Junkie

I have a 99 Legacy Outback. It could use some better struts, so I picked up some 04 FXT struts not too long ago. I'll probably be installing them next week. I also have some 1/2" strut top spacers. Between the two, it should be a moderate lift. My plan is to set the front to as much negative camber as I can, as long as it is even (or close) on both sides. I don't imagine it'll be enough to cause any significant wear. Is it possible to run two sets of camber bolts up front? If so, are there any modifications needed? If I do that, it probably won't be all the way negative. In the rear, there's no way to set camber from the factory. I grabbed OEM camber bolts from the junkyard. Do I need to oval out any holes to use them, or should they work fine with no changes? I'll probably set the rear up with a little less camber than the front. What's the best toe spec to aim for? How about camber? I can deal with a little extra tire wear if it handles better.

Go to vatozone or whatever, they loan out scanners. It's cheaper to drive a little and scan it than to find out that something expensive is broken. Also, does it have an EJ25D? Any records on timing belt or head gaskets?

If I do want to replace it, does it require pulling the crossmember?

Not that I know of, and with 1000 miles on it since I dented it I doubt there's a cracked pickup.

I just pulled off my skid plate and bumper because I plan on building a new bumper, and found a fair size dent in the oil pan. Apparently I didn't support my skid plate well enough and it hit the oil pan pretty hard. This most likely happened a month and a half ago at the dunes, I know I landed pretty damn hard once. Probably 1000 miles on the car since then and I haven't noticed any problems related to this. Do I need to replace it, or should I be ok with just beefing up the skid plate so that it doesn't get any worse? If I need to replace it, what oil pans will bolt up? EJ25D in a 99 Outback wagon. Thanks for any help.

It was probably 10k from when it first showed a symptom (that I didn't realize was head gasket at the time), and maybe 5k once I realized it. It got bad enough that it couldn't go 100 miles without a re-fill.

After a rutted hillclimb that wasn't so kind to the car today I noticed that on articulation or hard left turns there's a single click. On turns it'll only click once, and only on fairly hard turns, more likely if there's a bump. Doesn't do it at parking lot speeds, even at full lock. My first guess is a broken front swaybar. Is that at all likely? Suspension is all stock.

I thought the OE style plugs were the best option, even though they're expensive. I think it's the PFR5B-11 plugs that I was told to use. Besides, since they aren't the easiest to replace I'd rather run something that lasts longer than copper - my old Integra was a different story. NGK plug wires are the best choice as well. When my car had bad head gaskets it still drove fine. Made the same power as far as I could tell. Not that it was ever fast, but it was no more sluggish than usual. I never ended up with black stuff in the overflow as far as I can remember, even though I was driving it around for a while with blown head gaskets. When they blow, they tend to push exhaust into the coolant and therefore push the coolant out. You can get away with driving on it for a while as long as you make sure it doesn't run out of coolant. You have the EJ25D, right? Meaning a DOHC engine, it's easy to spot.

I know it's a very different engine, but when I did head gaskets on my EJ25D, I didn't replace any timing components as they had ~15k on them. Also I think the Loyale is mostly discussed in the older forum, not the new forum.

When it comes to engaging I was mostly wondering what wiring needs what in order to engage the clutch. I'm sure I can figure out a way of turning it on and off. I agree on a scuba or welding tank, I think I'll be able to find one pretty cheap (or might use one I have) I'd rather use the factory compressor rather than one from another car if possible. That makes mounting and belt very easy. I don't expect I'll use this very often, so a small oil reservoir would likely last a long time. Or, I could have the inlet (with the oiler) lower than the outlet (with the oil separator) so that it automatically recycles the oil. I know other people have done similar things, I was curious as to whether anyone has done it using the compressors that Subaru uses. One of the main questions I have is what pressure the AC compressor will put out.

Has anyone set up the AC compressor to act as an air compressor? I never use my AC and have had the condenser removed for at least 6 months. I'd like to be able to air my tires up and maybe even use air tools every now and then. I know that I'd need a filter and then something to oil the air before the compressor, and then a manifold with fittings and a pressure regulator after the compressor (and maybe an coil separator). I'd consider running it to a tank, I know that a lot of AC compressors run on the order of 300psi so either I'd regulate it before the tank or use a high pressure tank (intended for SCUBA or welding or whatever, and capable of much higher pressure). How would I control the clutch on the compressor? I wouldn't want it running all the time of course. I suppose a manual switch would be fine, but don't know which wires on the compressor do what. If it matters I have a 99 Legacy Outback, which uses a compressor designed for R134a. Thanks for any help.

Did you ever do this? How well did it work? I'd like to do it on my 99 Outback, AC has been ripped out for a while but I still have the compressor.

Brine is just another word for saltwater. It could be that they're using different salts. I sure am glad that I live in California and not right on the coast. No rust...

As it rolls off the showroom floor a 1st gen Outback has around 1/4" clearance to the strut tube, on 205/70R15 tires. If you run some 1/8" spacers you should have adequate room for 215s as long as they don't run into the perch. I figure if I get the 3" backspaced wheels I'll have plenty of room to the tube, hopefully enough to the perch (depends on tire size).

235/75R15 is going to require a lot of trimming even with lots of lift. I'd rather stay with tires a little smaller and significantly lower ride height - I don't think I'll get rid of my factory body lift, but I'm not going to add any more. That limits me to 2" over stock at the highest. Trimming is fine, though. There are pretty good choices in 215/75R15 and 225/75R15.

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f102/finally-got-fozy-lifted-326801/ is where I found them.

I suspect the thermostat is still there. If it wasn't, the temp would move around more.

I'm looking to pick up another set of wheels for my Outback to put bigger tires on. I've had a hard time finding anything reasonable used around here, but came across these on another forum: http://www.circletracksupply.com/bassett-dot-street-legal-street-stock-wheels-15x7-15x8.html Here's how they look on tintfreak's Foz: He said his are 3" backspacing and clearing 235/75R15 tires, with 3" strut spacers and King springs They're available in 5x100, which isn't common. Size options are 7" or 8" wide, and backspace options are 2", 3", 3.75" for the 7" width, 4", 4.75" for the 8" width. To convert that, here's a quick chart, rounded to the nearest mm, using this calculator: http://www.customwheeloffset.com/tire-wheel-backspacing-offset-calculators backspacing 7 8 2 -51 -63 3 -25 -38 3.75 -6 x 4 0 -12.7 4.75 x +6 My impression is that stock Outback and Forester 15s are 15x6 with 48mm offset... is that (+) or (-)? I'd like to run bigger tires, which would normally interfere with the spring perch - so I'd like to have them spaced as if I had some moderate spacers (maybe an inch or so at most), but done by offset/backspacing instead of using spacers. At most I'd see running 225/75R15 tires, which I know will require some clearancing (I'm about to swap in some 04 FXT struts). More realistic would be 215/75R15. I like the look of these wheels and the price is great. Any suggestions on what size would work best? Thanks for any help.

Mine sits a little over 1/3 but well below 1/2. You have an EJ25D, correct? If so they're prone to head gaskets failing and leaking exhaust into the coolant. This pushes the coolant out, which is likely what you saw. New head gaskets should be a permanent fix, I used Fel Pro late last year and they're holding up (but don't have many miles on it... lots of abuse though). I think the new OEM gaskets are good too, and have heard good things about Six Stars.

On top of that, it's likely very thin material that you're welding something thick to. Not the easiest thing to weld up if you're new to welding.

Seriously, $85 sounds like way too much. If I had my welding gear up here I'd offer to do it for you. If you do pick up a welder be aware that the HF ones are pretty shitty. Practice on other stuff first, too.

I plan on doing trimming and bashing On a related note, I'll have some 99 Legacy Outback strut assemblies up for sale before too long. They'd lift a normal Legacy quite a bit.

Is that all you can fit? I just picked up some 04 FXT struts ($75 locally, they seem to be in good shape) and was hoping I'd manage to fit a 215/75R15 or 225/75R15, depending on what I find for the right price.

Forgot to mention, the dimple die seriously taco'd the plate. That lead to crappy fitup and ugly welds, so I did a half assed job of grinding them down. Oh well, it'll hold up.

Mostly done, just need to trim/cap the ends and paint. Don't know why the pic is so dark, flash was on, but it hides the shitty welds.