GeneralDisorder

Yes - I have seen them do that - still working good, but using a lot of fluid. In order for them to have any kind of play the rack or pinion gear would have to have serious amounts of wear and that just doesn't seem to occur - I've never seen or heard of it with a Subaru. GD

Yep - inner tie rod. Don't know about any special tool but I've never had to do one that new. All I've ever used was a large crescent wrench on the older stuff. Subaru racks are built like tanks. Very rare to see a failure there and if it were the rack then both wheels would have play. GD

Fix the exhaust leaks in your y-pipe, and block the air suction valve steel tubes with quarters. GD

With modern wires being made from silicone, you don't see many wire failures unless the end connectors rust or corrode. That can be prevented with some silicone dielectric grease. A set of OEM wires will typically have to be replaced once durring the life of the car - if even that. I don't see the point of the Magnecor's personally. Back when wire sheathing was rubber - they would break down eventually. I just don't see it with modern wire design though - not for the price. Much better for my wallet to just buy an OEM set every 100k. GD

A lot. Just a rebuild would probably run near $1k or over. When you are talking about custom stuff like swapping gears around - who knows. If you can even find a shop willing to put their good name on the line with a non-OEM setup like that you are talking about some serious cash. Transmissions are close-tollerance machines and you don't swap around internals without doing your homework - that takes time and money and unless you find a shop that already has done it and has the recipe/know-how down you will have to pay. Ultimately they have to charge a LOT because this isn't a Ford/Chevy and you are probably the only one that will/will ever ask them to do it. A shop makes money off providing good prices on what they know - for them to step out on a limb they are going to need capital to sweeten the deal. Likely the quote will be high to try and drive you away and if you accept it then they have you by the wallet anyway so no big deal. GD

It's Dayton - not Daytona. It's Grainger's house brand/rebadge. They are pretty well known in the electrical world for their relatively crappy electric motors, switches, and such. Some of the stuff is good, and some is only so-so. Their fan motors are used extensively in OEM machinery of many, many brands. They aren't well liked by most of the HVAC guys I know...... They make a dizzying array of products because everything that Grainger private labels carries the name - from automotive shop equipment, to pumps, blowers, fans, motors, belts, switches..... pretty much name the product and Grainger probably carries one with their Dayton brand name. It's geared toward commercial/light industrial use - that's Grainger's market. You can't buy from them without a business account. They have good prices on their sale stuff and tons of distribution centers and stores - like Fastenal and McMaster's. Unless it's on sale though - their prices aren't real good. Their ability to stock or have something transfered to a store in usually 1 day is their power - if you need it yesterday chances are they can do that. Only time I go there is when it's a sale item with a fantastic price or when I can't get what I need anywhere else. Chances are those were a sale item that someone picked up because Grainger isn't a go-to place for auto shop equipment. Very likely a Taiwan rebrand - which is a LOT better than Chinese BTW. Probably a decent set but not anything incredible or made in the USA, etc. $10 is a good price - I payed $30 per set (on sale) for the Harbor Frieght 6 ton's I use. No way you can go wrong at that price. GD

Your bearing seal looks like poo. Take all that crap back apart. Here's what you have to do: 1. Replace that seal, and probably the inner one as well (other side of the knuckle) - make sure they are clean and free of dirt/debris especially the lip and the where the lip seal rides on the axle as well as the hub. Any grit here will destroy the seal and you will lose/contaminate the grease and be doing bearing shortly. 2. Make sure there are no burr's or ridges on the axle shaft where it fits into the bearings. This is critical - dress any high spots or dents/dings with a file (carefully). 3. Insert the axle as far as it will go into the bearings - leave the hub and rotor off the knuckle. Make sure it's straight - line the end of the axle up with the center of the bearings as you are inserting it and make sure it's going in straight the whole time you are prying it into place. 4. Thread the axle nut on the end of the axle - use two pry-bars to start the axle into the bearings - threading the axle nut farther down as you go to reposistion your pry-bars. When you run out of threads to move the nut closer to the knuckle remove the nut and put the cone washer and flat washer under it - put the cone washer on upside down so the flat side it toward your pry-bars. Continue prying the axle in till you run out of thread again. 5. Install the rotor or the hub/rotor assembly - depending on how far you got the axle in already - use it to pry against just like you did before with the knuckle - all the time making sure the axle stub is straight and true as it goes into the bearings - tap it lightly with a hammer or dead-blow to straighten it out if it's not dead center. 6. By now, if you have done your prying correctly you should be able to thread the axle nut on with at least the cone washer under it - maybe both the cone and the flat washer both if you have done it well. Then you can just use the axle nut to pull the axle the rest of the way in. GD

Typically they are 6mm thread with a 10mm head. Head size differs depending on where/who you buy them from as several sizes are availible. GD

Nothing wrong with a Ford - my family has had a few. That's not a bad car for the price and a bit of maintenance. I don't argue with free running/driving cars. GD

I wouldn't worry about the torque wrench too much. If you are worried, go buy one of the old "beam" style wrenches with the indicator needle that moves along the scale near the handle - the calibration procedure for them is to bend the needle arm till it lines up with zero They only work on temp. Pressure has no effect on them. You can boil them to see when they begin to open. No - exhaust in the coolant would lead to over-pressure, bubbles, and steam. That would cause overheating, not overcooling. Sounds like the thermostat was sticking open. GD

Drop the front exhaust to get to the O2 sensor. Much easier that way and really only a couple of bolts. Yes - retarding the timing will typically improve emissions readings. It causes less efficient combustion and thus lowers cylinder temps and results in fewer oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and increases exhaust temps (still burning as it leaves the cylinder) and results in less HC's. GD

Definitely check all the fuses and fusible links. And Miles sugestion about the AT inhibitor is a good one. That might be part of why the relay isn't getting the signal from the ignition switch. GD

Welding very thick material with a 110 machine is of course possible. But the penetration you get with 220v makes for better and faster welds with less work/prep and causes less heating of the general area. Heat causes warpage, and ultimately warpage causes stress in the finished part. This may or may not be an issue - depends on the job you are doing. Mild steel warps a lot less than stainless for example. Also - there are a lot of these "super 110's" out now. 140 or 145 amps from these small machines makes them a lot more capable and especially with the addition of flux-core. As mentioned though - flux core still leaves you with slag to deal with and sheilding gas does not. I find very few uses for my FCAW machine - I would much rather bring my welding into the shop and have nice clean welds. The price of the super 110's is very nearly the price of a good entry level 220v machine and I would much rather have the 220 machine if I could only have one. Also these machines need a pretty large circuit and decent sized extension cord to unlock their potential. You have to get the amps from somewhere, and you aren't going to run one with a 15 amp breaker and a 14 AWG lamp cord unless it's on a very low setting. As much as everyone claims the chinese machines are junk (and yes - they are MUCH cheaper made than the pro stuff), they can be had for almost nothing by comparison and they CAN weld and do a decent job of it if you know how to run them. Also there is a large number of them out there and the mods that are well documented make them more capable than "straight out of the box". Would I use one if I had a choice? - no. I would use my AC stick machine before I would try to weld anything substantial with my 110 HF machine, but it's better than two car batteries, jumper cables, and coat hanger. GD

High and Low. GD

Oh - and one other thing. Listen for bearing noise with the transmission in neutral and the clutch pedal not depressed. If you hear anything very loud it's probably the transmission input shaft bearing. That's a common failure on the Legacy 5 speed's. Just walk away if you hear that since I doubt they will want to replace the transmission to sell it to you. GD

They have very low HP and torque output without the turbo but the turbo is tiny and should spool very fast. They are probably somewhere around 65 to 75 HP without the turbo - 115 HP with. Non turbo's are 85 to 90 HP but have 9.5:1 compression vs. the 7.7:1 of the turbo. No/bad turbo = slugmobile. GD

Look for broken axle boots - leaking grease or even one's with cracked rubber, etc. Look for good amounts of pad material left on the brakes and test drive it ON THE FREEWAY for warped rotors and badly balanced wheels. Listen for clicking around turns at slow speeds - that indicates front axle wear and near-term failure. Look at the exhaust - look for shoddy repairs and rusted sections. Check for major oil leaks at the valve cover's and at the front of the engine. Check the air filter, and see that the oil filter looks recently replaced. Yank out the dipstick and make sure it's full, and isn't black like tar or smelly. Pull off the oil cap and look under it - if it looks really nasty I would pass. A bit of water/oil mix under the cap is nothing to worry about but if it looks burnt or heavily cakes it's a no-go. When you drive it check that the clutch begins to grab fairly quickly off the floor - if it grabs at the top of the travel or there is very little movement of the pedal from grab to release (indicating the clutch is worn so they tightened the cable) tell them you want the clutch replaced. Doesn't matter if it's been done and they have doc (unless it's BRAND NEW). A previous owner could burn through a clutch quickly if they are hard on it. They probably did/will if you make them. That's fine if their mechanic isn't a moron. Tell them you want copies of the receipts for the parts and a warantee on the work. Any dealer that doesn't keep the receipts for the parts they have installed or is unwilling to make copies - walk away. GD

Those are decent prices - a bit high considering the mileage - but you can work with it. Here's what you do - don't wave the cash around. Make them work for it - you want a full timing belt/tensioner/front seal/water pump job done if they don't have documentation of it recently. It's a 60k interval and even if the timing belt was done, the water pump may not have been, etc. That's $500 off the price if they can't prove it or do it. Have them put it on a lift for you - inspect the brakes, and especially the axle boots and condition of the exhaust. Any bad axle boot is $250 off the price. If they won't fix it or bring the price down - walk away - not the dealer you want to do business with. If the transmission gear oil and rear diff fluid haven't been changed - $100 off the price. If the coolant hasn't been flushed in the last 50k - $100 off the price. Beat them up real good. Don't tell them you have cash - don't offer anything information wise till they agree to your terms in writing. They will ask you "how much do you have to spend" - tell them it's none of their business. If they know you have the money they will want to "show you something else" so they don't have to fix that car. GD

The evil death box is just a solenoid - EGR, EVAP, etc. It controls the vacuum signal to something. Try to follow the lines - one should go to the manifold or another vacuum source and the other to the device it's controlling. GD

I wouldn't pay dealership prices for one, but the 90 to 94 Legacy is the most reliable Subaru ever made. I would give preference to the '92 if you are just looking for a daily as the '90/'91 is somewhare rarer so 92-94 are easier to find parts for. Sounds like this will be your first Subaru? Stay away from the EA82's. That's '85 to 89 GL's (except hatchback and Brat), and 90 to 94 Loyale's. If you want a reliable 4WD/AWD your best bet is either an '82 to '84 (that '84 for $300 is a good deal if it's just an ignition issue), and 90 to 94 Legacy's. '95 through '97 are ok if they have the EJ22 (pass on any phase I EJ25's). I would reccomend a 92 to 94 Legacy for anyone looking for the most reliable AWD transportation you can get for the least amount of money. I buy them for less than $500. For a really nice clean one - maybe $1500 is as high as you should go. Though those are west coast prices and you can't throw a rock without hitting a gen 1 Legacy around here. Those mileage numbers are nothing - don't be scared by those. EJ22's are known for their longevity. It's not uncommon for the car to rot out before the engine dies. GD

Hard to say what dry threads would do with torque that high - you *never* want to install head bolts dry though - got to get them to turn smoothly with a minimum of "creaking" - that throws the torque to overcome the static friction of the bolt up really high. Oil the threads but more important is the head of the bolt - it needs to slide smoothly against the steel washer. Make sure there are no burrs on the bolt heads where they could grab the washer. GD

Wow! AC and 4WD. Love the cobbled in overflow bottle and the serviceable battery! GD

Rear, passenger side of the intake manifold. There is a coolant cross-over in the manifold and the CTS for the computer is threaded into it. I beleive this is the one ($16 at www.rockauto.com): Best to stick with OEM on the thermostat's - should have mentioned that before. High failure/overheating potential with the aftermarket stuff. Dealer isn't that expensive. Don't worry about the mechanical fan - leave it off. It's mostly for the air conditioning and isn't even found on non-AC cars. The primary electric fan will handle all your cooling needs this time of year. Plan on adding a second electric fan for the heat of summer. You'll be fine for now though without it. That's a solenoid of some kind. Depending on what it does you can likely fake the ECU by installing a 33 Ohm, 5 watt resistor in it's place and cap the lines. Depends on what it does though - follow the vac lines and see what it's operating. GD

The starter is no problem - just pickup a used or reman unit. The ignition switch could be several things - maybe she means the key doesn't work, maybe she means the switch on the back of the lock doesn't work, and it's not uncommon to see burnt wiring at the connection where the ignition switch connects to the body harness. If that's the case - good chance the starter isn't even bad. I would say she has no real clue what is wrong with it other than what someone that also doesn't know much has told her from looking at it. If it were me I would take a used starter with me (any starter from 82 to like 2005 will fit ), and probably an ignition switch (the part that bolts to the back of the lock), and my wireing tools. I could drive it away in 30 minutes or less if that's all that's wrong. Hell - I would probably fix any burnt connection at the switch, jumper the solenoid from the positive cable with a screwdriver and be on my way in 3 minutes. If it's the ignition *lock* that's broken - you'll have to pick the lock if the steering is locked. Or swap the column. Once the steering lock is taken care of, the lock assembly can be removed with 4 bolts. You would have to remove the steering wheel (no puller required on EA81's) and slip the lock off. That takes about 15 minutes. It helps to have a pair of needle nose vise grips for the ignition lock bolts. GD

More than 2 and less than 10 . I'm betting less than 2 on at least one of them. Who's got a fiver on it? At least they are round and appear to be holding air. That's something in their favor. GD