits E when there is still a "reserve" of fuel in the tank. The stuff you are burning while the light is on. -Heikki

I don't know for sure if the key can be cut from the VIN, but the car originally came with a key code (4 or 5 characters long) which is often written on the inside of the owner's manual by the salesman. A key can easily be cut by the dealer with this number. Keep in mind that often the key is not the only worn part of the deal. The inside of the lock gets worn also. They key and the lock wear into each other so a key cut to code may not work as well in a worn lock as it did in a new one. Nonetheless, should always have some extras around. Cut from code or not. -Heikki

Absolutely. If the problem is the actual fuel mileage and not just the perceived mileage (junk gauge) then these are certainly the first things to check. Also, you may want to run a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and/or dry-gas through the system and check your spark plug for wear and correct gap. Oxygenated gas sucks! -Heikki

Not to post the obvious, but I had an AT car once (a Subaru) and the key would often get stuck in the ignition unless the shifter was pressed forward really hard or the steering wheel was moved back and forth a few times. Aside from that, there is an electronic switch that can go bad, and there might even be a button on the bottom of your key cylinder to release the key in these situations. -Heikki

How many gallons is it taking on a fill-up? These cars are notorious for their inaccurate fuel gauges. The sender usually gets dirty and just needs to be removed/cleaned (not a tough job on the wagon). My gauge reads E at about 230 miles, but only takes ~10 gallons to fill at that point. I plan to clean the sender when it gets a bit warmer. 15.9 gallons sounds about right. -Heikki

I did my timing belt over the summer (110k) and replaced the pulleys which weren't smooth when spun by hand. Is this car a 2.5? If dealing with an interference motor the expense you might incur if one of these seizes and stops/skips/breaks the timing belt may be more than the cost to replace them now. Same deal with the water pump. If it is the same setup as my car you will want to do that as well. I prefer to replace the pump on every other timing belt. It's not that expensive and can save you time/money/effort in the future if it hasn't been replaced yet. -Heikki

link A lot of information there. I am a happy customer and am in no way associated with this supplier. Worth taking a look. There is a lot there to learn. At least there was for me. -Heikki

In the SHO I have: Volts (no stock gauge) Oil Pressure (no stock gauge) Water Temp (no quantitative stock gauge) Others I considered: Exhaust Temp Air/Fuel (good for turbo cars)

Thanks. I will give it a shot. I did a few searches, and even found one with the switch you mentioned, however, it was in reference to an AT car and I thought it was an AT-specific switch. Also, the post I read discussed a lock with a stuck key with the lock already in the lock position. Will the switch you mentioned allow me to turn a stuck key or just remove it? NOTE: Removal of the steering column plastic cladding shroud seems about impossible with the key in the ignition. -Heikki

Greetings folks. So this morning I arrive at work and go to shut down my BG (details in sig below). The key turns from ON to ACC and then stops dead. It will go between ACC/ON/START without any problems but will not go back to the LOCK position and therefore cannot be removed. No amount of jiggling, shaking, turning the wheel, etc... seems to release it. Anyone have any ideas? Could this be an electrical problem? I was under the impression that the 5MT cars did not have any electronics attached to the lock cylinder. Is this correct? If this is a mechanical failure, and the lock needs to be replaced, would anyone happen to have one (with key) that (s)he is interested in getting rid of? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. -Heikki

If you are sripping all this, may as well replace the CAM seals as well. Their leaks are generally more in the corners of the timing belt cover, but are somewhat common. As stated, be REALLY careful not the scratch the inner walls when you pull the seals! This is critical. -Heikki

For cold weather I would certainly suggest full-synth fluids. I always ran conventional lubricants in my transaxles and diff's until I bought my Legacy. I changed to RedLine synth half-way through the first winter that I owned the car (last winter) and the cold weather shifting performance increased dramatically. Worth every penny! -Heikki (BTW my "Ford" uses ATF in the MT5 tranny)

I haven't seen one installed in a newer Legacy, but I have one in mine. It works great, though it may be an issue for taller front seat passengers (it is in my car). It is a simple install. I have Sirius running through the head unit, but use it for my phone cradle. (click thumbnail for a larger image) (click thumbnail for a larger image) -Heikki

Greetings. The other day I started noticing a relatively strong scent of coolant from my car's engine compartment. I can't smell it on the inside of the car (luckilly) but I certainly need to fix it. It has been too cold/snowy to take a good look the last few days but was wondering if there were any common connections/seals/gaskets/hoses/parts that are prone to leaking that I should check first. Any help/experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. -Heikki