nipper

its not normal. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm (operate the clutch ) Lets look at how a diphram clutch is built. It is a flat spring pressing against a disc with a specific amount of force. As the disc wears, the flat spring moves closer to the flywheel. One of the wonder of this design is as the clutch wears, it actually applies more force (the reason your tired hyd clutch failed) .As the diphram does this the fingers move closer to the thorw out bearing. What you have is a clutch while working is quite worn. The fix for it is a new clutch. Then you will see that you have to move the pedal adjustment back to where it was (and you WILL have to do that). The reason the clutch grabed so low is because you need a clutch. This is the same reason your pedal was so low, and why you never adjust the clutch pedal on a hyd clutch unless its an emergncy. nipper

i just got a picture of a wrx going down the road blowing bubbles out the tail pipe nipper

more like you can run forever as long as you dont overheat the car. nipper

hrmph

Assuming there are no vaccum leaks, or anyother oddities, the only other thing that can whine are hydraulic pumps. You have two, the PS pump and the front pump in the tranny. Now i am doing worst case and may be way off base since i cant hear the noise. The PS pressure reduces pressure at highway speed. i don't know what they consider highway speed, nor am i quite sure how this done, i would imagine its done in the rack. Since you say it always stops at 40mph, i would look there. The tranny will sound loudest at low speeds if its a bad front pump. I wouild remove the drive belts and see if it goes away. You can drive the car a bit with the belts off. If it goes away, that reduces it to a rotating mass, the AC PS ALT or adjuster/idler pullies. Either way i suggest you take the technician on a drive with you driving, and let them hear it when you hear it. Keep all the documentation on this incase its either scenario so you can prove that you were complaining about this. nipper

in my 1997 OBW its under the center console, yours is most likely at the same place, near the handbrake.

yes. These engines, we dont know what thier upper end is as far as milage. As long as not overheated and oil changed, and timing belts done, no reason not to run for ever. Boxer engines dont really get bearing wear, since all the forces bascially cancel themselves out on the bottom end. nipper

Did this by chance start off with the words "hey watch this...." nipper

i feel so leftout, i never lost my subaru virginity that way... *sniff* nipper

Rod knock is easy. With the car running, remove one spark plug wire at a time. If it is a rod knock, the pitch of the noise well change. You can alos use a long screwdriver or wood dowel as a stethascope to see if the noise is a bearing noise (from the case) or a valve train nose (valve cover or cyl head). nipper

i really reeally hope you marked there that pivot joint was originally. You may have taken all the freeplay out of the clutch pedal, which can come back to haunt you. When you replace the clutch, you need to put that back where it was. ALso you may cause the clutch to slip by turning that adjustment. Its not meant to be adjusted. nipper

Griz, whats yuor email i have an excellant wiring manual that shows you about where to look. It looks like its on the right front strut tower nipper

I have a wiring digram here that calls out connector p-11, which is a floor harness, so check both places. nipper

hrmm then i wonder what that is under the console in the 97 legacy nipper

The garage did not f up. Its a risk with used transmissions. Sometimes its better to rebuild the awd unit while the tranny is out of the car, especially if its a tranny with an unknown history. Unless you test drove the doner car, there is no way to know if it has TB without opening it up. nipper

Does the squuel change with road speed or engine speed Of not sure hold the car in gear manually and see. Does it change with the a/c on or off Does it change with electrical laod Does it change with the sindows up or down Does it change when making a turn Is it there when you rev the car in park and neutral nipper

There is no adjustment on a hydraulic clutch, as they are (in a way) self adjusting. You may need a throw out bearing. nipper

Isnt that the sensor thats hidden under the console towards the center of the car (at least it is on my legacy). nipper

What they said, sorry i missed the loose pully and timing belt thing, pulley first, then timing belt. Do not drive the car with a loose pully, dont even run it more then you need to. nipper

what brand ignition wires? nipper

Check the connectors to the coils. When you replaced the coil, where did the replacement come from? Could it be the ignitor that is at issue? The 2-4 are two differnt coils, so i would look to see whats common to them.. Also is there any liquid inside the spark plugs holes that may be dreating a path (longshot really longshot). After that i wouldnt know where else to look at except at the wiring harness and connections. You go from the ECU to the ignitor to the coils. nipper

way cool nipper

i have the seperator plate thingy leaking, i look at it as rust prevention. nipper

it can be either o2 sensor. The first o2 sensor runs the ecu, the 2nd checks the cat performance against the first. Since the first is in unprocessed exhaust it tends to ware out earlier and give false readings, hence giving a bad cat signal. We/me/us recomend replacing the front o2 sensor and see if it goes away, since even if it is a bad cat, odds are its going to need a new o2 sensor anyway. nipper

hate to tell you, but a failed cat code is 95% of the time a bad o2 sensor. nipper